HOW LONG DOES A COLORADO DIVORCE TAKE?
The Colorado divorce timeline has one fixed point: no decree can be entered until at least 91 days after the court acquires jurisdiction over the responding spouse. That is the day the other spouse is served or signs a waiver, or the filing date if you file together.
Colorado law sets no typical length beyond that, so this guide does not guess at one. It gives the actual deadlines, forms and El Paso and Teller county orders for each step.
Colorado law calls divorce a dissolution of marriage. If you have just been served, start with Step 3, because your response deadline is already running.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- The Colorado Divorce Timeline at a Glance
- Step 1: Before You File
- Step 2: Filing the Petition
- Step 3: Service and the Response
- Step 4: The Automatic Temporary Injunction
- Step 5: The 91-Day Waiting Period
- Step 6: The Initial Status Conference
- Step 7: Financial Disclosures
- Step 8: Parenting Class and Parenting Plan
- Step 9: Temporary Orders
- Step 10: Mediation
- Step 11: Child and Family Investigators and Evaluators
- Step 12: Reaching Agreement and Finishing Without a Hearing
- Step 13: Permanent Orders and the Decree
- Step 14: After the Decree
- What Makes a Divorce Faster or Slower
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Talking With a Colorado Springs Family Law Attorney
- Sources
THE COLORADO DIVORCE TIMELINE AT A GLANCE
Rows marked El Paso County come from that court’s case management order (FCF 400).
| Stage | Legal deadline or trigger | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Before filing | One spouse domiciled in Colorado for 91 days | C.R.S. 14-10-106 |
| Filing | Petition (JDF 1011); $260 fee | List of Fees |
| Service (one spouse files) | Waiver, personal service or court-ordered publication | C.R.S. 14-10-107 |
| Response | 21 days after receiving the summons; 35 if served outside Colorado or by publication | Summons (JDF 1012) |
| Automatic temporary injunction | Applies to both spouses once the petition is filed and the respondent is served or accepts service | C.R.S. 14-10-107 |
| Initial status conference | Within 42 days of filing (El Paso County) | FCF 400 |
| Financial disclosures | Within 42 days after service of the petition | C.R.C.P. 16.2(e)(2); FCF 400 |
| Parenting class | Within 42 days of filing, children under 18 (El Paso County) | FCF 400 |
| Mediation | Before a court hearing unless waived (El Paso and Teller counties) | FCF 300A |
| Earliest decree | 91 days after the court acquires jurisdiction over the respondent | C.R.S. 14-10-106 |
| Appeal | Within 49 days after a final written order | JDF 1911 I |
STEP 1: BEFORE YOU FILE
Residency and Where to File
Under C.R.S. 14-10-106, one spouse must have been domiciled in Colorado for the 91 days before filing. If either of you is here on military orders or moved recently, ask a lawyer how that rule applies.
The Judicial Branch’s divorce self-help page says to file in the county where you or your spouse lives. El Paso and Teller counties form the Fourth Judicial District, and El Paso County cases are heard at the Judicial Building, 270 South Tejon Street.
When Colorado Can Make Parenting Orders
Colorado calls what most people know as custody the allocation of parental responsibilities. Under C.R.S. 14-13-201, a Colorado court can generally make the first parenting orders only if Colorado is the child’s home state when the case is filed, or was the home state within the 182 days before filing and a parent still lives here. Home state means where the child lived with a parent for at least 182 consecutive days just before the case, or since birth for a child under six months (C.R.S. 14-13-102).
Dissolution or Legal Separation
A legal separation decides the same issues without ending the marriage, and the court will not enter one over the other spouse’s objection (C.R.S. 14-10-106). Either spouse may move to convert it to a dissolution no earlier than 182 days after the separation decree (C.R.S. 14-10-120); see legal separation vs divorce in Colorado.
STEP 2: FILING THE PETITION
Under C.R.S. 14-10-107, either or both spouses may file the petition. The Judicial Branch calls a joint filing easier and cheaper because co-petitioners skip service and the response.
The Judicial Branch’s List of Fees shows $260 for a petition and $146 for a response (January 2025 publication; fees can change). If you cannot afford them, file a Motion to Waive Fees (JDF 205) with a proposed Order re Court Fees (JDF 206).
Current Judicial Branch Forms
| Form | Number |
|---|---|
| Case Information Sheet | JDF 1000 |
| Petition for Divorce or Legal Separation | JDF 1011 |
| Summons (only if one spouse files) | JDF 1012 |
| Waiver of Service | JDF 1013 |
| Return of Service | JDF 1014 |
| Response to the Petition | JDF 1015 |
| Sworn Financial Statement | JDF 1111 |
| Certificate of Compliance | JDF 1104 |
| Parenting Plan | JDF 1113 |
| Property and Financial Agreement | JDF 1115 |
| Affidavit for Decree Without Appearance | JDF 1018 |
| Decree | JDF 1019 |
The Judicial Branch’s filing guide (JDF 1010) lists the core forms in order, and El Paso County’s court page links its own summons (JDF 1102) with the same response deadlines.
STEP 3: SERVICE AND THE RESPONSE
If you file alone, your spouse must be served under C.R.S. 14-10-107. The Judicial Branch’s service instructions (JDF 1099) describe three ways:
- Waiver of Service. Your spouse signs a Waiver of Service, which the form says is not agreement with the petition.
- Personal service. A sheriff, a process server or an uninvolved adult over 18 delivers the papers and completes a Return of Service. You cannot serve them yourself.
- Publication. Only for a spouse who cannot be found despite attempts at personal service, and only on a court order finding that due diligence was used.
The Response Deadline
Under the summons, a Response is due within 21 days of receiving it, or 35 days if served outside Colorado or by publication. If none is filed, the summons warns that the court may decide the case without the respondent’s input. If you were just served, see what to do when your spouse wants a divorce.
Active-duty servicemembers can ask for a stay under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act; see military divorce in Colorado Springs.
STEP 4: THE AUTOMATIC TEMPORARY INJUNCTION
Under C.R.S. 14-10-107(4)(b), an automatic temporary injunction applies to both spouses once the petition has been filed and the other spouse has been served or has accepted service. It lasts until the decree, dismissal or further court order. The Judicial Branch forms, which print its terms, tell the filing spouse to obey it on filing and the other spouse on receiving the summons.
It restrains both spouses from:
- Transferring, encumbering, concealing or disposing of marital property without the other’s consent or a court order, except in the usual course of business or for necessities of life.
- Molesting or disturbing the peace of the other spouse.
- Removing the children from Colorado without the other’s consent or a court order.
- Canceling, modifying or letting lapse health, home, renter’s or auto coverage for either spouse or the children, or life insurance naming any of them as beneficiary, without at least 14 days’ notice and the other’s written consent or a court order.
Each spouse must also give notice of proposed extraordinary expenditures and account to the court for them. Breaking the injunction can lead to contempt of court, and it is not the same as a civil protection order (see restraining orders in a Colorado Springs divorce).
STEP 5: THE 91-DAY WAITING PERIOD
C.R.S. 14-10-106 bars a decree until 91 days or more have passed since the court acquired jurisdiction over the respondent, which the Judicial Branch explains is the joint filing date or the date the other spouse is served or signs a waiver.
The wait applies even when you agree on everything, and an affidavit to finish without a hearing does not shorten it (C.R.S. 14-10-120.3). El Paso County lets you file the affidavit early, but the decree cannot be granted before the period ends and is not automatic on day 92.
STEP 6: THE INITIAL STATUS CONFERENCE
El Paso County’s Domestic Relations Case Management Order (FCF 400, revised August 2026) requires an initial status conference within 42 days of filing, as the Judicial Branch’s filing guide also says. It is usually held with a Family Court Facilitator, though a judge or magistrate may hold it, to review progress, deadlines and drafted forms (see the family case process page).
Have your Sworn Financial Statement ready. Under FCF 400, missing the conference can lead to fees and costs or dismissal.
Can the Conference Be Skipped?
Under FCF 400, only if both parties have lawyers or licensed legal paraprofessionals who file a stipulated case management plan and certificates of compliance, or both jointly file the affidavit for a decree without appearance (JDF 1018) with all required documents. Self-represented parties must check with the Family Court Facilitator first, and Teller County parties should follow their own case order.
STEP 7: FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES
Under C.R.C.P. 16.2(e)(2), as amended in Rule Change 2024(03), each spouse must give the other the mandatory financial disclosures and a completed Sworn Financial Statement within 42 days after service of the petition, without waiting to be asked. FCF 400 also requires filing the Sworn Financial Statement (JDF 1111) and a Certificate of Compliance (JDF 1104), and warns of sanctions for not filing or for intentionally inaccurate or incomplete information.
Under C.R.C.P. 16.2(e)(11), spouses who meet narrow conditions, including no children’s issues, no maintenance claim and limited assets and debts, may agree in writing to limit disclosure to Sworn Financial Statements, which every case still requires. If you suspect hidden assets, see what to do if your spouse is hiding money.
STEP 8: PARENTING CLASS AND PARENTING PLAN
If you have children under 18, FCF 400 requires each parent to complete a Level 1 parenting seminar from an approved provider within 42 days of filing and file the certificate. The El Paso County forms page links to the approved class list.
Under C.R.S. 14-10-124, the court allocates decision-making responsibility and parenting time in accordance with the best interests of the child, and writes its own parenting plan if none is submitted or approved. The Judicial Branch’s Parenting Plan (JDF 1113, revised December 18, 2025) must be signed by all parties for the court to review it.
A 2026 law, HB26-1309, not yet in the 2025 online statutes, added rules for cases where the court finds domestic violence, child abuse or neglect, or a sexual assault that resulted in the child’s conception; see how domestic violence affects child custody. Our guide to parenting time in Colorado covers schedules.
STEP 9: TEMPORARY ORDERS
Under C.R.S. 14-10-108, either spouse may ask for temporary orders on debts, use of property, maintenance, parental responsibilities, child support, and attorney or licensed legal paraprofessional fees, or to exclude the other from the family home on a showing that physical or emotional harm would otherwise result.
In El Paso County, FCF 400 sets these hearings after the initial status conference and requires the parties to certify a good-faith attempt to resolve the issues. Temporary orders do not prejudice either side’s rights at later hearings and end at the decree unless continued for good cause (C.R.S. 14-10-108(5)).
STEP 10: MEDIATION
No statewide statute requires mediation in every Colorado divorce. In El Paso and Teller counties, a Fourth Judicial District blanket mediation order (FCF 300A) requires a remote session of at least two hours before a court hearing in domestic cases. A party unwilling to mediate because of claimed physical or psychological abuse by the other may move for a waiver.
This affects timing: FCF 400 says the final orders date may be canceled or the case dismissed if mediation is not completed, and that the Office of Dispute Resolution typically schedules mediation at least four weeks after a request.
STEP 11: CHILD AND FAMILY INVESTIGATORS AND EVALUATORS
When parenting is contested, the court may appoint a Child and Family Investigator (CFI) under C.R.S. 14-10-116.5 to investigate and make recommendations on the child’s best interests, with the child’s safety always paramount. For more complex disputes, C.R.S. 14-10-127 allows an evaluation by a Parental Responsibilities Evaluator (PRE), after the court considers whether a CFI would be sufficient.
A PRE’s report is due at least 21 days before the hearing, so either appointment adds time and cost. Our overview of Colorado custody laws explains their roles.
STEP 12: REACHING AGREEMENT AND FINISHING WITHOUT A HEARING
Under C.R.S. 14-10-112, spouses may sign a written separation agreement covering maintenance, property, parental responsibilities, support and parenting time. Property and maintenance terms bind the court unless it finds the agreement unconscionable; terms about the children do not. The Property and Financial Agreement (JDF 1115) covers the financial side.
Finishing by Affidavit
Under C.R.S. 14-10-120.3, the court may enter a decree on the affidavit of one or both spouses, without a court appearance, when all of these are true:
- There are no minor children and neither spouse is pregnant, or both spouses are represented by a lawyer or licensed legal paraprofessional and have a separation agreement that allocates parental responsibilities and sets child support.
- The other spouse was served as the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure require.
- There is no genuine issue as to any material fact.
- There is no marital property to divide, or the spouses have agreed on its division.
The court may still require a hearing, and FCF 400 allows a decree by affidavit with minor children only if both parties have counsel. See uncontested divorce in Colorado.
STEP 13: PERMANENT ORDERS AND THE DECREE
Issues still disputed after mediation are decided at what FCF 400 calls the final or permanent orders hearing. Under FCF 400, each side sends a final witness list and exhibits at least seven days ahead, and the court considers only evidence admitted at the hearing.
The court then decides what remains, such as property and debts, spousal maintenance, parental responsibilities and child support. It may enter the decree first and decide those issues later only on a finding that the deferral is in the best interests of the parties (C.R.S. 14-10-106).
The Decree (JDF 1019) includes findings on domicile, the 91 days and the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. Under C.R.S. 14-10-120, it is final when entered, subject to the right of appeal, and either spouse may remarry during an appeal that does not challenge the breakdown finding.
STEP 14: AFTER THE DECREE
Several tasks follow the decree:
- Retirement division orders. The Property and Financial Agreement warns that dividing retirement funds may require a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) and asks who will prepare it. Military retired pay follows separate federal rules; see our Colorado military divorce guide.
- Name restoration. The affidavit and decree forms let a spouse ask to restore a prior name.
- Beneficiaries. Under C.R.S. 15-11-804, a divorce (but not a legal separation) revokes many revocable beneficiary designations and gifts to a former spouse unless a document, court order or property agreement says otherwise. Update beneficiary forms, wills and powers of attorney yourself.
- Modifications. Orders about children and support change only through the court, and the List of Fees shows $105 for a motion to modify filed more than 60 days after the order. See post-decree modifications.
- Appeals. Under the Judicial Branch’s notice of appeal instructions (JDF 1911 I), a notice of appeal is due within 49 days after a final written order, and some magistrate orders need a magistrate review first. See Colorado custody appeals.
WHAT MAKES A DIVORCE FASTER OR SLOWER
Things That Tend to Speed a Case Up
- Filing jointly, or a prompt Waiver of Service, which starts the 91 days right away.
- Completing disclosures early and accurately.
- Finishing the parenting class on time and requesting mediation early.
- Agreeing where you can and narrowing the rest.
Things That Tend to Slow a Case Down
- A spouse who cannot be found or avoids service.
- Missing or incomplete financial disclosures.
- Contested parenting issues, especially with a CFI or evaluator.
- A business, retirement plans or other property that must be valued.
- Safety concerns or protection order proceedings alongside the divorce.
See also our Colorado divorce tips and how much a divorce lawyer costs.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What Is the Fastest a Divorce Can Be Final in Colorado?
No decree can be entered until at least 91 days after the court acquires jurisdiction over the responding spouse: the joint filing date, or the date the other spouse is served or signs a waiver. Even then the decree is not automatic, and the court may require a hearing.
Can the 91-Day Waiting Period Be Waived?
No. C.R.S. 14-10-106 requires at least 91 days after the court acquires jurisdiction over the respondent, and an affidavit for a decree without a hearing does not shorten that period.
Do I Have to Go to Court for a Divorce in Colorado?
Not always. Under C.R.S. 14-10-120.3, a decree can be entered on affidavit if, among other conditions, there are no minor children and no pregnancy, or both spouses are represented and have a separation agreement covering the children. The court can still require a hearing, and in El Paso County the initial status conference is mandatory unless excused.
What Happens If My Spouse Does Not Respond?
A Response is due within 21 days of receiving the summons, or 35 days if served outside Colorado or by publication. Without one, the summons warns that the court may decide the case without the respondent’s input, though the 91-day wait still applies.
How Long Does a Contested Divorce Take in Colorado?
There is no set length. A contested case cannot end before the 91-day minimum and can take considerably longer because of disclosures, mediation, evaluations and the court’s calendar.
TALKING WITH A COLORADO SPRINGS FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY
Your timeline depends on your facts, your spouse and your court’s calendar. A consultation is a chance to talk through where you are and what comes next.
Moran, Allen & Associates Family Law Attorneys represents clients in Colorado Springs divorce cases and child custody cases throughout El Paso and Teller counties; meet our Colorado Springs family law team. Call (719) 447-0762 in Colorado Springs or (719) 686-7554 for our Woodland Park office, or schedule a free consultation.
You can also browse more articles about divorce, including whether you need a divorce lawyer.
This article is general information about Colorado law as of October 2026 and is not legal advice. Statutes, court rules, forms and local orders change, and every case turns on its own facts, so speak with a licensed Colorado attorney about your situation.
SOURCES
- C.R.S. 14-10-106, Dissolution of Marriage and Legal Separation (91-day requirements)
- C.R.S. 14-10-107, Commencement, Service and Automatic Temporary Injunction
- C.R.S. 14-10-108, Temporary Orders
- C.R.S. 14-10-112, Separation Agreements
- C.R.S. 14-10-116.5, Child and Family Investigator
- C.R.S. 14-10-120, Decree and Conversion of Legal Separation
- C.R.S. 14-10-120.3, Decree Upon Affidavit
- C.R.S. 14-10-124, Best Interests of the Child and Parenting Plans
- C.R.S. 14-10-127, Parental Responsibilities Evaluations
- C.R.S. 14-13-102, Definitions (Home State)
- C.R.S. 14-13-201, Initial Child-Custody Jurisdiction
- C.R.S. 15-11-804, Revocation of Transfers to a Former Spouse by Divorce
- Colorado Session Laws 2026, Chapter 163 (HB26-1309, Abuse in Cases of Separation, as enacted)
- Colorado Supreme Court, Rule Change 2024(03), amending C.R.C.P. 16.2(e)(2) and (e)(11)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Divorce or Legal Separation self-help page
- Colorado Judicial Branch, How to File for Divorce or Legal Separation (JDF 1010)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Family Case Process
- Colorado Judicial Branch, How to Serve the Other Party (JDF 1099)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Case Information Sheet (JDF 1000)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Petition for Divorce or Legal Separation (JDF 1011)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Summons, divorce or legal separation (JDF 1012)
- El Paso County District Court, Summons for Dissolution of Marriage or Legal Separation (JDF 1102)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Waiver of Service (JDF 1013)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Return of Service (JDF 1014)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Response to the Petition (JDF 1015)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Certificate of Compliance with Mandatory Financial Disclosures (JDF 1104)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Sworn Financial Statement (JDF 1111, Form 35.2)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Parenting Plan (JDF 1113, rev. December 18, 2025)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Property and Financial Agreement (JDF 1115)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Affidavit for Decree Without Appearance (JDF 1018)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Decree, divorce or legal separation (JDF 1019)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, List of Fees (January 2025 publication)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Motion to Waive Fees (JDF 205)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Order re Court Fees (JDF 206)
- El Paso County District Court (Fourth Judicial District), Domestic Relations Case Management Order (FCF 400, rev. August 2026)
- Fourth Judicial District, Blanket Order to Alternative Dispute Resolution/Mediation in Domestic Cases (FCF 300A)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, El Paso County Forms (parenting classes)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Notice of Appeal Instructions (JDF 1911 I)