Adams County Criminal Records Overview
Adams County criminal records come from three groups. The Adams County Sheriff's Office holds arrest, booking, and jail records under the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act at C.R.S. 24-72-301 et seq. The Adams County District Court and County Court hold charging documents, plea paperwork, orders, and sentencing files under Chief Justice Directive 05-01. The 17th Judicial District Attorney files cases for the people and tracks prosecution. Each agency holds a different slice of a single Adams County criminal record, so most searches start with the sheriff for arrests and the state docket portal for cases.
Adams County has 542,973 residents as of mid-2024 per the 17th Judicial District overview. The district reported 86,648 new filings in FY25, the highest of any judicial district in Colorado. A large share of those came through county court as misdemeanors and traffic, and a smaller share went to district court for felony prosecution. The Adams County Detention Facility at 150 N. 19th Ave., Brighton holds people awaiting trial, hold transfers, and people serving short sentences.
How to Search Adams County Criminal Records
The fastest free lookup combines two portals. Use the ACSO inmate search to confirm whether a person is currently in custody. Use the Colorado docket search to see hearings for criminal case classes CR (felony) and M (misdemeanor). State-level criminal histories run through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for fingerprint-based checks. The Adams County Records Unit at 303-654-3239 pulls the full court file.
- Open the ACSO inmate search and enter the first few letters of a first or last name. The disclaimer warns the data is for reference only and cannot be used for solicitation.
- Open the Colorado docket search, pick Adams County or the 17th Judicial District, and add the person's last name or a case number.
- Set Court Type to Both. County court handles M and T cases. District court handles CR cases. The case class CR is the felony marker.
- Use the Records Unit at AdamsRecordRequest@judicial.state.co.us or 303-654-3239 to pull a full file or certified copies.
Statewide criminal history searches for hiring or licensing should use a CBI fingerprint-based check rather than the docket portal. The docket shows hearings, not full conviction history. For people no longer in jail, see released inmates.
Adams County Arrest Records and Booking
Arrest records start at booking. The Adams County Detention Facility at 150 N. 19th Ave., Brighton processes intake 24/7 at 303-654-1850. Jail staff handle property, identity processing, medical and mental health screening, and security classification. Bond review and a first court appearance often follow within a day or two depending on charge type and arresting agency. The Court Services Unit at the Justice Center transports inmates between the Detention Facility and court.
The sheriff publishes recent news about Adams County arrests, including major investigations and pursuit cases. Lead-in to a 2025 Adams County arrest news release lives at the ACSO pursuit-arrest news page.
The release shows how Adams County arrest cases enter the criminal record pipeline. Cases that begin with a deputy stop or pursuit move to booking, then to the docket once the DA files charges.
The sheriff search page itself shows first name and last name fields and tells users that a few letters of either name will return results. The page does not publish bond, charge, mugshot, or housing fields without a live query, so the sample inmate fields are not posted on the public portal.
Criminal Cases in Adams County Court vs District Court
Adams County splits criminal work between two trial courts under one roof. The County Court hears misdemeanors, traffic crimes, and felony complaints at the early stages. The District Court hears felony prosecutions, including the trial and sentencing phases. Both courts sit inside the Adams County Justice Center, but the case class on the case number tells you which court owns the file. Class M and Class T cases live in County Court. Class CR cases live in District Court.
Adams County is in the 17th Judicial District, which also covers Broomfield County. The official district overview lists 17 district court judges, 9 county court judges, and 12 magistrates across the district. Most of those officers sit in Brighton at the Adams County Justice Center.
What an Adams County Criminal Record Shows
An Adams County criminal record carries case-level and event-level data. The case number is the spine. Charges, bond, plea, disposition, sentence, and probation conditions hang off it. The docket portal only shows hearing rows. The full record at the Records Unit shows the rest under CJD 05-01 redaction rules.
- Case number with year, class, and sequence, such as 2025CR1088 for a 2025 district criminal case.
- Parties, listed as People of the State of Colorado versus the defendant, plus any co-defendants.
- Charging documents, advisement, and bond orders.
- Motions, plea paperwork, minute orders, and protection or no-contact orders.
- Sentencing orders, probation conditions, restitution orders, and any appeals.
Redactions cover Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, protected addresses, juvenile and minor identifiers, medical records, and sealed or expunged information. Mugshots are taken at booking but the ACSO portal does not publish them in the public search result fields seen on the form.
Charges vs Convictions in Adams County
An arrest, a charge, and a conviction are three different things. An arrest record means a deputy or officer took someone into custody on probable cause. A charge means the DA filed a formal criminal accusation in court. A conviction means a judge or jury found the person guilty or accepted a plea of guilty. A person can be arrested without ever being charged, and a person can be charged and later found not guilty or have the case dismissed.
| Charge | Conviction | |
|---|---|---|
| Stage | Accusation filed by the DA | Verdict or guilty plea entered by the court |
| Burden of Proof | Probable cause | Beyond a reasonable doubt |
| Where It Appears | Docket and case file | Final disposition in case file |
| Public Record | Yes, unless restricted | Yes, unless sealed under C.R.S. 24-72-703 |
| Effect | Triggers court process | Triggers sentence, probation, fines, or jail |
For people who care about background checks, the distinction matters. An Adams County criminal record that shows a charge with a dismissal is not a conviction. The Colorado General Assembly's CRS files at Title 16 cover criminal procedure, including bond, warrants, and the path from charge to conviction.
Sealed vs Expunged in Adams County
Colorado treats adult and juvenile records differently. Adult criminal records get sealed under C.R.S. 24-72-703. The records still exist but the public cannot see them. Juvenile delinquency records get expunged under C.R.S. 19-1-306, which can let the subject deny that the record ever existed for most legal purposes. Sealing and expungement both require a court order. Both have eligibility rules tied to offense type, waiting periods, restitution, and pending cases.
| Sealed (Adult) | Expunged (Juvenile) | |
|---|---|---|
| Statute | C.R.S. 24-72-703 | C.R.S. 19-1-306 |
| Visibility | Hidden from general public | Treated as if it never happened for most uses |
| Law Enforcement | Courts, prosecutors, and law enforcement keep access | Court orders agencies to expunge per statute |
| Eligibility | Depends on offense, disposition, waiting period | Statutory rules amended in 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2024 |
| Forms | Colorado Judicial Branch sealing forms | Colorado Judicial Branch expungement forms |
The Colorado legislature posted a public memo on the process of sealing or expunging criminal records that walks through both paths.
The memo lays out the eligibility checks, the petition steps, and the agencies that must comply once a sealing or expungement order enters in Adams County.
Sealing an Adams County Criminal Record
The sealing process starts in the court that handled the original case. For Adams County, that means the Adams County Justice Center. Eligibility comes first. Some convictions cannot be sealed at all. The Court Resource Center at 303-654-3213 helps self-represented filers find the right forms and complete them.
- Check eligibility under C.R.S. 24-72-703 and the offense-specific exclusions in the statute.
- Pull the case number and disposition through the docket search or a Records Unit request.
- File the sealing petition or motion in the court that handled the case, using the right Colorado Judicial Branch form.
- Serve notice on the DA's Office and any required agencies.
- Attend the hearing if one is set, then submit the proposed order.
- If the order enters, agencies including CBI and the Adams County Sheriff comply with the sealing within the statutory timeline.
The Court Resource Center hours are Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a noon to 1:00 p.m. closure on the fourth Wednesday of each month. The Adams County public records page and the warrant records page link other parts of the criminal record system.
Public Access for Criminal Justice Records
Criminal justice records held by the sheriff and other criminal justice agencies sit under the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act at C.R.S. 24-72-301 et seq. The act lets the public see records of official action like arrests, charges, and warrants, but gives custodians discretion to limit access to investigatory files. ACSO posts a disclaimer that criminal justice records cannot be used for solicitation of business for monetary gain.
Court case records sit under Chief Justice Directive 05-01 instead. That directive governs access to court files, redaction rules, remote access, and fees. The two systems overlap because an arrest record at ACSO and a court case file at the Justice Center can both relate to the same incident, but they have different custodians and different access rules.
Note: The Adams County Records Unit at 303-654-3239 handles full case-file copies, while the sheriff handles arrest and jail records under separate Criminal Justice Records Act rules.
Restricted Adams County Criminal Records
Juvenile delinquency records under Title 19 are restricted. Access goes to the juvenile, parents and guardians, attorneys, agencies, and people with court authorization. The ACSO warrant search excludes juveniles entirely. Adoption files are confidential. Mental health and competency files include clinical detail and are limited. Sealed adult criminal records and expunged juvenile records do not appear in the public docket. Grand jury materials are sealed. Child protection and dependency or neglect files under Title 19 are strongly restricted. Pretrial diversion files held by the DA may not appear like ordinary final court records.
Investigatory criminal justice records can be withheld at the custodian's discretion under the Criminal Justice Records Act when release would harm an active investigation, victim privacy, or law enforcement work.
Adams County District Attorney and Public Defender
The 17th Judicial District Attorney is Brian S. Mason, sworn in January 12, 2021. The DA's Office prosecutes misdemeanor, traffic, and felony cases in Adams and Broomfield counties. The Brighton office is at 1000 Judicial Center Dr., Brighton, with about 200 staff across Brighton, Broomfield, and Westminster. The Diversion Office is at 1000 Judicial Center Drive, Suite 300. The DA Victim Witness Office sits at 1100 Judicial Center Drive, Room 205, Brighton, and helps victims track Adams County criminal record stages at 303-659-7735.
The Colorado State Public Defender Brighton Office at 4710 E. Bromley Ln., Brighton, represents eligible defendants in Adams and Broomfield. Office head Sarah Quinn leads the staff. Phone is 303-659-4274 and email is Brighton@coloradodefenders.us. Eligibility runs through financial screening. Cases with a conflict may go to alternate defense counsel.
Lead-in to a 2025 Adams County jail criminal investigation news release lives at the ACSO narcotics arrest news page.
The release illustrates how internal jail investigations move from sheriff's investigation to DA filing to court case once charges enter the Adams County criminal records pipeline.
Background Check Considerations
FCRA-compliant background checks for hiring, tenant screening, or licensing require a regulated consumer reporting agency, not a casual docket search. The Adams County criminal records pulled from the docket portal are useful for personal lookup, journalism, and basic research but cannot be used for FCRA purposes. For statewide records, CBI fingerprint-based name checks are the standard. For full court files, the Records Unit handles certified copies under CJD 05-01.
Important: This site is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA, and the data on the page cannot be used for credit, employment, tenant, or insurance decisions.