- Residency before filing
- 91 days[2]
Key facts: divorce in Colorado
| Waiting period | 91 days[1] details ↓ |
|---|---|
| Residency requirement | 91 days[2] details ↓ |
| Court mediation for custody | Court may order[1] details ↓ |
| Court mediation fees | $75 per party per hour ($15 if indigent)[3] details ↓ |
| Filing fee | $260[4] details ↓ |
Statutes and court rules as checked October 26, 2026. Not legal advice.
What are the divorce laws in Colorado?
Not legal advice. These are plain-English summaries of Colorado’s statutes and court rules as of the date shown on each; they can change and courts apply them case by case. Read the linked source or ask a lawyer licensed in Colorado.
Waiting period
91 days
Even when spouses agree on everything, they must wait 91 days; the period starts when a joint petition is filed, or when the other spouse is served or signs a waiver of service.[1]
Colorado Judicial Branch, JDF 1010 “How to File for Divorce or Legal Separation” · checked October 26, 2026
Show statute text
“You must still wait 91 days after filing the Petition and serving the other spouse. The 91 days start when the petition is filed together, or the other person is served or signs a waiver.”
Residency requirement
91 days
One spouse must have lived in Colorado for at least 91 days before filing; children must have lived there for 182 days (or since birth) for parenting orders.[2]
Colorado Judicial Branch, “Divorce or Legal Separation” self-help page · checked October 26, 2026
Show statute text
“You or your spouse must have lived in Colorado for at least 91 days before you can file a divorce case in Colorado.”
No-fault divorce
Not yet verified
Start with Divorce or Legal Separation (Colorado Judicial Branch).
Property division
Not yet verified
Community property in Colorado: the statute quoted →
Start with Divorce or Legal Separation (Colorado Judicial Branch).
Court mediation for custody
Court may order
If parents cannot agree on a parenting plan (or spouses on property), the court may order mediation; the State Office of Dispute Resolution offers mediation, and forms exist to request lower-cost mediation or to ask to opt out.[1]
Colorado Judicial Branch, JDF 1010 “How to File for Divorce or Legal Separation” · checked October 26, 2026
Show statute text
“JDF 1113 Parenting Plan Parties submit one document signed together. If you cannot agree, mediation may be ordered.”
Court mediation fees
$75 per party per hour ($15 if indigent)
Mediation through the Colorado Office of Dispute Resolution in district court cases, including domestic relations, costs $75 per party per hour; parties found indigent pay $15 per party per hour.[3]
Chief Justice Order, Fee Schedule for Dispute Resolution Services Provided by the Office of Dispute Resolution Independent Contractors · checked October 26, 2026
Show statute text
“District Court Civil cases (including probate, domestic relations, and juvenile cases) • $75 per party per hour”
“Reduced Fees upon an Indigency Determination (all court and case types) • For parties: $15 per party per hour”
Filing fee
$260
The Judicial Branch's domestic pro se class materials list the filing fee for a dissolution of marriage or civil union, or legal separation, as $260; a fee waiver can be requested.[4]
Colorado Judicial Branch, “Domestic Pro Se Class - Divorce, Legal Separation, Civil Union” · checked October 26, 2026
Show statute text
“Dissolution of Marriage or Civil Union / Legal Separation... $260...”
Alimony
Set by formula
Colorado has advisory maintenance guidelines for marriages of at least 3 years with combined gross income of $240,000 a year or less: 40% of combined income minus the lower earner’s income (reduced to 80% or 75% when maintenance isn’t tax-deductible), for a term set by a table of months married. Courts keep full discretion.
Divorce rate
2.9 per 1,000 residents (2024)
Colorado’s courts granted 2.9 divorces per 1,000 residents in 2024, down from 4.7 in 2000; the U.S. rate was 2.3. In the Census Bureau’s 2024 survey, 7.8 of every 1,000 women 15 and older in Colorado divorced in the past year (±1.3; U.S. 6.9), a different measure.[6][7]
Divorce rates by state, with sources → · CDC/NCHS NVSS; Census ACS · checked October 27, 2026
Estimate your divorce cost in Colorado: mediation vs. court →
How child support is calculated in Colorado →
Official help: Divorce or Legal Separation (Colorado Judicial Branch)
Mediators per 100,000: MediationList listings from official court and government rosters in Colorado (60) ÷ population (5,957,493, U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 county population estimates (July 1, 2024)) × 100,000, the same figure as mediator statistics.[5]
Questions about divorce in Colorado
How long does a divorce take in Colorado?
The law sets the minimum, not the total: Even when spouses agree on everything, they must wait 91 days; the period starts when a joint petition is filed, or when the other spouse is served or signs a waiver of service. How long it takes after that depends on whether you agree and on the court's calendar. — Colorado Judicial Branch, JDF 1010 “How to File for Divorce or Legal Separation”[1]
How long do you have to live in Colorado to file for divorce?
One spouse must have lived in Colorado for at least 91 days before filing; children must have lived there for 182 days (or since birth) for parenting orders. — Colorado Judicial Branch, “Divorce or Legal Separation” self-help page[2]
Is mediation required for custody in Colorado?
If parents cannot agree on a parenting plan (or spouses on property), the court may order mediation; the State Office of Dispute Resolution offers mediation, and forms exist to request lower-cost mediation or to ask to opt out. — Colorado Judicial Branch, JDF 1010 “How to File for Divorce or Legal Separation”[1]
How much does it cost to file for divorce in Colorado?
The Judicial Branch's domestic pro se class materials list the filing fee for a dissolution of marriage or civil union, or legal separation, as $260; a fee waiver can be requested. — Colorado Judicial Branch, “Domestic Pro Se Class - Divorce, Legal Separation, Civil Union”[4]
How much does court mediation cost in Colorado?
Mediation through the Colorado Office of Dispute Resolution in district court cases, including domestic relations, costs $75 per party per hour; parties found indigent pay $15 per party per hour. — Chief Justice Order, Fee Schedule for Dispute Resolution Services Provided by the Office of Dispute Resolution Independent Contractors[3]
More
Sources
Colorado’s statutes and court rules, read on the official site, plus federal statistics; each with the date we checked it.
- Colorado Judicial Branch, JDF 1010 "How to File for Divorce or Legal Separation"↩
- Colorado Judicial Branch, "Divorce or Legal Separation" self-help page↩
- Chief Justice Order, Fee Schedule for Dispute Resolution Services Provided by the Office of Dispute Resolution Independent Contractors (Colorado Judicial Branch)↩
- Colorado Judicial Branch, "Domestic Pro Se Class - Divorce, Legal Separation, Civil Union" (April 2025)↩
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 county and state population estimates (July 1, 2024)↩
- CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System: Divorce rates by State: 1990, 1995, and 2000-2024↩
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, table https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2024.B12503↩