Denver car accidents: deadlines, crash reports and claims

Deadlines and fault rules in Denver#

Denver follows Colorado's statute of limitationsStatute of limitations. The law that sets the last day to file a lawsuit. After it passes, a court will usually dismiss the case, however strong it is. Glossary. A lawsuit over injuries or vehicle damage from a car crash must generally be filed within 3 years (C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(n)(I)). A wrongful death claim has a shorter deadline: 2 years from the date of death.

Colorado uses modified comparative faultModified comparative fault. Comparative negligence with a cut-off: once your share of blame reaches the state's bar (50% or 51%), you recover nothing. Glossary. Your damages are reduced by your share of the blame, and you recover nothing if your share is 50% or more (C.R.S. § 13-21-111(1)). The Colorado guide covers insurance minimums and other state rules, and the fault-rule explainer shows how a fault share changes a claim.

Getting a crash report in Denver#

The Denver Police Records Unit provides the crash report that insurers usually ask for. Reports are typically ready 5 to 7 days after the report is closed; a crash still under investigation can take longer. You can order one in two ways:

1. Online, through the "Order Crash Report Online" link on the Denver Police Records page.
2. By mail, with the DPD report request form and a $10 check or money order payable to the Manager of Revenue, sent to the Denver Police Department Records Unit, 1331 Cherokee Street, Room 420, Denver, CO 80204. Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope, or an email address to get the report by email.

Some crashes need an "Investigation Report" from the department's Civil Liability Section instead, ordered online with a $20 research fee. That applies to crashes involving a death or serious injury, a juvenile driver or passenger, an active investigation or a city vehicle.

Our guide to the police report explains how a report is used in a claim.

Claims against the City and County of Denver#

Colorado's Governmental Immunity Act requires a written notice of claimNotice of claim. A written notice that must be sent to a city, county or state agency before you can sue it, often within a few months. Glossary before you can sue a public entity. Denver's City Attorney's Office says the notice must be filed within 182 days of the injury or damage, and a late notice cannot support a lawsuit. The statute, C.R.S. § 24-10-109, counts the period from the date the injury was discovered.

The notice should include your name and address, a short account of when, where and how the crash happened, the name of any city employee involved, the nature of your injuries or damage, and the amount of money you are asking for. File it online through the City Attorney's form, or send it to the Claims Dept., City Attorney's Office, 201 W. Colfax Ave., Dept. 1108, Denver, CO 80202.

After filing, you generally must wait 90 days before suing, unless Denver denies the claim sooner. For a crash, the key waiver of sovereign immunitySovereign immunity. The rule that governments cannot be sued unless a law allows it. Tort claims acts allow some claims, with limits. Glossary is this: Immunity is waived for injuries caused by a public employee driving a vehicle the public entity owns or leases, in the course of employment (emergency vehicles operating under the emergency-vehicle rules excepted). Colorado caps what can be recovered from public entities, per person and per occurrence, and the Secretary of State adjusts the amounts every four years.

Crashes in Denver#

Denver's Vision Zero program reports 94 traffic deaths in the city in 2025. Denver had 740,613 residents in 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates.

Where a lawsuit is filed#

Denver is both a city and a county, so a lawsuit filed in Denver goes to one of its two trial courts. Colorado's venueVenue. The county or court location where a lawsuit is filed and heard. State rules decide the proper venue, often the place where the events happened or where the defendant lives. Glossary rules decide whether Denver or another county is the right place to file.

• Denver County Court hears money claims up to $25,000, and its small claims division handles claims up to $7,500.
• Denver District Court hears larger cases. Claims over $25,000 must be filed there.

Our guide to filing a lawsuit explains what happens after a case is filed.

Finding a lawyer in Denver#

The Colorado Bar Association does not make referrals; it offers an online Find-a-Lawyer directory, where you can search by practice area. The Denver Bar Association's website points the public to that same directory. To confirm that a lawyer is licensed in Colorado, call Colorado Attorney Registration at 303-928-7800 or use its online attorney search. Our guide on how to check a lawyer's license explains what to look for.