Statute of Limitations on Debt in Colorado (2026): The 6-Year Rule

Last updated 07/30/2026 by

Andrew Latham

Edited by

Andrew Latham

Summary:

The statute of limitations on debt in Colorado is six years for credit card debt and most contracts, measured from your last payment. Colorado applies a long window to liquidated debts.

Six-year limit: Credit cards, liquidated debts, and most contracts.
Three-year limit: Some general contract actions not for a fixed sum.
Clock from last payment: The countdown starts when you stop paying.

Colorado treats a debt for a fixed, known amount, like a credit card balance, under its longer six-year window.

Your last payment date is what starts the count.

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What is the statute of limitations on debt in Colorado

Colorado gives creditors and collectors six years to sue on a debt for a liquidated or determinable amount, including credit cards, set by Colorado Revised Statutes 13-80-103.5.

Once six years pass from your last payment, the debt is time-barred and a collector cannot win a lawsuit to force payment.

The debt still exists after six years. You continue to owe it, but the legal power to sue over it is gone.

Colorado statute of limitations by debt type

The limit that applies depends on whether the debt is for a fixed, determinable amount.

Debt type	Time limit	Colorado statute
Credit card / liquidated debt	6 years	C.R.S. 13-80-103.5
Written contract	6 years	C.R.S. 13-80-103.5
Promissory note	6 years	C.R.S. 13-80-103.5
Other contract actions	3 years	C.R.S. 13-80-101

When the clock starts in Colorado

The clock starts on the date of your last payment or last account activity, not the day you opened the account.

If you made your final credit card payment in April 2021, the six-year window would generally close around April 2027.

Check your reported date of first delinquency against your own records, since an inaccurate date can make a debt look newer than it is.

Pro Tip: In Colorado, making a payment or acknowledging an old debt in writing can restart the six-year clock from zero.

Before you respond to a collector, pull your credit report and confirm the date of last payment. A single partial payment can hand the collector a fresh six-year window to sue.

Time-barred debt and your Colorado credit report

The six-year lawsuit limit is separate from credit reporting. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, most negative debts stay on your report for seven years from the first delinquency.

A Colorado credit card debt can be time-barred for suing after six years yet remain on your credit report for one more.

Key takeaways

Colorado allows six years to sue on credit card debt and liquidated contracts, under C.R.S. 13-80-103.5.
Some general contract actions carry a shorter three-year limit under C.R.S. 13-80-101.
The clock starts on your last payment or account activity.
A payment or written acknowledgment can restart the six-year clock from zero.
Time-barred debt can still appear on your credit report for up to seven years.

Frequently asked questions

What is the statute of limitations on credit card debt in Colorado?

Six years. Colorado treats credit card debt as a liquidated obligation under C.R.S. 13-80-103.5, running from your last payment. After six years the debt is time-barred and a collector cannot win a lawsuit over it.

Can a debt collector still contact me after six years in Colorado?

Yes. The statute of limitations only bars lawsuits, not contact. A collector can still ask you to pay, but under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act they cannot sue or threaten to sue over a time-barred debt.

Does making a payment restart the clock in Colorado?

It can. A payment or a written acknowledgment that the debt is yours generally restarts the six-year period, so confirm whether the debt is already time-barred before you pay anything.

If old balances are piling up, comparing structured debt relief options can consolidate several collector accounts into one negotiated plan.