Medical debt laws in Colorado

In Colorado, the statute of limitations on medical debt is 6 years (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-103.5(1)(a) (6 years, liquidated/determinable debts); Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-101(1)(a) (3 years, other contract actions)). Medical bills are 'liquidated or determinable' debts subject to the 6-year period of Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-103.5(1)(a); the Colorado Supreme Court so held for a hospital bill in Portercare Adventist Health System v. Lego, 2012 CO 58 (amount ascertainable from predetermined rates). Note Colorado classifies by whether the amount is liquidated/determinable rather than written vs. oral: credit-card and similar account debts with ascertainable balances also get 6 years, while unliquidated contract claims (typically oral) get 3 years under § 13-80-101(1)(a). That clock decides whether a collector can win a lawsuit against you — which changes what you should do next, so check the dates on the bill before you do anything else.

What the time limit actually means

The statute of limitations does not erase a debt — it limits how long a collector can successfully sue over it. A time-barred debt can still be requested, reported (within credit-reporting time limits), and settled. But if a collector sues after the period has run and you raise the statute of limitations as a defense, the case should be dismissed. The defense is not automatic: you must respond to the lawsuit to use it.

Careful: Yes — under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-113 a partial payment (when it amounts to an unqualified acknowledgment that more is owed) or a written acknowledgment restarts the limitations period.

Colorado protections for medical debt

• Medical debt credit-reporting ban (HB23-1126) (Colo. HB23-1126 (2023), amending the Colorado Consumer Credit Reporting Act, Colo. Rev. Stat. tit. 5, art. 18) — Since August 2023 consumer reporting agencies may not include medical debt on Colorado consumers' credit reports, and collectors may not report it; collectors must also disclose that medical debt cannot be reported.
• Medical debt interest cap and collection protections (SB23-093) (Colo. SB23-093 (2023)) — Caps interest on medical debt at 3% per year and adds billing, payment-plan, and collection-practice protections binding health-care providers, collection agencies, and debt buyers.
• Hospital Discounted Care (HB21-1198) (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25.5-3-501 et seq. (HB21-1198)) — Hospitals must screen patients for public coverage and discounted care; patients under 250% of the federal poverty level get discounted rates and payment plans capped at 4% of monthly household income (2% for other providers) for no more than 36 months, with the remainder written off.

• Charity care is federal law. Nonprofit hospitals must maintain a written Financial Assistance Policy and publicize it (IRS §501(r)). If your bill is from a nonprofit hospital, ask for the FAP application before paying anything. How to apply →
• Surprise out-of-network bills. The federal No Surprises Act bans most out-of-network balance billing for emergency care and for out-of-network providers at in-network facilities. When a bill is illegal →
• Credit reporting. The national bureaus no longer report paid medical collections, medical collections under $500, or those less than a year old.

Rules Colorado sets for collectors

Beyond the federal FDCPA, Colorado has its own collection statute — the Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 5-16-101 et seq.). State analogue of the federal FDCPA: bans harassment, false representations, and unfair practices; requires validation notices; adds Colorado-specific rules (in-state office, bonding) and is enforced by an Administrator in the Attorney General's office with a private right of action.

Yes — collection agencies and debt buyers must be licensed and bonded under the Colorado FDCPA, administered by the Collection Agency Regulation program in the Colorado Attorney General's office (Colo. Rev. Stat. tit. 5, art. 16).

Under the FDCPA, within five days of first contacting you a collector must send a written validation notice (15 U.S.C. §1692g). If you dispute the debt in writing within 30 days of that notice, the collector must stop collection activity until it mails you verification. There is no legal deadline for the collector to respond — but until it does, it cannot lawfully keep collecting.

If a collector is calling: the first 24 hours

1. Do not confirm the debt is yours on the phone, and do not make a payment yet — get everything in writing first.
2. Ask for the collector’s company name, mailing address, and the amount claimed. Write down the date and time.
3. Check the dates: if the last activity on the bill is older than 6 years, the debt may be time-barred in Colorado.
4. Send a written validation request within 30 days. Generate the letter free →
5. If the bill is from a hospital, request an itemized bill and ask about financial assistance — billing errors are common and assistance is often retroactive.

Where to complain in Colorado

Colorado Attorney General Consumer Protection Section handles collection complaints at the state level. Federally, file with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — complaints become part of the public record collectors are judged on.

Common questions

Keep reading

• Statute of limitations on all debt in Colorado
• Free debt validation letter generator — no account needed
• Look up a debt collector — CFPB complaint records for the biggest agencies
• Charity care: hospital financial assistance, applied
• Medical debt laws in Illinois
• Medical debt laws in Maryland
• Medical debt laws in Nebraska
• Medical debt laws in North Dakota
• Medical debt laws in South Dakota
• Medical debt laws in West Virginia

Legal information, not legal advice. Statutes change and courts interpret them — for advice on your situation, talk to a lawyer or your state’s legal aid office. Last reviewed AUG 2026.