Boulder County District Court Records

Boulder County District Court Overview

Colorado's Judicial Branch is a state system. That means Boulder County District Court is not run by Boulder County government, even though the building sits on the local civic campus. The court is the trial court of general jurisdiction for the 20th Judicial District. It hears felony criminal cases, domestic relations and divorce, probate, juvenile matters, larger civil cases, name changes, Rule 120 foreclosure filings, protection order proceedings, and appeals that come up from county and municipal courts.

The 20th Judicial District is coextensive with Boulder County. One county, one district. The court page at coloradojudicial.gov is the main state source for division contacts, dockets, and local notices. The bench is led by Chief Judge Nancy W. Salomone, who sits in Division 13. Court Executive Tracey Sogi runs administration. Megan Cain serves as Acting Clerk of Court. The court shares the same building with county court and magistrate divisions, so the public sees a single "Boulder County Combined Court" rather than separate district and county buildings.

Most Boulder County District Court files are open to the public, but some material is restricted by Title 19, CJD 05-01, mental health rules, or protective orders. Sealed cases, juvenile delinquency files, dependency and neglect matters, mental health commitments, and adoption records may require an ID, attorney status, or a court order. For a full breakdown of record access, see the court records guide.

A snapshot of the Boulder County Combined Court location page on the Colorado Judicial Branch site, from coloradojudicial.gov:

The page shows hours, the main 303-441-3750 number, and the mailing address PO Box 4249, Boulder, CO 80306. Use the street address for visits, not the post office box.

Numbered Divisions of Boulder County District and County Court

The 20th Judicial District uses numbered divisions for district court judges, county court judges, and magistrates. Each division has its own direct phone line and email through the state judicial domain. Every division sits at the Boulder County Combined Court at 1777 6th Street unless otherwise noted. Division 11 (County Court) covers Longmont activity. The list below comes straight from the Colorado Judicial Branch's Boulder County judges and staff page.

Division numbers are not the same as case numbers. A case is assigned to a division after filing, and the division line is the right number to call about a specific case's hearing schedule. For general clerk questions, dial 303-441-3750 instead.

District Court vs. County Court vs. Municipal Court

Three court types serve Boulder County, and each one hears a different mix of cases. District Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction. County Court is the limited jurisdiction state court. Municipal Court is a city court for local ordinance and traffic matters. The table below shows the working differences.

Boulder city tickets, Longmont municipal code charges, and other city-level cases do not show up in the statewide docket the same way. If a case caption names a city instead of "People of the State of Colorado," check the right municipal court before assuming the state docket search is broken.

How a Case Moves Through the Boulder County System

Cases follow a path through the courts. A simple felony or civil case may stay at the trial court level. A harder case can move up on appeal. The chain below is the standard order in Colorado.

Trial and appeal path: County Court (misdemeanor, traffic, small claims) › Boulder County District Court (felony, DR, probate, juvenile, larger civil; also county court appeals) › Colorado Court of Appeals (most appeals from district court) › Colorado Supreme Court (discretionary review on state legal questions).

Criminal flow: Arrest › Magistrate or first appearance › Indictment or information › Arraignment › Pretrial › Trial › Sentencing › Appeal to the Court of Appeals.

Civil flow: Petition or complaint filed › Answer › Discovery › Mediation or settlement conference › Trial › Judgment › Appeal.

Federal cases sit outside this chain. Federal crimes, federal civil rights suits, bankruptcy, federal tax, and federal employment matters go to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado or the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado. Those files are not in Boulder County Combined Court.

What District Court Handles

Boulder County District Court hears the heaviest case types in the county. Each one has its own case class on the case number, so the prefix tells the court what the matter is. A 2024CR1234 caption is a felony criminal case. A 2025DR500 caption is a domestic relations case. A 2026PR file is probate.

• Felony criminal cases, including drug, theft, assault, sex offense, and homicide files.
• Domestic relations: divorce, legal separation, annulment, allocation of parental responsibilities, parenting plans, support orders, and motions to modify.
• Probate: decedent estates, small estates, wills, trusts, letters, guardianships, and conservatorships.
• Juvenile delinquency and dependency and neglect matters under Title 19, with restricted public access.
• Larger district civil cases, district name changes, and Rule 120 foreclosure proceedings.
• Appeals from Boulder County Court and certain municipal appeals under Colorado appellate rules.

The court also hears protection order matters, including civil protection orders, ERPO/TERPO filings, and motions to restrict parenting time. The Boulder courthouse takes after-hours TPO, Motion to Restrict, and TERPO/ERPO filings by ringing the doorbell at window number one after 4:00 p.m. The Longmont satellite has a similar doorbell at the service window.

The 20th Judicial District

Colorado is split into 23 judicial districts. Boulder County is the 20th Judicial District. It is one of the few single-county districts in the state. That means the bench, the chief judge, and the local administrative orders apply only to Boulder County. Chief Judge Nancy W. Salomone leads the district from Division 13, and Court Executive Tracey Sogi handles administration at 20JDAdmin@judicial.state.co.us or 720-664-1515.

The Colorado Judicial Branch publishes the district's local administrative orders, including Administrative Order 20-108 for Boulder and Longmont eviction process and service. Rule 120 foreclosure legal postings also appear on the Boulder court page. For a broader look at the state structure, the Legislative Council's overview of the Colorado Judicial Branch walks through how the district fits under the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.

A look at the Longmont combined-court satellite page on the state site, from coloradojudicial.gov:

The Longmont page shows the 1035 Kimbark Street address and the split midday hours, with the office closed from noon to 1:00 p.m. each weekday.

Magistrates and County Court

Four magistrate divisions sit inside the 20th Judicial District. Magistrates handle hearings assigned to them by court rule or by judge order. The list includes Division J (Elizabeth H. Kelley), Division M (Nicholas Trevino), Division O (Carolyn McLean), and Division T (Thomas M. Ward). Magistrate matters often cover juvenile, child support, traffic, and certain protection order proceedings.

County court is the workhorse for misdemeanor, traffic, small claims, and lower-dollar civil cases. Five county court divisions hear those files. Small claims is for simple money or contract disputes up to $7,500. Boulder County Court handles eviction (FED) cases under Administrative Order 20-108, with separate Boulder and Longmont schedules. Anyone moving on an appeal from county court files in district court, not in the Court of Appeals.

The official Boulder County Court home tab on the state site, via coloradojudicial.gov:

The home tab links to local resources for self-help, dockets, jury service, and the records request form.

Courthouse Locations

Boulder County District Court runs out of two state court buildings. The main courthouse is in Boulder. The satellite is in Longmont. Both share the same fax number, 720-637-9760.

For statewide dockets, search the Judicial Branch dockets page. To request copies of orders, decrees, or registers of action, use the Record/Document Request Form. Boulder County's research department can also be reached at 720-664-1468 or 20recordsrequest@judicial.state.co.us.

Related Boulder County Resources

For case lookup and statewide docket search, see court records and court dockets. For the Clerk of Court office, hours, and contact info, see Clerk of Court. For felony case background and arrest record questions, see arrest records. The Court Resource Center at 1777 6th Street offers walk-in help for self-represented litigants and can be reached at 720-664-1505 or BoulderCourtSelfHelp@judicial.state.co.us.