Colorado Ends Non-Family Occupancy Limits

A state law signed by Colorado Governor Jared Polis bars cities from restricting the number of unrelated adults that can live in one household.

As Asia Mieleszko explains in a post for Strong Towns, “Previously, different municipalities in Colorado were able to implement restrictions at their discretion. Fort Collins, for example, limited occupancy to three unrelated tenants, which meant that in homes with upwards of four bedrooms (not including basements and garages) tenants would be subsidizing empty rooms, whether or not they made use of them.” 

When tenants went under the table to recoup their costs and sublet rooms, new tenants lacked legal protections. According to Gov. Polis, “For housing, the opportunity for people to officially be on the lease — it gives them protections, allows them to start establishing their credit, gives them the certainty that they get to live here.”

Supporters of the bill say it will benefit students, who make up the largest share of cohousing between unrelated people, as well as older adults who want to rent out spare rooms. “From housing scarcity to legal precarity, there was no shortage of reasons to scrap the roommate restrictions.”