Overview
Process Server in Colorado: How Service of Process Works
Colorado has no process server license or registration: any person 18 or older who isn't a party can serve under C.R.C.P. 4(d). Colorado is also unusual in what counts as personal service. Besides handing papers to the defendant, a server can leave them with a family member aged 18 or older at the defendant's home, or with the defendant's supervisor, secretary, administrative assistant, bookkeeper, human resources representative or managing agent at work. Each defendant must be served within 63 days after the complaint is filed.
Who serves process
Who Can Serve Legal Documents in Colorado
Under C.R.C.P. 4(d), process may be served within the United States by any person 18 or older who is not a party to the action. Colorado has no license, registration or bond requirement for process servers.
Proof of service by a private server is usually an affidavit or declaration describing how, when and where service was made.
Typical documents include summonses and complaints, eviction (forcible entry and detainer) papers, domestic relations petitions, subpoenas and protection orders.
Proof you receive: a sworn affidavit of service
The server completes an affidavit or declaration of service stating the date, time, place and manner of service and who received the papers.
Home and workplace service
Service at home or at work under C.R.C.P. 4(e)(1), choosing the option most likely to reach the defendant quickly.
Substituted service support
Attempt records and an affidavit to support a Rule 4(f) motion when personal service fails.
Denver, Colorado Springs and statewide
Fast service in Denver, Arapahoe, Jefferson, El Paso and all 64 Colorado counties.
The rules
Colorado Service of Process Rules
The Colorado rules that matter most for service:
| Rule | What it covers |
|---|---|
| C.R.C.P. 4(d) | Who may serve: any adult non-party |
| C.R.C.P. 4(e)(1) | Personal, home (family member 18+) and workplace service |
| C.R.C.P. 4(f) | Substituted service by court order |
| C.R.C.P. 4(g) | Service by mail or publication |
| C.R.C.P. 4(m) | Serve within 63 days of filing |
| C.R.C.P. 12(a) | 21 days to answer after service |
Treaties
Colorado and the Hague Conventions: Treaty Status
The Hague Service Convention lets member countries send documents to each other's Central Authorities for service. Colorado has not joined it, so that route isn't available, and the Convention's Article 10 rules on postal and private service don't apply. Whether those methods are acceptable depends on Colorado's law and on what your court allows.
Colorado is not a party to the Hague Evidence Convention, so requests for witness testimony or documents go through letters rogatory.
