Colorado: Small Claims Court Dollar Limits
The short answer
Colorado's small claims court can hear claims up to $7,500, exclusive of interest and costs, the same figure whether the plaintiff is a person or a business. It's a division of the county court, not a separate court. Unlike most states, Colorado presumptively BARS attorneys from appearing: an individual represents themselves, and a business must send a full-time officer, employee, or active member instead of a lawyer, though if one side gets an attorney through a narrow exception, the other side may then hire one too. No plaintiff may file more than 2 claims a month or 18 a year in one county's small claims court. Either side can appeal within 14 days by posting a bond, but the appeal is normally decided on the existing record rather than as a full new trial. Beyond money damages, small claims can also handle replevin, HOA-assessment and restrictive-covenant enforcement, and even specific performance or rescission of a contract, all within the same $7,500 ceiling.
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This is the general rule in Colorado. Ezel applies current Colorado law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| 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)) |
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Requirements one by one
Governing law
Colorado's small claims procedure lives in C.R.S. §§ 13-6-401 to 13-6-417, the "County Court - Small Claims Division." Section 13-6-403 sets the dollar limit and lists what's excluded, § 13-6-407 covers who can be a party and how they're represented, § 13-6-411 sets the annual filing cap, and § 13-6-311 governs the appeal.
Dollar limit
$7,500, exclusive of interest and costs, and it's the same number regardless of who's suing. Section 13-6-403(1)(a) sets this for ordinary civil actions and expressly includes tort damages; the same $7,500 figure carries over to the other specific action types small claims can hear (HOA-assessment disputes, restrictive-covenant enforcement, replevin, and contract-related equitable remedies).
Limit for businesses/entities
No difference, a corporation, partnership, association, or any other organization faces the identical $7,500 limit as an individual. Section 13-6-407(1) puts natural persons and every kind of business entity on the same footing to sue or be sued in small claims.
Court name and where to file
Small claims court isn't a separate court, it's a division of the county court. The relevant part of the statutes is literally titled "County Court - Small Claims Division." A judge or magistrate decides the case; there's no jury.
Can you bring a lawyer?
Generally no, Colorado goes further than almost any other state here. An individual must represent themselves. A partnership needs an active general partner or authorized full-time employee. A for-profit corporation needs a full-time officer or employee. A nonprofit needs a duly elected nonattorney officer or an employee. The statute states its purpose outright: outside of those specific non-lawyer roles, no attorney may appear or take part in a small claims filing, prosecution, or defense, except as a supreme court rule might separately allow. If an attorney does show up under one of those narrow permitted circumstances, the other side is then free to bring in a lawyer of its own too, it's a mutual-consent structure, not an absolute lawyer-free zone.
Limit on how many claims you can file
Yes: no more than 2 claims per month, and no more than 18 per year, in any one county's small claims court. Every claim filed has to include the plaintiff's own certification that they're within that limit. A narrow exception lets state-supported colleges and universities file more when collecting on loans or other debts owed to them, but even they're capped at 30 such claims per month across every small claims court in Colorado combined.
Can you appeal?
Yes, either side, but you have to move fast: file a notice of appeal AND post an appeal bond with the county court within 14 days of judgment. Unlike states that give you a full new trial, Colorado's appeal is normally decided by the district court on the existing record, the certified county court record plus whatever transcript or agreed summary of the evidence the parties designate, not as an automatic do-over. The Colorado Judicial Branch's own guidance says plainly that a new trial isn't part of the appeals process and you can't introduce new evidence or witnesses, though the statute does leave room for the district court to order a trial de novo in some cases.
What you can sue for
More than plain money damages, but only within specific categories the statute names. Small claims covers ordinary money judgments in contract or tort up to $7,500; enforcement of a homeowners' or unit owners' association's assessments, fines, or fees up to $7,500; enforcement of a residential restrictive covenant up to $7,500; replevin (getting specific personal property back) up to $7,500; and, unusually for a small claims forum, enforcing a contract by specific performance or rescinding/disaffirming one, also up to $7,500. What's flatly excluded: defamation by libel or slander, evictions, class actions, most other injunctive relief, and prejudgment remedies generally.
What trips people up
No lawyer at the hearing means no lawyer, mostly, for either side. If you show up with an attorney without qualifying under one of the narrow exceptions, you risk more than just wasted effort, but if the other side is permitted to have counsel, you can then get your own too.
The filing cap is per county, not statewide, but it still adds up fast for repeat filers. Two claims a month sounds generous until you realize a debt-collection operation or a frequent landlord can hit 18 claims in a single county well before the year is out, and the certification requirement means you have to track it yourself.
Winning at the small claims level doesn't guarantee a full redo if the other side appeals. Because Colorado's appeal is normally record-based rather than automatic trial de novo, whatever evidence and testimony you presented at the small claims hearing is generally what the district court will be reviewing, there's no routine second chance to present new evidence.
Common questions
Can I bring my lawyer to small claims court in Colorado? Generally no, an individual has to represent themselves, and a business has to send a full-time officer, employee, or active member rather than a lawyer, unless a narrow exception applies. If the other side does get an attorney under one of those exceptions, you're then free to hire your own.
How many small claims cases can I file in a year? No more than 18 in any one county's small claims court, and no more than 2 in any single month, you have to certify compliance every time you file.
If I lose, do I get a full new trial on appeal? Not automatically, Colorado's small claims appeal is usually decided by the district court on the existing record from your hearing, not as a fresh trial, though the district court retains some discretion to order one in certain cases.
Statutes and sources
- C.R.S. § 13-6-403(1) — "does not exceed seven thousand five hundred dollars, including such civil penalties as may be provided by law" — https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-13/courts-of-record/article-6/part-4/section-13-6-403/ — accessed 2026-07-09
- C.R.S. § 13-6-403(2) — "The small claims court has only that jurisdiction specifically conferred upon it by law" — https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-13/courts-of-record/article-6/part-4/section-13-6-403/ — accessed 2026-07-09
- C.R.S. § 13-6-407 — "no attorney ... 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" — https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-13/courts-of-record/article-6/part-4/section-13-6-407/ — accessed 2026-07-09
- C.R.S. § 13-6-411 — "No plaintiff may file more than two claims per month, eighteen claims per year, in the small claims court of any county" — https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-13/courts-of-record/article-6/part-4/section-13-6-411/ — accessed 2026-07-09
- C.R.S. § 13-6-311 — "he or she may appeal to the district court by filing notice of appeal in the county court within fourteen days after the date of entry of judgment" — https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-13/courts-of-record/article-6/part-3/section-13-6-311/ — accessed 2026-07-09
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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