State-by-state guide
Portable Tenant Screening Report Laws, State by State
A growing number of states let you reuse one verified screening report instead of paying an application fee at every apartment. Here is where those laws exist in 2026, and exactly what each one does, in plain language.
General information, not legal advice. Last updated July 2026.
Colorado
Landlord must acceptHB23-1099, refined by HB25-1236 · In force (2023, updated 2026)
The strongest law in the country. A landlord must accept a valid portable tenant screening report you provide, and cannot charge you a separate fee to screen the same information. Extra protections for renters using housing assistance.
Read the full Colorado guide
California
Acceptance optionalAB 2559 (Civil Code 1950.1) · January 1, 2025
Landlords may choose to accept reusable screening reports and must opt in. If a landlord opts in and accepts your report, they cannot charge you a screening fee for it. The report must be no more than 30 days old.
New York
No double feeHSTPA of 2019 (RPL 238-a) · June 14, 2019
Application fees are capped at the actual cost of the background and credit check, or $20, whichever is less. If you provide your own background and credit check from within the past 30 days, the landlord must waive that fee.
Illinois
No double feePublic Act 103-0840 · January 1, 2025
If you provide a qualifying reusable report that is 30 days old or less, the landlord cannot charge you an application or screening fee. Acceptance itself is not mandated, but the fee protection is real.
Rhode Island
No double feeR.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-59 · January 1, 2024
General application fees are banned outright. A landlord may only recover the actual cost of a credit or background check, and cannot charge you a fee for a screening report you already provided.
Maryland
Acceptance optionalReal Property 8-218 · In force (2021)
You may offer a reusable tenant screening report, but the landlord is not required to accept it. If they do accept it, they cannot charge you a screening fee for that report.
Washington
Must discloseRCW 59.18.257 · In force (since 2012)
Landlords must disclose in writing whether they will accept a comprehensive reusable screening report. If a landlord says they accept one, they cannot charge you for it. Acceptance itself remains up to the landlord.
Do not see your state? Most states have no portable report law yet, but nothing stops you from bringing a verified report to strengthen your application. A landlord who trusts your proof of income is a landlord more likely to say yes.
More states are considering portable screening report bills in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, so this list is likely to grow. We update it as new laws take effect.
Why these laws exist
For years, renters paid a fresh application or screening fee at every property, often $35 to $50 each time, with no refund when the answer was no. Someone applying to ten apartments could spend hundreds of dollars just to be considered. Portable screening report laws are the response. The idea is simple: verify your background once, then reuse that report instead of buying a new one at every door.
The strength varies by state. Colorado goes furthest and requires landlords to accept a valid portable report. Others, like Illinois, New York, and Rhode Island, focus on the fee, so a landlord cannot charge you again when you bring your own report. California and Maryland leave acceptance up to the landlord but bar a fee if they say yes. Washington requires landlords to disclose whether they accept one. Different mechanics, same goal: stop making renters pay over and over for the same information.
Settl is a portable screening report you can use anywhere
Settl verifies your identity, bank income, employment, and background once, then gives you a shareable code a landlord can look up. In Colorado, landlords are required to accept it. Everywhere else, it is the strong, verified proof that gets a landlord to say yes without a stack of pay stubs and bank statements.
Common questions
What is a portable tenant screening report?
A portable tenant screening report, also called a reusable screening report or PTSR, is one verified report a renter can share with multiple landlords. It usually covers identity, income, rental history, and background from a screening provider. Because it is verified once and shared many times, it can save you from paying a new application fee at every property.
Which states require landlords to accept a portable screening report?
As of 2026, Colorado is the only state that affirmatively requires a landlord to accept a valid portable tenant screening report you provide. Other states, including California, New York, Illinois, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Washington, regulate application fees or require disclosure, but do not force a landlord to accept your report. The protections still matter, because in several of them a landlord cannot charge you a fee if they do accept one.
Does a portable screening report law mean I never pay an application fee?
It depends on the state. In Colorado, if you provide a valid report, the landlord cannot charge you a separate fee for the same information. In fee-limit states like Illinois, New York, and Rhode Island, the fee is capped or waived when you provide your own report. In optional states like California and Maryland, the landlord chooses whether to accept your report at all, but cannot charge you for it if they do.
How does Settl fit these laws?
Settl is a portable screening report. It verifies your identity, bank income, employment, and background once, then gives you a shareable code a landlord can look up. In Colorado, landlords are required to accept it. In the fee-limit and optional states, it is the report you hand over so a landlord cannot charge you a fresh fee to screen the same information. Verify once, apply anywhere.
Verify once. Apply everywhere.
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