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Filing for divorce in Colorado

What you file, where you file, what it costs, and the rules that catch people out. Compiled from Colorado court and statute sources.

How to read these entries.

This is general legal information compiled from state court websites, state statutes, and official self-help materials. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with anyone.

Why we publish it. Most people meet the family law system once, at the worst moment of their life, knowing nothing about it. That gap is where people get overcharged and poorly served. This page exists so you can walk in already knowing roughly how your state works, ask sharper questions, and recognize when an answer does not sound right. It is here to help you hold your attorney to a standard, not to replace what they do.

Talk to a lawyer licensed in your state. That is the normal path, not a fallback for when something goes wrong. Nothing here can account for the facts of your marriage, your finances, or your children, and those facts are usually what determines the outcome. Many states also have free legal aid and court self-help centers, and we link to them by state.

Verify before you rely on anything. Every entry cites its source. Follow that citation to the official state site and confirm it still says what we say it says, and that it applies to your situation. Filing fees, form numbers, e-filing rules, and local standing orders change frequently, and a form number that was right last year can get your filing rejected today.

The same state can treat you very differently depending on whether your spouse agrees, whether you have minor children, whether you file jointly or alone, and which county or judge hears it. Waiting periods run from filing in some states and from service in others. Deadlines described here as fixed are the statutory default, and a judge may still have narrow discretion in an emergency.

If you are in danger, do not wait on any of these timelines. An order of protection is a separate and much faster process than a divorce, and it does not depend on any waiting period described on this page.

Your roadmap
What you file
JDF 1000 Case Information Sheet, filed with the petition
JDF 1101 Petition for Dissolution of Marriage
JDF 1102 Summons, not needed if you file jointly as co-petitioners
JDF 1111 Sworn Financial Statement, with supporting schedules
JDF 1104 Certificate of Compliance with mandatory disclosure
JDF 1115 Separation Agreement, covering property, debt, and maintenance
JDF 1113 Parenting Plan and a child support worksheet, if you have children
JDF 1018 Affidavit for Decree Without Appearance, and JDF 205 for a fee waiver
Where you fileDistrict court in your county, after 91 days of Colorado residency. Children must have lived here 182 days for parenting orders.
What it costsAbout $230 plus a $12 e-filing fee that cannot be waived. A response costs $116. Service runs $50 to $100.
The sequence
1. Download fresh forms right before filing. Colorado updates the JDF forms periodically and courts reject outdated versions.
2. File the petition with the case information sheet. Filing triggers automatic temporary injunctions that freeze assets and insurance immediately.
3. Serve your spouse unless you file jointly. They have 21 days to respond in Colorado, or 35 days out of state.
4. Attend the Initial Status Conference, which happens no later than 42 days after filing.
5. Exchange financial disclosures within about 40 days. Most disclosure documents go to your spouse only, not to the court.
6. After the 91 days from service or joint filing, submit the separation agreement and proposed decree. With everything agreed, an Affidavit for Decree Without Appearance can finish it with no hearing.
If you change your mind, you must file a Stipulated Motion to Dismiss. Otherwise the paperwork can carry through and you may find yourself divorced anyway. Confirm current fees with the court.
Court forms

Colorado calls divorce "dissolution of marriage," filed in the district court. It uses one statewide set of JDF forms that works in all 64 counties, so the same petition (JDF 1101) and financial statement (JDF 1111) apply everywhere.

Official JDF self-help formsEvery current JDF divorce form free from the Colorado Judicial Branch. Expand the divorce/family topic to find them.
Colorado legal help centerPlain-language guidance and e-filing info. A fee waiver (Motion to File Without Payment) is available if you cannot afford the fee.
State rules and gotchas

There are two 91-day clocks, and neither can be rushed Verified Jul 2026

You must have lived in Colorado for 91 days before you can file, and then at least 91 more days must pass after the court has jurisdiction (through service, waiver, or joint filing) before the decree can be entered. Even a fully agreed case cannot be finalized before that second 91-day mark.

Source: Colorado Revised Statutes Section 14-10-106.

Filing freezes both spouses (the Automatic Temporary Injunction) Verified Jul 2026

The moment the case is filed and served, an Automatic Temporary Injunction on the summons restrains both spouses from transferring or hiding marital property, removing the children from the state, changing insurance beneficiaries, or canceling policies, until the decree is entered. Violations can be enforced by contempt.

Source: Colorado Revised Statutes Section 14-10-107 (printed on the dissolution Summons).

Colorado recognizes common-law marriage, and you must formally divorce to end it Verified Jul 2026

Colorado is one of a few states that still recognizes common-law marriage (mutual agreement to be married, living together, and holding yourselves out as married). If you have one, you cannot end it by simply separating. You go through the same full dissolution process, forms, and 91-day clocks as a ceremonially married couple.

Source: Colorado common-law marriage doctrine; dissolution under C.R.S. Title 14, Article 10.

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