Colorado Court Records
How Colorado's courts are organized, where their records are kept and how to search them.
Colorado's state courts share one case management system across all 64 counties, so statewide searches are possible. Instead of running a free public search, though, the Colorado Judicial Branch licenses its data to a small group of approved vendors that sell name searches and case information.
Denver is a special case. Its county court, probate court and juvenile court are separate from the rest of the state system, and Denver County Court cases must be searched through the city.
How Colorado's courts are organized
Colorado's state courts include an appellate level, district courts in 22 judicial districts, and county courts in every county. Water courts and municipal courts fill in the rest.
Colorado Supreme Court
Seven justices review Court of Appeals decisions and hear some cases directly, including water law appeals, election challenges and attorney discipline.
Colorado Court of Appeals
Hears most appeals from the district courts, plus appeals from some state agencies.
District courts
The general jurisdiction trial courts. They hear felonies, larger civil cases, divorce and custody, probate (except in Denver), juvenile and mental health cases. Seven district courts also sit as water courts for water rights cases.
County courts
Every county has a county court for misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, smaller civil cases, evictions and protection orders. Denver County Court is run by the City and County of Denver rather than the state.
Municipal courts
City courts hear violations of city ordinances, including many traffic cases. They keep their own records.
Searching Colorado court records online
Online access to Colorado trial court records comes through vendors approved by the Judicial Branch. Appellate dockets and opinions are free.
- Colorado Judicial Branch: Access guide to public recordsExplains how to request case files and how the approved vendors offer paid online searches of state court records.
- Denver County Court case searchSearch cases in Denver's separate county court.
Getting records from the clerk's office
You can view public case files and get copies at the clerk's office of the district or county court where the case was filed. Many courthouses have public terminals that search the statewide system for free. Copy and certification fees are set by the Judicial Branch.
If you need a statewide name search and cannot visit a courthouse, the approved vendors are the main option. For a single case where you know the county, calling the clerk is usually faster and cheaper.
- Colorado court record request formRequest copies of case files and documents from the Colorado state courts.
What is public, and what is not
Public access to Colorado court records is governed by Chief Justice Directive 05-01 and the Colorado Rules of Public Access to Records and Information. Most records are public. Juvenile, adoption, mental health, relinquishment and many probate and family records are restricted, and financial and personal identifiers are protected.
Colorado law allows sealing of many criminal records, including dismissed cases and many convictions after a waiting period. Under the state's Clean Slate law, some eligible records are now sealed automatically. Sealed records do not appear in vendor searches.
- Colorado Judicial self-help resourcesForms and guidance, including how to seal criminal records.
Older and archived records
Closed court files are kept for set periods under the Judicial Branch's retention schedule. Many older case files, especially those with historical value, have been transferred to the Colorado State Archives, which holds district court records dating to the territorial era.
- Colorado State ArchivesHolds historical court records and helps the public locate older files.
Criminal history and background records
A court file tells you what happened in one case in one court. A criminal history record (often called a rap sheet) pulls together arrests, charges and outcomes reported from across the state, so it is a different product kept by a different agency.
Colorado treats criminal history as a public record. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation sells name-based criminal history checks to anyone online.
- CBI criminal history checkOnline name-based Colorado criminal history search for a fee.
- Colorado sex offender registryPublic search of certain registered sex offenders.
- Colorado Department of Corrections inmate locatorFind people in Colorado state prison custody.
Federal court records in Colorado
Federal cases, including federal crimes, bankruptcies, and lawsuits over federal law or between citizens of different states, are not filed in Colorado's state courts. Colorado is a single federal judicial district, and each has its own clerk's office:
Federal case files are searched through PACER, the federal judiciary's records system. PACER charges a small fee per page, but you pay nothing if your charges stay under the quarterly fee-waiver threshold, court opinions are free, and every federal courthouse has public terminals you can use at no cost. Many PACER documents have also been copied into the free RECAP Archive on CourtListener. Appeals from Colorado's federal courts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Tips for a faster search
- Colorado case numbers include the year and a case type code, such as CR for felony criminal, CV for civil and DR for domestic relations.
- Check whether the case was in district court or county court; they are separate offices even in the same courthouse.
- For anything in Denver, remember that Denver County Court, Denver Probate Court and Denver Juvenile Court are each separate.
- Have the full names of the parties, the county and a rough date range ready. A case number is the fastest way in if you have one.
- Online indexes are not the official record. If a decision depends on it, get a copy (or a certified copy) from the clerk's office that holds the file.
Legal help and law libraries
Clerks and law librarians can explain how to find a record, but they cannot give legal advice. These organizations can point you in the right direction:
- Colorado Legal ServicesFree civil legal help for low-income Coloradans.
This guide is general information about public records, not legal advice. Court websites, fees and rules change, so confirm details with the court before you rely on them. Civics-Online.org is not affiliated with any court or government agency.