Denver County District Court Records

Denver County District Court Overview

Denver District Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction for the City and County of Denver and makes up the entire 2nd Judicial District. The bench hears felony criminal cases, civil cases above $25,000, domestic relations matters, and most appeals from the Denver County Court. Chief Judge Christopher J. Baumann presides from Division 259.

Civil and domestic relations dockets sit at the City and County Building at 1437 Bannock St. Felony criminal dockets sit one block west at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse, 520 W. Colfax Ave. The records counter is in Room 256 of the City and County Building and is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The court works under Colorado state rules but stands apart from the rest of the state because Denver is a consolidated city and county. That means the same building holds both county-level and district-level functions, and the clerk staff handles filings for both benches.

Denver District Court Judicial Divisions

The Denver District bench has 27 active divisions. Each judge runs a numbered courtroom and keeps a direct line for chambers calls. The list below shows the sitting judges, the division they hold, and the chambers phone for each one.

Note: Division numbers shift when judges retire or rotate. Always confirm a division on the case docket before sending mail or arriving at a hearing.

Civil, Criminal, and Domestic Relations Divisions

The Denver District Court splits its bench by case type. Civil and domestic relations dockets sit at the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock St. Felony criminal dockets sit at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse, 520 W. Colfax Ave. Each track follows the same broad path from filing to final ruling.

Case flow: Filing › Pretrial › Trial › Judgment › Appeal to Colorado Court of Appeals

Civil cases start when a plaintiff files a complaint and pays the filing fee. The court sets pretrial dates, the parties trade discovery, and the case heads to bench or jury trial if it does not settle. Domestic relations cases use the same broad path but add status conferences, parenting plans, and financial disclosures.

Felony criminal cases start with a first appearance, then move through bond hearings, preliminary hearings, arraignment, motions, and trial. Final rulings from any of the three tracks may be appealed to the Colorado Court of Appeals.

Denver District Court vs. County Court vs. Probate Court vs. Juvenile Court

Denver runs four trial benches under one roof. Each one handles a different slice of the docket. The table below shows where each kind of case lands.

The Denver Probate Court is part of its own special bench (the 24th, run inside Denver) and handles estates, trusts, mental health holds, and guardianships. The Denver Juvenile Court takes delinquency, dependency, paternity, and adoption matters. The Denver County Court takes traffic, small claims, state misdemeanors, and city ordinance cases.

Denver Court Hierarchy and Appeals

Denver sits in a tight, one-county district. The 2nd Judicial District covers only the City and County of Denver, so every district case from the metro area lands in the same building. Appeals climb a clear ladder.

Appeal path: Colorado Supreme Court ‹ Colorado Court of Appeals ‹ Denver District Court / Denver Probate Court / Denver Juvenile Court

Denver County Court rulings do not go straight to the Court of Appeals. They go up one rung to the Denver District Court first. The district bench acts as the appellate court for county-level matters, then any next appeal moves to the Colorado Court of Appeals. The Colorado Supreme Court is the last stop and takes only a small set of cases each year.

Filing and Searching Denver District Court Cases

The state runs a public docket tool that pulls cases from every Colorado trial court, including Denver. Filers and the public can search by name, case number, or date. For copies of orders or full case files, a record request form goes to the records counter.

1. Open the state docket tool at coloradojudicial.gov/dockets.
2. Set the county filter to Denver and the court filter to District.
3. Pick a date range or type a case number or party name.
4. Click the case row to see the docket, division, and next hearing date.
5. For sealed or non-public items, fill out the record/document request form.
6. Send the form to the records counter at Room 256 or email it to the address in the contact card below.
7. Pay the per-page copy fee and pick up records in person or by mail.

Denver District Court Case Number Patterns

Case numbers in Denver follow a fixed pattern that shows the year and case type. The first four digits hold the filing year, the letters mark the case type, and the trailing digits give the sequence. Common patterns include:

• 2025CR6963 - felony criminal case filed in 2025.
• 24CV30459 - civil case filed in 2024.
• DR - domestic relations (divorce, custody, support).
• JD - juvenile delinquency.
• JV - juvenile dependency or related status case.
• PR - probate (estates, guardianships, conservatorships).

Note: Some older Denver cases use a two-digit year (24CV) while newer filings use the four-digit year (2025CR). Both forms are valid in the docket search.

Denver District Court Records Counter

The records counter takes in-person, mail, and email requests. Copy fees apply. Staff can pull civil, criminal, and domestic relations files that are not sealed.

Pro Se Self-Help at Denver District Court

Pro se filers can get free help at the Denver District Court Pro Se/Self-Help Center. Staff guide users through domestic relations forms, family law packets, and criminal record sealing petitions. The center does not give legal advice, but it does show how to fill out and file the right form.

Common help topics include divorce filings, parenting plans, name changes, and sealing of arrest or conviction records. The center sits on the second floor of the City and County Building and runs walk-in hours during most court days.

Federal Courts Serving Denver

Federal cases out of Denver do not land in the District Court. They go to the federal bench downtown. The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado sits at the Alfred A. Arraj U.S. Courthouse and the Byron G. Rogers U.S. Courthouse, both a short walk from the City and County Building. The court hears federal civil and criminal cases.

The screenshot below shows the home page for the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

Bankruptcy filings go to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado, which shares the same downtown campus. Chapter 7, 11, and 13 filings all start there.

Federal appeals from the District of Colorado go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. PACER holds the case files and dockets for all three federal courts.

• U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
• PACER federal case access
• Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator

Recent Denver District Court Initiatives

The court has put out a scam alert in the past year. Callers have posed as Denver court staff and asked people to wire money to clear a fake bench warrant. The court does not call to demand payment. Anyone who gets such a call should hang up and check the docket through the official state tool.

The Denver County Court runs its own e-filing system at efile.denvercountycourt.org for county-level matters, while district filings flow through the state-wide Colorado Courts E-Filing platform.

ADA accommodations are available on request. Filers who need an interpreter, a wheelchair-accessible seat, or other support should call the records counter at 303-606-2300 at least one week before the hearing.

Connecting the Denver District Court to Other Records

The district bench is one piece of the Denver records system. For docket search and case files, see court records and dockets. For filing fees, mailing rules, and clerk contact info, see the Clerk of Court page. For arrest history and felony case lookup, see criminal records.