(a) Availability. Any party may serve upon any other party written interrogatories, not exceeding the number, including all discrete subparts, set forth in the Case Management Order, to be answered by the party served or, if the party served is a public or private corporation, or a partnership, or association, or governmental agency, by any officer or agent, who shall furnish such information as is available to the party. Leave of court must be obtained, consistent with the principles stated in C.R.C.P. Rules 16(b)(1) and 26(b) and subsection (e) of this Rule, to serve more interrogatories than the number set forth in the Case Management Order. Without leave of court or written stipulation, interrogatories may not be served before the time specified in C.R.C.P. 26(d).
Rule 33.Interrogatories to Parties
Current through June 1, 2026 · Last verified July 10, 2026
In one sentenceC.R.C.P. 33 lets a party send written interrogatories to any other party, who must answer each one separately, fully, and under oath within 35 days, subject to a count set by the Case Management Order and to objections that must spell out their grounds.
Full Text of Rule 33
(b) Answers and Objections.
(1) Each interrogatory shall be answered separately and fully, in writing and under oath, unless it is objected to, in which event the objecting party shall state the reasons for objection and shall answer under oath to the extent the interrogatory is not objectionable. An objection must state with specificity the grounds for objection to the interrogatory and must also state whether any responsive information is being withheld on the basis of that objection. A timely objection to an interrogatory stays the obligation to answer those portions of the interrogatory objected to until the court resolves the objection. No separate motion for protective order under C.R.C.P. 26(c) is required.
(2) The answers are to be signed by the person making them, and the objections signed by the attorney making them.
(3) The party upon whom the interrogatories have been served shall serve a copy of the answers, and objections if any, within 35 days after the service of the interrogatories. A shorter or longer time may be directed by the court or, in the absence of such an order, agreed to in writing by the parties pursuant to C.R.C.P. 29.
(4) All grounds for an objection to an interrogatory shall be stated with specificity. Any ground not stated in a timely objection will be deemed to be waived unless the party's failure to object is excused by the court for good cause shown.
(5) The party submitting the interrogatories may move for an order pursuant to C.R.C.P. 37(a) with respect to any objection to or other failure to answer an interrogatory.
(c) Scope; Use at Trial. Interrogatories may relate to any matters which can be inquired into pursuant to C.R.C.P. 26(b), and the answers may be used to the extent permitted by the Colorado Rules of Evidence. An interrogatory otherwise proper is not necessarily objectionable merely because an answer to the interrogatory involves an opinion or contention that relates to fact or the application of law to fact, but the court may order that such an interrogatory need not be answered until after designated discovery has been completed or until a pretrial conference or other later time.
(d) Option to Produce Business Records. Where the answer to an interrogatory may be derived or ascertained from the business records of the party upon whom the interrogatory has been served, or from an examination, audit, or inspection of such business records, or from a compilation, abstract, or summary based thereon, and the burden of deriving or ascertaining the answer is substantially the same for the party serving the interrogatory as for the party served, it is a sufficient answer to such interrogatory to specify the records from which the answer may be derived or ascertained and to afford to the party serving the interrogatory reasonable opportunity to examine, audit, or inspect such records and to make copies, compilations, abstracts, or summaries.
(e) Pattern and Non-Pattern Interrogatories; Limitations. The pattern interrogatories set forth in the Appendix to Chapters 1 to 17A, Form 20, are approved. Any pattern interrogatory and its subparts shall be counted as one interrogatory. Any discrete subparts in a non-pattern interrogatory shall be considered as a separate interrogatory.
Amendment History
Amended April 14, 1994, effective January 1, 1995. Amended effective January 1, 2012; July 1, 2015. Amended January 12, 2017, effective March 1, 2017.
Plain-English Summary
Interrogatories are written questions one party sends to another that must be answered in writing and under oath. Rule 33 reaches only parties, not outside witnesses; a corporation or agency answers through whichever officer or agent has the information. Colorado doesn't fix the number of interrogatories in the rule itself, the number is whatever the Case Management Order sets, though the default under the general discovery rule is 30 per adverse party unless the parties agree otherwise or the court allows more for good cause.
The responding party has 35 days to answer, and each answer must be signed by the person who gave it. An objection has to state its specific grounds and say whether any information is being withheld because of it; a proper, timely objection pauses the duty to answer that part of the question until a judge rules on it. Grounds not raised in a timely objection are treated as given up unless the court excuses the delay for good cause.
An interrogatory isn't off-limits just because answering it calls for an opinion about how the law applies to the facts, though a court can push that kind of answer off until later discovery or the pretrial conference. If the answer can be found in the responding party's own business records, that party can point to the records instead of writing out a narrative answer. A party stonewalling or objecting without basis can be met with a motion to compel under Rule 37.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many interrogatories can I send in a Colorado case?
Rule 33 itself doesn't set a fixed number; the cap comes from the Case Management Order in your case, though the underlying discovery rule sets a default of 30 per adverse party unless the parties agree to more or the court allows it.
How long does someone have to answer interrogatories?
The responding party has 35 days after service to serve answers and any objections, unless the court or a written agreement between the parties sets a different deadline.
Can the other side just object to my ROGs?
Only if the objection states its specific grounds and says whether responsive information is being withheld on that basis; a timely, proper objection pauses the duty to answer that portion until the court rules.
What if I'd rather point to my records than write out an answer?
Rule 33(d) lets a party answer by identifying the business records the answer can be derived from, so long as the burden of digging through them is about the same for both sides.
Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure (Colo. R. Civ. P. 33). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Colorado (C.R.S. § 13-2-108; Colo. Const. art. VI). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 10, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: ROGROGsinterrogatorieswritten interrogatoriesinterrogatory answersinterrogatory objectionspattern interrogatories