Disabilities Housing Protections

Stronger housing rights for people with disabilities

Colorado law strengthens housing protections for people with disabilities, including those who use assistance animals. Assistance animals do work, perform tasks, give help, or provide therapeutic emotional support related to a disability. They include service animals and emotional support animals that solely provide emotional support to ease disability symptoms or effects. A reasonable accommodation is a needed change to housing rules, policies, practices, or services that gives equal access and enjoyment. This includes public and shared spaces, and refusing reasonable accommodations is discrimination. Allowing an assistance animal is presumed reasonable when the housing provider has a chance to discuss the accommodation request. A complete ban on assistance animals is presumed discriminatory. Providers may seek reasonable proof of a disability or animal-related need unless the disability or need is obvious. Seeking that proof or discussing a request in good faith does not, by itself, count as discrimination. An animal's presence alone does not establish a direct health or safety threat or presumed substantial property damage. Providers may consider documented, specific conduct that poses such a threat or causes substantial physical property damage. The law takes effect at 12:01 a.m. the day after 90 days pass following the 2026 session's final adjournment. That date is August 12, 2026, if the session adjourns on May 13, 2026. A filed referendum petition delays the law; it then takes effect only with voter approval at the November 2026 general election. In that case, the effective date is the governor's official declaration of the vote.