Colorado Debtor Interrogatories in Small Claims: Forms, Deadlines, and What Happens If They Don't Answer

You have a Colorado judgment but no idea where the debtor works, banks, or what they own. Post-judgment interrogatories force them to answer those questions under oath — and the court can hold them in contempt if they refuse.

Which Form Do You Need?

This is where Colorado's dual-numbering system trips people up. There are four interrogatory forms, split between the Small Claims division and the County Court system:

Small Claims interrogatories:

• JDF 252A — Motion and Order for Interrogatories (Short Form)
• JDF 252B — Motion and Order for Interrogatories (Long Form)

County Court pattern interrogatories under C.R.C.P. 369(g):

• JDF 105 SC (also called Form 7) — Pattern Interrogatories for Individuals
• JDF 108 SC (also called Form 7A) — Pattern Interrogatories for Businesses

The pattern interrogatories (JDF 105 SC / 108 SC) are more comprehensive. They ask detailed questions about employment, wages, bank accounts, vehicles, real estate, and business interests. Use JDF 252A/B for Small Claims interrogatories and JDF 105 SC / 108 SC for County Court pattern interrogatories.

All forms are free to download from coloradojudicial.gov.

How to File and Serve

For Small Claims interrogatories (JDF 252A/B), file the completed motion and form with the clerk; the court sends them to the debtor. For County Court pattern interrogatories (JDF 105 SC / 108 SC), two service channels exist:

1. Court mailings: File the completed motion and interrogatory form with the County Court Clerk. The court mails the document directly to the debtor.
2. Personal service: Obtain issuance from the clerk and arrange personal service through a sheriff deputy or private process server under C.R.C.P. 4. File the Affidavit of Service with the court.

Personal service creates a stronger record if you later need to pursue contempt — you can prove the debtor was personally handed the documents.

The 14-Day Response Window

Once served, the debtor has 14 days to:

• Answer all questions under oath
• File the answers with the court
• Serve a copy on you

The answers reveal exactly what you need: employer name and address, bank account institutions, vehicles, real property, income sources, and other debts. This information drives your next enforcement decision — wage garnishment if they're employed, a bank levy if they have accounts, a property lien if they own real estate.

What If They Don't Answer?

If the 14-day deadline passes with no response, you escalate:

1. File a Motion for Order to Show Cause under C.R.C.P. 307 and 369. The court issues a contempt citation requiring the debtor to appear.
2. Citation hearing. If the debtor shows up, the judge orders them to complete the sworn answers on the spot. If they willfully fail to appear after proper personal service of the citation, the court can impose civil contempt sanctions or issue a bench warrant.

To be clear: failing to pay a civil debt is never a crime. A debtor can't be jailed for owing money. But willfully ignoring a direct court order to appear or submit sworn answers — after being personally served with a citation — is contempt of court, and that does carry enforcement consequences.

Using the Answers

Once you have the debtor's asset disclosure, match each asset type to the right enforcement tool:

• Employed? → Wage garnishment (Form 26)
• Has bank accounts? → Bank levy (Form 29)
• Owns real estate? → Record a Transcript of Judgment for a 6-year property lien
• Has vehicles/equipment worth seizing? → Writ of Execution through the sheriff

If the interrogatory answers show the debtor has no income, no bank accounts, and no nonexempt property, they may be effectively judgment-proof — at least right now. You can re-serve interrogatories later if their situation changes, and the judgment is enforceable for 6 years.

The Colorado Judgment Collection Guide includes the full asset-to-enforcement decision tree plus a tracking worksheet for monitoring interrogatory deadlines and responses.

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