State file — Colorado
Every number below names the law it comes from (its statute citation), checked October 18, 2026. Where a number comes from a secondary source instead of the official text, this page says so — double-check it before you rely on it.
| How long they have to sue you — credit-card debt | 6 years · Colo. Rev. Stat. §13-80-103.5(1)(a) From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it 6 years for actions to recover a liquidated debt or an unliquidated but determinable amount — the bucket card balances fall in. A general contract claim with no determinable amount falls under the 3-year §13-80-101(1)(a). |
| If the clock has run out | Paying part of it, or signing a written statement that the debt is yours, can restart it. Colo. Rev. Stat. §13-80-113 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it An acknowledgment or promise is not evidence of a new/continuing contract unless in a writing signed by the party to be charged, but the section 'shall not alter the effect of a payment of principal or interest' — case law treats a voluntary part payment that acknowledges more is due as restarting the period. |
| Deadline to answer a lawsuit | 21 days after service in state district/county court (35 days if served outside Colorado) · Colo. R. Civ. P. 12(a) From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your paycheck (wage garnishment) | More protective than the federal cap. More protective than the old 25% figures still in many roundups: current §13-54-104(2)(a) caps garnishment at the lesser of 20% of disposable earnings or the amount above 40 times the federal or the state minimum hourly wage, whichever excess is smaller; a debtor may also seek a further need-based reduction. Colo. Rev. Stat. §13-54-104(2)(a) From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your bank account (a levy) | No large automatic bank-balance shield was found. Debtors rely on the §13-54-102 exemption list (including exempt pension/benefit payments and a limited wildcard/personal-property allowance) and must claim the exemption after levy; wages already garnished are governed by the §13-54-104 formula. Colo. Rev. Stat. §13-54-102 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it Federal benefits deposited directly get an automatic two-month shield everywhere (31 CFR Part 212). |
| Original creditor calling? | No equivalent statute found. The federal FDCPA binds third-party collectors and debt buyers in Colorado, and federal law still bans deceptive practices by the bank itself. |
| How long a judgment lasts | 20 years — District-court money judgments are enforceable for 20 years; the judgment lien itself runs 6 years and may be revived for a further 6 years · Colo. Rev. Stat. §13-52-102 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
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6 years under Colo. Rev. Stat. §13-80-103.5(1)(a). The clock usually starts at the first missed payment that was never made up. Debt collectors may still call after it runs out, but Regulation F (12 CFR 1006.26(b)) bars them from suing — or threatening to sue — over a debt that is too old (time-barred).
Paying part of it, or signing a written statement that the debt is yours, can restart it. (Colo. Rev. Stat. §13-80-113).
21 days after service in state district/county court (35 days if served outside Colorado) (Colo. R. Civ. P. 12(a)). Most of these cases are lost by default — by never answering at all.
More protective than the old 25% figures still in many roundups: current §13-54-104(2)(a) caps garnishment at the lesser of 20% of disposable earnings or the amount above 40 times the federal or the state minimum hourly wage, whichever excess is smaller; a debtor may also seek a further need-based reduction. (Colo. Rev. Stat. §13-54-104(2)(a)).