Colorado Court Docket Search

Colorado court dockets contain information about the pending and decided cases heard within the Colorado state jurisdiction. A court docket search will provide inquirers with information regarding a case number, case nature, case filing date, docketing date, and docket entries. This information is disseminated pursuant to the provisions of the Colorado Open Records Act, which guarantees access to public civil and criminal court record information, provided they are not exempt from public disclosure.

Dockets are maintained by state and county repositories responsible for generating Colorado court records; which is the administrative office of the courts where these cases are heard. To access or search a docket, inquirers must provide basic case information to facilitate the search and pay any relevant fees (if applicable).

What is a Court Docket in Colorado?

The court docket in Colorado is the schedule of court proceedings and the official timetable for caseload management in the court. Court dockets are maintained by the clerk’s office of the court where the case is filed. Documents filed in a docket sheet are known as docket entries. Docket entries are concise representations of the information contained in a filed pleading or any document or submission generated in a case. They are made using a concise format and descriptions to enhance a common understanding of the docket entries.

Are Court Dockets Public Records in Colorado?

Yes, court dockets are public records in Colorado. The Colorado Open Record Act (CORA) provides for the right to inspect public records by members of the public. While the Public Access to Information and Records Rules (P.A.I.R.R.) provides the guiding rules for public access to Colorado court administrative records. Court dockets are part of court administrative records in Colorado that every interested party or individual may request to inspect. The right of public access to court records does not include excepted or restricted (i.e. sealed) court records. P.A.I.R.R 2.3 provides a guide on court records that may be restricted to public access in Colorado.

Where to Find a Court Docket in Colorado?

Court dockets are administrative records of Colorado courts and as such, they are part of court records. The clerk of court is the custodian of court records in the Colorado Judicial Branch. Requestors seeking to access court dockets in Colorado may contact the court clerk at the courthouses to make such requests. According to Colorado Open Record Act (CORA) requests for a docket report and public records shall be processed within three (3) working days. Where the requested record could not be produced in three days, the custodian of the record shall inform the requestor. In this instance, the custodian has additional seven days to make the record available. Record seekers may use any of the following to locate the courthouses in Colorado.

The Colorado Judicial Branch does not provide access to court records directly on the internet. However, links to independent private commercial websites where Colorado court dockets and information may be found have been provided on the Colorado Judicial Branch website. Record seekers may also find court dockets in the Colorado State Archives.

How to Conduct a Colorado Court Docket Search?

To conduct a Colorado court docket search, record seekers may have to visit or contact the court where the case was filed to request a court docket of a particular case. Court docket searches may be done on private commercial websites that provide access to a real-time register of actions or court dockets of the Colorado state courts. Private commercial websites only provide dockets for civil cases, small claims cases, misdemeanors, felony cases,s, and traffic cases. Copies of documents on the court docket can only be obtained at the particular court where it was filed. Record seekers may conduct court docket search remotely at the Colorado State Archives.

For court dockets of cases at the Federal courts in Colorado, requestors may conduct court docket search remotely on Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER). Court dockets for cases at the Federal Courts before 2005 (adoption of PACER) may be searched at the clerk’s offices of the courts. For questions about an in-person court docket search, record seekers may visit or contact the court clerk at the courthouses.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
Bryon White Courthouse
1823 Stout Street
Denver, CO 80257
Clerk’s Office: (303) 844-3157

U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
Clerk’s Office
901 19th Street
Denver, CO 80294-3589
Clerk’s Intake Office: (303) 844-3433

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for District of Colorado
721 19th St.
Denver, CO 80202
Phone: (720) 904-7300

Generally, requestors will need the ase/docket number to conduct a criminal court docket search in Colorado.

All court dockets are available for public inspection at the clerk’s office of the courts of the court where the case may have been filed, during normal business hours.

What is the Purpose of a Court Docket in Colorado?

Court dockets are used to monitor all events, filings, hearings, and decisions in a court case. A court docket is a schedule of case information and proceedings that shows all the court materials involved in the case. They are maintained for effective caseload management. It enables the judicial officers to track events in a case, prepare necessary orders, and schedule every action, meeting, and hearing. It is an efficient tool for proper communication among stakeholders in a case. It enables the case parties and their attorneys to prepare adequately for every proceeding. It enhances adequate case time management as it serves as the court's official timetable, though different from a court calendar, used for tracking case progress.

Generally, the court docket sheet in Colorado provides case information for case parties, attorneys, court officers, and members of the public. It helps users to determine the date of events, the court location of the hearing, documents that originated from the case, the court officer who prepared an order, the presiding judge, and the outcome of every case proceeding. Court dockets provide researchers with sources of data and link to case documents for legal research.

What Do Court Dockets Contain in Colorado?

Court dockets in Colorado contain the summaries of proceedings and filings in a particular case presented in the order of event occurrence. A case docket may contain case information, case proceedings, and documents filed.

Case information

Case title
Case number and docket number
Case type or nature of the case
Case parties
Cause of action
Attorneys involved with their contact addresses

Court information

Court type and location
Judge, magistrate, or jurors presiding over the case (this may include the type of hearing or trial)
Court officers involve (for instance, when filing an order, the initials of the court officer that prepared the order will be included in the docket entry)

Case proceeding

Meetings and hearing schedules with date, time, and location
The case status – active or closed. This may also include how it was disposed of (dismissed or a judgment was entered)

Case documents

Documents filed by case parties such as initiation documents, pleadings, motions, exhibits
Generated documents such as hearing/ trial transcripts, orders, instructions to the jury, jury’s verdict, judgment

Docket entries contain the link or clue to locate the case file or documents. All court docket entries usually include the date of such filing, event, or action.

What is a Court Docket Number in Colorado?

A court docket number is a unique identifying code that is assigned to a case at the point of docketing and it is used to differentiate the various court dockets from one another. The court docket number may be the same as the case number which appears on documents filed in a case. Court dockets in Colorado contain the case number, the case name, the docketing date, and docket entries. The court docket number must appear on every document generated from the case, and entered into the court docket. Generally, a court docket number contains

The case filing year
The court where the case was filed
Court case type
The assigned sequence number

How to Conduct a Court Docket Number Lookup in Colorado?

A Court docket number lookup in Colorado may be done in person at the court clerk's office at the courthouse or remotely using third-party commercial websites. Requesters may either visit the courthouse where the case may have been filed or contact the court clerk's office by phone or mail with such a request. The Colorado Judicial Branch does not provide access to court records directly on the internet. For remote court docket number lookup, record seekers may use the court docket search component of the Colorado Judicial Branch website to access Denver Probate Court dockets. The limitation of this option is that the court docket search is only for the Colorado Probate Court. It requires case number, case parties/company name, county, and attorney bar number to conduct court docket number lookup.

Alternatively, the Colorado Judicial Branch website provides a list of private commercial websites that provides access to court dockets/register of actions. These websites are not operated by the legal custodians of court records, and as such, the accuracy of the information provided may not be guaranteed.

For cases at the federal courts in Colorado, record seekers may conduct court docket number search or lookup on the Public Access to Court Electronic Record (PACER).