Colorado Court Records Search

Colorado Court System

Colorado’s Judicial System

The trial court system is made up of 22 districts and 64 counties. The entire system is overseen by the Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court.

For the final year tallied, CO Supreme Court saw 1,257 cases. The Court of Appeals processed 2,482 filings; District Courts recorded 232,803 filings and County Courts absorbed 413,894 filings. During that same year, Water Court had 879 filings and 4,509 claims.

Supreme Court

Court of Appeals

District Court

Denver Juvenile Court

Denver Probate Court

County Court

Municipal Court

Water Court

Colorado Court Records That are not Open to the Public

Colorado does not offer the general public direct access to court documents via the internet. They also do not provide any copies of court records online. However, they request that the public visit the courthouse in person, where the case took place for copies and access. The types of available include civil, civil water, small claims, domestic, felony, misdemeanor, and traffic cases. Per federal laws, certain information must be removed from court records before they are accessed by the public such as social security numbers, banking information, and children’s names. Additionally, sealed, expunged and juvenile records are most often not available to the general public.

CO Court Case Filing Information

The Colorado Judicial Branch website has an extensive area with downloadable forms and instructions for filing records into various types of cases such as adoption, appeals, estate cases, judgments, name changes, criminal cases, and child custody. They also have information about the fees associated with each type of filing. This information is intended for those who are self-represented and are not using an attorney for their case. At this time, the Centennial State does not allow e-filing for the public. However, they do offer this service to attorneys and other authorized individuals. In some limited instances, they will allow individuals who are representing themselves to use the e-filing system.

Search Colorado Court Records Online

Infotracer’s search tool makes it easy to find Colorado court records within seconds! The CO Open Records Act “CORA” makes it easy for anyone to perform a state court records search in the three biggest counties of El Paso County, Denver County, and Arapahoe County or anywhere else in the state! Infotracer’s search engine includes thousands of records including Colorado criminal court records, family court records, bankruptcies, CO divorce court records, and more.

Anyone can search court records without the need for authorization or even a good reason. Open records laws protect the rights of citizens to access public court records at any time. Some types of cases like juvenile court records may be private, but most CO court records will be available online.

Enjoy free instant access to CO court records from all over the state. Just by performing a state court records search by name, you can easily review district court records, county court records, and even water court records!

Colorado Court Statistics

In 2012, the Colorado courts received 1,017,878 filings. In 2016, the number of filings decreased by 15.1% and counted 864,345 filings.

Family Court Cases

Domestic relations caseload of Colorado at year end of 2016 has increased by 16.2% compared to the last 5 years.

Colorado Criminal Caseloads

The number of criminal cases in Colorado courts counts to 69,587, with 69,587 felony cases.

District Courts

Colorado’s District Courts are separated into 22 judicial districts. Each district includes one or more counties. District Courts are the state’s general jurisdiction courts. These courts have original jurisdiction in many types of civil cases, felony criminal cases, family law, domestic relations cases, and cases involving children such as juvenile delinquency, adoption, dependency, paternity, and guardianship.

Along with these types of cases, District Courts are also responsible for probate and mental health matters. Typically, the Distinct Court holds trials in the county where the motion was filed. On average, District Courts resolve about 200,000 cases every year.

County Courts

Colorado’s County Courts are the limited jurisdiction courts for the state. Each of the 64 counties has one County Court. The city-counties of Denver and Broomfield are consolidated to have one County Court. The types of cases resolved in County Courts are misdemeanors, landlord disputes, and evictions, real property cases with amounts of up to $25,000 and other very specific types of cases such as name changes and temporary restraining orders. On average, County Courts hear about 400,000 cases per year. Of that total, about 170,000 are civil cases, and 80,000 are criminal cases.

Water Courts

This state has seven Water Courts that have exclusive and specific jurisdiction over adjudications of water rights. These courts were created in 1969 for each of Colorado’s seven major river basins:

South Platte, Arkansas, Rio Grande, Gunnison, Colorado, White, and San Juan. District Court judges with special “drainage basin” authority preside over Water Courts. Technically, Water Courts are a separate division of District Courts and share its resources but are treated as their own entity. The Colorado Supreme Court selects and appointees judges to Water Court. On average, Water Courts see about 880 filings per year along with 4,500 claims.