How to Collect Your Judgment in Colorado
You already won. Here's how to actually get paid — debtor's exam, wage garnishment, bank levies, and property liens, with the exact Colorado forms and deadlines.
Your collection options in Colorado
Work them roughly in this order — find the assets first, then go after them.
Find the money — debtor's asset exam
Form JDF 105 SC (Pattern Interrogatories - Individual); JDF 108 SC (Pattern Interrogatories - Business)Compels the debtor to disclose, under oath, where they bank, work, and what they own — the information every other step depends on.
Creditor serves pattern interrogatories (JDF 105/108) on the judgment debtor; if the judgment order authorized issuance (Rule 369(g)) no separate court order is needed. Debtor must answer within 14 days (JDF 82). If the debtor does not comply, creditor may seek a contempt citation / disclosure hearing.
Court fee: No fee to serve interrogatories; Hearing for Interrogatories = $70.00 (per JDF 82 fee list)
Garnish wages
Form CRCP Form 26 (Writ of Continuing Garnishment); Form 27 (Calculation of Amount of Exempt Earnings); Form 28 (Objection to Calculation)Diverts part of the debtor's paycheck to you — up to Lesser of 20% of disposable earnings for the week, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40x the state/federal minimum wage (reduced from 25% to 20% by HB19-1189).
Continuing garnishment is the exclusive procedure for withholding earnings over successive pay periods. Writ issuance fee is $45.00.
Filed with: Filed with the same court that entered the money judgment, using the original case number
Levy the bank account
Form CRCP Form 29 (with Form 30 Claim of Exemption); Form 32 for judgment debtor that is a business entityFreezes and pulls non-exempt funds straight from the debtor's bank account.
Creditor files Form 29 with the issuing court ($45.00 writ fee), serves it on the garnishee bank plus the judgment debtor with a blank Form 30 (Claim of Exemption). Debtor has 14 days to file a claim of exemption; if claimed, the court holds a hearing before levy.
Lien their real estate
Attaches to property the debtor owns for 6 years — you get paid when they sell or refinance. The cheap, passive backstop.
Record a Transcript of Judgment (certified by the clerk) with the county clerk and recorder in any county where the debtor owns or later acquires real estate; lien attaches from the time of recording (C.R.S. 13-52-102).
Court fee: $25.00 for the Transcript of Judgment (court fee, per JDF 82); plus county recorder recording fees
The fine print that matters in Colorado
How long your judgment lasts
County court money judgments are good for 6 years; district court judgments for 20 years (C.R.S. 13-52-102; JDF 82). A judgment may be revived before it expires using JDF 113 (Motion for Revival of Judgment), JDF 114 (Notice to Show Cause), and JDF 125 (Order for Revival); instructions in JDF 112. Revival is filed in the same court (no filing fee). The debtor has 14 days from service to respond; revival extends the judgment/lien for another period.
Interest while you wait
C.R.S. 5-12-102(4) sets the default 8% statutory judgment interest where no rate is specified. Personal-injury judgments use a market-based rate certified annually by the Secretary of State under C.R.S. 13-21-101. JDF 82 (official collection guide) instructs creditors to compute interest at 8% per annum (12% for child support) unless a different rate was granted.
What the debtor can protect (exemptions)
Minimum 80% of disposable earnings protected (only 20% garnishable); homestead and personal-property exemptions under C.R.S. 13-54-101 et seq. Debtor may file a claim of exemption (Form 30) within 14 days of a bank/property garnishment.
Colorado gotchas
Colorado cut the maximum wage-garnishment rate from 25% to 20% of disposable earnings effective Oct 1, 2020 (HB19-1189) - do not use the federal 25% figure. County court judgments expire in only 6 years (vs. 20 for district court) and the real-property lien lasts only 6 years from recording unless revived. Pattern interrogatories must be served first to locate assets.
Let us prepare your Colorado collection paperwork
We prepare your Colorado-specific enforcement forms — debtor's exam, garnishment, levy, or lien — plus a plain-English playbook telling you exactly where to file and what each step costs. You file them; we never charge a cut of what you collect.
Collection firms take 33–50% of what they recover. On a $4,000 judgment that's $1,300–$2,000. Our flat fee keeps the rest in your pocket.
Colorado Judgment Collection FAQ
A Colorado judgment is enforceable for 6 years, and can be renewed before it expires. County court money judgments are good for 6 years; district court judgments for 20 years (C.R.S. 13-52-102; JDF 82). A judgment may be revived before it expires using JDF 113 (Motion for Revival of Judgment), JDF 114 (Notice to Show Cause), and JDF 125 (Order for Revival); instructions in JDF 112. Revival is filed in the same court (no filing fee). The debtor has 14 days from service to respond; revival extends the judgment/lien for another period.
Yes. Garnishment in Colorado can reach Lesser of 20% of disposable earnings for the week, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40x the state/federal minimum wage (reduced from 25% to 20% by HB19-1189). Exemptions: First 40x minimum wage of weekly disposable earnings is fully exempt; minimum 80% of disposable earnings protected. Additional exemptions under C.R.S. 13-54-104.
Through Interrogatories to Judgment Debtor (written, under C.R.C.P. 69 / Rule 369); disclosure hearing available if debtor fails to answer (JDF 105 SC (Pattern Interrogatories - Individual); JDF 108 SC (Pattern Interrogatories - Business)) — the court orders the debtor to appear and disclose their assets under oath. Creditor serves pattern interrogatories (JDF 105/108) on the judgment debtor; if the judgment order authorized issuance (Rule 369(g)) no separate court order is needed. Debtor must answer within 14 days (JDF 82). If the debtor does not comply, creditor may seek a contempt citation / disclosure hearing.
Record a Transcript of Judgment (certified by the clerk) with the county clerk and recorder in any county where the debtor owns or later acquires real estate; lien attaches from the time of recording (C.R.S. 13-52-102). The lien lasts 6 years.
You pay the court and sheriff their own filing/levy fees directly (usually modest, and recoverable from the debtor). Our Judgment Collection service is a flat $299 — we prepare your Colorado-specific enforcement forms and a step-by-step filing playbook; you file them. Compared with collection firms that take 33–50% of what they recover, that's hundreds to thousands less on a typical judgment.
Some debtors are "judgment-proof" — no job, no bank account, no equity — and no tool can squeeze money that isn't there. The honest play is the debtor's exam to confirm what exists, then keep the judgment alive (it lasts 6 years and is renewable) and try again when their situation changes. We give you the tools, not a guaranteed payout.
Collecting a judgment by county in Colorado
Where you file your garnishment or levy depends on the counties.
El Paso County
Denver County
Arapahoe County
Jefferson County
Adams County
Larimer County
Douglas County
Boulder County
Weld County
Pueblo County
Mesa County
Broomfield County
All 64 counties in Colorado
Official Colorado sources
- https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/self-help/extending-expiration-date-judgment
- https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/self-help/garnishment-wages
- https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/self-help/garnishment-personal-property
- https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/sites/default/files/2023-07/JDF82.pdf
- https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-13/judgments-and-executions/article-52/section-13-52-102/
- https://codes.findlaw.com/co/title-13-courts-and-court-procedure/co-rev-st-sect-13-54-104/
- https://codes.findlaw.com/co/title-5-consumer-credit-code/co-rev-st-sect-5-12-102/
- http://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb19-1189
This page is general information about collecting a money judgment in Colorado, not legal advice. Forms, fees, and procedures change and vary by court — confirm the current requirements with the court that entered your judgment before filing.
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