Family Law and Divorce in Denver County, Colorado

Dissolution of marriage and domestic-relations cases in Denver County are filed at Denver District Court, part of Colorado’s 2nd Judicial District.

The filing location is the Denver City and County Building at 1437 Bannock Street, Denver, CO 80202. The Clerk’s Office for DR matters is in Room 256, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (except state holidays). The court’s main line is (303) 606-2300.

If you are representing yourself, the Denver District Court Pro Se/Self-Help Center is in the same building at Room 281 — (303) 606-2442, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Self-Help Center can assist with dissolution paperwork, custody and parenting-time matters, protection orders, and other domestic case documents throughout the life of a case.

For parties who want to e-file without an attorney, the Colorado Judicial Branch’s e-filing portal for non-attorneys is available for domestic-relations matters.

One important distinction for Denver readers: criminal matters in the 2nd Judicial District are handled at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse at 520 West Colfax Avenue. If you have seen that courthouse in news coverage of criminal cases, do not confuse it with where your family-law case goes. DR cases go to the City and County Building at 1437 Bannock Street — not Colfax.

Source: Colorado Judicial Branch, Denver District Court. Confirm address and room numbers are current before your visit.

Denver is the only consolidated city and county in Colorado. The boundary of the City of Denver and the boundary of Denver County are the same line — there is no suburban municipality and no unincorporated area within Denver. Every person who lives within Denver city limits lives in Denver County.

For family-law filing purposes, this simplifies things: if you live in Denver, you file in Denver. You do not need to determine whether you are in an incorporated suburb that crosses a county line, as you might in Adams, Arapahoe, or Jefferson County. “Filing in Denver County” and “filing in the City of Denver” are the same thing.

The consolidated structure also means Denver’s court system is unique in Colorado. Unlike every other judicial district in the state — where a single district court handles civil, criminal, domestic relations, and juvenile matters together — the 2nd Judicial District comprises four constitutionally separate courts:

1. Denver District Court — civil, domestic relations, criminal felonies
2. Denver County Court — misdemeanors, civil cases under the county-court limit
3. Denver Probate Court — estates, guardianships, conservatorships
4. Denver Juvenile Court — juvenile delinquency and certain child-related civil matters

This four-court structure is a direct result of Denver’s constitutional status as a consolidated city and county — the only such entity in Colorado. It matters for your family-law case because it means not every family matter in Denver goes to the same courthouse.

Dissolution of marriage cases — and domestic-relations matters filed with a “DR case number” — belong at Denver District Court, 1437 Bannock Street. However, certain standalone child-custody or child-support matters not connected to a pending dissolution (such as paternity, parenting-time establishment, or child-support establishment without a marriage) may fall within Denver Juvenile Court’s jurisdiction. Denver Juvenile Court is a distinct statutory court — not a division of the District Court — located at 520 West Colfax Avenue (the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse campus), Room 125.

The complete jurisdiction question for standalone custody matters without a pending dissolution is flagged for attorney review. The FAQ section below covers this in more detail.

Sources: Colorado Judicial Branch, Denver District Court and Denver Juvenile Court.

Colorado domestic-relations law uses specific terms that differ from what most people search for and what many other states use. Knowing these terms helps you understand your case and what the court is actually deciding.

Allocation of Parental Responsibilities (APR) is what Colorado calls “custody.” The APR framework covers two things: decision-making authority (which parent makes major decisions about education, healthcare, religion, and activities) and parenting time (when each parent is with the child). The term “custody” does not appear in Colorado’s DR statute — the legal analysis is about the allocation of responsibilities in the child’s best interests. This matters because the best-interests standard under Colorado law governs both components, and the result is tailored to the child’s specific situation — not a default 50/50 split.

Dissolution of marriage is Colorado’s term for divorce. Colorado is a no-fault state — the only ground for dissolution is that the marriage is irretrievably broken. Neither party has to prove wrongdoing, and the court does not consider fault in dividing property or setting maintenance in most circumstances.

To file for dissolution in Colorado, at least one spouse must have been domiciled in Colorado for 91 days before the filing. If you have recently moved to Denver, that 91-day clock matters.

For depth on how dissolution works statewide, the dissolution of marriage in Colorado page walks through every step of the Colorado process — from filing to decree. This Denver County page focuses on what is specific to Denver: where your case is heard and how to navigate the 2nd Judicial District’s structure.

Colorado dissolution is a no-fault process. The court does not evaluate why the marriage ended. What it does evaluate: marital property and debt (divided equitably, not necessarily 50/50), spousal maintenance eligibility, and any children’s matters (APR, parenting time, child support).

A Denver County dissolution is filed at the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock Street. The minimum timeline from filing to decree in Colorado is 91 days — that is the floor. Contested matters take longer; how much longer depends on the issues in dispute. For a full explanation of the Colorado dissolution process and what the $260 filing fee covers, see our dissolution of marriage in Colorado page.

If you entered a common-law marriage in Colorado — which is possible without a formal ceremony — that marriage also requires dissolution to end. Denver has a significant population for whom this question arises. Our common-law marriage in Colorado page explains how Colorado determines whether a common-law marriage exists.

APR is what most people call custody. In Denver County dissolution cases, APR is decided alongside the dissolution at Denver District Court. For standalone parenting-time or custody matters — where there is no marriage to dissolve — the right court in Denver may be Denver Juvenile Court rather than District Court, depending on the nature of the matter. A consultation is the right first step to determine where your specific case belongs.

Colorado’s APR analysis centers on the child’s best interests. The court considers factors including the wishes of the parents, the child’s adjustment to home and community, the mental and physical health of all parties, and each parent’s ability to encourage a relationship with the other parent. There is no automatic presumption of equal time.

For a full treatment of how APR works statewide, including what factors courts weigh and how parenting plans are structured, see our parental responsibilities (APR) page.

Colorado child support is calculated under statutory guidelines using an income-shares model that considers both parents’ incomes and the amount of parenting time each parent exercises. The calculation is formula-based, but the inputs — income verification, parenting-time percentages, childcare costs, health insurance — are often contested. Denver County child-support establishment and enforcement is handled through Denver District Court for cases filed with a dissolution, and potentially Denver Juvenile Court for standalone matters.

The child-support cluster page anchors on statewide Colorado law: child support in Colorado. Denver County matters follow the same statutory framework.

Colorado spousal maintenance — sometimes called alimony — is not automatic. Courts apply an advisory guideline formula that considers the length of the marriage and the parties’ combined gross income. The guideline produces a suggested amount and duration, but the court has discretion to deviate based on the specific financial circumstances of the marriage.

For the full spousal maintenance framework, including how the advisory formula works and what “maintenance in gross” versus “periodic maintenance” means in practice, see our spousal maintenance in Colorado page.

An existing Denver County court order — parenting time, child support, maintenance — can be modified when circumstances change in a way that is substantial and continuing. For child support, Colorado uses a threshold approach: if the modification would change the support obligation by 10% or more and the change reflects a lasting shift in circumstances, modification is generally available. For parenting time, the standard depends in part on how long the original order has been in effect. Within the first two years of a parenting-time order, Colorado law generally requires a showing of endangered physical health or significantly impaired emotional development. After that period, the standard shifts to whether the existing arrangement has become contrary to the child’s best interests. A consultation is the right first step to determine which standard applies to your situation. Modification proceedings are filed in the court that issued the original order — for most Denver County DR matters, that is Denver District Court.

For the full modification framework, see our post-decree modifications in Colorado page.

Civil protection orders connected to a domestic-relations case are available in Denver County through Denver District Court. For domestic violence protection orders, Colorado law provides that no filing fee is required in most circumstances — confirm the specific fee treatment for your matter at your consultation or when you contact the Clerk’s Office. The Denver District Court Self-Help Center (Room 281, 1437 Bannock Street; (303) 606-2442) assists unrepresented parties with protection-order paperwork throughout the life of a domestic case.

A protection order within a family-law case is a legal mechanism — not a guarantee of outcome. We help clients understand what a protection order can and cannot accomplish in the context of their broader DR matter. For the full protection-order framework, see our protection orders in Colorado (domestic) page.

For dissolution of marriage, the answer is clear: Denver District Court, 2nd Judicial District, at the City and County Building — 1437 Bannock Street, Room 256, Denver, CO 80202. Your case is assigned a “DR case number” and handled at that courthouse from filing through decree.

For custody or child-support matters not connected to a divorce — for example, a paternity matter, a standalone parenting-time establishment, or a child-support case where the parents were never married — Denver’s unique four-court structure means the right court depends on the nature of your matter. Denver Juvenile Court (520 West Colfax Avenue) handles certain child-related civil matters that in every other Colorado county would go to a division of the district court.

The safest answer before you file anything: call us. Denver’s four-court structure is genuinely distinct from every other Colorado county, and filing in the wrong court delays your case. A short consultation resolves the question.

No. Immigration status does not determine your right to file for dissolution of marriage or to seek allocation of parental responsibilities in Denver County. Colorado’s family-law statutes do not require citizenship or lawful immigration status to access the family courts.

What Colorado does require for dissolution is that at least one spouse has been domiciled in Colorado for 91 days before filing. Domicile is a legal concept — it is not the same as immigration status or visa category. If you have questions about whether your time in Colorado satisfies the residency requirement, that is a question to address at a consultation.

Yes — and Spanish is our primary working language, not a secondary offering. Every attorney and staff member at Novo Legal Group is bilingual in English and Spanish. You can schedule your consultation in Spanish, receive your documents in Spanish, and have your questions answered in Spanish throughout your case. We do not route you to a translator after the fact.

A Colorado Licensed Legal Paraprofessional (LLP) is an authorized legal professional — not a paralegal, not a notary, not a document preparer — who is licensed by Colorado under C.R.C.P. 207.1 to provide direct legal services in domestic-relations matters. Novo’s LLP handles in-scope matters directly: dissolution, APR, child support, maintenance, modifications, and domestic protection orders.

At your initial consultation, we determine whether your matter is within LLP scope or requires a Novo attorney. We tell you which applies and why, and we explain fees before you commit. You always know who is handling your case and at what level.

Child support in Colorado is calculated under statutory guidelines — a formula that considers both parents’ incomes, the number of children, and the parenting-time split. The guidelines apply the same way in Denver County as they do across Colorado. What changes in a Denver case is where it is filed and who applies the guidelines: Denver District Court for dissolution-related support orders, and potentially Denver Juvenile Court for standalone support matters.

Parenting time in Denver is governed by the same best-interests standard that applies statewide under Colorado APR law. The court considers the child’s relationships with each parent, the child’s adjustment to home and school and community, and the ability of each parent to foster the child’s relationship with the other. The result is a parenting plan that is specific to the child — not a formula.

For a full treatment of how child support is calculated, see child support in Colorado.