Colorado debt collection laws sit on two tracks. The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act covers third-party collectors nationwide. The Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, C.R.S. Title 5, Article 16, adds state licensing and conduct rules. Searches for Colorado collection laws, Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and statute of limitations Colorado credit card debt start with that split.
Key Takeaways
- Third-party collectors in Colorado must follow the federal FDCPA and the CFDCPA. Original creditors collecting their own accounts generally sit outside both collection acts. The Colorado Consumer Protection Act can still reach some in-house tactics.
- Many suits to collect a liquidated consumer balance use the six-year clock in C.R.S. 13-80-103.5. Some contract theories use three years under C.R.S. 13-80-101. Date the last activity before you assume either clock.
- The seven-calls-in-seven-days cap is the federal CFPB rule. It applies in Colorado. It is not a separate Colorado-only statute.
- Garnishment generally requires a lawsuit and a judgment first. A same-day garnish threat on a phone call is a fact pattern to save.
- HB24-1380 became law in 2024. The official bill page describes regulation of debt-related services, not a standalone ban on all medical-debt garnishment.
- The Wood Firm PLLC reviews Colorado files on contingency. Jeff Wood is admitted in Colorado federal court. You pay no attorney fee unless a recovery is obtained.
Free Case Review: +1-844-638-1122
People also search debt collection laws in Colorado, how to stop a garnishment in Colorado, and what is exempt from debt collection in Colorado.
What laws govern debt collection in Colorado
What laws govern debt collection in Colorado are three layers:
- Federal FDCPA for third-party collectors, debt buyers, and attorneys who regularly collect consumer debts
- Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, C.R.S. 5-16-101 and following
- Colorado Consumer Protection Act, C.R.S. Title 6, Article 1, which can reach some deceptive collection tactics even when the FDCPA does not
The Attorney General’s Collection Agency Regulation page and the collection-agency licensing page explain who must hold a Colorado license. Creditors collecting their own debts in their own name generally do not need that license. Broader consumer complaints go through Colorado Attorney General Consumer Protection. Federal complaints go to consumerfinance.gov/complaint.
CFDCPA private actions generally run one year from the violation. The statute also says a consumer should not recover the same damages twice under both Article 16 and the federal FDCPA.
Why is a debt collector calling you in Colorado?
A collector is calling because a creditor placed or sold a past-due account. Volume and threat language are facts to log. They are not proof the balance is valid.
Patterns that can support a claim, if proven, include:
- More than seven calls in seven days about the same debt under the federal CFPB rule
- Workplace calls after you said the employer forbids them
- A threat to sue a debt that is past Colorado’s lawsuit clock
- Papers dressed up as court process when no case is on the docket
- Telling family or coworkers that you owe the debt
- Arrest or same-day garnishment talk on ordinary consumer debt
What is the statute of limitations on debt in Colorado
What is the statute of limitations on debt in Colorado depends on the claim. C.R.S. 13-80-103.5 gives six years for many actions to recover a liquidated or determinable sum and for instruments that evidence a debt.
That is the clock most credit-card and collection suits invoke. C.R.S. 13-80-101 gives three years for many other contract actions unless 13-80-103.5 applies. A Legislative Council summary of those clocks is on the Colorado General Assembly statutes-of-limitations page.
After the correct clock runs, a collector usually cannot win a new Colorado judgment on that balance. Calls and letters may continue.
A payment or a clear written acknowledgment can restart the clock in some situations. Threatening to sue a time-barred debt can itself raise a deception issue under federal and state collection rules.
What Colorado debt collectors cannot do
What Colorado debt collectors cannot do tracks the FDCPA and CFDCPA lists:
- Harassment, profanity, and calls meant only to annoy
- Fake attorney, police, or government badges
- False arrest or criminal-charge talk on ordinary consumer debt
- Fees the contract and law do not allow
- Calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. local time
- Third-party disclosure of the debt beyond narrow location-information contact
HB24-1380 became law on June 6, 2024. The official summary covers regulation of debt-related services and limits on how a collector may caption a collection lawsuit. It is not described there as a blanket ban on garnishing medical debt. Read the enacted bill before you rely on any medical-debt headline.
How Colorado wage garnishment works
How to stop a garnishment in Colorado starts with whether a judgment exists. A collector cannot take pay on a phone threat. After a judgment, Colorado garnishment math in the source draft uses 25 percent of disposable earnings or the amount over 30 times the Colorado minimum wage, whichever is less. Confirm the current code and the current state minimum wage before you quote a dollar figure.
Income that is often exempt when it remains traceable includes Social Security, SSI, veterans and disability benefits, workers’ compensation, unemployment, and child-support received for dependents. Homestead figures in the source draft were $75,000 of equity in a primary residence, or $105,000 for some older or disabled owners. Those amounts change. Claim exemptions on the court papers. They are not automatic.
How to respond to a Colorado collector
- Log date, time, number, name, and a short summary. Colorado is a one-party consent state for recordings you make of calls you join.
- Send a written validation request by certified mail within 30 days of first contact when you can. Ask for the original creditor, an itemized balance, proof of authority, and a limitations check.
- Check your own last-payment date before you acknowledge an old balance.
- Send a written cease request if you want later contact limited to an acknowledgment or notice of specific legal action.
- File with the CFPB and the Colorado Attorney General if the pattern already broke the rules.
What The Wood Firm PLLC reviews
The Wood Firm PLLC represents consumers only. Jeff Wood is admitted in Colorado federal court and in the federal courts of Arkansas, New Mexico, Texas, and several other listed districts.
We review call logs, fake-process letters, time-bar dates, workplace contact, and bureau entries. A notice of representation tells the collector to contact counsel. Later direct calls can create extra facts. That is not a guaranteed 48-hour silence in every file.
Call +1-844-638-1122 for a free case review. Contingency means no upfront attorney fee on these statutes when fee-shifting applies if the case succeeds. FDCPA statutory damages, if proven, can reach $1,000 per lawsuit, not $1,000 for every ring.
This article was reviewed for legal accuracy by Attorney Jeff Wood, Esq., founding attorney of The Wood Firm PLLC. Last reviewed: April 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is Colorado’s statute of limitations for debt collection?
Many liquidated consumer debts use six years under C.R.S. 13-80-103.5. Some contract theories use three years under C.R.S. 13-80-101. After the correct clock, a new lawsuit is usually time-barred. Calls may continue.
Can a debt collector in Colorado call me more than once a day?
The federal CFPB rule treats more than seven calls in seven days about the same debt as a presumed harassment pattern. Multiple calls in one day can hit that cap quickly.
Can a Colorado debt collector contact my employer or family?
Location-information contact is narrow. Disclosing that you owe the debt to family or coworkers can violate the FDCPA and the CFDCPA. Workplace calls should stop after you say the employer forbids them.
What happens after I send a cease-and-desist letter in Colorado?
After receipt, contact should be limited to an acknowledgment or notice of specific action. Further sales-style calls are facts to document.
Can a debt collector garnish my wages in Colorado without suing me first?
No. Garnishment generally requires a lawsuit, a judgment, and a separate execution process.
What damages can I recover under Colorado debt collection laws?
FDCPA statutory damages can reach $1,000 per lawsuit. TCPA figures, if the facts fit, often start at $500 per call. CFDCPA damages should not duplicate the same federal award. Actual damages still need proof.
Do I have to owe the debt to have a claim?
No. Collection conduct is judged apart from whether the bill is yours.
How do I know if a collector is using an autodialer?
A pause, a recording, a silent drop, and rotating numbers can be clues. They are not proof by themselves.
What to do after the next Colorado collection call
Log it. Check the last-payment date. Send validation if the notice is new. Call +1-844-638-1122 if the pattern includes a time-barred suit threat, fake court papers, or workplace calls after you objected.
Jeff Wood represents consumers exclusively, never creditors or collectors. He holds federal court admissions across 9 districts, including all courts of AR, CO, NM, and TX. He practices from Little Rock, AR.
