Firestone Unclaimed Property
Firestone residents can search for unclaimed money through the Colorado state database and Weld County resources. This growing town in northern Colorado has about 17,000 people, and many may have forgotten funds waiting to be claimed. Unclaimed property includes old bank accounts, utility deposits, insurance payouts, and payroll checks that never reached their owners in Firestone. The state holds over $1.2 billion in total unclaimed funds across Colorado. Some of that money has Firestone addresses on it. You can search for free online and file a claim at no cost if you find property under your name from living or working in this Weld County town at any time in the past.
How to Search for Unclaimed Money
The Great Colorado Payback program is where most unclaimed property ends up. This official state database is run by the Colorado State Treasurer. Companies across the state must report accounts and funds they cannot deliver after multiple attempts to reach the owner. Banks turn in dormant accounts. Utility companies send in old deposits. Insurance firms report uncashed checks and unclaimed benefits. All of this property sits in the state system until someone files a claim. You can search by name or address. The database updates weekly with new records from Firestone and everywhere else in Colorado.
Go to colorado.findyourunclaimedproperty.com to start. Enter your full legal name as it appears on your driver license or state ID. The site shows all matches across Colorado. Look through the results for any Firestone address or a company name you recognize. Click on a match to see more details. Some entries show exact dollar amounts. Others give a range like $100 to $500. You must file a claim to get the actual amount and receive your money. The online claim system walks you through each step, and the state charges no fees to search or claim unclaimed property from Firestone.
Search under different name variations to catch everything. Use your full legal name, nicknames, and any old names from before you moved to Firestone. Married women should search under maiden names and married names both. If you owned a business in Firestone, search using the exact business name as registered with Colorado. Missing a name variation could mean missing money that belongs to you from an old Firestone account or payment.
Weld County Local Resources
Firestone sits in Weld County, which handles some unclaimed funds at the county level. These do not always show up in the state database because they stay local. County treasurer offices hold refunds from property tax overpayments. If you owned a home in Firestone and your escrow account paid too much property tax, the Weld County Treasurer may have that refund waiting for you. These amounts can grow over several years if the overpayment went unnoticed. You need to contact the county directly to check for these local funds.
Call the Weld County Treasurer at 970-304-6530 to ask if they have unclaimed property under your name. Give them your full name and any Firestone addresses where you lived or owned property. They will search their records and tell you if they find a match. County-level claims often process faster than state claims because fewer people are in the system. Weld County also handles surplus funds from tax lien sales. If a Firestone property went through a tax sale and sold for more than the debt owed, the county holds that extra money for the former owner. These surplus amounts can be quite large.
The Town of Firestone finance department may also have unclaimed refunds. Water and sewer deposits from old accounts sometimes go unclaimed when people move and forget to close their utility account properly. Building permit deposits can sit unclaimed if a construction project ends and no one requests the refund. Business license fees might be owed back to you if your Firestone business closed and you did not collect the unused portion of your license fee. Contact Firestone Town Hall at 303-833-3291 to check if the town holds any money in your name.
Common Sources of Unclaimed Property
Bank accounts are the most common source of unclaimed money in Firestone. When you close a checking or savings account but leave a small balance, or when a bank cannot reach you about a dormant account, that money must go to the state after a certain number of years. Utility deposits also end up unclaimed frequently. You move out of Firestone and forget to request your deposit back from the gas or electric company. The company tries to send a refund, but it goes to your old address and comes back undelivered. After enough failed attempts, they turn the funds over to the Colorado treasurer office.
Security deposits from landlords are another big category. Many people rent homes or apartments in Firestone and then move without collecting their security deposit. Landlords must try to return these deposits, but if they cannot find you, the money eventually goes to the state. Insurance companies generate unclaimed property too. Life insurance policies pay out, but beneficiaries do not know the policy exists. Health insurance refunds go to old Firestone addresses and never get cashed. Auto insurance refunds after you cancel a policy sit unclaimed when the company cannot reach you at your new address. All of these become state property after the required dormancy period.
Payroll checks are common sources too. An employer sends your final check to your last address on file, but you already moved from Firestone before it arrived. The check goes stale after a certain time, and the employer must report it as unclaimed wages. Stock dividends, court settlements, and class action lawsuit payments end up unclaimed when notices fail to reach people who moved away from Firestone. Business owners should also search for vendor payments that never reached them. A client or supplier might have sent a check to your old Firestone business address, and when it could not be delivered, the money went to the state for safekeeping.
Filing Your Claim
When you find unclaimed property in the database, you file a claim online through the Great Colorado Payback system. The site guides you through each step of the process. You start by proving your identity. For most claims, a Colorado driver license or state ID is enough proof. Scan or photograph your ID and upload it to the claim form. Larger claims might need extra documentation. This could be an old bank statement showing your Firestone address, a utility bill from when you lived here, or a tax return that lists a Firestone address during the time the property was reported.
The claim form asks for your current mailing address where the state will send your check once approved. Double check this address for accuracy. You also provide details about how you know the property is yours. For a bank account, mention the account type or the approximate balance if you remember it. For a security deposit, note the Firestone street address of the rental property and the landlord name if you recall it. The more specific information you provide, the easier it is for the state to verify your claim and process it quickly.
Colorado law requires the state to pay valid claims without charging fees. This is stated in Colorado Revised Statutes 38-13-118. Processing time varies based on the complexity of your claim. Simple claims with clear ID and proof may take 60 to 90 days from submission to payment. More complex claims take longer if the state needs additional documents or if multiple people filed claims for the same property. You can log into your account on the Great Colorado Payback website anytime to check your claim status. Once approved, the state mails a check to your address on file. The check is valid for 90 days. If it expires before you cash it, the money goes back into the unclaimed property fund and you must file a new claim.
If your claim gets denied, read the denial letter carefully. It will explain what is missing or what extra documents you need to provide. Most denials happen because of incomplete paperwork, not because the state doubts you are the rightful owner. Gather the requested documents and submit them through your online account. The state wants to return money to the rightful owners in Firestone and across Colorado, so they work with you to resolve any issues and complete your claim correctly.
Searching for Family and Business Property
You can search the unclaimed property database for family members, especially those who have passed away. Colorado law allows heirs to claim property on behalf of a deceased owner. If your parent or grandparent lived in Firestone and never claimed their funds, you can file an estate claim. You need a death certificate and proof that you are an heir. This might be a will that names you, a court order appointing you as personal representative of the estate, or other legal documents showing your relationship to the deceased owner.
Search the database under your relative's name. Try different name variations including middle initials and maiden names for women who married. If you find a match with a Firestone address or a company they worked for, click on it to start an estate claim. You will upload the death certificate and estate documents when you submit your claim form. These claims take longer to process than standard claims because the state must carefully verify all estate paperwork. But Colorado holds unclaimed property forever with no time limit to file, so even if your relative passed away many years ago, their money is still there waiting to be claimed by the rightful heir.
Business owners should search for their company name too. Many small businesses in Firestone have unclaimed vendor payments, customer refunds, or old business bank accounts sitting in the state database. Use the exact legal business name as registered with the Colorado Secretary of State. Search under any DBA names or trade names you used as well. If your business closed and you did not collect all outstanding payments, they might now be with the state treasurer. You can claim them as the former business owner by proving you ran the company and have the legal right to collect its unclaimed property.
Avoiding Scams
Some individuals or companies contact people claiming they found unclaimed money in their name. They ask for personal information or charge a fee for their help finding or claiming the funds. Be very careful with these offers. The official Colorado unclaimed property program never charges fees to search or claim property. The state treasurer does not cold-call Firestone residents about unclaimed money. If someone contacts you unexpectedly and asks for payment or sensitive details like your social security number or bank account information, it is likely a scam. Do not respond.
Only use the official state website at colorado.findyourunclaimedproperty.com to search and file claims. Do not give your financial information to anyone who claims they can help you get unclaimed funds for a fee or percentage. The Colorado State Treasurer provides all claim services completely free. If you have questions, call the treasurer office directly at 303-866-6070. They can answer your concerns without asking for payment or private financial details from Firestone residents.
Some companies legally offer to find unclaimed property for a percentage of what they recover. While this is allowed under Colorado law, you do not need their services. You can search the database yourself in just minutes at no cost whatsoever. Why give away part of your money when the state makes it simple and free to search and claim your own property? Stick with the official channels, verify any unexpected claims about unclaimed funds, and keep all your money instead of sharing it with a third party who adds no real value to the process.
Your Legal Rights Under Colorado Law
Colorado law protects your right to unclaimed property permanently. The Colorado Unclaimed Property Act is found in Colorado Revised Statutes Title 38, Article 13. The law states that the state holds property in trust until you or an heir claims it. The state cannot keep your money for other purposes beyond reasonable administrative costs. Your right to claim never expires. Even if your property has been with the state for 20 or 30 years, it still belongs to you if you can prove ownership with proper identification and documentation from your time in Firestone.
Companies must make reasonable efforts to find you before they turn property over to the state. They send notices to your last known Firestone address. If those fail after multiple attempts, they file a report with the state treasurer. The treasurer publishes lists of unclaimed property owners every year. These lists are available online and in print. The state also runs public awareness campaigns to encourage Firestone residents and all Coloradans to search for their funds. This system protects your interests and gives you every reasonable chance to find out about property that rightfully belongs to you.
If you disagree with a claim decision, you have the right to appeal. The state will explain why they denied your claim and what additional documentation you need to provide. Most denials are due to missing or incomplete paperwork, not because the state doubts you are the rightful owner. Submit the requested documents through your online account, and your claim will move forward for review again. Colorado wants to return unclaimed money to rightful owners in Firestone and across the state. They have clear procedures in place to help you through the claim process and resolve any issues that come up during review.
Why Money Becomes Unclaimed
The main reason property ends up unclaimed is people move and do not update their address with every business and financial institution. You might tell the post office to forward your mail when you leave Firestone, but mail forwarding only lasts for one year. After that expires, checks and notices sent to your old address do not reach you anymore. Companies try to contact you multiple times through different methods, but if they fail to reach you, Colorado law requires them to turn the funds over to the state after the required dormancy period. Even small amounts like five or ten dollars must be reported and turned over.
Life is busy and people forget about small details. You close a bank account but leave a tiny balance behind. You move out of a Firestone rental and never think to ask the landlord for your security deposit back. Your old employer sends a final paycheck to your last address on file, but you already moved before it arrived in the mail. All of these everyday situations create unclaimed property in the state system. Businesses also contribute to the problem when they close or merge with other companies. They must turn over any outstanding checks or account balances to the state. Former employees or customers then have to search the database to find and claim what belongs to them.
The good news is that Colorado protects your property forever with no time limit. There is no deadline to file a claim. Other legal situations often have strict time limits, but unclaimed property does not expire or become invalid. You can search and claim it whenever you discover it exists, even decades later. The state acts as a safe custodian until you come forward with proper identification and proof. This system makes sure your money is protected and remains available when you need it, no matter how many years have passed since it was first reported as unclaimed from a Firestone address or account in Weld County.
Weld County Unclaimed Property Resources
Firestone is located in Weld County. The county treasurer office manages local unclaimed funds that do not go through the state program, including property tax refunds, old county vendor payments, and surplus funds from tax lien sales. For complete contact information, office hours, and links to local unclaimed property searches, visit the Weld County page.