Denver Small Claims Court: Filing, Hearing, and Collecting

Denver small claims court handles money disputes of $7,500 or less through Denver County Court, with simplified rules built for people representing themselves. You file on Form JDF 250, pay either $31 or $55 depending on the amount, serve the defendant at least 15 days before your hearing, and almost always start with mediation before a magistrate decides the case. The process is faster than a standard civil lawsuit, but winning and collecting are two different things, and the court won’t chase the money for you.

What You Can Sue For

Any money dispute of $7,500 or less qualifies, not counting interest and court costs. You can file for more, but the court will cap your recovery at $7,500 even if you win.¹ You must be at least 18; minors file through a parent or legal guardian.

Common cases include unpaid debts, security deposit disputes, damaged property, bad checks, botched repairs, and breach of a simple contract. Small claims cannot hear evictions, defamation, requests for injunctions or restraining orders, probate, divorce, custody, or mental health proceedings.² If your dispute doesn’t come down to “they owe me money,” small claims is the wrong venue.

The court is built for self-represented parties. Attorneys generally cannot appear unless they are personally a party or are a full-time employee or active partner of a business that is a party.³ If the defendant files a Notice of Representation by Attorney at least seven days before trial, you then have the right to hire one too.⁴

Where and When to File

Denver County Court is the right court if the defendant lives, works, has a business office, or is a full-time student in Denver County, or if the case involves a security deposit or restrictive covenant on property located in Denver County. If none of those fit, file in whichever county does.¹

Deadlines depend on the type of claim. Miss the window and the court will dismiss the case no matter how strong it is.⁵

One year: motor vehicle repair disputes, assault or battery, and triple-damages actions on security deposits.
Two years: bad-check cases seeking triple damages, and claims against healthcare providers, hospitals, pharmacies, dentists, or veterinarians.
Three years: contract disputes, fraud or misrepresentation, and bodily injury or property damage from a car accident.⁶
Six years: unpaid debts, loans, and bad-check cases where you are not seeking triple damages.

The clock starts when the harm happens or when you reasonably should have discovered it. If your deadline is close, file first and refine the evidence after.

Filing the Case

Fill out Form JDF 250, “Notice, Claim and Summons to Appear for Trial.” Download it from the Colorado Judicial Branch website or pick it up at the courthouse.⁷ You need the defendant’s full legal name and current address, a plain factual summary of what they did and when, and the exact dollar amount you want. Errors in the name or address can delay or sink the case.

Submit the paperwork to Denver County Court. The Self Help Center is at 1437 Bannock Street, Room 281, in the City and County Building. The court also accepts electronic filings through its online eFiling platform.

Filing fees:⁸

Claims of $1 to $500: $31
Claims of $501 to $7,500: $55

Pay when you submit, and the clerk will issue a summons and set a hearing date. If you cannot afford the fee, file Forms JDF 205 and JDF 206 to request a waiver. You qualify if your household income is at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines, or automatically if you receive SSI, SNAP, TANF, or certain other public benefits.⁹

Serving the Defendant

You cannot deliver the papers yourself. Service must be done by someone at least 18 who is not a party to the case or a family member of a party.¹⁰ Two options:

Personal service. Any eligible adult hands Part 2 of Form JDF 250 to the defendant. That can be a friend, a private process server, or the Denver Sheriff Department’s Civil Division.¹¹
Certified mail through the court clerk. Simpler, but less reliable. If the defendant refuses to sign or the mail comes back, you’ll have to switch to personal service.¹²

Service must be completed at least 15 calendar days before the trial date.¹ Then file proof with the court: for personal service, an Affidavit of Service (Part 4 of JDF 250) signed in front of a notary; for certified mail, the signed return receipt. Miss the 15-day window and the court will likely reschedule.

If You’re the One Being Sued

Complete the Answer section on the second page of Part 2 of the Notice, Claim and Summons before your trial date, explaining why you don’t owe what the plaintiff claims.¹³

If you believe the plaintiff owes you money, file a counterclaim. A counterclaim of $7,500 or less stays in small claims. If it exceeds $7,500, file a Notice of Removal (Form JDF 251) at least seven days before the first trial date to move the entire case to regular county court.¹³

Getting Ready for the Hearing

The magistrate knows nothing about your dispute until you walk in. Everything you want them to consider has to be in the room. Allowed evidence includes contracts, invoices, receipts, emails, text messages, photographs, recordings, and written damage calculations.¹⁴

Print all digital evidence. Emails, texts, and photos should be in hard copy.
For video, bring the equipment to play it and a copy the court can keep.
Bring at least three copies of each exhibit: one for you, one for the other side, one for the court.
Number or letter exhibits in advance so you can reference them quickly.

Witnesses with firsthand knowledge should appear in person. Written statements are allowed but carry less weight because the magistrate can’t gauge credibility on paper. If a witness won’t come voluntarily, you can subpoena them. Subpoenas have to be issued by the court, personally served on the witness at least 48 hours before trial, and accompanied by a mileage check.¹⁴

What Happens at Court

On your hearing date, you will be sent to mediation before any trial starts. A court-provided mediator sits down with both sides to try to reach a settlement. You are not required to agree to anything, but you must make a good-faith effort.¹⁵ A negotiated agreement often gets you paid faster than a judgment does.

If mediation fails, the case goes to trial before a magistrate. Both sides present evidence, explain their position, and can question the other party’s witnesses. There is no jury. The magistrate may announce the decision on the spot or mail it to both parties shortly after.

If You Need to Reschedule

File a General Motion (Form JDF 76) with a Proposed Order (Form JDF 77) as early as possible. Magistrates typically grant continuances for preparing a defense to a counterclaim, hiring a lawyer after the other side got one, subpoenaing witnesses, gathering evidence, or a medical or family emergency.¹⁶ Don’t wait until the hearing date.

If the Defendant Doesn’t Show

If the defendant fails to appear or answer, request a default judgment with Form JDF 107A (Motion for Entry of Judgment). The magistrate can award you a money judgment without the defendant present.¹⁷ If you are the defendant and miss the hearing, the court can enter judgment against you, and your window to challenge it is narrow.

Appealing a Decision

You have 14 days from the date judgment is entered to file a Notice of Appeal with the county court. The deadline is firm. Miss it and the right to appeal is gone.¹⁸

Within the same 14 days, post an appeal bond with the county court clerk. For a defendant appealing, the bond equals the judgment. If there is no money judgment, the bond is approximately $150. The bond can be waived if your income falls below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines.¹⁹ You then docket the case in district court within 35 days and pay a $163 filing fee there.

An appeal is not a do-over. The district court judge reviews the paperwork and any transcripts and decides whether the magistrate applied the law correctly. You cannot present new evidence or call new witnesses.²⁰ Get the evidence right the first time.

Collecting the Judgment

Winning doesn’t move money. The court will not collect for you. Once judgment is entered, you are the “judgment creditor,” and you have tools to force payment.

Finding the Defendant’s Money

If you don’t know where the defendant banks or works, file Form JDF 252A (Short Form) or JDF 252B (Long Form) with the court that issued the judgment. The court serves the form on the defendant, who has 14 days to disclose income, bank accounts, and property.²¹

Garnishing Wages and Bank Accounts

Once you know where the money is, use Form 29 (Writ of Garnishment with Notice of Exemption and Pending Levy) to pull funds from a bank account or wages. The form must be signed in front of a notary or court clerk and filed with a fee; Form JDF 205 lets you request a waiver. The clerk issues the writ, and you serve it on the bank or employer.²¹

Putting a Lien on Real Estate

If the defendant owns property, request a Transcript of Judgment from the court for a $25 fee, then record it with the Clerk and Recorder’s Office in the county where the property sits. When the property sells, you get paid from the proceeds.²²

Don’t Let the Judgment Expire

County court money judgments expire six years from the date they are entered. If the defendant still hasn’t paid and the deadline is near, ask the court to extend the judgment before it lapses. Once it expires, you lose the legal right to collect.²²

1
Colorado Judicial Branch. Opening a Case
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Judicial Legal Help Center. When Can I Sue in Small Claims Court
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Justia. Colorado Code 13-6-407 – Parties – Representation
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Judicial Legal Help Center. When Can an Attorney Lawyer Represent the Defendant or Me in Small Claims Court
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Colorado Judicial Branch. Small Claims
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Justia. Colorado Code 13-80-101 – General Limitation of Actions
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Colorado Judicial Branch. JDF 250 – Notice, Claim and Summons to Appear for Trial
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Colorado Judicial Branch. Small Claims Cases Filing Fees
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Colorado Judicial Branch. Fee Waivers
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Colorado Judicial Branch. Colorado Rules of Procedure for Small Claims Courts – Section: Rule 504
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Judicial Legal Help Center. How Do I Serve the Defendant
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Colorado Judicial Branch. JDF 248 – Guide to Small Claims
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Judicial Legal Help Center. The Defendant’s Answer or Other Filings
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Judicial Legal Help Center. Evidence, Witnesses and Subpoenas
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Colorado Judicial Branch. Preparing for Mediation in Your Small Claims Case
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Judicial Legal Help Center. Moving the Trial Date
17
Colorado Judicial Branch. Cases for $25,000 or Less
18
Colorado Judicial Branch. Colorado Rules of County Court Civil Procedure – Rule 411 Appeals
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Judicial Legal Help Center. Step 1: Decide to Appeal and Prepare to File
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Colorado Judicial Branch. Small Claims or County Civil Appeal
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Colorado Judicial Branch. Garnishment of Personal Property
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Colorado Judicial Branch. Collecting a Judgment