How Do You File a Small Claims Case for a Withheld Deposit in Colorado?
File form JDF 250, Notice, Claim, and Summons to Appear for Trial, with the clerk of the proper county court. The limit is 7,500 dollars combined, and the filing fee is 31 dollars or 55 dollars by claim size. Here is the process, step by step.
The Colorado rule in one table
| Question | Colorado rule |
|---|---|
| Court | County Court, Small Claims Division |
| Dollar limit | 7,500 dollars, as the combined value of money, property, specific performance, or cost to remedy a covenant violation |
| Where to file | The county where the defendant lives, works, or is a full-time student for an individual defendant; the county where the company has an office for the transaction of business for an entity defendant; the county where the property is located for a security-deposit suit or restrictive-covenant enforcement |
| Form | JDF 250, Notice, Claim, and Summons to Appear for Trial. The companion guide is JDF 248, Guide to Small Claims |
| Filing fee | 31 dollars for claims of 500 dollars or less; 55 dollars for claims of 500.01 to 7,500 dollars, per the Colorado Judicial Branch fee schedule as reported. Confirm the current fee with the clerk at filing |
| Filing-frequency cap | The plaintiff declares on the form that they have not filed in any Small Claims Court in the county more than 2 claims during the calendar month, nor more than 18 claims in the county in the calendar year |
| Service deadline | Serve more than 15 days before the court date, by personal service or clerk's certified mail, and file the Return of Service |
| Suit deadline | Not stated in this guide. No Colorado deposit-suit deadline was verified against the official statute for this guide |
What makes Colorado different
Colorado measures the limit as a combined value, not as money alone. The 7,500 dollar ceiling covers money, property, specific performance, and the cost to remedy a covenant violation together. A deposit claim paired with a property claim or a repair-cost claim must fit under 7,500 dollars as a combined total, not as separate claims.
The venue rule is the second Colorado difference, and it favors deposit tenants directly. For a security-deposit suit, venue sits in the county where the property is located, alongside the defendant's home, work, school, or business-office county. A tenant who moved away after vacating can file where the rental sits, without chasing the landlord's new county. The filing-frequency cap on the form itself is the third check: no more than 2 claims in the county in a calendar month, and no more than 18 in the county in a calendar year.
The process, step by step
- Complete form JDF 250, Notice, Claim, and Summons to Appear for Trial. The companion guide JDF 248 explains the form.
- File it with the clerk of the proper county court. The clerk fills in the trial date on the form.
- Pay the filing fee. The fee is 31 dollars for claims of 500 dollars or less, and 55 dollars for claims above that up to 7,500 dollars, per the Judicial Branch fee schedule as reported. Confirm the current fee with the clerk at filing.
- Serve the defendant more than 15 days before the court date, and file the Return of Service. Service runs by personal service through a sheriff, process server, or adult non-party, or by the clerk's certified mail.
- Check the deadline that started the dispute. Colorado landlords must return the deposit with a written statement within 1 month, unless the lease sets a longer period up to 60 days after the lease terminates or you surrender the premises and the landlord accepts them, whichever happens last. See Security Deposit Return Deadline in Colorado for the rule, and How to Write a Security Deposit Demand Letter for the demand that should precede the filing.
Small claims in the other states
Deposit suits follow the same shape in every state, but the court, the limit, the form, and the fee change at the state line. See How to File a Small Claims Case for a Withheld Deposit in California and How to File a Small Claims Case for a Withheld Deposit in Texas. For all seven states side by side, see the Small Claims for a Withheld Deposit by State directory.
Source
Court level, limit, venue, form, and filing-frequency cap on this page come from the courts: Colorado Judicial Branch form JDF 250 and the Colorado Judicial Legal Help Center, where to file a small-claims case. Fees are attributed to the Judicial Branch fee schedule as reported and flagged as secondary-sourced in the registry for this guide. The service deadline is secondary-sourced and flagged the same way. Facts verified 2026-10-25.
This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your state agency.
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