Dealing With Debt Collectors in Colorado (2026)
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Colorado · Last updated August 13, 2026
This page covers your rights when a debt collector contacts you in Colorado. On top of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Colorado has its own Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (C.R.S. 5-16), which the Colorado Attorney General's office enforces and which, since 2017, reaches many original creditors as well as third-party collectors. Colorado also licenses collection agencies through the Attorney General under the Uniform Consumer Credit Code. Most Colorado debts carry a six-year statute of limitations under C.R.S. 13-80-103.5, and state law caps wage garnishment and protects certain income and property from collection.
What is the statute of limitations on debt in Colorado?
Most Colorado consumer debts, including credit cards and loans, are liquidated or determinable amounts, so they carry a six-year limitations period under C.R.S. 13-80-103.5. A general three-year contract rule exists under C.R.S. 13-80-101, but the six-year rule controls for typical fixed-sum debts. Confirm the period before you act.
Can my wages be garnished for consumer debt in Colorado?
Yes. After a creditor wins a judgment, Colorado allows wage garnishment under C.R.S. 13-54-104, but the amount is capped. Effective in 2024 the cap is the lesser of 20 percent of weekly disposable earnings or the amount by which those earnings exceed 40 times the federal minimum wage.
How do I stop a debt collector from contacting me in Colorado?
Send a written cease-communication letter. Under the federal FDCPA (15 U.S.C. 1692c(c)) and the Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (C.R.S. 5-16), once the collector receives it, it must stop contacting you except to confirm it is stopping or to state it may pursue a specific remedy such as a lawsuit.
What can a debt collector not do to me in Colorado?
Under the Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (C.R.S. 5-16) and the federal FDCPA, a collector cannot harass or threaten you, use obscene language, lie about the debt's amount or legal status, falsely threaten arrest, or contact you at unusual times. Collection agencies must also be licensed by the Colorado Attorney General.
Colorado's own fair-debt law reaches further than the FDCPA
Colorado is one of the states that regulates debt collection through its own statute in addition to the federal FDCPA. The Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (C.R.S. 5-16), relocated and modernized in 2017, mirrors many federal protections but is broader in an important way: unlike the federal FDCPA, which generally exempts creditors collecting their own debts, the Colorado Act's definitions can reach certain original creditors and in-house collection operations, especially those that collect under a different name. The Act is administered and enforced by the Administrator of the Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act within the Colorado Attorney General's office, which also licenses collection agencies under the Uniform Consumer Credit Code. Collection agencies, including out-of-state agencies collecting from Colorado consumers, must hold a Colorado license and designate a registered agent. On the collection side, Colorado caps wage garnishment under C.R.S. 13-54-104: effective in 2024 a judgment creditor can reach at most the lesser of 20 percent of weekly disposable earnings or the amount those earnings exceed 40 times the federal minimum wage, and income such as Social Security, unemployment, workers' compensation, and many pensions is exempt.
Relevant Laws
Colorado Statute of Limitations on Liquidated Debt, C.R.S. 13-80-103.5
Sets a six-year limitations period for actions to recover a liquidated debt or an unliquidated but determinable amount of money, and to enforce instruments securing a debt. Most Colorado consumer debts, including credit cards and loans, are liquidated sums that fall under this six-year rule.
Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, C.R.S. 5-16
Colorado's own fair-debt statute, relocated and updated in 2017 and enforced by the Colorado Attorney General. It mirrors many FDCPA protections against harassment, false statements, and unfair practices, and reaches certain original creditors that the federal FDCPA does not cover.
Colorado Restrictions on Garnishment, C.R.S. 13-54-104
Caps wage garnishment at the lesser of 20 percent of weekly disposable earnings (effective 2024) or the amount those earnings exceed 40 times the federal minimum wage, and exempts income such as Social Security, unemployment, workers' compensation, and many pensions.
Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), 15 U.S.C. 1692
The federal statute governing third-party debt collectors nationwide. It bars harassment (1692d), false or misleading representations (1692e), and unfair practices (1692f), restricts contact (1692c), and creates the 30-day debt validation right (1692g). Colorado law layers on top of it.
Regional Variances
Colorado statute of limitations by debt type
Liquidated or determinable debt (credit cards, loans): 6 years
Under C.R.S. 13-80-103.5, any action to recover a liquidated debt or an unliquidated but determinable amount of money must be filed within six years of accrual. Most consumer debts, including credit card balances and installment loans, are fixed or ascertainable sums that fall here.
Written and oral contracts (general): 3 years, except as otherwise provided
C.R.S. 13-80-101 sets a general three-year period for all contract actions, but expressly yields to C.R.S. 13-80-103.5. Because typical debts are liquidated or determinable amounts, the six-year rule usually controls consumer debt rather than the three-year contract default.
Promissory notes and secured debt instruments: 6 years
C.R.S. 13-80-103.5 also governs actions to enforce rights under an instrument securing or evidencing a debt, giving promissory notes and similar debt instruments a six-year limitations period from the date the cause of action accrues.
Open account / credit card: 6 years
Colorado treats an open-account or credit card balance as a determinable sum of money, so the six-year period in C.R.S. 13-80-103.5 applies. The clock generally starts when the account goes into default, and a qualifying payment or written acknowledgment can restart it.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Confirm where your debt sits in Colorado's six-year window
Within 5 days of first contact days after startingIdentify the date the debt went into default and count forward six years under C.R.S. 13-80-103.5. If the period has run, the debt may be time-barred. Do not make a payment or written acknowledgment until you check, because that can restart the clock.
Send a written debt validation letter
Within 30 days of receiving the validation notice days after startingIf you do not recognize the debt or the amount looks wrong, mail a written dispute and request for verification within the 30-day FDCPA window. Under 15 U.S.C. 1692g and C.R.S. 5-16, this forces the collector to stop collecting until it mails you proof of the debt.
Send a cease-and-desist letter if you want contact to stop
As soon as you decide to stop contact days after startingUnder 15 U.S.C. 1692c(c) and the Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (C.R.S. 5-16), a written cease-communication letter requires the collector to stop contacting you once received, except to confirm it is stopping or to state a specific remedy. Keep proof of mailing.
Verify the collector is licensed and log every contact
Ongoing days after startingConfirm the collection agency holds a Colorado license through the Attorney General's Consumer Credit Unit, and record every call date, time, caller, and statement. Unlicensed collection and harassment both violate Colorado law and support a complaint or lawsuit.
File a complaint with the Colorado Attorney General or the CFPB
Within 1 year of any FDCPA violation days after startingSubmit a complaint to the Colorado Attorney General's Consumer Credit Unit at coag.gov/file-complaint, which enforces the Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. Because 15 U.S.C. 1692k generally requires suit within one year, consult an attorney promptly.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm where your debt sits in Colorado's six-year window | Identify the date the debt went into default and count forward six years under C.R.S. 13-80-103.5. If the period has run, the debt may be time-barred. Do not make a payment or written acknowledgment until you check, because that can restart the clock. | - | Within 5 days of first contact |
| Send a written debt validation letter | If you do not recognize the debt or the amount looks wrong, mail a written dispute and request for verification within the 30-day FDCPA window. Under 15 U.S.C. 1692g and C.R.S. 5-16, this forces the collector to stop collecting until it mails you proof of the debt. | debt-validation-letter | Within 30 days of receiving the validation notice |
| Send a cease-and-desist letter if you want contact to stop | Under 15 U.S.C. 1692c(c) and the Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (C.R.S. 5-16), a written cease-communication letter requires the collector to stop contacting you once received, except to confirm it is stopping or to state a specific remedy. Keep proof of mailing. | cease-and-desist-letter | As soon as you decide to stop contact |
| Verify the collector is licensed and log every contact | Confirm the collection agency holds a Colorado license through the Attorney General's Consumer Credit Unit, and record every call date, time, caller, and statement. Unlicensed collection and harassment both violate Colorado law and support a complaint or lawsuit. | - | Ongoing |
| File a complaint with the Colorado Attorney General or the CFPB | Submit a complaint to the Colorado Attorney General's Consumer Credit Unit at coag.gov/file-complaint, which enforces the Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. Because 15 U.S.C. 1692k generally requires suit within one year, consult an attorney promptly. | - | Within 1 year of any FDCPA violation |
Frequently Asked Questions
Credit card debt in Colorado is generally a liquidated or determinable sum, so it falls under the six-year limitations period in C.R.S. 13-80-103.5. Once six years pass from the date the account went into default without a qualifying payment, a creditor's lawsuit is usually time-barred, though the debt itself does not disappear.
It can. The federal FDCPA generally does not cover a creditor collecting its own debt. The Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (C.R.S. 5-16), updated in 2017, is broader and can reach certain original creditors and in-house collection operations, particularly those collecting under a name different from the creditor's. This is a meaningful expansion of Colorado consumer protection.
Yes. Collection agencies collecting from Colorado consumers must be licensed by the Colorado Attorney General's office under the Uniform Consumer Credit Code, including out-of-state agencies collecting Colorado debts. Licensed agencies must maintain a registered agent in the state. You can verify licensure and file complaints through the Attorney General's Consumer Credit Unit.
After a judgment, Colorado caps garnishment under C.R.S. 13-54-104. Effective in 2024, a collector can take the lesser of 20 percent of your weekly disposable earnings or the amount by which those earnings exceed 40 times the federal minimum wage. You can file a written objection and ask a court to exempt more for family support.
Often yes. In Colorado, making a payment on an old debt or acknowledging it in writing can restart the six-year limitations clock under C.R.S. 13-80-103.5, reviving the creditor's right to sue on a debt that was time-barred. Before paying anything on an old debt, confirm whether the limitations period has already run.
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