Minimum period or timing rule
Generally at least 91 days after the court acquires jurisdiction over the respondent; for a joint petition, the period starts at filing.
Prepare for a divorce case in Colorado.
This page organizes the recorded statewide starting rules and official sources for Colorado. Court location, local forms, fees, service, deadlines and individual eligibility still require confirmation before filing.
Source record reviewed: 2026-10-29 · Page updated: 2026-11-03 · Not attorney-certified legal advice
STATE SNAPSHOT
Timing and financial issues need separate review.
Classification and division
Marital property, debts and retirement interests, as well as separate property, are reported in financial disclosures; division is evaluated separately.
Guidance and official links
Divorce Filing Path provides an intake roadmap and source links for this jurisdiction. Selected official PDF drafting is not currently offered for this state; do not purchase expecting state-form generation.
PREPARATION ROADMAP
Use this order before filing.
- 01
Confirm residence and filing eligibility
One spouse must have lived in Colorado for at least 91 days before filing. For children, the general residence requirement of 182 days, or since birth, is examined separately. Record actual dates and do not combine two people’s residence periods unless the controlling rule expressly allows it.
- 02
Identify the correct court and county
Use the official statewide source to locate the trial court or clerk. Confirm venue, the family-law filing location, accepted filing method, current fee and required local packet.
- 03
Select the procedure that matches the facts
Check whether the state distinguishes regular, joint, simplified, summary, contested or uncontested procedures. Agreement alone does not prove eligibility for a shorter procedure.
- 04
Collect the facts requested by the forms
Prepare legal names, marriage and separation dates, residence history, children’s information, income, expenses, assets, debts, requested relief and existing orders.
- 05
Prepare opening documents without inventing events
Complete only facts you know. Leave clerk, court, signature, notarization, service and later-event fields for the correct person and stage.
- 06
File and complete valid notice
A draft or download is not a filed case. Follow the clerk’s instructions and record service or waiver only after the legally effective event occurs.
- 07
Address disclosure, children and unresolved issues
Use current financial, child-jurisdiction, parenting and support documents. Settlement terms should match the procedure and be reviewed before rights are waived.
- 08
Obtain and review the final judgment
A waiting or separation period does not itself end a marriage. Confirm entry and the effective date from the court’s signed or entered order.
RESIDENCE CHECK
Which spouse has maintained Colorado domicile for at least 91 days immediately before filing?
One spouse must have lived in Colorado for at least 91 days before filing. For children, the general residence requirement of 182 days, or since birth, is examined separately. The court identifies a separate nonresident route for a civil union licensed in Colorado; confirm that actual legal relationship instead of applying the ordinary marriage rule automatically.
This intake question helps organize facts; it does not decide domicile, jurisdiction or venue for an individual case.
IMPORTANT STATE NOTES
Questions to verify before relying on a packet
- The case is filed in a county where one spouse lives.
- Service steps differ for joint and single-party petitions.
- After the initial status conference, follow the court’s case-management instructions.
OFFICIAL FORM STARTING POINTS
Forms and packets identified in the current review
Open the official page and read the current instructions. A listed document may be conditional or require local additions.
JDF 1011 Petition; JDF 1000 Case Information Sheet
Opening documents; for a single-party filing, also check JDF 1012 Summons.
Open official starting point ↗Parenting Plan; Child Support forms
Official forms for the children’s schedule, decision-making authority and support.
Open official starting point ↗PRIMARY SOURCES
Verify with the official source
Rules, forms, fees and local procedures can change. These links are the controlling starting points; the explanations on this site are preparation guidance, not a substitute for the current source.
- Colorado Judicial Branch — Divorce or Legal Separation ↗Official or recorded public starting source
- Colorado Revised Statutes — Title 14 ↗Official or recorded public starting source
- Colorado Judicial Branch — JDF 1010, revised July 24,2025 ↗Official or recorded public starting source