Adams County Court Clerk's Office

The Adams County Court Clerk's Office

The Adams County Court Clerk's Office is the public face of the trial-court clerks who keep state court case files at the Adams County Justice Center. It is staffed by the Colorado Judicial Branch and run as part of the 17th Judicial District, which covers Adams and Broomfield counties. Files held here include felony, misdemeanor, traffic, civil, small claims, domestic relations, juvenile, mental health, and probate cases. The clerks work behind the same set of public windows for both District Court and County Court. Court clerks at the Justice Center are not the same office as the elected Adams County Clerk & Recorder.

The 17th Judicial District is one of the busiest in the state. In FY25 the district had 86,648 new case filings, the highest number statewide, with 18,878 in district court and 67,770 in county court. That volume runs through this clerk's office, so dockets, payment lines, and records requests move quickly. For the official court contact list, see the Colorado Judicial Branch Adams County page.

Hours and Public Access at the Adams County Court

The Justice Center building is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Clerk's Office serves the public from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. On the fourth Wednesday of each month the Clerk's Office closes to the public from noon to 1:00 p.m. for a staff meeting. The Court Resource Center matches the Clerk's hours but ends at 4:00 p.m. and uses the same fourth-Wednesday noon-to-one closure.

Plan to arrive early for protection-order paperwork. The court holds protection-order hearings daily at 1:30 p.m., and paperwork must be filed at Windows 3, 4, 5, or 6 by 11:00 a.m. Jurors should call 303-654-3212. Spanish-language callers can use the same main line, since the court page says: "Se ofrecen servicios de interpretacion. Favor de llamar a 303-659-1161."

Note: Bring a photo ID and case number; clerks cannot move a file forward when the file cannot be matched.

Court Clerk's Office vs Adams County Clerk & Recorder

This is the most common source of wrong-office calls in Adams County. Both offices use the word "clerk" but they are not the same. The Court Clerk's Office is part of the state judicial branch and keeps case files. The Adams County Clerk & Recorder is a separately elected county office run by Josh Zygielbaum. The Clerk & Recorder handles recorded documents, marriage and civil union licenses, elections, passports, and motor vehicle work. The official Clerk & Recorder page says court matters, including divorce documents, jury duty, and court appearances, should go to the Adams County Judicial Center.

One way to handle this is to think of the building first. If the record is a court case file, divorce decree, probate file, criminal disposition, or transcript, the right office is the Justice Center at 1100 Judicial Center Drive. If the record is a deed, lien, plat, marriage license, voter record, or vehicle title, the right office is the Government Center at 4430 S. Adams County Parkway. A look at the official Recording Department page shows the separate Clerk & Recorder side.

The image below comes from the Adams County Clerk & Recorder Recording Department. It is shown here only to make the split obvious; the Recording Department is the separate Clerk & Recorder, not the court clerk.

The Recording Department screen sits at the Government Center, not the Justice Center. The court records talked about across the rest of this page sit with the Clerk's Office on the Justice Center campus.

Records Unit at the Adams County Justice Center

The Records Unit is the part of the Clerk's Office that handles requests for copies and in-person file inspection. The phone line is 303-654-3239. The unit email is AdamsRecordRequest@judicial.state.co.us. Requesters can ask for a plain copy, a certified copy, or an appointment to inspect a paper file. Court case files in Colorado are not all online, so many requests still come through the Records Unit rather than a portal. Case files are governed by Chief Justice Directive 05-01 (CJD 05-01) and the public-records access guide published by the Colorado Judicial Branch.

The clerks need enough detail to find the file. That means a case number when possible, party names, and the kind of document needed. Some files are restricted or sealed and may need party status, an attorney of record, or a court order. The Records Unit follows judicial branch policy on redactions for things like Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, protected addresses, and juvenile identifiers. See the Colorado Judicial Branch records access guide for the full framework.

Transcript Requests in Adams County

Transcripts of court hearings are ordered through the 17th Judicial District court reporter team. The email address is 17courtreporter@judicial.state.co.us. The Clerk's Office page says the requester should complete the Transcript Request Form and send it to that email. Transcripts are produced by a court reporter and are not the same as a copy of the audio recording.

One important rule for Adams County: the 17th Judicial District does not provide audio recordings of court hearings except when required by law. That means a typed transcript prepared by the official court reporter is the standard product. Cost and turnaround can vary with the length of the hearing and whether the transcript is expedited.

Collections Unit and Court Payments

The Collections Unit handles fines, costs, restitution, and other money owed on court cases. The phone line is 303-654-3266. The email is 17collections@judicial.state.co.us. Court payments for criminal, misdemeanor, juvenile delinquency, and traffic cases can also be made through Colorado Judicial Online Payments, the official statewide payment portal. Payments by mail go to the Clerk's Office at the Justice Center.

People paying on a case should bring the case number. Payment plans, restitution to victims, and account balances are handled by the Collections Unit rather than the Records Unit, so the right phone line saves time. In FY25 the 17th Judicial District collected more than $5 million in restitution and interest for victims, which gives a sense of how much money moves through this team.

Adams County Court Resource Center

The Court Resource Center is the self-help arm of the Clerk's Office. It sits inside the Adams County Justice Center at 1100 Judicial Center Drive in Brighton. The phone line is 303-654-3213 and the email is 17shrc@judicial.state.co.us. Hours are Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the fourth-Wednesday noon closure. Center staff schedule in-person or virtual meetings; appointments help avoid waits.

The Resource Center can point users to self-help resources, the forms library, and e-filing for non-attorneys in qualifying case types such as domestic relations and eviction matters. Staff do not give legal advice but can show a self-represented party how to fill out forms, where to file, and what fee waivers may apply. Interpreter requests, ADA accommodations, and the Family Friendly Court childcare voucher program also pass through this team.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and signature. Most courts in other states accept a certified copy as proof of a final order. Common needs include divorce decrees, custody orders, criminal dispositions, name change orders, and probate letters. A plain copy is fine for personal review but is not a certified copy. Use the steps below to request one from the Adams County Records Unit.

1. Find the case number. Use the Colorado Judicial Branch Docket Search. Filter by Adams County and enter party names if needed.
2. Pick the document. Most users want the final order, judgment, decree, or specific signed motion.
3. Contact the Records Unit. Phone 303-654-3239 or email AdamsRecordRequest@judicial.state.co.us with the case number, document type, and number of copies.
4. Confirm the fee and pay it. The clerk will quote a copy charge plus a certification charge before the copy goes out.
5. Pick up in person at the Clerk's windows, or ask for a mailed copy if allowed for that document type.

Note: A certified copy cannot be sent by ordinary email because the court seal must remain on the paper original.

Records Request Form Fields

A clean request makes the clerks' job faster. The form needs enough detail to match a single case in the Adams County file room. Below are the common fields the Records Unit asks for. The court's own request form may include more, but these are the load-bearing items.

Adams County Court Clerk Fees

Court copy fees in Colorado are set by the Judicial Branch, not by the Adams County Clerk & Recorder schedule. Specific per-page rates for Adams County certified copies were not published in the official Colorado Judicial Branch material reviewed for this page. The safest path is to ask the Records Unit directly before sending payment. The general statewide fee framework is set out in the judicial branch access guide.

Two cautions on fees. First, the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) research/retrieval fee under C.R.S. 24-72-205 applies to ordinary state and county agencies, not to court case records. Court records run under CJD 05-01 instead. Second, the Adams County Clerk & Recorder's recording fee schedule is for recorded documents like deeds and marriage licenses, not for court case copies. Do not mix the two when budgeting a request. For an exact figure, call 303-654-3239 or write AdamsRecordRequest@judicial.state.co.us.

Adams County Justice Center Contact Card

The contacts below are the load-bearing numbers and addresses for the court clerk side of Adams County. The Clerk & Recorder is separate; see the table earlier on the page for that office.

Related Adams County Resources

For full case lookups, see Adams County court records. For the District Court and the 17th Judicial District structure, see Adams County District Court. For broader open records, including non-court agency files under CORA, see Adams County public records. For Clerk & Recorder filings like deeds and marriage licenses, see marriage and divorce records.