Arapahoe County District Court
Arapahoe County is the single-county 18th Judicial District. That structure became effective on January 14, 2025, when the former 18th Judicial District split and Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln Counties became the new 23rd Judicial District. For more than 60 years those counties had shared one district. After the split, Arapahoe County District Court and the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office became focused on Arapahoe County alone.
Colorado District Courts are courts of general jurisdiction. The Judicial Branch trial-court overview says District Courts hear civil cases in any amount, domestic relations, criminal cases, juvenile matters, probate, and mental health cases. In Arapahoe County, County Court remains part of the state court system and handles misdemeanors, traffic infractions, felony advisements, small claims, protection orders, and civil cases under Colorado's county-court limit.
The official Colorado Judicial Branch Arapahoe County court page is the main local source for court locations, records links, virtual courtrooms, forms, interpreter contacts, and records email.
Arapahoe County District Court Locations
District Court and County Court matters are handled through the Arapahoe County Combined Courts. The main justice-campus location is in Centennial, with a second courthouse in Littleton. The research does not list separate numbered district courts by judge number, so the required court table is built around the official court locations and roles rather than invented numbered divisions.
| Court | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18th Judicial District Court / Arapahoe County Combined Courts | District Court and County Court matters | 7325 S. Potomac Street, Centennial, CO 80112 | 303-645-6600 |
| Arapahoe County Courthouse - Littleton | State court location for Arapahoe County cases | 1790 West Littleton Boulevard, Littleton, CO 80120 | 303-645-6600 |
| Colorado Court of Appeals | Intermediate appeals from most District Court cases | 2 East 14th Avenue, Denver, CO 80203 | Colorado Judicial Branch appellate contact |
| Municipal Courts | Local ordinance and municipal traffic matters | Varies by city, including Aurora, Englewood, Littleton, Greenwood Village, and Centennial citation handling | Check the issuing city court |
The Colorado Court of Appeals page is relevant because most Arapahoe County District Court appeals go to that intermediate appellate court.
Appeal routing is part of the District Court record picture because lower-court decisions can move into a new appellate record after judgment.
District Court vs County Court
Arapahoe County court searches often fail when the case is searched at the wrong level. District Court is the broad trial court for felony, high-value civil, domestic, juvenile, probate, and mental health matters. County Court handles lower civil cases, misdemeanors, many traffic matters, small claims, felony complaints before transfer, and protection orders. Municipal courts are city courts for ordinance cases and some municipal traffic tickets.
| Feature | District Court | County Court | Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil role | Civil cases in any amount. | Civil cases under $25,000 and small claims. | Local ordinance civil or code matters when authorized. |
| Criminal role | Felony criminal cases. | Misdemeanors, traffic misdemeanors, and felony advisements or complaints. | Municipal ordinance and city traffic violations. |
| Family and probate | Domestic relations, juvenile, probate, mental health. | Generally not the main family or probate venue. | Not a probate or divorce court. |
| Appeals path | Usually Colorado Court of Appeals. | Appeals go to District Court. | Follow city and state appeal rules. |
| Search clue | Felony, divorce, custody, probate, large civil, juvenile. | Misdemeanor, small claims, traffic, protection order. | City ticket, ordinance summons, local citation. |
Arapahoe County Case Flow
The case path depends on case type. Felony charges may start with arrest, advisement, bond, and complaint activity before the case proceeds in District Court. Civil matters begin with a complaint or petition, followed by service, answer, motions, hearings, and judgment. Domestic relations and probate cases use petition-based filing, court orders, and later document requests if copies are needed.
Criminal flow: Arrest or summons › Advisement and bond › Complaint, information, or indictment › Arraignment › Motions and pretrial hearings › Plea or trial › Disposition and sentence › Appeal or post-judgment action.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition filed › Service › Answer or response › Motions › Discovery › Settlement, mediation, hearing, or trial › Judgment › Appeal or collection.
Note: Docket search can show hearing activity, but filed document copies must be requested from the Clerk of Court.
Search District Court Records
Arapahoe County District Court records have the same official access channels as other Colorado court records. Use the Judicial Branch docket search for hearing dates and court location. Use listed vendor access if a register of actions is needed and the case type is included. Use the court location or online Record/Document Request Form for copies of pleadings, orders, decrees, dispositions, probate documents, and other case-file records.
- Start with the court or case type named on the paperwork.
- Use the docket search and select the 18th Judicial District, Arapahoe County, and the correct courthouse when known.
- Choose at least one filter in addition to date, as required by the docket tool.
- Use the case number and party information when asking for court document copies.
- Contact 303-645-6600 or 18records@judicial.state.co.us when the case is old, unclear, restricted, or not showing online.
The 18th Judicial District Attorney homepage is a criminal-case source for prosecution office context, not a public court-file database.
The prosecutor's office may appear in criminal District Court records, but the clerk remains the source for filed court documents.
Arapahoe County Felony Cases
District Court is the main venue for felony criminal cases in Arapahoe County. Criminal case files can include the charging document, advisement entries, bond orders, motions, pleas, hearing minutes, disposition, sentence, probation conditions, restitution, warrant activity, and financial obligations. Sheriff's booking records and inmate charge displays are related, but they are not the same as the District Court criminal case file.
The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office now serves only Arapahoe County. Amy Padden was sworn in as District Attorney on January 14, 2025. County news reported the single-county office had 181 employees, including 71 attorneys and 21 investigators, and that Arapahoe County allocated more than $21.5 million for the office in 2025. A later county item reported 3,407 felony cases filed in 2025 and 95 felony District Court trials.
The District Attorney Amy Padden biography page is the manifest source for local prosecution leadership and priorities.
Those prosecution details help explain who files felony charges, while the District Court record shows what was filed and how the case moved.
Arapahoe County District Matters
District Court also handles civil cases in any amount, domestic relations matters, juvenile cases, probate, and mental health proceedings. Divorce decrees are court records, not Clerk and Recorder records. Probate outside Denver is handled by District Court jurisdiction, not by a stand-alone county probate court. Juvenile, adoption, mental health, protected-person, sealed, and suppressed files may require ID, party status, attorney status, a court order, or may be unavailable to the public.
Problem-solving courts are also part of the local court context. The 18th Judicial District has programs such as Wellness Court, Veterans Court, Recovery Court, Sobriety Court, Family Integrated Treatment Court, and Truancy Court. These programs are not record-search portals, but their docket activity and orders may appear in a case file when a participant's case is assigned to the program.
Arapahoe County Court Access
Both court locations list public hours as Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Protection orders must be filed before 4:00 p.m. for same-day processing and judge review. The court does not accept faxed documents. Self-represented e-filing has been available in Arapahoe County since October 1, 2019. Interpreter requests go to 303-645-6857 or 18interpreter@judicial.state.co.us, and records research questions go to 18records@judicial.state.co.us.
Security rules bar firearms, knives, scissors, needles, gases, explosives, tools, and other items that can be used as weapons. Food and drinks may be inspected or sent through x-ray screening. Anyone going to court for a District Court record, hearing, or filing should use the official Judicial Branch location page before arrival because courthouse instructions can change.