Search Adams County Court Records

How to Search Adams County Court Records

The main free tool for Adams County court cases is the Colorado Judicial Branch Docket Search. It covers district and county court hearings statewide, and Adams County dockets show up when the right filters are set. The portal is a hearing calendar, not a full case-document portal. It returns rows with date, time, party name, case number, hearing type, and courtroom. Pleadings, orders, and judgments are not exposed in those rows. For the full file, the next step is a request to the Records Unit at 303-654-3239.

Before running a search, get a few basics ready. A party name, business name, attorney name, or a case number all work as filters. A date range alone will not. The form requires at least one filter beyond the date. Spelling matters. Business names appear in all caps on the result rows. Names of people often show up last name first. The site link is below the steps.

The Colorado Judicial Branch Docket Search form is the place to start.

The form has location, date, case, party, and attorney filter groups. Each group narrows the docket result. The page also offers an Export Results control and a Printable Version link once a search returns rows.

1. Open the Docket Search at https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/dockets.
2. Set the location filters. Choose 17th Judicial District or pick Adams County from the County dropdown. The Courthouse field narrows to Adams County Justice Center when Adams is selected.
3. Pick a court type. Use Both to see all hearings, District for felony and family or probate matters, or County for traffic, misdemeanor, small claims, and lower civil cases.
4. Set the date range. Options run from Today through 6 Months, plus a Specific Date picker. The default is 1 Week.
5. Add at least one filter beyond the date. Enter a case number using year plus case class plus sequence, or fill the party name fields, or use the attorney name or bar number controls.
6. Click Find Dockets. Review the rows. Use Clear Results to reset and run another search if needed.
7. For a certified copy, transcript, or full case file, contact the Adams County Records Unit at 303-654-3239 or AdamsRecordRequest@judicial.state.co.us.

The portal page carries a clear notice. It reads, "At least one filter in addition to date is required to perform this search." A search that uses only a date will fail. Many users hit this on the first try.

The Adams County Judicial System

Adams County is part of the 17th Judicial District, which also covers Broomfield County. The 2026 district overview reports an Adams County population of about 542,973 as of July 2024 and a Broomfield population near 78,323. The district filed 86,648 new cases in FY25. That total is the highest in the state. District court took 18,878 of those filings. County court took 67,770. The bench is staffed by 17 district court judges, 9 county court judges, and 12 magistrates. Two district judges, one county judge, and one magistrate sit in Broomfield. The rest serve Adams.

Probation is large in this district. The 17th Judicial District Probation Department has 158 employees across four offices in Brighton, Westminster, Commerce City, and the Justice Center itself. As of March 2026, the unit had 8,498 active adult and juvenile probationers and had opened 5,268 new adult probation cases in the prior fiscal year. The district also processed 1,827 alcohol evaluations and 1,352 pre-sentence or post-sentence investigations and screens in that span.

Case flow: Municipal / County Court › District Court › Colorado Court of Appeals › Colorado Supreme Court

The flow above is the standard path for most matters. County court appeals can also be reviewed by the district court. Direct review by the Colorado Supreme Court is the exception, not the rule. Water Courts handle a separate statewide track but do not run a county-specific Adams docket.

Adams County Courthouses

The court campus in Brighton sits in a tight justice corridor. The Justice Center, the District Attorney's Brighton office, and the Detention Facility are within a short drive of one another. The court clerk and the Records Unit are inside the Justice Center. The Adams County Clerk & Recorder is housed at a separate Government Center on Adams County Parkway. The Clerk & Recorder records deeds, issues marriage and civil union licenses, and runs elections and motor vehicle. It does not hold court case files. Pages and signs sometimes blur the two. The split matters when a divorce decree, criminal docket, or probate file is needed.

Types of Court Records Available in Adams County

The Justice Center produces case files across the full set of trial-court matters. Each type has its own case class on the docket form and its own access rules. Some files are fully public on the docket. Others are sealed or restricted by statute or by Chief Justice Directive 05-01. The list below covers the main types. A reader looking for a specific file should start with the case class, then move to the Records Unit if a copy is needed.

The court page also links eviction and foreclosure forms, parenting class providers, and protection-order instructions. Those filings produce records too. Most show up in the docket search under one of the case classes shown below.

• Criminal records - Felony cases use class CR in district court. Misdemeanor cases use class M in county court. Traffic infractions show as T or R. Charging documents, advisement, bond orders, plea paperwork, and sentencing orders sit in the file.
• Civil records - District court uses class CV for civil. County court civil rows show class C. Small claims use S. Files include the complaint, answer, service returns, motions, orders, judgments, and any garnishment or lien work.
• Family and domestic relations - Divorce, legal separation, allocation of parental responsibilities, child support, parenting time, and post-decree motions all use class DR in district court. The Adams County Clerk & Recorder does not hold these records.
• Probate records - Probate, guardianship, conservatorship, and protected proceedings file in district court under class PR. Adams County does not have a separate probate court.
• Traffic records - Speeding, expired plates, photo enforcement matters, and other traffic infractions live in county court under class T or class R. Payment options run through the online payment portal.

What Adams County Court Records Show

A case file in Adams County follows the Colorado standard. The case number combines a four-digit year, a case class code, and a sequence number. Examples observed on the public docket include 2025CR1088 for a felony, 2024CV31511 for civil, 2019DR134 for a divorce, and 2025T20202 for a traffic case. Misdemeanor numbers show class M. Probate numbers show class PR. The case class is a quick clue to the kind of case at hand.

Docket result rows do not show every field that lives in the file. Charges, bond amounts, judge names, restitution totals, and party addresses are not in the public docket rows. Those details live in the case file at the clerk's office. The table below maps the fields that appear in a typical docket row, which is what most users will see first.

Public Access Laws for Adams County Court Records

Public access in Colorado is split by record type. Court case records run on a different track from county agency records. Sheriff and arrest records run on a third track. Many readers expect one open-records act to cover all of them. That is not how it works. The Colorado Open Records Act covers most county and state agency files. Criminal justice agency files run under the Criminal Justice Records Act. Court files use the Chief Justice Directive 05-01 framework and the Supreme Court's P.A.I.R.R. rules. Knowing which law applies saves a lot of time.

The Colorado Judicial Branch publishes a short overview at the Access Guide to Public Records. The guide notes that complete case documents are not always online and that some searches require a direct request, in-person inspection, or use of an approved vendor.

That access guide also points to data request emails, the directive's history, and the limits placed on remote access. Below the guide page sits the full CJD 05-01 directive, the controlling judicial rule.

CJD 05-01 has been amended multiple times, with the most recent updates noted through November 2025. The directive sets the public-facing line for the court file.

Records That Are Restricted or Confidential

Not every court file is open. Some categories are sealed by statute. Others are restricted under CJD 05-01 or by Title 19 child welfare rules. Juvenile delinquency files are the most common restricted category. Adoption records are confidential by default. Mental health and competency files carry strong privacy limits. Sealed adult criminal cases sit behind the public window but stay open to courts, prosecutors, and law enforcement. Grand jury materials are secret until released. Child protection and dependency-and-neglect files under Title 19 are tightly held. Protected addresses, victim names in some matters, social security numbers, and financial account numbers are redacted in line with court rules.

Sealing and expungement use different paths. Adult records are sealed. Juvenile delinquency records are expunged. Sealing under C.R.S. 24-72-703 needs a petition or an automatic process where the statute allows it. Notice goes to prosecutors and agencies. A court order does the work. Juvenile expungement under C.R.S. 19-1-306 has changed several times since 2016, with the latest updates in 2024. Common denial reasons include an ineligible offense, unpaid restitution, a pending case, a short waiting period, or a serious sex or violent offense excluded by statute. The Court Resource Center keeps the relevant forms on hand.

Specialty Courts in Adams County

The 17th Judicial District runs several problem-solving courts. The overview document lists Family Treatment Court, an adult Judicial District Recovery Court, a Judicial District Women's Recovery Court, a Veterans Treatment Court, an Indian Child Welfare Act unit, a BRIDGES court liaison program, a Competency Docket, and an eviction defense program. Each of these tracks runs alongside the regular criminal, civil, family, or juvenile dockets. The goal is structured court review with treatment, supervision, and incentives in place of standard probation alone.

The newest addition is the Competency Court. The Colorado Judicial Branch announced the launch in a May 1, 2025 press release. Court began April 8, 2025 and serves Adams and Broomfield Counties. Chief Judge Kyle Seedorf oversees Competency Diversion and the Competency Docket in Adams County. Judge Amanda Dewick oversees Broomfield.

The Competency Docket and the Competency Diversion Program work alongside the state's HB24-1355 framework and the Bridges Wraparound Care Program. The aim is to address competency restoration needs and reduce wait times. The Women's Recovery Court remains a key gender-responsive option for women whose recovery, trauma, or family circumstances may benefit from a specialized track.

Adams County Sheriff and Jail

Sheriff Gene Claps leads the Adams County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's headquarters is at 4430 S. Adams County Parkway in Brighton. The Adams County Detention Facility, at 150 N. 19th Avenue in Brighton, holds people awaiting trial and people serving a sentence before transfer. The jail runs 24 hours a day. The Jail Division uses booking, court security, civil, detectives, transport, bonding, court services, programs, jail records, supervised release, and technical services units. The Court Services Unit sits at the Justice Center and moves people between the jail and court each day.

The sheriff also publishes warrant and inmate search tools. The current inmate roster sits at the Adams County inmate records page, which walks through the search field set, booking workflow, and bond steps. Active warrants and surrender details sit on the warrant records page. Both pages note that the public listings are reference only and that confirmation should go through the Warrants Section at 720-322-1325 or the Detention Facility at 303-654-1850.

Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records

Adams County splits the marriage track from the divorce track. The Clerk & Recorder Recording Department issues marriage and civil union licenses at the Government Center. License fee is $30. Divorce and legal separation, in contrast, are district court matters at the Justice Center under case class DR. Probate matters also file in district court, under class PR. The marriage and divorce records page covers the full license process and the divorce filing path. The probate records page walks through estates, wills, guardianships, and conservatorships.

The terms below come up often in probate work. Each has a specific role under Colorado Title 15.

Testator

The person who makes a will. The will takes effect at the testator's death.

Executor

The personal representative named in a will to manage and close the estate under court oversight.

Conservator

A court-appointed person who manages the finances and property of a protected adult or a minor.

Adams County Court Records Fees

Two fee schedules apply to records work in Adams County. The Recording Department fee schedule applies to recorded documents at the Clerk & Recorder, such as deeds, marriage and civil union licenses, and grantor or grantee searches. Court certified copies and case-file copies are governed by Judicial Branch policy. Those rates are not listed on the recording fee page. For a certified court copy, call the Records Unit at 303-654-3239 or write to AdamsRecordRequest@judicial.state.co.us. The fee for a copy of a court file is set by branch policy and may include research time under the CORA hourly cap published by the General Assembly.

The table below covers the most common Recording Department charges. Online payment of court fines, traffic tickets, criminal fees, and juvenile delinquency fees runs through the Colorado Judicial online payments portal.

The same portal is linked from the Adams County court page for traffic, misdemeanor, criminal, and juvenile delinquency payments.

Note: Verify all fees with the Recording Department or the Adams County Records Unit before payment, since rates and credit-card surcharges may change.

How to Interpret Adams County Court Records

Case numbers carry meaning. A 2025CR1088 record is a 2025 felony criminal case, sequence 1088. A 2024CV31511 record is a 2024 civil case in district court. A DR class is domestic relations, which covers divorce and similar family work. A T class is traffic. A C class shows up on county civil return-date rows. A CW class is reserved for water and certain special civil matters. An M class is misdemeanor. A PR class is probate. A JD class is juvenile delinquency. A JV class is the broader juvenile category. An S class is small claims. An R class shows up on county traffic and first-hearing rows.

One detail trips up many readers. A charge is not a conviction. The complaint or information lists the charge the prosecution intends to prove. The disposition shows what happened. A dismissed charge, an acquittal, a deferred judgment, or a plea to a lesser count all show in the disposition. Public docket rows do not show that detail. The full file does. For a clean view of what a case actually resolved, request the case file or look for the order in the docket entries. Hearing-type labels also matter. Arraignment is the early advisement and plea hearing. Disposition Hearing usually resolves the charge by plea or sentence. Sentencing Hearing imposes the sentence. Show Cause Hearing addresses why an order was not followed. Setting and Pretrial Conference are scheduling and prep hearings, not the final outcome.

Accuracy and Record Limitations

Online court records are useful for quick lookups, but they have limits. The docket search is updated by the court but does not show every pleading. Sheriff records update daily by 7 a.m. and may lag for booking events later in the day. The Records Unit is the best source for a certified or full record.

History of Adams County Courts

Adams County was carved out of Arapahoe County in the early twentieth century. Sheriff records cite a 1902 organizational meeting where Governor James B. Orman appointed the first county officials. Rice Means served as the first county judge. Christopher E. Lunney was the first county clerk. Martin R. Bromley took the sheriff's role. The first jail used two cells in the basement of a rented Brighton residence. Each cell ran seven feet high, seven and a half feet wide, and eight feet deep, with a canvas hammock and an iron bucket.

The county built a proper courthouse at 22 S. 4th Avenue in Brighton in 1906. National Register records list it as Adams County Courthouse and Brighton City Hall. Judicial functions ran out of that building for decades. Court work moved out in the 1970s, and the building became Brighton City Hall. The modern Adams County Justice Center took its place. Anyone looking at a historic photo of the 1906 building should not confuse it with today's court. The Justice Center on Judicial Center Drive is the active court address.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I search Adams County court dockets?

The Colorado Judicial Branch Docket Search at https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/dockets is the official tool. Pick Adams County from the County dropdown or 17th Judicial District from the District dropdown, then add at least one filter beyond the date. Filters include court type, case number, party name, business name, attorney name, and attorney bar number. The result rows show hearing date, time, case number, hearing type, and courtroom. Documents are not in the docket rows. For pleadings or orders, ask the Records Unit.

Where do I request Adams County court records or copies?

The Adams County Records Unit is the place to start. Phone is 303-654-3239. Email is AdamsRecordRequest@judicial.state.co.us. The main court line is 303-659-1161. Transcript requests use the Transcript Request Form and the email 17courtreporter@judicial.state.co.us. The 17th Judicial District does not release audio recordings of hearings except when required by law. Case files are governed by CJD 05-01, and some records may need redaction, fees, or in-person inspection.

What are the Adams County Justice Center hours?

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. The Clerk's Office closes from noon to 1:00 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month. The Court Resource Center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the same fourth-Wednesday lunch closure. Protection-order hearings run daily at 1:30 p.m. Paperwork must be filed at Windows 3, 4, 5, or 6 by 11:00 a.m. on the same day.

More on the Adams County Court Records FAQ page.