Colo. Rev. Stat. » Title 13
Colorado Revised Statutes

Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-17.5-101 (2026)

Legislative declaration

✓ current as of July 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section CO-LEGleg.colorado.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

(1) The general assembly declares that the state has a strong interest in limiting substantially frivolous, groundless, or vexatious inmate lawsuits that impose an undue burden on the state judicial system. While recognizing an inmate's right to access the courts for relief from unlawful state actions, the general assembly finds that a significant number of inmates file substantially frivolous, groundless, or vexatious lawsuits.

(2) The general assembly, therefore, determines that it is necessary to enact legislation that promotes efficiency in the disposition of inmate lawsuits by providing for preliminary matters to be determined by magistrates and to provide for sanctions against inmates who are allowed to file claims against public defendants and whose claims are dismissed as frivolous.

Source: L. 95: Entire article added, p. 478, § 1, effective July 1.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 5 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1996–2024 · leading case: Fraser v. Colorado Bd. of Parole, 931 P.2d 560 (Colo. Ct. App. 1996).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Fraser v. Colorado Bd. of Parole, 931 P.2d 560 (Colo. Ct. App. 1996). · cites it 6× “[Plaintiff] has failed to comply with- C.R.S. § 13-17.5-101 et seq. (1995 Cum.Supp.”
Glover v. State, 129 P.3d 1083 (Colo. Ct. App. 2005). · cites it 4× “See § 13-17.5-101(1), C.R.S.2005. Consistent with this declaration, the General Assembly enacted other provisions to promote efficiency in the disposition of inmate lawsuits.”
Leidal v. Brunell, 985 P.2d 102 (Colo. Ct. App. 1999). · cites it 4× “See also § 13-17.5-101, et seq., C.R.S.1998 (setting forth specific rales with regard to in forma pauperis inmate lawsuits).”
Oakley v. Williams (D. Colo. 2022). · cites it 3× “Oakley “should be assessed a strike pursuant to section 13-17.5-101, C.R.S.” [Doc. 18 at 15].”
Jabari J. Johnson v. Meridith McGrath, 546 P.3d 1199 (Colo. Ct. App. 2024). “§ 13-17.5-101(1)-(2), C.R.S. 2023. ¶ 29 Thus, for example, if an inmate alleges a specific impending assault, the claim for relief must be directed toward that alleged harm.”
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-17.5-101(1): 2 cases
Glover v. State, 129 P.3d 1083 (Colo. Ct. App. 2005). “See § 13-17.5-101(1), C.R.S.2005. Consistent with this declaration, the General Assembly enacted other provisions to promote efficiency in the disposition of inmate lawsuits.”
Jabari J. Johnson v. Meridith McGrath, 546 P.3d 1199 (Colo. Ct. App. 2024). “§ 13-17.5-101(1)-(2), C.R.S. 2023. ¶ 29 Thus, for example, if an inmate alleges a specific impending assault, the claim for relief must be directed toward that alleged harm.”
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-17.5-101(2): 1 case
Glover v. State, 129 P.3d 1083 (Colo. Ct. App. 2005). “See § 13-17.5-101(1), C.R.S.2005. Consistent with this declaration, the General Assembly enacted other provisions to promote efficiency in the disposition of inmate lawsuits.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.