Are you owed pay from a Boulder job?
Unpaid overtime, missed meal or rest breaks, off-the-clock work and unreimbursed expenses may be unlawful. Retaliation after you asked about pay may be unlawful too.
If your workplace rights were violated, you may be able to pursue the wages you earned and, where the law provides, penalties and interest.
Not sure the math is off? You can request a review even without your pay records in hand.
What wage theft can look like, and what the law calls it.
Wage violations are usually quiet and routine, a timekeeping habit, a job title, a 'that's just how we do it.' What matters is whether you were paid what the law requires for the hours you actually worked.
I clock out when the schedule says, then keep working, because the work isn't done.
The law calls it → possible off-the-clock work
- I regularly work through breaks because there's no coverage. The law calls it → possible missed-break violation
- I'm salaried with a manager title, but I do the same work as the hourly crew. The law calls it → possible misclassification
- My hours changed after I asked about my pay. The law calls it → possible retaliation
- Our fulfillment 'peak weeks' run 13-hour days, but payroll only looks at whether the week crossed 40. The law calls it → unpaid daily overtime under the COMPS Order
These cover unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work, missed meal and rest breaks, misclassification (exempt or contractor), unpaid final wages, retaliation for raising pay issues, in any industry. If something here is familiar, you don't have to be sure before you ask.
Illustrative situations, not client accounts.
Colorado wage law gives Boulder workers overtime after 40 hours in a week, after 12 hours in a single day, or after 12 consecutive hours; a paid 10-minute rest break every 4 hours; a 30-minute meal period on shifts over 5 hours; and earned vacation that cannot be forfeited at separation. Local minimum wages in the Boulder area can run above the state rate and change each January. Wage claims generally carry a 2-year clock, 3 years for willful violations.
What could taking action help you recover?
Depending on the facts, legal action may help recover unpaid wages, address missed breaks and off-the-clock work, and correct the practice going forward. Available remedies depend on the facts and applicable law; no outcome is guaranteed.
Unpaid wages or overtime
Hours worked but never paid, including overtime premiums, may be recoverable for the statutory period.
Missed-break and off-the-clock pay
Compensation may be available for missed meal or rest periods and for work performed before or after the clock.
Expense reimbursement and related pay
Necessary work expenses, and wages tied to them, may be reimbursable depending on the state and the facts.
Statutory relief where applicable
Some claims carry interest, statutory amounts, or fee-shifting; which apply depends on the claim and jurisdiction.
You do not need complete pay records, or certainty that your paycheck was wrong, before asking what your options are.
Common concerns we hear from workers about pay
I do not have complete time records.
Employers generally must keep time and pay records. Missing records are common in these cases, and schedules, messages, badge data, and coworker accounts can help reconstruct hours.
I was paid a salary.
A salary or job title does not by itself make you exempt from overtime. Exemption generally depends on your actual duties and pay, not the label.
I signed an arbitration agreement.
An arbitration agreement can change where a claim is heard, not necessarily whether you have one. It is worth reviewing before assuming it closes the door.
I still work there.
You can ask questions while still employed. Retaliating against a worker for asserting wage rights may itself be unlawful.
Some of the work happened before or after my shift.
Time an employer knows or should know is being worked, including pre-shift and post-shift tasks, may be compensable.
Brian Denlinger
Shareholder · Admitted in Colorado
Brian Denlinger is licensed in Colorado and Washington. He represents employees in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage-and-hour matters.
Read Brian's full bio →Selected wage-and-hour class and representative action results.
$17M
Health-care workforce · approximately 30,000 workers · Meal and rest break class action
Proposed settlement · preliminary approval granted
$16M
Health-care workforce · approximately 23,900 workers · Meal and rest break class action
Final approval
$14M
Grocery workforce · California · Rest break PAGA settlement
Final · co-lead counsel
$10.94M
Health-care workforce · approximately 11,600 workers · Meal break class action
Final approval
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different; the value and outcome of your matter will depend on its specific facts.
What happens after you reach out?
You don't need documents, a lawyer-ready story, or even certainty that what happened was illegal.
- 01
Talk with us
A short initial conversation about what happened and when.
- 02
We assess the record
We identify possible claims, deadlines and evidence that may matter.
- 03
If we take the case
We handle the filing strategy, negotiations and litigation.
Deadlines can depend on where and how you file
Colorado and federal claims may follow different filing routes. These are general time limits, not sequential steps.
Generally, for Colorado wage claims.
Generally, for wage claims based on a willful violation.
Other claims and exceptions may have different or shorter deadlines. Contact counsel promptly so the applicable dates can be reviewed.
Colorado Wage Act, COMPS Order, and Healthy Families and Workplaces Act
C.R.S. art. 8-4 & 8-6; 7 CCR 1103-1; C.R.S. § 8-13.3-401 et seq.
Primary source, C.R.S. art. 8-4 & 8-6; 7 CCR 1103-1; C.R.S. § 8-13.3-401 et seq. ↗Share what happened in about two minutes. The firm will review your submission and contact you about possible options and next steps. There is no cost or obligation to request a review.
Deadlines and filing issues for workers in Boulder.
- Colorado wage claims generally carry a 2-year limit (3 for willful), and each pay period ages out one at a time.
- Statutory penalties hinge on a proper written demand; skipping it leaves penalty money on the table.
- Being paid the state minimum for work inside the City of Boulder can itself be the violation when the local rate is higher.
- A salaried title is not an exemption; duties and an annually adjusted salary threshold decide it, and misclassified salaried workers lose overtime silently.
- Earned vacation cannot be forfeited at separation; 'use it or lose it' language does not defeat the payout.
Local filing and enforcement information for Boulder workers.
The sources below are public agency actions and filing information, not this firm's cases. They illustrate how claims have been handled and do not predict the outcome of another matter.
- Landscaping & outdoor services, Front Range U.S. Department of Labor investigation of Grandview Landscaping Inc. (Denver): $203,332 in back wages recovered (2023) for 14 workers denied overtime, with unlawful deductions and intimidation of workers during the investigation; the employer was also barred from the H-2B visa program for five years. official source ↗
These are public government enforcement actions by the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division or the state labor agency, not this firm's cases. Agency and state filing routes for Boulder follow below.
Where do you file a wage and hour claim in Boulder?
Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor Standards and Statistics
Denver (statewide)707 17th Street, Suite 150
Denver, CO 80202-3660
(303) 318-8000
Wage complaints are filed with the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics online; the division serves the whole state from Denver.
State wage-claim filing →U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Denver District Office
The Denver District Office serves all of Colorado including Boulder County. Most workers file online or by phone.
1961 Stout Street, Suite 16-135Denver, CO 80294
(720) 264-3250 WHD complaint / inquiry form →
Boulder County District Court (20th Judicial District)
Boulder County Combined Court1777 6th Street
Boulder, CO 80302
The filing path, step by step
- 1Reconstruct your hours from schedules, timeclock records, texts, and pay stubs; your own notes fill gaps in the employer's records.
- 2Make a written demand for the unpaid wages, the Colorado Wage Act's penalty structure turns on it.
- 3File a wage complaint with the CDLE's Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (online, statewide), or for federal claims with the U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division's Denver District Office, which covers Boulder County.
- 4Check the local rate: the City of Boulder and Boulder County have adopted local minimum wages above the state rate; the CDLE publishes the current figures each January.
- 5If the same pay practice shorted your coworkers, a group claim is often the strongest posture, and it is the firm's core practice. The initial review has no cost or obligation.
Wage-and-hour information in other Colorado cities
- Colorado SpringsWage-and-hour information
- DenverWage-and-hour information
- Fort CollinsWage-and-hour information
Asked by Boulder workers.
What is the minimum wage in Boulder?
The City of Boulder and Boulder County have adopted local minimum wages above the Colorado state rate, and all of these change every January. Check the CDLE's published local-wage figures for the current numbers rather than trusting a figure printed on any website. Being paid the state rate for work inside the city can itself be a violation.
I'm salaried at a startup. Can I still be owed overtime?
Yes, often. A salary alone does not make you exempt: exemption depends on your actual duties and a salary threshold Colorado adjusts annually. Misclassified salaried workers, especially early startup hires with operational duties, are among the most common unpaid-overtime claims.
Trade-show and fulfillment weeks run 12-to-14-hour days. Is that overtime in a slow week?
Generally yes. Colorado's COMPS Order requires time-and-a-half after 12 hours in a workday or 12 consecutive hours, even when the week stays under 40, a rule federal law does not have.
Our Pearl Street restaurant's tip pool includes the managers. Is that legal?
Employers, managers, and supervisors generally cannot keep any portion of employee tips. Whether someone is a 'manager' turns on duties, not the title on the schedule.
I left my job and the payout skipped my accrued vacation. What now?
Earned vacation is wages under the Colorado Wage Act and cannot be forfeited at separation. Final wages are due by the next regular payday when you resign (faster when the employer ends it), and a written demand starts the penalty clock.
How long do I have to act in Boulder?
Generally 2 years from when the wages were owed, 3 for willful violations, with the oldest pay periods expiring first. A free review can tell you whether the CDLE route, the federal route, or a court claim fits your facts.