Search Arapahoe Court Records
Arapahoe County court records have three official access paths. First, the Colorado Judicial Branch docket search is free and helps locate hearing information. Second, the Judicial Branch access guide says limited online register-of-actions searches are available through commercial vendors such as CoCourts, LexisNexis Colorado Courts Record Search, Background Information Services, and Tessera Data. Third, copies of pleadings, divorce decrees, dispositions, probate orders, and other documents must be requested from the court location or through the Record/Document Request Form.
The Judicial Branch public-records access guide is important because it separates docket access from document access. Vendor records may show a register of actions for civil, small claims, domestic, felony, misdemeanor, and traffic cases, but vendor sites do not provide official copies. Arapahoe County Government does not maintain court case files. The county public-records page sends users to Judicial Branch channels for court records, to the Sheriff's Office for criminal-justice records, and to the Clerk and Recorder for recorded documents.
- Decide whether the needed item is a hearing date, a register of actions, or a document copy.
- Use the Judicial Branch docket search for hearing information and choose Arapahoe County filters.
- Use a Judicial Branch-listed vendor only when a register of actions is enough.
- Submit the statewide Record/Document Request Form for copies of case documents.
- Include a case number when known, and be ready to show ID for restricted, probate, juvenile, or confidential files.
- Contact the Arapahoe County court location for older, unclear, suppressed, or location-specific files.
The Colorado Judicial Branch access guide explains why Arapahoe County court records are not searched through the county Clerk and Recorder portal.
That distinction keeps court documents, sheriff records, and recorded public documents in their correct access channels.
Arapahoe Court Search Fields
The docket search requires a date and at least one additional filter. For Arapahoe County, the research confirmed 18th Judicial District, Arapahoe County, Arapahoe County Justice Center, and Arapahoe County Courthouse - Littleton as relevant location options. The document request form collects requester contact data and asks for case details so the court can respond with access, fee, or restriction instructions.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Date | Baseline required | Docket search requires date plus at least one other filter. |
| Judicial District | Dropdown | Additional filter | Use 18th Judicial District for Arapahoe County. |
| County | Dropdown | Additional filter | Select Arapahoe County. |
| Courthouse | Dropdown | Optional | Justice Center or Littleton courthouse, depending on the case. |
| Case Number | Text | Optional but useful | The request form gives an example format such as 2019T999999. |
| Requester address | Text fields | Yes on request form | Address line, state, city, and zip are marked required. |
The Judicial Branch record request form is the route for copies of Arapahoe County court records such as decrees, orders, dispositions, and probate documents.
The court uses the request details to determine whether the record can be released, whether ID is needed, and whether copy or research fees apply.
Arapahoe Court Record Types
Arapahoe County court records are produced by the state trial court system. District Court handles felony criminal, civil, domestic relations, juvenile, probate, and mental health matters. County Court handles misdemeanors, traffic infractions, small claims, protection orders, felony advisements, and civil cases within the county-court limit. Municipal courts keep city ordinance and some city traffic matters outside the state court docket path.
- Civil records may include complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, writs, garnishments, liens, and appeals.
- Criminal court records may include charges, pleas, motions, bond orders, dispositions, sentences, probation terms, warrants, and financial obligations.
- Domestic relations records include divorce, custody, support, parenting time, and protection order filings.
- Probate records include estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, inventories, accountings, and orders.
- Traffic court records include citation, case number, charge, court date, plea, disposition, fines, costs, and failure-to-appear activity.
- Juvenile and mental health records are often restricted and should not be treated as open public search results.
The Colorado trial-courts overview describes how District Court and County Court divide jurisdiction for Arapahoe County court records.
Knowing the court level prevents a search from confusing felony, misdemeanor, probate, and municipal record channels.
What Arapahoe Records Show
A court record can show both case-level data and document-level events. The register of actions is a timeline. The case file contains the actual papers filed with the court. Redactions can remove Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, protected addresses, minor names, medical information, and other restricted data. If a record is sealed, suppressed, juvenile, probate, or confidential, public access may be denied or limited.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Colorado court identifier used to request or track the case. |
| Court and Location | 18th Judicial District, Arapahoe County, and the relevant courthouse. |
| Parties | Names such as plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, or People v. defendant. |
| Docket Entries | Filings, hearings, orders, continuances, dispositions, judgments, sentences, or warrant events. |
| Financial Fields | Fines, fees, costs, restitution, bond, payment status, or collections when shown. |
| Documents | Pleadings, motions, decrees, orders, judgments, sentencing orders, and probate orders requested from court. |
Arapahoe Public Access Rules
Colorado access rules depend on the custodian. General county records are governed by the Colorado Open Records Act, C.R.S. Title 24, Article 72, Part 2. Criminal-justice records use the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act, C.R.S. Title 24, Article 72, Part 3. Court case files are governed by court rules, statutes, and clerk review. Criminal court records are presumed public under Colorado Rule of Criminal Procedure 55.1, but access may be limited through the rule's process.
Arapahoe County's Clerk and Recorder portal is for recording, marriage, election, motor vehicle, passport, and Clerk and Recorder CORA matters. It is not the channel for divorce records, probate case files, criminal case documents, civil pleadings, or court orders. Sheriff's reports, accident reports, booking photos, and in-custody reports go through Sheriff's records channels, not the court clerk.
Note: Ask the office that holds the record: court, Sheriff, Clerk and Recorder, or municipal court.
Restricted Arapahoe Court Records
Restricted records include juvenile case files, sealed criminal records, expunged juvenile records, adoption records, mental health proceedings, confidential probate details, and files with protected identifiers. Probate may be public in part, but guardianship, conservatorship, protected-person, medical, and financial details may require ID, party status, attorney status, or a court order.
Colorado sealing law can remove public access without destroying the underlying record. C.R.S. 24-72-703 addresses general sealing of arrest and criminal records, while C.R.S. 24-72-704 addresses sealing when no charges are filed. Juvenile expungement is addressed in C.R.S. 19-1-306. Eligibility depends on case type, outcome, waiting period, later convictions, and exclusions, so the court or Judicial Branch self-help forms should be checked before assuming a record can be sealed.
Arapahoe In-Person Requests
For court records that cannot be resolved online, contact or visit the court location where the case was filed. The Justice Center in Centennial and the Littleton courthouse are both listed by the Colorado Judicial Branch for Arapahoe County court services. Bring the case number when possible and a U.S. government-issued photo ID when the request may involve suppressed, juvenile, probate, or confidential material.
Arapahoe County Combined Courts
7325 S. Potomac Street
Centennial, CO 80112
303-645-6600
Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Arapahoe County Courthouse - Littleton
1790 West Littleton Boulevard
Littleton, CO 80120
303-645-6600
Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
The manifest also assigned a federal bankruptcy PACER image to this page. Federal bankruptcy records are separate from Arapahoe County court records and are searched through federal PACER channels.
Use federal systems only when the case is in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court or another federal court, not for Colorado District Court or County Court files.
Arapahoe Record Channels
Every access channel in Arapahoe County starts with custody of the record. Court case documents are held by the Colorado Judicial Branch. Recorded land records, marriage licenses, military discharges, and other public recording documents are held by the Clerk and Recorder. Incident reports, accident reports, booking photos, background checks, and in-custody reports are held by the Sheriff's Office. Municipal traffic and ordinance files may be held by the city court named on the citation.
The county Clerk and Recorder's Legal Document Search covers recorded documents from February 1, 1996 to present, with in-office public records going back to 1902. That tool is valuable for recorded public documents, but the Clerk and Recorder states that the office is not affiliated with county, municipal, or state court systems and cannot provide court records, court forms, or court documents. Divorce records, probate filings, criminal case files, civil pleadings, and court orders go through court channels.
| Need | Correct Channel | Not the Right Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Hearing date | Colorado Judicial Branch docket search | Clerk and Recorder Document Search |
| Case document copy | Judicial Branch Record/Document Request Form | County Clerk and Recorder CORA portal |
| Incident or booking record | Sheriff's records request portal | Court docket search |
| Marriage license recording | Arapahoe Clerk and Recorder Recording Division | Clerk of Court |
Federal and Municipal Records
Federal records are separate from Arapahoe County District Court and County Court files. The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado uses PACER and CM/ECF for federal civil and criminal cases. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado uses federal bankruptcy systems for bankruptcy matters. A federal case should not be searched through the Arapahoe County court clerk unless a related state case also exists.
Municipal courts are also separate for many city ordinance and city traffic matters. A summons from Aurora, Englewood, Littleton, Greenwood Village, Centennial, or another municipality may point to a local court or payment page instead of the state Judicial Branch docket. If a citation does not appear in state court, read the issuing agency and court name before assuming no record exists.