What No Eviction Without Representation requires of landlords
Boulder voters passed No Eviction Without Representation in November 2020, and the tax it created took effect on January 1, 2021. It funds the city’s Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Services program, known as EPRAS, which offers tenants legal help, rental assistance and mediation. The city now describes it as the Long-Term Rental Tax, and it puts three obligations on every long-term rental license holder.
- Pay an annual tax on each dwelling unit that needs a long-term rental license. The 2027 tax is $82.57 per unit, so a 12-unit building owes $990.84.
- Attach the city’s required lease disclosure to your lease agreements.
- Give tenants the required notice of EPRAS services when you serve a demand for compliance or a notice to quit.
The state rules underneath a Boulder case
Colorado law does most of the work. A nonpayment or lease violation demand gives 10 days, the summons sets an appearance 7 to 14 days after it issues, the tenant can stop the case by paying everything owed until judgment for possession, and a residential writ can’t be executed until 10 days after judgment. Tenants on SSI, SSDI or Colorado Works get mandatory mediation before filing and a 30-day wait for the writ. Our Colorado eviction process guide covers each rule and its statute.
Colorado also preempts local rent control, so Boulder has no cap on what you charge after a turnover. The city’s rules are about notice, licensing and money for tenant services, not rent levels.
Why the EPRAS notice matters on day one
The EPRAS notice rides with the state demand. Colorado already requires the 10-day demand to carry its own warnings, and Boulder adds its notice on top, so build both into the same packet. A tenant who gets the EPRAS notice is pointed to a coordinator who can assess the case and connect them with a lawyer, rental assistance or a mediator.
The court reinforces this. The 20th Judicial District’s administrative order authorizes EPRAS and Bridge to Justice, including their staff and contract attorneys, to receive suppressed eviction records under C.R.S. 13-40-110.5. In practice, the city can reach a tenant before the first court date even though the case is still hidden from the public. The city reports that 97% of tenants who engage with EPRAS avoid eviction, so expect many cases to end in a payment or move-out agreement rather than a writ.
Where Boulder evictions are heard
Boulder evictions are FED cases in Boulder County Court, part of Colorado’s 20th Judicial District. Since November 7, 2025, every FED in the county is filed and heard at the Boulder Justice Center. The Longmont Justice Center no longer takes FED filings or holds FED hearings.
FED return dates are Friday mornings. The court publishes the Fridays it skips, and in the coming months those are November 27 and December 25, 2026 and January 1, 2027. Residential parties can appear in person or remotely by WebEx video or phone under C.R.S. 13-40-113.5, while commercial parties must appear in person unless the court approves otherwise.
For an owner, the Friday-only calendar is the real constraint. A case can only move as fast as the next open Friday, so a demand that expires on a Thursday or a filing that misses Wednesday’s cutoff can cost a full week. Plan service of the demand backward from the Friday you want, and keep your ledger, lease, demand, EPRAS notice and proof of service ready to share by video if you appear remotely.
Boulder County’s FED filing rules
Administrative Order 20-108, amended January 16, 2026, sets the local procedure. The two rules that shape your timeline are the Wednesday cutoff and the weekly cap. If you miss either, your case slides to the next Friday.
- E-filed cases are due by 5 p.m. on the Wednesday ten days before the Friday return date. Paper filings must reach the clerk before the office closes at 4 p.m. that Wednesday.
- The court takes 65 FED cases a week: 15 from self-represented parties and 50 from law firms, with no single firm filing more than 30.
- Parties are encouraged to mediate before the first appearance where state law doesn’t already require it. If they haven’t, the court orders mediation on the morning of the first appearance.
- The order attaches the list of legal aid and rental assistance resources that C.R.S. 13-40-111(5) requires with the summons.
Boulder’s rental license, briefly
Every rental in the city needs a valid rental license under the Boulder Revised Code and the Property Maintenance Code, with narrow exemptions for some owner-occupied and temporary rentals. The license fee is $190. A property has to meet the SmartRegs energy efficiency standard before you apply, and a city-licensed private inspector checks life safety, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and fire safety items.
Multi-unit buildings get a four-year license once they submit an outdoor lighting certification. Without it, the city issues a one-year license that extends to four years when the certification comes in. Violations can shrink the term to 12 months for land use problems or 24 months for housing code problems. Owners who live outside Boulder County must name a local agent who can respond within 60 minutes.
A transfer of ownership needs a new rental inspection, which matters if you sell. Boulder also requires landlords to pay interest on security deposits, at 2.08% for 2026.
The writ and the Boulder County Sheriff
After judgment, the court issues the writ of restitution, which Colorado lets the sheriff execute no sooner than 10 days after judgment for a residential tenant. Take it to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office Civil Section to schedule. Only deputies can carry out an eviction, and staff will hand you an Eviction Information Form to fill out.
The Sheriff charges $160 plus mileage to execute an eviction. The office warns that high demand can mean several weeks before an eviction is completed, and the writ is valid for only 49 days, so schedule the same day the writ issues.
Boulder eviction timeline at a glance
This table covers a residential nonpayment case in the city of Boulder with no state mediation requirement, no answer and no appeal.
| Step | Deadline | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 10-day demand with EPRAS notice | 10 days | C.R.S. 13-40-104; Long-Term Rental Tax rules |
| File FED at Boulder Justice Center | 5 p.m. Wednesday for e-filing | Admin. Order 20-108 |
| Return date | Friday morning docket | Admin. Order 20-108; C.R.S. 13-40-111 |
| Mediation if not done earlier | Morning of first appearance | Admin. Order 20-108 |
| Tenant cure by paying in full | Until judgment for possession | C.R.S. 13-40-115(4) |
| Earliest Sheriff execution | 10 days after judgment | C.R.S. 13-40-122 |
| Writ expires | 49 days after issuance | C.R.S. 13-40-115(3) |
Worked example: a $2,300 unit and the Friday calendar
Assume a two-bedroom in a 12-unit Boulder building rents for $2,300 a month, or $75.62 a day. Rent due Monday, February 1, 2027 (day 0) isn’t paid. You serve the 10-day demand with the EPRAS notice on Tuesday, February 2, and it runs through Friday, February 12. Assume $1,500 for an attorney.
Your attorney e-files before the 5 p.m. cutoff on Wednesday, February 17, which lands the case on the Friday, February 26 docket. The tenant skips the hearing and the court enters judgment for possession that morning. The earliest the Sheriff can execute is 10 days later, Monday, March 8, which is day 35.
Thirty-five days at $75.62 is $2,647 in lost rent. With the attorney and the Sheriff’s $160 fee plus mileage, the minimum is $4,307 before mileage. If the Sheriff’s backlog runs several weeks, each extra week costs about $529, and a Wednesday filing missed by one day pushes the whole case back a week.
| Item | Days or rate | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Daily rent at $2,300 a month | $75.62 a day | |
| Lost rent, due date to earliest execution | 35 days | $2,647 |
| Assumed attorney fee | $1,500 | |
| Boulder County Sheriff eviction fee | Plus mileage | $160 |
| Total before mileage | $4,307 | |
| 2027 rental tax, 12 units | $82.57 each | $990.84 a year |
Working with EPRAS instead of against it
Because the city funds rental assistance and mediation, a Boulder rent case is often best treated as a negotiation that happens to have a court date. Bring your ledger, a payment plan you can live with and, if the tenancy is over, a move-out date. Mediated settlements in Boulder often combine past-due rent with an agreed date to leave.
If the tenant can’t pay at all, cash for keys can beat the 35-day minimum and the Sheriff’s backlog. Put the move-out date and payment in writing, and pay only at key handover.
Selling a Boulder apartment building with tenants in place
You can sell with an FED pending. The buyer takes the leases, the deposits with their interest obligation and any open case, and the buyer will need a new rental inspection because ownership is changing. Share the rental license, SmartRegs certification, lighting certification, EPRAS notices served and tenant estoppel certificates.
Skyline Capital Investments buys apartment buildings with five or more units in Boulder and across Colorado, with tenants in place and in any condition, including buildings with tenants behind on rent. Send the address and unit count through the form on this page or call (469) 660-2977. We typically respond within 48 hours.
