Colorado
Divorce, lawyers, and free legal help in Colorado — verified against official sources.
How divorce filing works in Colorado
Colorado's Judicial Branch runs the Judicial Legal Help Center — the official self-help portal with step-by-step divorce guides. Start there before anything else.
Colorado Judicial Branch — Legal Help Center
The official starting point: step-by-step divorce guides from the courts themselves.
lawhelp.colorado.gov →Find a divorce lawyer
Colorado Bar Association — Find-A-Lawyer
The CBA's online attorney directory for finding a licensed Colorado lawyer.
cobar.org — find a lawyer →New to hiring a lawyer? Read Start Here first — it covers what to ask and what to bring.
Free or low-cost legal help
Colorado Legal Services
Free civil legal help for low-income Coloradans. Call 303-837-1313.
coloradolegalservices.org →Report Child Abuse or Neglect
Call 844-264-5437 (844-CO-4-KIDS) — 24/7, every day of the year.
co4kids.org — child abuse FAQs →Colorado Foreclosure Hotline
Free help for Colorado homeowners facing foreclosure. Call 1-877-601-4673.
hud.gov — Colorado housing resources →Call 211
Free, confidential referrals to local help. Dial 211 from any phone.
211.org →Unpaid wages in Colorado
Your boss owes you pay and won't hand it over? Here's where to file and how long you have in Colorado.
Where to go
Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor Standards and Statistics
Time limit to file
2 years (3 if willful)
What the floor is
$15.16 (2026)
Changing your name in Colorado
Whether it's marriage, divorce, or just time for a fresh start — here's the process in Colorado.
How it works
petition the county court (JDF 433)
Typical court fee
~$98 (county court)
Newspaper notice required?
yes (3 times within 21 days; waivable)
Small claims court in Colorado
Suing someone without a lawyer, for smaller amounts, in a simpler court. Here's how it works in Colorado.
Maximum claim
$7,500
Filing fee
$31–$55 depending on claim size
Can you bring one?
generally no — only if the other side also has one
Clearing your criminal record in Colorado
Expungement or sealing can hide eligible arrests and convictions from background checks. Here's where Colorado stands.
Can records be cleared?
yes — sealing (petition-based and automatic)
What qualifies
non-conviction records; most misdemeanors and lower-level felonies
Waiting period
1–5 years by petition; automatic sealing takes longer
Learn more about clearing your criminal record in Colorado →
Child support in Colorado
How child support gets calculated — and when it ends — in Colorado.
How it's figured
income shares (C.R.S. section 14-10-115) check the state court website
When it ends
age 19
Lemon law in Colorado
Bought a new car that's constantly in the shop? Colorado's lemon law may get you a refund or a replacement.
Which vehicles qualify
new and leased vehicles (also certified pre-owned/used vehicles still under factory warranty)
When it's legally a lemon
3+ failed repair attempts of the same defect or 24+ business days out of service in the first 2 years/24,000 miles (2 attempts for serious safety defects)
What you get
refund or replacement vehicle
Tenant rights in Colorado
Renting comes with rights most people never hear about until something goes wrong. Here are the key ones in Colorado.
Notice before eviction
21 days to end month-to-month if tenancy under 1 year, 91 days if 1 year or more; 10-day notice to pay or quit for nonpayment
Deposit limits & return
Max 2 months' rent; return within 1 month (lease may extend the deadline up to 60 days) with a written itemized list
When the landlord won't fix things
May repair and deduct reasonable costs after written notice under the warranty of habitability (10 days' notice; 48 hours for health/safety emergencies)
DUI / DWI in Colorado
Driving under the influence carries some of the stiffest penalties in everyday law. Here's how Colorado handles it.
Blood alcohol (BAC) limit
0.08; persistent-drunk-driver enhanced penalties at 0.15
Typical penalties
5 days to 1 year in jail, $600-$1,000 fine, 9-month license revocation
How far back DUIs count
lifetime
Gun laws in Colorado
Gun laws vary a lot from state to state — what's perfectly legal in one state can be a crime in another. Here's the big picture for this state. Laws change often, so double-check anything before you act.
Carrying a concealed handgun
Permit required; shall-issue through county sheriff; 21+
Carrying openly
Generally allowed (some cities, e.g. Denver, ban it)
Background checks & waiting periods
Private sales: Universal background checks required (through a licensed dealer, via CBI) Waiting period: 3 days (HB23-1219, effective Oct 1, 2023).
Extreme risk protection
Yes — (Extreme Risk Protection Orders, since 2019). Courts can temporarily order firearms removed from someone found to be a danger.
Reciprocity
Recognizes out-of-state permits if holder is a resident of the issuing state and 21+
Filming the police: your rights in Colorado
Federal appeals courts across the country have recognized a First Amendment right to photograph and record police officers performing their official duties in public. The U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on it directly. The right does not protect interfering with officers, trespassing, or breaking other laws while you record.
One-party consent
If you are part of a conversation, you may record it — including with police. (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-9-303)
No buffer-zone law
Colorado has no law setting a minimum distance for filming police. You still must not interfere with officers doing their jobs.
Colorado goes further than most states: a 2015 law (now C.R.S. § 16-3-311) explicitly gives people the right to record police incidents, and officers who seize or destroy a recording face damages plus a $15,000 civil penalty under C.R.S. § 13-21-128.
Drug & alcohol addiction help in Colorado
Addiction is a health issue, and help is out there — including court programs that can send people to treatment instead of jail. No insurance needed to call.
SAMHSA National Helpline
Free, confidential referrals to treatment — call 1-800-662-4357 (English & Spanish).
Human trafficking victims in Colorado
If you or someone you know is being forced to work or forced into sex against their will, you are a victim of a crime and help is available — immigration status does not matter.
National Human Trafficking Hotline
Call 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733 — free, confidential, for victims and anyone who suspects trafficking.
Bullying in Colorado
Every state has an anti-bullying law, and every school must have a plan. If your child is being bullied, document what happens and report it in writing to the school — and know what your state’s law requires.
Homelessness help in Colorado
If you are homeless or at risk of losing your housing, help is close by. Shelters, food, health care, and long-term housing programs exist in every community.
211 homeless services
Dial 211 and press 6 for homeless services in your area.
VA homeless veterans
Homeless veterans: call the VA National Call Center at 1-877-424-3838 (877-4AID-VET), 24/7.
Deed fraud & squatters in Colorado
Thieves can forge a deed to steal your home’s title — many counties offer free recording alerts that notify you if anything is filed against your property. And if someone is living in your property without permission, your state has specific rules for removing them: you generally cannot just change the locks.
FBI: protect your property from deed fraud
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center alert on parcel-owner impersonation →