Small Claims Court Dollar Limits in Colorado
At a glance
| Governing law | C.R.S. §§ 13-6-401 to 13-6-417 (County Court - Small Claims Division), especially § 13-6-403 (jurisdiction, dollar limit, and exclusions), § 13-6-407 (parties and representation), § 13-6-411 (annual filing cap), and § 13-6-311 (appeal procedure) |
|---|---|
| Dollar limit | $7,500, exclusive of interest and costs, and the same figure for every plaintiff type. § 13-6-403(1)(a): concurrent jurisdiction 'in all civil actions in which the debt, damage, or value of the personal property claimed by either the plaintiff or the defendant, exclusive of interest and costs, does not exceed seven thousand five hundred dollars,' expressly including tort damages. The same $7,500 ceiling also applies to the other action types small claims can hear (HOA-assessment disputes, restrictive-covenant enforcement, replevin, and specific performance/rescission actions, per § 13-6-403(1)(b)) |
| Limit for businesses/entities | No difference from an individual: the same $7,500 limit applies regardless of plaintiff type. § 13-6-407(1): 'Any natural person, corporation, partnership, association, or other organization may commence or defend an action in the small claims court' |
| Court name and where to file | Small claims court is a DIVISION of the county court, not an institutionally separate court: Title 13, Article 6, Part 4 of the statutes is captioned 'County Court - Small Claims Division.' Cases are heard by a judge or magistrate; there is no jury |
| Can you bring a lawyer? | Presumptively BARRED, a genuinely different shape than most states. § 13-6-407(2)(a)(I): an individual must represent themselves; a partnership must be represented by an active general partner or authorized full-time employee; a union by an authorized active union member or full-time employee; a FOR-PROFIT corporation by one of its full-time officers or employees; an association by an active member or full-time employee; and a nonprofit corporation by a duly elected nonattorney officer or an employee. The statute states its own intent plainly: 'no attorney, except pro se or as an authorized full-time employee or active general partner ... shall appear or take any part in the filing or prosecution or defense of any matter in the small claims court, except as permitted by supreme court rule.' If an attorney does appear under one of those narrow exceptions, § 13-6-407(4) lets the OTHER side then also be represented by counsel if it chooses: a mutual-consent structure, not an outright universal ban |
| Limit on how many claims you can file | Yes: 2 claims per month and 18 claims per year, per county. § 13-6-411(1): 'No plaintiff may file more than two claims per month, eighteen claims per year, in the small claims court of any county,' and every claim filed must include the plaintiff's own certification of compliance. A narrow carve-out (§ 13-6-411(2)) exempts state-supported higher-education institutions collecting on loans or other obligations, but even they may not exceed 30 such claims per month across all of Colorado's small claims courts combined |
| Can you appeal? | Symmetric, either party may appeal, within 14 days of judgment, by filing a notice of appeal AND posting an appeal bond with the county court clerk (§ 13-6-311(1)(a)). Unlike a trial-de-novo state, the appeal is generally decided by the district court on the existing record, the certified county-court record plus any transcript or stipulated summary of designated evidence (§ 13-6-311(2)), rather than as an automatic full new trial; the Colorado Judicial Branch's own guidance states plainly that 'a new trial is not part of the appeals process' and new evidence or witnesses cannot be introduced on appeal, though § 13-6-311(5) does allow for the possibility of a trial de novo in the district court in some cases |
| What you can sue for | Broader than plain money damages, but only within specifically enumerated categories. Small claims reaches: money judgments in contract or tort up to $7,500 (§ 13-6-403(1)(a)); enforcement of a unit owners' association's assessments, fines, or fees up to $7,500 (§ 13-6-403(1)(b)(I)); enforcement of a residential restrictive covenant up to $7,500 (§ 13-6-403(1)(b)(II)); replevin, recovering specific personal property, up to $7,500 (§ 13-6-403(1)(b)(III)); and, notably, specific performance of a contract or its rescission/disaffirmance up to $7,500 (§ 13-6-403(1)(b)(IV)), an equitable remedy most states' small claims forums don't reach at all. Excluded outright: defamation by libel or slander, eviction (forcible entry/detainer/unlawful detainer), class actions, most other injunctive relief, and prejudgment remedies generally (§ 13-6-403(2)) |
Requirements one by one
Dollar limit
C.R.S. § 13-6-403(1) gives the small claims division concurrent jurisdiction when the debt, damage, or personal property's value “does not exceed seven thousand five hundred dollars,” exclusive of interest and costs. C.R.S. § 13-6-407(1) allows natural persons, corporations, partnerships, associations, and other organizations to commence or defend an action.
Can you bring a lawyer?
C.R.S. § 13-6-407(2) assigns each entity type a nonlawyer representative and states that, outside its exceptions and supreme-court rules, no attorney may participate before judgment. Under subsection (4), a proper attorney appearance for one party permits every other party to retain counsel.
Can you appeal?
C.R.S. § 13-6-311 requires either party to file notice and an appeal bond within fourteen days. C.R.S. § 13-6-410 requires a record of every small-claims proceeding, while § 13-6-311 describes preparation and certification of that record; subsection (5) recognizes that the district court may hold a trial de novo, but does not make one automatic.
What you can sue for
Section 13-6-403 reaches tort claims, unit-owner-association disputes, residential restrictive covenants, replevin, specific performance, and contract rescission within the ceiling. It excludes defamation, eviction, class actions, prejudgment remedies, and injunctive relief outside its listed exceptions.
What trips people up
The lawyer rule turns on who the representative is, not merely whether the party is a business. Section 13-6-407 separately specifies who may represent a partnership, union, corporation, association, nonprofit, or other entity.
The filing cap is per county and requires certification on every claim. C.R.S. § 13-6-411 allows no more than two claims per month and eighteen per year in one county's small claims court; state-supported higher-education institutions have a limited exception capped at thirty qualifying claims per month statewide.
There is no jury at the small-claims stage. C.R.S. § 13-6-414 states: “There shall be no right to a trial by jury in the small claims court.”
Common questions
Can an assigned claim be filed?
Generally no. C.R.S. § 13-6-407(1) bars an assignee or another person who was not a real party to the underlying transaction, except a court-appointed personal representative, conservator, or guardian.
Are evictions heard in small claims court?
No. C.R.S. § 13-6-403(2)(c) excludes forcible entry, forcible detainer, and unlawful detainer actions.
Can a counterclaim above the ceiling stay in small claims?
No. C.R.S. § 13-6-408 directs counterclaims exceeding small-claims jurisdiction to the county or district court of appropriate jurisdiction.
Statutes and sources
- C.R.S. §§ 13-6-403, 13-6-407, and 13-6-411 — jurisdiction, exclusions, representation, and filing caps. Official Title 13 printout (accessed 2026-08-17).
- C.R.S. §§ 13-6-311 and 13-6-410 — appeal deadline, bond, and record. Official Title 13 printout (accessed 2026-08-17).
- C.R.S. § 13-6-414 — no jury trial. Official Title 13 printout (accessed 2026-08-17).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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