“SOL” stands for Statute of Limitations. The time limit you have to take legal action after something goes wrong. Miss that window, and even a strong case can vanish before it ever reaches court.
In Colorado, people hurt in auto accidents generally have three years to sue. For most other personal-injury claims, it’s two years. Some financial or contract claims can stretch as long as six.
But for renters who’ve been mistreated by their landlords, the timeline is a little murkier. Colorado’s Warranty of Habitability laws are still relatively new. As recently as five years ago, Colorado was known as a landlord-friendly state. That’s changing fast.
The 2025 version of the Warranty of Habitability statute (C.R.S. § 38-12-501 et seq.) gives tenants stronger protections. But because the law is still developing, the courts are still figuring out how long renters have to sue. Different counties may treat these timelines differently until the Colorado Supreme Court weighs in.
So how do we estimate it now?
We look at what the Court has said in similar cases. In By the Rockies v. Perez (2025 CO 56), a worker sued his former employer for unpaid rest and meal breaks. The employer argued the claim was too old, five years had passed. The Court agreed, holding that a two-year statute of limitations (three for intentional violations) applied.
That case dealt with employment law, not housing. Still, it’s the best guidance we have. Most tenant-rights attorneys use the same assumption: you likely have two years from your first written notice to the landlord about a habitability issue to take legal action.
That’s why we always ask: When did you first put it in writing? If it’s been more than two years, your claim may be barred by the statute of limitations.
If you think your landlord ignored unsafe or unhealthy conditions, don’t wait. Time matters.
Talk to our Colorado tenant lawyers now, before the clock runs out.
