## How the limitation period applies

The controlling primary authority for US-CO whistleblower retaliation SOL (C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a)) is **C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a)**.

> **C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a).** The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter: (a) Tort actions, including but not limited to actions for negligence, trespass, malicious abuse of process, malicious prosecution, outrageous conduct, interference with relationships, and tortious breach of contract;

## Use the calculator

DocketMath's statute-of-limitations tool can model these timelines once you identify the controlling claim type and accrual date. Use the source panel for the verified primary-source citations.

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## Sources

- [C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a) — C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a)](https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2023-title-13.pdf)

All sources are official primary law published by `content.leg.colorado.gov`.

**Corroboration method:** live_primary_pdf_fetch_pdftotext_extract.


Colorado whistleblower and retaliation claims often turn on a single deadline question: when the clock starts and how long you have to file. For many...

Statute of Limitations for Whistleblower / Retaliation in Colorado

ANO-831 deepening pass: every claim_type now has source_url + verbatim raw_statute_text from primary § 13-80-101/102/102.5/103/106 in CO Title 13 (CRS 2024 official PDF). Specific citations replace generic § 13-80-102 anchoring on product_liability (now § 13-80-106) and contracts (now § 13-80-101). UCC text noted as cross-reference only since § 4-2-725 is in Title 4.

The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, shall be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter: (a) All contract actions, including personal contracts and actions under the 'Uniform Commercial Code', except as otherwise provided in section 13-80-103.5;

(c) All actions for fraud, misrepresentation, concealment, or deceit except those in section 13-80-102 (1)(j);

The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter: (a) Tort actions, including but not limited to actions for negligence, trespass, malicious abuse of process, malicious prosecution, outrageous conduct, interference with relationships, and tortious breach of contract;

The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, shall be commenced within one year after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter: (a) The following tort actions: Assault, battery, false imprisonment, false arrest, libel, and slander;

Except as otherwise provided in this section or section 25.5-4-307, C.R.S., no action alleging negligence, breach of contract, lack of informed consent, or other action arising in tort or contract to recover damages from any health-care institution, as defined in paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of this section, or any health-care professional, as defined in paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of this section, shall be maintained unless such action is instituted within two years after the date that such action accrues pursuant to section 13-80-108 (1), but in no event shall an action be brought more than three years after the act or omission which gave rise to the action.

The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter: (a) Tort actions, including but not limited to actions for negligence, trespass, malicious abuse of process, malicious prosecution, outrageous conduct, interference with relationships, and tortious breach of contract; except that this paragraph (a) does not apply to any tort action arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle as set forth in section 13-80-101 (1)(n);

(a) Tort actions, including but not limited to actions for negligence, trespass, malicious abuse of process, malicious prosecution, outrageous conduct, interference with relationships, and tortious breach of contract;

Notwithstanding any other statutory provisions to the contrary, all actions except those governed by section 4-2-725, C.R.S., brought against a manufacturer or seller of a product, regardless of the substantive legal theory or theories upon which the action is brought, for or on account of personal injury, death, or property damage caused by or resulting from the manufacture, construction, design, formula, installation, preparation, assembly, testing, packaging, labeling, or sale of any product, or the failure to warn or protect against a danger or hazard in the use, misuse, or unintended use of any product, or the failure to provide proper instructions for the use of any product shall be brought within two years after the claim for relief arises and not thereafter.

Tort actions, including but not limited to actions for negligence, trespass, malicious abuse of process, malicious prosecution, outrageous conduct, interference with relationships, and tortious breach of contract; except that this paragraph (a) does not apply to any tort action arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle as set forth in section 13-80-101 (1)(n)

[§ 13-80-106(1) carve-out:] all actions except those governed by section 4-2-725, C.R.S., brought against a manufacturer or seller of a product ... shall be brought within two years after the claim for relief arises and not thereafter. [§ 13-80-101(1)(a) carve-out:] All contract actions, including personal contracts and actions under the 'Uniform Commercial Code', except as otherwise provided in section 13-80-103.5;

A cause of action for wrongful death shall be considered to accrue on the date of death.

(a) All actions to recover a liquidated debt or an unliquidated, determinable amount of
money due to the person bringing the action, all actions for the enforcement of rights set forth in
any instrument securing the payment of or evidencing any debt, and all actions of replevin to
recover the possession of personal property encumbered under any instrument securing any debt;
except that actions to recover pursuant to section 38-35-124.5 (3), C.R.S., shall be commenced
within one year;


13-80-103. General limitation of actions - one year. (1) The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, shall be commenced within one year after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter: (a) The following tort actions: Assault, battery, false imprisonment, false arrest, libel, and slander;

The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, shall be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter:
(a) All contract actions, including personal contracts and actions under the "Uniform Commercial Code", except as otherwise provided in section 13-80-103.5;

13-80-103.5. General limitation of actions - six years. (1) The following actions shall be commenced within six years after the cause of action accrues and not thereafter:
        (a) All actions to recover a liquidated debt or an unliquidated, determinable amount of money due to the person bringing the action, all actions for the enforcement of rights set forth in any instrument securing the payment of or evidencing any debt, and all actions of replevin to recover the possession of personal property encumbered under any instrument securing any debt; except that actions to recover pursuant to section 38-35-124.5 (3), C.R.S., shall be commenced within one year;

A charge under this section shall be filed within one hundred and eighty days after the alleged unlawful employment practice occurred and notice of the charge (including the date, place and circumstances of the alleged unlawful employment practice) shall be served upon the person against whom such charge is made within ten days thereafter, except that in a case of an unlawful employment practice with respect to which the person aggrieved has initially instituted proceedings with a State or local agency with authority to grant or seek relief from such practice or to institute criminal proceedings with respect thereto upon receiving notice thereof, such charge shall be filed by or on behalf of the person aggrieved within three hundred days after the alleged unlawful employment practice occurred, or within thirty days after receiving notice that the State or local agency has terminated the proceedings under the State or local law, whichever is earlier, and a copy of such charge shall be filed by the Commission with the State or local agency.

The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, shall be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter:

13-21-127. Civil damages for human trafficking and involuntary servitude. (1) In addition to all other remedies, a victim, as defined in section 18-3-502 (12), C.R.S., is entitled to recover damages proximately caused by any person who commits human trafficking for involuntary servitude, as described in section 18-3-503, C.R.S., or human trafficking for sexual servitude, as described in section 18-3-504, C.R.S. (2) A conviction for human trafficking for involuntary servitude, as described in section 18-3-503, C.R.S., or human trafficking for sexual servitude, as described in section 18-3-504, C.R.S., is not a condition precedent to maintaining a civil action pursuant to the provisions of this section.

13-80-102. General limitation of actions - two years. (1) The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter: (a) Tort actions, including but not limited to actions for negligence, trespass, malicious abuse of process, malicious prosecution, outrageous conduct, interference with relationships, and tortious breach of contract; except that this paragraph (a) does not apply to any tort action arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle as set forth in section 13-80-101 (1)(n);

The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, shall be commenced within one year after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter:
(a) The following tort actions: Assault, battery, false imprisonment, false arrest, libel, and slander;

13-80-103.5. General limitation of actions - six years. (1) The following actions shall be commenced within six years after the cause of action accrues and not thereafter: (a) All actions to recover a liquidated debt or an unliquidated, determinable amount of money due to the person bringing the action, all actions for the enforcement of rights set forth in any instrument securing the payment of or evidencing any debt, and all actions of replevin to recover the possession of personal property encumbered under any instrument securing any debt

13-80-102. General limitation of actions - two years. (1) The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter: (a) Tort actions, including but not limited to actions for negligence, trespass, malicious abuse of process, malicious prosecution, outrageous conduct, interference with relationships, and tortious breach of contract; except that this paragraph (a) does not apply to any tort action arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle as set forth in section 13-80-101 (1)(n); (b) All actions for strict liability, absolute liability, or failure to instruct or warn; (c) All actions, regardless of the theory asserted, against any veterinarian; (d) All actions for wrongful death, except as described in subsection (2) of this section; (f) All actions against any public or governmental entity or any employee of a public or governmental entity for which insurance coverage is provided pursuant to article 14 of title 24, C.R.S.; (g) All actions upon liability created by a federal statute where no period of limitation is provided in said federal statute; (h) All actions against any public or governmental entity or any employee of a public or governmental entity, except as otherwise provided in this section or section 13-80-103; (i) All other actions of every kind for which no other period of limitation is provided; (j) All actions brought under section 42-6-204, C.R.S.; (k) All actions brought under section 13-21-109 (2). (2) A civil action for a wrongful death against a defendant who committed vehicular homicide, as described in section 18-3-106, C.R.S., and, as part of the same criminal episode, committed the offense of leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in the death of a person, as described in section 42-4-1601 (2)(c), C.R.S., regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, must be commenced within four years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter.

The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter:
(a) Tort actions, including but not limited to actions for negligence, trespass, malicious abuse of process, malicious prosecution, outrageous conduct, interference with relationships, and tortious breach of contract

all actions except those governed by section 4-2-725, C.R.S., brought against a manufacturer or seller of a product, regardless of the substantive legal theory or theories upon which the action is brought, for or on account of personal injury, death, or property damage caused by or resulting from the manufacture, construction, design, formula, installation, preparation, assembly, testing, packaging, labeling, or sale of any product, or the failure to warn or protect against a danger or hazard in the use, misuse, or unintended use of any product, or the failure to provide proper instructions for the use of any product shall be brought within two years after the claim for relief arises and not thereafter.

(1) An action for breach of any contract for sale must be commenced within the time period prescribed in section 13-80-101, C. R. S. This period of limitation may not be varied by agreement of the parties. (2) A cause of action accrues when the breach occurs, regardless of the aggrieved party’s lack of knowledge of the breach. A breach of warranty occurs when tender of delivery is made; except, that where a warranty explicitly extends to future performance of the goods and discovery of the breach must await the time of such performance, the cause of action accrues when the breach is or should have been discovered.

The following civil actions, regardless of the theory upon which suit is brought, or against whom suit is brought, shall be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter: (a) All contract actions, including personal contracts and actions under the "Uniform Commercial Code", except as otherwise provided in section 13-80-103.5

I acknowledge that similar language is often used in connection with the accrual of a claim. See, e.g., § 13-80-108(1), C.R.S. (2015) ("Except as provided in subsection (12) of this section, a cause of action for injury to person, property, reputation, possession, relationship, or status shall be considered to accrue on the date both the injury and its cause are known or should have been known by the exercise of reasonable diligence.").

Per the verbatim text of C.R.S. § 13-80-103.5(1)(a), actions to recover a liquidated debt or an unliquidated determinable amount of money due, and actions to enforce rights set forth in any instrument evidencing or securing the payment of any debt, must be commenced within six years after the cause of action accrues. A promissory note is a written instrument evidencing a debt, so an action on a promissory-note debt is governed by this six-year period.

Under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-102(1)(a), tort actions — including negligence, trespass, malicious abuse of process, malicious prosecution, outrageous conduct, interference with relationships, and tortious breach of contract — must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues. This is the controlling SOL for general personal-injury / negligence actions in Colorado. Note: tort actions arising from the use or operation of a motor vehicle are excepted and governed by the 3-year l

Per the verbatim text of C.R.S. § 13-80-103.5(1)(a), actions to recover a liquidated debt or an unliquidated determinable amount of money due must be commenced within six years after the cause of action accrues. Credit-card and open-account debt is covered by this receipt only when the obligation is a liquidated debt or an unliquidated, determinable amount of money due.

A Colorado legal malpractice action — a claim for professional negligence against an attorney — must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues under C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a). Colorado has no separate, claim-type-specific statute of limitations for legal malpractice; such claims are tort actions (negligence) and route to the general two-year tort lane. Accrual follows the discovery rule (§ 13-80-108(1)): the claim accrues when the plaintiff knows or should know through the e

A Colorado claim for wrongful termination (wrongful discharge in violation of public policy — the common law public-policy exception to the at-will employment doctrine) must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues under C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a). Colorado courts consistently characterize this claim as sounding in tort. Colorado has no claim-type-specific statute of limitations for wrongful discharge; such claims route to the general two-year tort lane at § 13-80-102(1)(a).

Under C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a), tort actions — including negligence and trespass — must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues. Property damage to personal property is a tort claim and is governed by this 2-year limit. Note: property damage arising from use or operation of a motor vehicle is excepted to 3 years under § 13-80-101(1)(n).

Under C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a), tort actions — including trespass (expressly enumerated) — must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues. Trespass to chattels is the intentional interference with another's personal property; conversion is the intentional, substantial interference constituting a serious enough deprivation to warrant a forced sale. Both are intentional property torts that accrue on the date of the tortious act (or discovery under § 13-80-108 if the plaintiff

Statute of limitations for debt on a promissory note in US-CO is 6 years under C.R.S. § 13-80-103.5(1)(a).

Statute of limitations for credit card open account debt in US-CO is 6 years under C.R.S. § 13-80-103.5(1)(a).

Statute of limitations for wrongful death in US-CO is 2 years under C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(d).

Statute of limitations for medical malpractice in US-CO is 2 years under C.R.S. § 13-80-102.5(1).

Statute of limitations for legal malpractice in US-CO is 2 years under C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a) (tort actions), with a 4-year statute of repose under § 13-80-102.5 capping the discovery-rule extension. Prior incorrect citation to § 13-80-101 (general 3-year SOL) was superseded by the specific § 13-80-102 for tort/malpractice claims.

Statute of limitations for product liability in US-CO is 2 years under C.R.S. § 13-80-106(1).

Statute of limitations for breach written contract in US-CO is 3 years under C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(a).

Statute of limitations for breach oral contract in US-CO is 3 years under C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(a).

Statute of limitations for fraud in US-CO is 3 years under C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(c).

Statute of limitations for libel in US-CO is 1 year under C.R.S. § 13-80-103(1)(a).

Statute of limitations for slander in US-CO is 1 year under C.R.S. § 13-80-103(1)(a).

Statute of limitations for property damage in US-CO is 2 years under C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a).

Statute of limitations for premises liability in US-CO is 2 years under C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a).

Statute of limitations for ucc sale of goods in US-CO is 3 years under C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(a).

Statute of limitations for personal injury in US-CO is 2 years under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-80-102(1)(a).

Under C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a), tort actions — including wrongful termination (wrongful discharge in violation of public policy, which Colorado courts consistently characterize as a tort) — must be commenced within two (2) years after the cause of action accrues. See Martin Marietta Corp. v. Lorenz, 823 P.2d 100, 115 (Colo. 1992).

Colorado C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a) imposes a 2-year limitations period on tort actions including employment-related claims; whistleblower retaliation claims under Colorado law fall within this 2-year window.

Written defamation (libel) is governed by C.R.S. § 13-80-103, which sets a 1 year limitations period for defamation actions.

§ 13-80-108(1) establishes Colorado's general discovery rule: a cause of action accrues when both the injury and its cause are known or should have been known by the exercise of reasonable diligence. Verbatim text quoted in Lewis v. Taylor, 2016 CO 48 (Colo. Supreme Court), dissent at para. 45. Second source: _ano_710_research.discovery_rule_provenance citing § 13-80-108 from CO Title 13 PDF (leg.colorado.gov).

§ 13-81-103 tolls the SOL for persons under disability (including minors). Verbatim text quoted in Daniala Mohammadi v. Mark Kinslow, 2022COA103 (Colo. App.), para. 14. Second source: sub_rules[0] in this rule file already contains partial text attributed to CO Title 13 PDF, and _ano_710_research.tolling_rules_provenance cites § 13-81-103.

§ 13-80-118 tolls the SOL while the defendant is out of state and not subject to service of process. Verbatim statutory language quoted in West Colo. Motors v. General Motors, 2019COA77 (Colo. App.), para. 30. Second source: People v. Butler, 2017COA117, which discusses the criminal tolling analog (§ 16-5-401(2)) for absence from state, confirming the same principle. Historical predecessor § 13-80-126 confirmed in United Bank of Denver National Ass'n v. Wright (1983).

§ 13-80-118 tolls the SOL while the defendant 'has concealed himself' (physical self-concealment). Verbatim language from West Colo. Motors v. General Motors, 2019COA77 (Colo. App.), para. 30. This covers defendant's physical concealment of self from service of process. Common law fraudulent concealment of facts is a separate doctrine confirmed in First Interstate Bank of Fort Collins, N.A. v. Piper Aircraft Corp., 744 P.2d 1197 (Colo. 1987).

When in any of the statutes of the state of Colorado a limitation is fixed upon the time within which a right of action ... may be brought ... and the true owner of said right is a person under disability at the time such right accrues...

§ 13-80-118, C.R.S. 2018 (tolling statute of limitations for period that potential defendant "is out of this state and not subject to service of process or has concealed himself").

(c) If the disability of any person is terminated before the expiration of the period of limitation in paragraph (a) of this subsection (1) and no legal representative has been appointed for him, such person shall be allowed to take action within the period fixed by the applicable statute of limitations or within two years after the removal of the disability, whichever period expires later.

How the limitation period applies

Colorado — Statute of Limitations

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