Handle everyday legal problems in Colorado.
Hello Court helps everyday people handle everyday legal problems themselves, in plain language, without needing a lawyer for things they can do on their own. Our Colorado guides are live, starting with the most common money disputes: security deposits, unpaid wages, debt collection harassment, and consumer fraud. Every legal fact in them traces to Colorado's own statutes and official court forms.
What Hello Court does
Hello Court is a legal-information and document-preparation service for people who want to handle a straightforward legal matter on their own. We explain how the process works in plain language, help you understand your options, and prepare the kinds of documents people commonly need.
We are not a law firm, and we do not give legal advice about your specific situation. For matters that genuinely need a lawyer, we help you find one. For the many everyday problems people can handle themselves, we make the path clear and far less intimidating.
In Colorado specifically: Hello Court holds no license or authorization from the Colorado Supreme Court or any Colorado regulator, and we are not a Licensed Legal Paraprofessional. Everything on our Colorado pages is educational information about what Colorado's statutes, court rules, and official forms say.
Where everyday cases go in Colorado
Most of the disputes our guides cover end up in the Small Claims Division of County Court, a court Colorado designed for people without lawyers. It hears claims of $7,500 or less, exclusive of interest and costs (C.R.S. 13-6-403), and there are no jury trials. Under C.R.S. 13-6-407, attorneys generally may not appear in small claims cases at all, with narrow exceptions, for example a business appearing through a full-time officer or employee. Claims worth more than $7,500 can go on the County Court's regular civil docket, which handles money claims up to $25,000.
The whole system runs on statewide JDF forms published by the Colorado Judicial Branch. A small claims case starts when you file JDF 250, the Small Claims Notice, Claim, and Summons, and the clerk fills in your trial date at filing. The other side must be notified at least 15 days before trial. One quirk worth knowing up front: the Judicial Branch's official small claims guide, JDF 248, limits a filer to 2 small claims per month and no more than 18 per year in any one county.
Read our Colorado guides
Our plain-language Colorado guides are live. Each one walks you through the law, your deadlines, and the steps to act on the most common money disputes.
Colorado questions people ask first
How much can I sue for in Colorado small claims court?
Up to $7,500, exclusive of interest and costs. That cap is set by C.R.S. 13-6-403. If your claim is worth more than $7,500, the County Court's regular civil docket handles money claims up to $25,000, and larger claims go to District Court.
Do I need a lawyer for small claims in Colorado?
Colorado designed its small claims court to work without lawyers. Under C.R.S. 13-6-407, attorneys generally may not appear in small claims cases, on either side. The statute has narrow exceptions: a business or other entity appears through a full-time officer, employee, active general partner, or active member, and property managers may appear in certain landlord-tenant matters. Whether a bigger or more complicated dispute needs a licensed Colorado attorney is a judgment call this page cannot make for you.
What form starts a Colorado small claims case, and what does it cost?
You file JDF 250, the Small Claims Notice, Claim, and Summons, and the clerk fills in your trial date at filing. The statewide filing fee is $31 for claims of $500 or less and $55 for claims over $500 up to $7,500, per the Colorado Judicial Branch fee schedule and the JDF 248 guide. If you cannot afford the fee, you can ask the court to waive it with JDF 205 and JDF 206; recipients of certain public assistance may instead file JDF 209.
How long does my landlord have to return my security deposit?
Thirty days after the lease ends or you surrender the place, whichever comes last, unless your lease sets a longer period, which cannot exceed 60 days (C.R.S. 38-12-103, as rewritten by HB25-1249 effective January 1, 2026). If a landlord wrongfully keeps money it has no right to keep, the statute makes the landlord liable for three times the wrongfully withheld amount plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs. Before suing, the tenant must give the landlord at least 7 days' written notice that includes a demand to return the money, and the treble-damages action is available only if the landlord fails to return it within 7 days after receiving that demand. Our Colorado security deposit guide walks through the details.
How long do I have to bring a claim?
It depends on the type of claim. In Colorado the limitation period is generally three years for contract and fraud claims (C.R.S. 13-80-101) and six years for liquidated or determinable debts and arrears of rent (C.R.S. 13-80-103.5), with the clock generally starting when the cause of action accrues. Other claim types have their own periods, and these deadlines are strict, so it matters to know which one applies to your situation.
Is there a limit on how many small claims cases I can file?
Yes. The Colorado Judicial Branch's official small claims guide, JDF 248, limits a filer to 2 small claims per month and no more than 18 per year in any one county.
Official Colorado resources
Our guides link to the exact statutes and forms they rely on. These official sources are free, and they come straight from the state.
You can also read our general, plain-language explainers that apply no matter where you live.
Read the guides now, get the toolkit next
Our four Colorado guides are live above, free to read, and cite the statute or official form behind every step. The full Hello Court toolkit, which prepares your documents step by step, comes to Colorado next. Join the waitlist and we will email you the moment it is ready.
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