How to Search Adams County Court Records
The public tool for Adams County court records is the Colorado Judicial Branch Docket Search at coloradojudicial.gov/dockets. It shows hearings and case rows for district and county courts across the state, including Adams. It does not show full pleadings, motions, exhibits, or scanned orders. For those, the Adams County Records Unit at 303-654-3239 handles requests under Chief Justice Directive 05-01.
Before you start, know what you are looking for. A case number is the fastest path. If you only have a name, use last name first, with any business name on the business tab. Court hearings are public, but the docket page requires at least one non-date filter. A date range by itself will not run.
- Open the Colorado Judicial Branch Docket Search. The form loads with the date range set to one week.
- Pick Adams County under the County dropdown, or pick 17th Judicial District. The Courthouse field will narrow to Adams County Justice Center.
- Choose a Court Type. County court covers traffic, misdemeanors, small claims, and lower civil matters. District court covers felonies, divorce, probate, juvenile, and larger civil cases.
- Set a Date Range. Options are 6 Months, 3 Months, 1 Month, 1 Week, Today, or Specific Date. Pick Specific Date if you want one calendar day.
- Add a name, case number, attorney name, or attorney bar number. The page warns that at least one filter beyond the date is required.
- Click Find Dockets. Use Clear Results to reset the form between searches, and use the printable view or export link above the result rows.
Older case files and full documents are not in the docket portal. The Adams County Records Unit can pull case files, copies, and certified copies; email AdamsRecordRequest@judicial.state.co.us or call 303-654-3239. Transcripts go to the court reporter team at 17courtreporter@judicial.state.co.us.
Adams County Court Records Search Fields
The docket portal exposes one of the most detailed search forms of any state court website. Every field is optional on its own, but the system needs at least one filter in addition to the date range. The table below mirrors the live form for Adams County court records.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judicial District | Dropdown | One non-date filter required | Adams County sits in the 17th Judicial District. |
| County | Dropdown | No | Adams County listed; choose to limit to Adams. |
| Courthouse | Dropdown | No | Reduces to Adams County Justice Center when Adams is picked. |
| Court Type | Dropdown | No | Both, County, or District. |
| Division | Text | No | Courtroom or division such as F, FAC, or K. |
| Date Range | Dropdown | Yes (defaulted) | 6 Months, 3 Months, 1 Month, 1 Week, Today, Specific Date. |
| Specify A Date | Date picker | If Specific Date chosen | Pick one calendar day. |
| 4-Digit Year | Text | No | Four-digit case year. |
| Case Class | Dropdown | No | C, CR, CV, CW, DR, JD, JV, M, PR, R, S, T. |
| Case Sequence | Text | No | One to six digits. |
| Search for Party | Radio | No | Individual default; Business swaps the visible name field. |
| First Name | Text | No | Individual first name. |
| Last Name | Text | No | Individual last name. |
| Business Name | Text | No | Shown when Business is picked. |
| Attorney Name / Bar Number | Radio | No | Attorney Name default; Bar Number swaps the field set. |
| Attorney Bar Number | Text | No | One to six digits. |
| Attorney First Name | Text | No | Shown when Attorney Name is picked. |
| Attorney Last Name | Text | No | Shown when Attorney Name is picked. |
| Find Dockets | Button | Yes to submit | Runs the search. |
| Clear Results | Button | No | Resets the form. |
The Colorado General Assembly publishes the 2025 Colorado Revised Statutes for anyone who wants the full code text behind a case class.
Field-level Adams County court records overview from the Colorado legislature is summarized in this Colorado Open Records Act page.
The CORA summary explains the open-inspection default for state and county records. Adams County court files sit under court rules, but most county-side records use the same statute.
Types of Adams County Court Records
Adams County court records run across both the District Court and the County Court at the Justice Center. The 17th Judicial District covers Adams and Broomfield counties and had 86,648 new filings in FY25 according to the official 17th Judicial District overview. District court took 18,878 of those and county court took 67,770. Both courts produce public records, though some case classes are restricted.
The case class on a number tells you what kind of file it is. Class T is traffic. Class M is misdemeanor. Class CR is felony or district criminal. Class DR is domestic relations. Class PR is probate. Class JD is juvenile delinquency. Class CV is civil. The list below covers the main record families.
- Civil case records cover money claims, contracts, landlord and tenant disputes, civil protection orders, judgments, garnishments, liens, and small claims.
- Criminal case records cover misdemeanors, traffic crimes, and felony filings, including bond orders, charging documents, plea paperwork, and sentencing orders.
- Family records cover divorce, legal separation, parental responsibility allocation, child support, and contempt motions.
- Probate records cover estates, wills, trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships under Title 15.
- Juvenile records cover delinquency and dependency cases under Title 19, with strict access rules.
- Mental health and competency cases run through district court and include the new 17th Judicial District competency docket launched in 2025.
Adams County court records also include protection orders, which are heard daily at 1:30 p.m. with paperwork due at Windows 3 through 6 by 11:00 a.m. For a hearing list, see Adams County court dockets, and for arrest and charge details, see criminal records.
Note: The 17th Judicial District does not provide audio recordings of court hearings except where required by law.
What Adams County Case Records Show
A typical Adams County court record carries the case number, the names of the parties, the assigned division, the hearing schedule, and the dispositions entered by the judge or magistrate. The docket rows seen on the state portal show a subset of those fields. Full records pulled from the Records Unit show the rest, including financial entries, motions, and orders.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Year plus case class plus sequence, like 2025CR1088, 2024CV31511, 2019DR134, 2025T20202, 2025M3815, or 2025C45652. |
| Court and County | Adams County, 17th Judicial District, District or County Court. |
| Division or Courtroom | Letters and numbers such as F, FAC, K, Q, C, X, 1, or 3. |
| Parties | Plaintiff and defendant, petitioner and respondent, or People of the State of Colorado and defendant. |
| Hearing Date and Time | Date such as 11/4/2025; time such as 8:30 AM or 9:00 AM. |
| Duration | Block length, such as 1 Hour(s), 2 Hour(s), or 1 Day(s). |
| Hearing Type | Arraignment, pretrial conference, jury trial, sentencing hearing, first hearing, case management conference, or similar. |
| Appearance Type | In Person, Virtual, or blank. |
| Financial Entries | Fines, fees, restitution, bond, and costs appear in the full file or in the online payment system but not in docket rows. |
| Documents | Pleadings, motions, orders, judgments, and warrants stay in the case file and are not downloadable from the docket page. |
| Redactions | SSNs, financial account numbers, protected addresses, minor identifiers, and medical records are withheld under court rules. |
The Colorado General Assembly publishes the full CRS Title 24 PDF covering open records and criminal justice records.
The 2025 CRS download page hosts every title, including the criminal code, the family code, the probate code, and the public records framework that backs Adams County court records.
Reading Adams County Case Numbers
The case number is the single most useful field on the docket form. Each Adams County court record has one. The number breaks into three parts. Year sits in front. The case class follows. The sequence number sits at the end.
2025CR1088 is a 2025 felony or district criminal case, sequence 1088. 2024CV31511 is a 2024 civil case. 2019DR134 is a 2019 domestic relations case. 2025T20202 is a 2025 traffic case. 2025M3815 is a 2025 misdemeanor. 2025C45652 is a 2025 county civil case observed on the docket form. Use the year and the class as filters on the search portal even if you do not have the full sequence. That alone often narrows a list to a few rows.
Class codes from the docket form: C is county civil; CR is criminal felony or district criminal; CV is civil; CW is water or specialized civil; DR is domestic relations; JD is juvenile delinquency; JV is juvenile; M is misdemeanor; PR is probate; R is county traffic or infraction; S is small claims; T is traffic.
Public Access Laws for Adams County Court Records
Public access in Colorado runs through several laws. Executive and local agency records use the Colorado Open Records Act, codified at C.R.S. 24-72-200.1 through 24-72-205.5. Criminal justice records held by sheriffs, police, and jails follow the Criminal Justice Records Act at C.R.S. 24-72-301 et seq. Court case records sit under Chief Justice Directive 05-01 and the Supreme Court Public Access to Information and Records Rules. The Adams County court clerk applies the judicial rules to case files.
CORA sets the default toward open inspection but lists records that may or must be withheld. Custodians can charge fees for copies, research, and retrieval. The Colorado General Assembly posted a CORA fee notice raising the maximum hourly research and retrieval fee to $41.37 effective July 1, 2024, where agencies revise and publish their policies.
The fee notice applies to many county and state custodians. Adams County court case files instead follow the directive process and the local clerk fees.
For data requests under CJD 05-01 Section 4.40, the Judicial Branch lists separate emails for court data, financial data, and probation data requests. Costs may apply. The Adams County Records Unit handles individual case-file requests and routes data requests appropriately.
Note: CORA requests should go to the agency that holds the record, while Adams County court case files go to the Records Unit under Chief Justice Directive 05-01.
Restricted Records in Adams County Court Files
Some Adams County court records are not open to the public. Juvenile delinquency and dependency files under Title 19 are restricted to parties, parents or guardians, attorneys, and agencies. Adoption files are confidential. Mental health and competency files include clinical detail that the court withholds. Adult criminal records that have been sealed under C.R.S. 24-72-703 disappear from public view, though courts, prosecutors, and law enforcement keep access. Grand jury materials are sealed by criminal procedure rules. Child protection and dependency neglect files under Title 19 are strongly restricted.
People who want a record sealed go through the petition process. Eligibility depends on the offense, the disposition, and the waiting period set in the statute. Some convictions cannot be sealed at all. The Colorado General Assembly posted a plain-English memo on the process of sealing or expunging criminal records, and Judicial Branch forms cover both adult sealing and juvenile expungement under C.R.S. 19-1-306. The Court Resource Center at 303-654-3213 can point self-represented filers to the right form.
The legislative memo lays out the difference between adult sealing and juvenile expungement and outlines the waiting periods that decide whether a record can come off the public docket.
How to Request Copies of Adams County Court Records
Copies of Adams County court records go through the Records Unit at the Justice Center. Phone is 303-654-3239 and email is AdamsRecordRequest@judicial.state.co.us. The court charges set fees for plain copies, certified copies, and research time. The court does not release audio recordings except when required by law. For a courtroom transcript, fill out the Transcript Request Form and send it to 17courtreporter@judicial.state.co.us. The Records Unit can ask for ID and may need time to redact under CJD 05-01.
Recorded county documents, like deeds and marriage licenses, sit with a different office. The Adams County Clerk and Recorder Recording Department handles those at 4430 S. Adams County Pkwy., Suite E2400, Brighton. That office is not the court clerk. Court divorce paperwork stays with the court at 303-659-1161, not with the Clerk and Recorder.
In-Person Court Record Requests
The Adams County Justice Center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Clerk's Office windows are open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and close to the public from noon to 1:00 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Walk-in requesters should bring photo ID, a case number if known, and payment for any copy fees. The Court Resource Center on site can help self-represented filers with forms and basic procedural questions.
Adams County Clerk of Court
1100 Judicial Center Dr.
Brighton, CO 80601
303-659-1161
Mon-Fri 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.