Sheriff

Clone of Civil Process / Sheriff's Sales

  • Image Stock image of an eviction notice by a door
    Stock image of an eviction notice by a door

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office Civil Process Unit is responsible for service of process, execution of evictions, and Sheriff’s sales in Larimer County, Colorado. Our office staff are here to answer questions about these processes, intake requests, and collect fees as needed – however, we cannot provide legal advice. 

Several processes are explained in the links below, and whenever possible, we have also included links to resources for further assistance. If you do not find answers here, please contact us by phone or email.

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Staff members of the Sheriff's Office are prohibited from giving legal advice.

FAQs

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  1. Getting Started with Civil Court

    The Larimer County Sheriff's Office is part of the Larimer County Government and operates within the spectrum of the executive branch of government. Civil laws require a Court judgment for enforcement, which means that civil law-related actions of our agency are court-ordered. This means that you MUST start a civil process by filing with the Court.

    Colorado’s judicial system actively supports citizens with robust self-help resources and instructions to help you represent yourself in Court. They can also direct you to low-cost and free legal resources. All of this may be found on the Larimer County Court website. 

    The Larimer County Sheriff's Office Civil Process Unit staff are NOT permitted to provide legal advice. We will do our best to answer questions and will refer you to other resources that may be available, if any. It is recommended that you seek a professional attorney or inquire with the Courts for further guidance in getting started with the appropriate civil process.

  2. Service of Process Request Information

    The Larimer County Sheriff's Office Civil Process Unit provides service of process to individuals and businesses located within Larimer County. In order to do so, we MUST have information for service, contact information, and payment in most cases.

    Please read the following guidelines BEFORE submitting a request:

    Service is NEVER guaranteed. Service of process does not involve the use of force. Our process server will make attempts and provide a diligent effort. If service is unsuccessful, we will provide a non-service affidavit with a list of the attempts made and a partial refund of fees as per Colorado statute (if applicable to your request).

    A service address MUST be provided by you. Service of process does not include an investigation into the whereabouts of a person to be served or “skip tracing”, even for protection orders. If no service address is provided, we may refuse your request. If you have no address, then consider hiring a private service to locate the individual or use your own means to research public records or contact mutual acquaintances that may know where the person is. If the only address that you have is a post office box or homeless shelter (or other temporary housing facility), we may refuse your request.

    We can only serve within Larimer County. We DO serve inmates in Larimer County Jail. If the service address is in another county, then please contact the Sheriff of that county for service. If you’re not sure if it’s in Larimer County, enter the address on the Larimer County Assessor website.

    Service requests at hospitals, treatment centers, or shelters may be considered, but are not likely to be accepted under most circumstances. We also do not “dispatch” a server to serve papers on demand. If you need special attention or immediate service, then you should consider hiring a private process server.

    We reserve the right to refuse to serve incomplete or errant court documents. We will review your request and may recommend amendments or more documents before serving to ensure that it meets our criteria for proper service or that of the State of Colorado. 

    We are statutorily required to take fees for service of process. Fees may be due for service at the time of the request, unless waived per Colorado statute or Court Order. If by Court Order, the court-approved waiver must be provided to us. The total fees include a base fee and mileage fee, which is calculated by zip code and charged on a round trip, per mile basis. The fee chart can be found here.

    For more in-depth information pertaining to fees, click here.

    We cannot give legal advice regarding any situation or your court documents. We can provide some information or refer you to other resources, but otherwise, please seek an attorney or your local Court for assistance. For Larimer County Courts and legal resources, click here.

    We WILL accept service requests via email. Along with a complete set of the court documents, you must submit a Civil Process Information Sheet. Upon review, we will let you know when it has been received, whether any further information is needed, and if any fees are due. We will not begin attempts until all necessary information is provided and fees collected, if any.

    We DO NOT expedite service by request and reserve the right to refuse your request if enough time is not provided for a diligent effort to be made before service time expires. Each type of document has a different timeframe that the court allows for service. If yours are too close to that date, then you will need to have it served by someone else or ask the court for an extension for proper service to be made. 

  3. Servee Information

    When another person “takes you to court,” you will be notified by service of process. It is important that you accept these documents in order to know what action is being brought against you and to be able to respond to the Court. In the civil court of law, the judge or magistrate wants to hear from all parties in order to make an appropriate judgment.

    The Larimer County Sheriff's Office Civil Process Unit has mobile servers attempting service in all parts of Larimer County. Not every request for service of process must be made through the Larimer County Sheriff's Office. There are also several private process servers, attorneys, and other agencies that may also be attempting to contact you. 

    If you believe that someone from our agency is trying to serve you with court documents, please call our office at 970-498-5155. Typically, our servers will place their business card on your door. If so, feel free to contact them directly as they may be able to meet with you to serve the documents. 

    BEWARE! There IS a scam going around by which the caller identifies themselves as being from the Civil Process Unit and/or is an employee of the Larimer County Sheriff's Office. They will often indicate that you have missed jury duty, have a warrant, etc. and that you must pay a fine, bond, or other fee by phone. 

    • DO NOT PROVIDE PAYMENT TO THESE CALLERS! If you believe that you have been contacted by a scammer, you may call our non-emergency dispatch line at 970-416-1985 to verify the identity of an employee or request contact by a deputy. You may also submit an online report here.
  4. Civil Standby Information

    A “civil standby” is an assist by law enforcement to keep the peace while collecting belongings from a property where you are legally prohibited. Our agency requires that any standby be court-ordered and are handled differently, depending upon the circumstances of the order and the time needed to collect belongings.

    I  have a protection order and need a standby to collect necessities: 
    If your order pertains to a protection order and you need less than 15 minutes to gather essentials at the property, then scheduling with the Civil Process Unit is not needed. The law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction for the property address should be contacted via the non-emergency dispatch phone number. For Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, you may call our non-emergency dispatch at 970-416-1985. Please note that this type of standby is a one-time occurrence for your case, and if an additional standby is needed, you will need to contact the judge or magistrate for your case to request another.

     I have a Court-ordered standby for more than 15 minutes: 
    If your order requires more than 15 minutes to complete, then you must contact the Civil Process Unit for scheduling and coordination of the standby. Fees will be charged in the amount of $86 per hour per deputy and will be due no later than 48 hours prior to the scheduled standby. Standbys will be scheduled during business hours on weekdays, not including holidays. 

    I do not have a Court order, but need a standby: 
    Please contact the Larimer County Court for further assistance at 970-494-3500.

  5. Eviction Information for Property Owners

    An eviction is a multi-step process for all parties involved and can vary depending upon the type of property and circumstances of the eviction. As the property owner, you will need to provide notification of your intentions to evict the tenant(s). There are step-by-step instruction guides on the Colorado judicial website. You should consider seeking legal advice or assistance from an attorney if the circumstances of the eviction are complex.

     

    EVICTION SCHEDULING AND PROCEDURES

    After a judgment has been granted for restitution, the Court will issue a Writ of Restitution and the final step of the process – execution of the eviction, is ordered to the Sheriff. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Civil Process Unit will handle the scheduling and execution of the court order for properties in Larimer County. The steps are as follows:

    • Provide the Writ of Restitution either in person or via email.  Payment for posting of the Writ of Restitution will be due at the time of receipt. You will also be asked to complete our Civil Process Information Sheet and the Eviction Procedure Checklist.
    • We will post the Writ within 5 business days of receipt and place you in our scheduling queue.
    • You will receive a call from a Civil Process Specialist with a date and time that is available for your eviction. PLEASE BE PATIENT. We ask that you refrain from calling/emailing to schedule and await our contact.
    • A Civil Process Unit deputy will contact you to plan for resources, equipment, and other details pertaining to the eviction day.
    • If the tenant(s) move out and surrender the property to you prior to the eviction day, please call and email our unit to cancel. If less than 48 hours notice is given for cancellation, then you may be charged for the eviction.
    • On the day of the eviction, please be prepared with all personnel and equipment necessary to complete the removal of all personal property inside the residence and outbuildings, abandoned vehicles, livestock, etc. If the deputy on scene determines that the personnel and equipment are not sufficient, they may cancel the eviction. You will be billed and will have to reschedule at your own expense.
    • Upon completion of the eviction, deputies will post signage and removed property must remain for a “reasonable time” for the former tenant(s) to retrieve (consult an attorney to determine the appropriate length of time). Any remaining fees will be billed.

     

    EVICTION DATE SELECTION

    Several factors are considered when eviction dates are selected. A Writ of Restitution must not be executed prior to any applicable grace periods per Colorado statute (CRS 13-40-122) nor after 49 days of issuance. Site conditions, personnel availability, and other considerations will affect the date selection. Please submit the Writ of Restitution as soon as possible to prevent exceeding the expiration date.

    As execution of an eviction occurs at the site of the residence, the Civil Process Unit will coordinate the date and details directly with the property manager and not with the attorney. 

     

    PLANNING FOR THE EVICTION DAY

    Evictions take a considerable amount of time on scene; we ask for your cooperation in the following manner:

    1. FOR OFFICER SAFETY REASONS, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL THE DATE AND TIME OF THE EVICTION BE DISCLOSED TO THE TENANT. If the Deputies believe that the tenant was aware of the date/time of the eviction, the eviction will be cancelled and billed at YOUR cost. 

    2. YOU MUST WAIT FOR THE DEPUTY’S ARRIVAL BEFORE ENTERING THE DWELLING TO START THE EVICTION. The Deputies are executing the Order and all persons present, regardless of status, are required to follow the Deputy’s direction. Interference by anyone may result in arrest. 

    3. The Deputy may cancel the eviction if the necessary equipment is not initially provided or if the FULL eviction personnel are not present at scheduled eviction time. 

    4. The Landlord will be required to provide a crew of ABLE-BODIED workers for the eviction. General Labor Guidelines: 

    • 5 Laborers for a 1-bedroom dwelling
    • 6 Laborers for a 2-bedroom dwelling
    • 8 Laborers for a 3-bedroom dwelling
    • 10-14 Laborers for a 4–5-bedroom dwelling
    • Upper-level apartments may require additional laborers

    The Deputy may also require additional laborers based on circumstances. Evictions must be completed in one hour; this includes contact & removal of tenant(s). If you believe the eviction will need more than one hour, please let us know prior to scheduling. 

    5. All personal property of the tenant(s) should be placed on the driveway, parking area, lawn or street parking - NEVER on the sidewalk or in a traffic lane. You must have sufficient equipment, trash bags and boxes for containment of all personal property. Everything in the dwelling must be removed and handled with reasonable care. Inventory is not required. The property owner/agent is responsible for the immediate cleanup of any tenant property that falls on the sidewalk, traffic lane or neighboring property prior to the disposal of the tenant’s unclaimed property. 

    6. Any documents, files, computers or other tangible items that contain any information that may result in identity theft will not be allowed to be taken outside the building as part of the eviction process. It will be the landlord’s agent’s responsibility to ensure that these items are secured and then properly disposed of. 

    7. When scheduling the eviction, please make sure that we are aware of potential dangers or negative interactions of any kind present at the property. 

     

    EVICTION FEES

    Eviction execution includes two important steps that, by Colorado statute, require application of fees. The first step is posting/serving the Writ of Restitution and the second is execution of the Writ. Both steps have a base fee and a mileage fee component. The base fee for posting of the Writ is $60 and for execution of the Writ is $125. The mileage fees are based on a zip code system and are charged on a round trip, per mile basis. The fee chart can be viewed here. 

    While planning the eviction, advisement of necessary personnel and equipment is intended to minimize time on-scene to one hour or less. When one hour is exceeded, additional per hour/per deputy fees are applied.

  6. Eviction Information for Tenants

    Am I being evicted? The eviction process is carried out in civil court and requires the landlord to notify tenants of their intentions for eviction and the reason why. There are multiple steps in this process, which includes notification of a hearing where you may provide information to the judge or magistrate as to why you should not be evicted. The Court can issue a stay to delay an eviction, and can dismiss a case for an eviction, so it is important that you respond to these notifications and attend any hearings held in your case. Ultimately, if the judgment for restitution of the property to the landlord is awarded, the Sheriff is the only agency authorized to execute the eviction in Colorado. 

    What if my landlord did not follow the proper eviction steps? If you believe that your eviction is unlawful, the Colorado judicial system has a way for you to seek an injunction and ensure that landlords follow the right process. More information and a step-by-step guide is available here.

    How do I know if I am being evicted and when? Prior to the execution of the eviction in Larimer County, you may receive a posted notice and Writ of Restitution (NOTE: this is not required). This notice on your door means that the judgment is in favor of the landlord and the Sheriff has been ordered by the Court to carry out the eviction. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Civil Process Unit will coordinate with the landlord to schedule the date and time of your eviction; however, WE WILL NOT SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOU and your landlord has equally been instructed not to share this information. If this posting has occurred, you MUST move out and surrender the premises to the landlord.

    What happens on the day of the eviction and why should I cooperate? The eviction itself will involve a crew of persons who will remove all of the contents of the residence and relocate them to the curb or another designated area so that you may have access to retrieve those items. However, there is no obligation to secure or protect the majority of these items. With this in mind, you should make arrangements to remove belongings yourself so that they may be protected from theft or nature prior to the eviction taking place. 

    What do I do if I need time to move after the notice is posted? If you need to schedule movers or assistance, then you should communicate this with the landlord and not the Sheriff’s Office. The landlord has no obligation to work with you, but they may choose to. The Sheriff’s Office is court-ordered to execute the restitution and will not mediate on behalf of either the tenant or landlord.

    What if a stay is awarded to me by the Court? You (or your attorney) should provide a copy of the Court order to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office Civil Process Unit once awarded to ensure that execution of the eviction is postponed as indicated in the order.

    Help is available to you. 

    No matter where you are in the eviction process, there are community resources that may be able to assist you. The Colorado judicial system has compiled a list of links to these resources and may be found here.

  7. Protection Order Information

    Protection orders are issued by the Courts. They can be issued directly to a defendant who is charged with a crime in order to protect the victim. They can also be issued upon the petition of a citizen or business that seeks protection from someone as the result of domestic abuse, stalking, sexual assault, unlawful sexual contact, abuse of the elderly or at-risk adult, physical threat, or other situation.

    Criminal charge-related protection orders are served directly to the defendant by a judge/magistrate. The defendant may be granted a short civil standby if they will no longer be allowed where they usually reside. This one-time civil standby should be used to gather essentials only and lasts under fifteen minutes. 

    Civil protection orders are issued to a plaintiff, who must then have the defendant served with the documents. The protection order is considered active only once served, and a hearing is held prior to the protection order being made permanent. Attendance at the hearing is important for both parties as each must provide compelling reasons for the necessity of the protection order and each of the stipulations within.

    If the Larimer County Sheriff's Office Civil Process Unit is serving a civil protection order for you, please note the following:

    Protection Order service is a top priority for LCSO, and a defendant must receive it no later than 48 hours before the hearing. Despite the urgency, the protection order may not be served immediately. Sometimes this is due to avoidance, timing, or the need to coordinate resources for service. Therefore, the protected party is advised to:

    • Keep a complete DEFENDANT copy of the protection order service papers with you at all times to provide to law enforcement if an incident occurs between you and the defendant.
    • Call 9-1-1, if an incident occurs between you and the defendant. Do not call the Civil Process Unit. Law enforcement will be dispatched to deal with the situation appropriately, regardless of service of the protection order.
    • If you share a residence with the defendant and do not feel safe, please let us know. There are resources that may be available to you for alternative shelter until the defendant is removed from the home.

    We will make a diligent effort to serve these papers quickly.

    • Once served, we will update law enforcement databases to show that the defendant was served, which makes the protection order active and enforceable. This is done as soon as possible for your protection. Please note, this only applies to Colorado Court-issued protection orders and not those from out-of-state courts.
    • When completed, we will send an email with the Statement of Service attached, which you must file with the court to show that service was completed.
    • If not completed, we will send an email with a Statement of Non-Service with details on the attempts made to serve the papers. This statement should also be provided to the court and is important in informing the judge of the actions of the defendant.
    • IF YOU WANT US TO CALL WHEN SERVED, please let us know. We cannot guarantee a call will be made immediately following service, but our office personnel will be able to call you between 8am-4:30pm, Monday through Friday, to let you know service was made.

    Please call the Civil Process Unit at 970-498-5155 if cancellation is needed for any reason.

  8. Sheriff’s Sales

    The Civil Process Unit holds Sheriff’s Sales for both real estate and personal property on an ongoing basis. Current listings are linked below and are also published in local newspapers for five (5) consecutive Sundays (real property) or three (3) consecutive Sundays (personal property).

     

    Current Listings

    You can view the current Sheriff’s Sales list here.

     

    Auction & Bidding Procedures

    The lender/attorney will provide the bid to our office by noon, two (2) business days prior to the sale.

    All Sheriff's Sales are held on Thursday at 10am in the lobby of the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Administration building at 2501 Midpoint Drive, Fort Collins. The door to this lobby is located adjacent to the visitor parking areas below the flagpole. Please arrive early if you intend to participate in the bid. Anyone who is not signed in by 10:00 am will not be permitted to participate. 

    All bidders are required to have cash or certified funds sufficient to cover their highest bid at the time of sale. After announcing and providing a written lender’s bid, a Civil Process Specialist will begin the bidding process.

    If you are deemed the successful bidder, full payment must be received in the Larimer County Sheriff's Office by 1:00pm on the day of the Sheriff's Sale. Payment in cash or certified funds will be accepted. Personal checks, money orders or wires will not be accepted. If the appropriate payment is not received by the deadline, the property will be offered to another bidder who participated in the bid.

    After the sale, the Certificate of Purchase will be recorded and issued to the successful bidder within five (5) business days of the sale. The deed will be issued and recorded no sooner than eight (8) business days after the sale.

    If any questions arise, please feel free to contact our unit at 970-498-5155 or via email at sheriff-civilprocess@larimer.gov.

  9. Civil Process Fees

    As per Colorado statute (CRS 30-1-104), the Larimer County Sheriff's Office Civil Process Unit must collect fees for service of process. The fees vary based on type of documents being served as well as zip code of the service attempts.

    For small claims, summons, notices, contempt citations, orders, and other types of court documents not specifically described hereafter, the base fee is $35. For garnishments, the base fee is $20. For criminal case subpoenas, the base fee is $7.50. For civil case subpoenas, the base fee is $60. For criminal case summons, the base fee is $15. In evictions, there is a base fee of $60 for the posting/service of the Writ of Restitution and $125 for the execution of the eviction itself. You can easily find the total fees for your request by locating the intersect of the type of court document and the zip code of service on the fee chart here.

    • ALL SERVICES ADDITIONALLY INCLUDE A MILEAGE FEE. Effective March 1, 2024, the criminal fee per mile is $0.20 and civil fee per mile is $0.67. All fees for mileage are based upon a zip code system and are charged on a round trip, per mile basis.
    • ADDITIONAL PERSONS AT THE SAME ADDRESS will be charged at $10/party rather than full service fee per party.
    • EVICTIONS include additional per hour/per deputy fees.
    • WE DO NOT ADJUST THE FEES based on the final service location, nor do we bill per attempt. However, a partial refund may be due if the attempts are not successful.

    Fees are due at the time of your request.

    Payment can be made as follows:

    • Cash: At our service window only, located at 2501 Midpoint Drive in Fort Collins, CO.
    • Check: Made out to Larimer County Sheriff's Office, and brought to our office or sent to

                        ATTN: CIVIL PROCESS UNIT

                        Larimer County Sheriff's Office

                        2501 Midpoint Drive

                        Fort Collins, CO 80525

    • Credit Card: Swipe at our office or call us at 970-498-5155. Additional processing fees apply as follows:
      • Credit (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express) = 2.29%
      • Debit transactions $0-170 = 1.75%
      • Debit transaction over $170 = $2.95 flat fee

    Fee Waivers

    Per Colorado statute, fees are waived for some services. We will review your court documents to determine if the waiver applies. If you have a Court Order to waive fees, then we will need to see the document before we can honor such.

    Fees are applied per statute and may only be waived in some cases. We reserve the right to refuse service if you refuse to pay at the time of the request.

     

    Attorney Credit

    Per Colorado statute, credit may be extended to attorney offices. However, this is at our discretion. Be prepared to make payment upon your request. If credit is extended, poor payment behavior will result in this privilege being revoked for your organization.

     

    Out-of-Area/Out-of-State Requests

    The Larimer County Sheriff's Office Civil Process Unit can accept service of process documents via email and payment via phone with credit card, so you do not have to travel to our location in Fort Collins. Please contact us at 970-498-5155 or email sheriff-civilprocess@co.larimer.co.us for further information. We will need to receive all necessary documents to verify the fee amount prior to taking payment via phone. To begin setting up service with our agency, start here.

  10. Civil Process Intake Form

    Along with a complete set of the court documents, you must submit a Civil Process Information Sheet.

  11. Fee Chart

    We are statutorily required to take fees for service of process. Fees may be due for service at the time of the request, unless waived per Colorado statute or Court Order. If by Court Order, the court-approved waiver must be provided to us. The total fees include a base fee and mileage fee, which is calculated by zip code and charged on a round trip, per mile basis. The fee chart can be found here.

  12. Eviction Procedure Checklist

    Prior to scheduling an eviction, you will be required to complete our Civil Process Information Sheet and the Eviction Procedure Checklist.

  13. Sheriff's Sales
  14. Larimer County Court Resources

    Colorado’s judicial system actively supports citizens with robust self-help resources and instructions to help you represent yourself in Court. You can view more information, including low-cost and free legal resources, here.

  15. Larimer County Assessor

    In order to ensure the address listed is in Larimer County, please enter the address on the Larimer County Assessor website here.

  16. Colorado Judicial Housing Resources

    An eviction is a multi-step process for all parties involved and can vary depending upon the type of property and circumstances of the eviction. As the property owner, you will need to provide notification of your intentions to evict the tenant(s). Step-by-step guides can be found on the Colorado judicial website here.

  17. Information on Unlawful Evictions

Contact Us

Address: 2501 Midpoint Dr. Fort Collins, CO 80525
Phone: (970) 498-5155
sheriff-civilprocess@larimer.gov
Hours: 8:00am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday; Closed Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays