Colorado
Colorado Court Records: Free Docket Search vs the State's Own Paid Vendors
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 10, 2026). · 3 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Colorado is a genuine trap state for court records searches. Its free tool, Docket Search, looks like it should answer a court records question, but the state's own Access Guide to Public Records quietly routes real case-history access somewhere else entirely: three paid, third-party vendors.
Knowing that split before you search saves a lot of wasted time.
Information last verified on 2026-08-10. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
This guide is part of a broader look at court records by state. For the general mechanics of federal versus state versus county searches, see how to look up court records and are court records public.
Docket Search: Free, But Not the Full Picture
Colorado Judicial Branch's Docket Search lets a user filter by judicial district, county, courthouse, court type, case number, case class, division, date range, party information, and attorney details, and it is free. What the tool's own help text does not spell out clearly is whether a result represents a hearing calendar entry or a fuller case record, and the state's separate Courts Records Search page adds to that ambiguity: rather than describing Docket Search's scope, it simply redirects users to the Access Guide to Public Records for more information. In practice, treat Docket Search as strongest for finding a hearing date, a division, or confirming a case number, and verify anything beyond that against the Access Guide below.
The Access Guide's Real Answer: Three Paid Vendors
Colorado's own Access Guide to Public Records is direct about where a fuller case history actually lives: limited access to court records is available online through third-party vendors, and a register of actions available on commercial sites includes civil, civil water, small claims, domestic, felony, misdemeanor, and traffic cases. Records can be accessed by name or case number through the vendors listed, and there are charges for these services.
The three authorized vendors are LexisNexis (through its Colorado Courts Record Search product), Tessera Data, and Background Information Services. None of them provide document copies from any of the three commercial sites; document copies come only from contacting the individual court where the documents were filed or completing an online records request. Vendor accounts are required, and Colorado's Judicial Branch does not publish a single standard price, since each vendor sets its own.
Certified Copies
A certified or exemplified copy of a Colorado court document is requested through the Judicial Branch's own record and document request process. This guide does not publish a specific fee figure, since exact pricing was not confirmed from a primary source in this session; confirm current cost with the specific court or the Judicial Branch's request form.
Sealing Your Record: Colorado's Clean Slate Act
Colorado's own statutory term is sealing, not expungement, outside a narrow set of juvenile contexts. Colorado's Clean Slate Act, Senate Bill 22-099, became law with an effective date of August 10, 2022. The bill extends automatic sealing procedures to a broader range of offenses, including certain civil infractions, beyond Colorado's prior system, which required a person to petition the court for sealing.
Under the law, when a district attorney diversion program is completed before charges are filed, the district attorney seals that diversion record without a court order, except for the offenses listed in C.R.S. 24-4.1-302(1). Where charges were already filed, the court seals the arrest and other criminal records after the diversion agreement is completed, using the procedures in C.R.S. 24-72-704 and 24-72-705.
District attorneys also retain the ability to object to automatic sealing of non-drug felonies. When a district attorney files that objection, the court notifies the defendant and explains that the defendant may request a hearing on it, and the court schedules a hearing if the defendant asks for one. Defendants and district attorneys may access sealed records without a court order, and a record may be sealed even if the person owes outstanding fines or court-ordered fees.
For the specific waiting periods by offense type and the full eligibility picture, see Colorado expungement laws, which this guide does not duplicate.
Using Colorado Court Records the Right Way
Docket Search and the paid vendor tools are built for checking a specific case, whether it is your own or one you have a legitimate reason to look into, not for compiling a background file on someone else. If a Colorado court record is used to screen a job applicant or a tenant, that use is governed separately by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c, a criminal conviction is exempt from the standard seven-year reporting window that applies to most arrests and civil judgments, meaning it can be reported indefinitely unless it has been sealed under Colorado law.
Related Resources
Court Records by State covers the full 50-state picture. See also How to Look Up Court Records, Are Court Records Public?, Colorado Expungement Laws, Colorado Background Check Laws, Colorado Warrant Search, and Colorado Public Records Laws.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about Colorado's Docket Search tool, its paid-vendor case-register system, and the Colorado Clean Slate Act. It is not legal advice. Vendor pricing and portal features change; verify current details with the Colorado Judicial Branch or a licensed Colorado attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.
Last updated: 2026-08-10. Portal facts and fees reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Colorado's Docket Search the same as a full case history search?
Not necessarily. Docket Search is Colorado's free tool and is strongest for finding hearing dates and confirming a case number. For a fuller register of case actions, the state's own Access Guide to Public Records routes users to three paid third-party vendors.
Why does Colorado charge for court records when it has a free search tool?
Colorado's free Docket Search and its fuller case-register access are two different products. The Judicial Branch's own Access Guide states that limited access to full case registers is available online only through three authorized paid vendors: LexisNexis, Tessera Data, and Background Information Services.
Can I get document copies from Colorado's paid court record vendors?
No. None of the three authorized vendors provide document copies. Copies of filed documents come only from contacting the specific court or completing an online records request.
Does Colorado call it sealing or expungement?
Sealing. Colorado's statutory term is sealing outside a narrow set of juvenile contexts.
Is Colorado's Clean Slate Act automatic?
For the offenses it covers, yes. Senate Bill 22-099, effective August 10, 2022, extended automatic sealing to a broader range of offenses, including certain civil infractions, beyond Colorado's earlier petition-only system. A district attorney can still object to automatic sealing of a non-drug felony, and if that happens the court notifies the defendant, who may request a hearing on the objection.
Can I use a Colorado court record search to screen a job applicant or tenant?
Not on its own. Employment and tenant screening are separately governed by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Updates
Corrected the Clean Slate Act section: a district attorney seals a diversion record without a court order only when a district attorney diversion program is completed before charges are filed, and after a district attorney objects to automatic sealing of a non-drug felony it is the defendant, not the district attorney, who may request a hearing.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 24: Government - State
§ 24-72-706Sealing of criminal conviction and criminal justice records - processing fee - definition - repealIn forcecited in 2 of our articles
(1) Sealing of conviction records. (a) Subject to the limitations described in subsection (2) of this section, a defendant may file a motion in the criminal case in the court in which any conviction records pertaining to the defendant are located for the sealing of the conviction records, except basic identification information, if the motion is filed within the time frame described in subsection (1)(b) of this section and proper notice is given to the district attorney. (b) (I) If the offense is civil infraction, a petty offense, or a drug petty offense, the motion may be filed one year after the later of the date of the final disposition of all proceedings against the defendant or the release of the defendant from supervision concerning a conviction.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-02 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at olls.info
Also relied on in: Colorado Record Sealing Laws: How to Seal Your Criminal Record (2026)
United States Code Title 15
§ 1681cRequirements relating to information contained in consumer reportsIn forcecited in 54 of our articles
Except as authorized under subsection (b), no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing any of the following items of information: Cases under title 11 or under the Bankruptcy Act that, from the date of entry of the order for relief or the date of adjudication, as the case may be, antedate the report by more than 10 years. Civil suits, civil judgments, and records of arrest that, from date of entry, antedate the report by more than seven years or until the governing statute of limitations has expired, whichever is the longer period. Paid tax liens which, from date of payment, antedate the report by more than seven years. Accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss which antedate the report by more than seven years. Any other adverse item of information, other than records of convictions of crimes which antedates the report by more than seven years.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-28 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov
Cited in 383 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Katz v. Donna Karan Co. (2017) addressed the FACTA truncation rule in 1681c(g) and affirmed dismissal for lack of Article III standing, treating material risk of harm as a fact question. Edward Seamans v. Temple University (2014) held the seven-year window in 1681c(a)(4) is extended for an education loan only until that loan is repaid.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Katz v. Donna Karan Co. (Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 2017, 872 F.3d 114)✓A shopper sued two stores whose receipts printed the first six digits of his credit card number; the Second Circuit affirmed dismissal for lack of standing, seeing no clear error in the finding that those digits show only the card issuer, not a material risk of identity theft.
- Edward Seamans v. Temple University (Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2014, 744 F.3d 853)✓A defaulted university loan kept appearing on a borrower's credit reports after he repaid it because the school never reported the delinquency date; the Third Circuit held the Higher Education Act suspends section 1681c(a)(4)'s aging-off rule only until repayment.
- Gonzales v. Arrow Financial Services, LLC (Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 2011, 660 F.3d 1055)✓A debt buyer offered to settle health club debts over seven years old, saying that if it was reporting the account the bureaus would be told it was settled; the Ninth Circuit, treating those debts as unreportable under section 1681c(a)(4), called that implication misleading.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: How Long Does a Felony Stay on Your Record? (2026), Alabama Background Check Laws (2026 Guide), Louisiana Background Check Laws (2026 Guide)
Search our full record of US law — 2.1 million sections, every state + federal →
Sources and References
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Docket Search(coloradojudicial.gov).gov
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Access Guide to Public Records(coloradojudicial.gov).gov
- Colorado General Assembly, SB22-099 (Clean Slate) bill status(leg.colorado.gov).gov
- Cornell Legal Information Institute, 15 U.S.C. § 1681c, Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports(law.cornell.edu)
- Colorado General Assembly, Senate Bill 22-099 (Clean Slate Act), signed act text(content.leg.colorado.gov)
- Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services, Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S. 13-3-117 automatic conviction sealing; C.R.S. 18-1.3-101(10) pretrial diversion outcomes)(olls.info)