Arapahoe County District Court

Arapahoe County District Court Overview

Colorado District Courts are general-jurisdiction trial courts. That means they can hear almost any case type without a dollar cap on civil matters. The Colorado Judicial Branch trial-courts page describes district courts as the courts that handle civil cases in any amount, domestic relations, criminal, juvenile, probate, and mental health cases. District court decisions generally go up to the Colorado Court of Appeals.

Arapahoe County is served exclusively by the 18th Judicial District. Before 2025, the 18th included Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties as well, but the creation of the 23rd Judicial District moved those three counties out. Arapahoe County is now the only county in the 18th Judicial District. The district was first established in 1962, and as of the most recent official count, it has 33 judicial officers across both court locations. The official Arapahoe County court page on the Colorado Judicial Branch website lists both courthouse addresses, hours, and available court services.

Both court locations are open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and are closed on state holidays. The Arapahoe County Justice Center in Centennial serves as the primary combined-court location for District Court matters. The Arapahoe County Courthouse in Littleton handles County Court business, including small claims petitions, which must be filed in Littleton.

The official Arapahoe court page on the Colorado Judicial Branch website provides current courthouse information for both locations.

The Arapahoe County court page shows courthouse cards for both locations along with links to records requests, docket search, self-help resources, and court services available to the public.

Arapahoe County District Court Locations

Two court locations serve the 18th Judicial District in Arapahoe County. The Justice Center in Centennial is the main district-court facility. The Littleton courthouse handles County Court work and some limited functions. Both buildings share the same core hours: Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed on Colorado state holidays.

Protection orders are time-sensitive at the Justice Center. Filings must be submitted before 4:00 p.m. on a business day so the clerk's office can process the documents and a judge can review them the same day. Anything filed after 4:00 p.m. is addressed the next business day. The court also notes it does not accept faxed documents at either location.

Visitors should expect security screening at both buildings. Firearms, knives, scissors, needles, gases, explosives, and tools are prohibited. Food and drinks are allowed but may be inspected or x-rayed. RTD bus route 66 stops near East Fremont Avenue and South Potomac Street, close to the Justice Center campus. If you need language assistance, contact the interpreter coordinator at 303-645-6857 or 18interpreter@judicial.state.co.us before your court date.

Arapahoe County District Court Judges and Staff

The 18th Judicial District currently has 18 District Court judges and 8 County Court judges, along with 8 magistrates, a court executive, a clerk of court, and other key staff. Chief Judge Michelle Amico leads the District Court from Division 201 and can be reached at 303-645-6625. Court Executive Jenni Turnidge and Clerk of Court Shana Kloek both handle district-wide administrative and records functions at 303-645-6600.

The official judges and staff listing is maintained by the Colorado Judicial Branch. Division numbers are used internally to route cases and identify courtrooms. Magistrates in the 18th Judicial District handle domestic relations matters and other assigned case types. Divisions marked A1 and A2 are based at the Littleton courthouse.

The official judges and staff page lists every judicial officer, magistrate, clerk of court, jury commissioner, and family court facilitator currently assigned to Arapahoe County courts in the 18th Judicial District.

Note: Phone numbers are direct division lines as listed on the official Colorado Judicial Branch judges and staff page for Arapahoe County. The main court switchboard at 303-645-6600 can also route calls to any division.

District Court vs. County Court vs. Municipal Court

Colorado has three primary trial-court tiers that handle different types of cases in Arapahoe County. Knowing which court handles your case matters, because filing in the wrong court will result in transfer or dismissal. The key dividing line between District Court and County Court is usually the dollar amount for civil matters and the severity of the criminal charge.

Municipal courts are separate from the state court system. They operate under city authority and handle local ordinance violations only. Aurora, Centennial, Englewood, Littleton, and Sheridan each operate their own municipal courts within Arapahoe County. Those courts are not part of the Colorado Judicial Branch's trial-court hierarchy. State criminal charges, civil lawsuits, divorces, and probate matters all go through District Court or County Court, not a municipal court.

A felony arrest often begins in County Court for the first appearance and preliminary hearing. Once the case is bound over, it moves to District Court for arraignment, pretrial, and trial. Traffic and misdemeanor cases stay in County Court unless they involve a felony DUI or other felony charge.

How a Case Moves Through the Arapahoe County System

Case routing in Arapahoe County follows the Colorado court hierarchy. Where a case starts and where it ends up depends on the case type. Civil and criminal cases follow different paths, and both may reach the appellate courts if a party challenges the outcome. The full court hierarchy for Arapahoe County runs from municipal and county courts at the bottom up through the District Court and then to the appellate courts.

Court hierarchy (bottom to top): Municipal Court / County Court › District Court › Colorado Court of Appeals › Colorado Supreme Court

For criminal cases, the path usually looks like this:

1. Arrest and booking at the Arapahoe County Detention Facility or a municipal agency.
2. First appearance before a County Court judge or magistrate, where bond is set.
3. Preliminary hearing in County Court if the charge is a felony; the judge decides whether probable cause exists to send the case to District Court.
4. Arraignment in Arapahoe County District Court, where the defendant enters a plea.
5. Pretrial motions, hearings, and any plea negotiations.
6. Trial in District Court before a judge or jury.
7. Sentencing by the district court judge if there is a guilty verdict or plea.
8. Appeal to the Colorado Court of Appeals, and then the Colorado Supreme Court if further review is sought.

Civil and domestic relations cases follow a different path:

1. Petition or complaint filed in Arapahoe County District Court (civil any amount) or County Court (civil under $25,000).
2. Service of process on the other party.
3. Answer filed; case docketed and assigned to a division.
4. Discovery, motions, and any mediation through the Office of Dispute Resolution.
5. Trial or final hearing before the assigned judge or magistrate.
6. Judgment or decree entered.
7. Appeal to the Colorado Court of Appeals if challenged.

Water rights cases in Arapahoe County do not go through the local District Court. They route to Water Division 1 in Greeley, which has exclusive jurisdiction over water matters in this part of Colorado. Juvenile cases are handled within District Court divisions, not by a separate juvenile court.

Civil, Criminal, Family, and Probate Divisions

Arapahoe County District Court does not publish a separate list of named "divisions" in the way some states do. Instead, each judge is assigned a division number, and cases are distributed across those divisions based on case type and internal rules. What matters for a filer is the case class: civil, domestic relations, felony criminal, juvenile, probate, or mental health. Each case class has its own set of forms, procedures, and rules.

Civil cases with no dollar cap are filed in District Court. This includes large contract disputes, tort claims, real property matters, and civil rights lawsuits. The District Court is also the only court in Arapahoe County that handles domestic relations cases, which means divorce, legal separation, allocation of parental responsibilities, child support, maintenance, and post-decree modifications all go here. Probate, which covers estates, wills, trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships, is also handled by District Court judges, not a separate probate court. Mental health proceedings, which involve civil commitments and related hearings, are likewise district court matters under Colorado law.

Felony criminal cases start in County Court for the initial appearance and preliminary hearing, then move to District Court for all subsequent proceedings including arraignment, motions, trial, and sentencing. Juvenile delinquency and other juvenile matters are handled by District Court judges assigned to those case types; Colorado does not have a standalone juvenile court separate from District Court in Arapahoe County.

The Family Court Facilitator, Karla Carrigan, is available at 303-645-6853 to help parties with domestic relations and family law matters. The court also has self-help centers in English and Spanish, and the Office of Dispute Resolution handles mediation referrals for civil and family cases.

Magistrates in the 18th Judicial District

Colorado courts use magistrates to handle a wide range of matters that would otherwise require a full judge. In Arapahoe County, magistrates are assigned to specific divisions and handle domestic relations cases, protection-order hearings, bond hearings, and other matters authorized by statute or court order. Magistrates are judicial officers, but their rulings can be appealed to a district court judge.

The 18th Judicial District currently has eight magistrates: Beth Elliott-Dumler (Division 23), Christopher Boeckx (Division 24), Casey Brown (Division 302), Robert Caldwell (Division 21), Valerie Harper (Division 25), Adam Hepp (Division 101), Dalia Labrador (Division 202), and Echo Ryan (Division 26). Magistrates Caldwell, Harper, and Ryan handle domestic relations matters and can be reached at arapahoedr@judicial.state.co.us in addition to their direct lines.

Weekend bond hearings are held on Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. via Webex. These are presided over by a judicial officer to ensure that people who are arrested on weekends get a timely bond hearing rather than waiting until Monday.

Case Types Filed in Arapahoe County District Court

The range of case types handled by the Arapahoe County District Court is broader than any other court in the county. The table below shows what each court level handles so you can identify the right filing location.

The main case types for District Court include:

• Felony criminal cases (class 1 through class 6 felonies and drug felonies)
• Civil cases in any dollar amount, including contract, tort, and property disputes
• Domestic relations: divorce, legal separation, allocation of parental responsibilities, child support, maintenance
• Juvenile delinquency, dependency and neglect, and adoption
• Probate: wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships
• Mental health: civil commitment, treatment orders, and related proceedings
• Post-decree modifications and enforcement for family cases
• Appeals from County Court decisions

County Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic infractions, civil cases under $25,000, small claims (file in Littleton), and protection orders. Many felony arrests begin at the County Court level for the first appearance before being bound over to District Court. The case class assigned at filing stays with the case and appears in the case number, which typically shows the year, a letter code for the case class, and a sequence number.

Note: Records for all these case types may be searched by case number or party name using the Colorado Judicial Branch docket search or through authorized vendors listed in the official Judicial Branch access guide.

Searching Arapahoe County District Court Records

The Colorado Judicial Branch does not offer a direct public case-search portal for full case records on its own website. Instead, it directs users to three access paths depending on what they need.

The free Colorado Judicial Branch docket search is the official public tool for finding scheduled court dockets. It shows what is on a court's calendar, not the full case file. To use it for Arapahoe County matters, select the 18th Judicial District or Arapahoe County in the location filters, then add at least one additional filter such as a party name, case number, attorney bar number, or courthouse. The tool supports searches by both the Justice Center and the Littleton courthouse.

For a case register of actions, which shows the full history of filings and events in a case, the Judicial Branch access guide points users to authorized vendors such as LexisNexis CoCourts. Vendor access covers civil, domestic relations, felony, misdemeanor, traffic, and small claims cases. Expect fees. Documents themselves are not available through vendors and must be requested directly from the court.

To get a document copy, a divorce decree, or a certified record from Arapahoe County District Court, contact the records team:

• Email: 18records@judicial.state.co.us
• Mail: Arapahoe Court, Attn: Records Requests, 7325 S. Potomac St., Centennial, CO 80112
• Phone: 303-645-3814
• Response time: within 3 business days per the official records request form

For more on accessing court records in Arapahoe County, including the search-field walkthrough for the docket tool, see the court records page. For docket calendars and scheduling information, see the court dockets page.

Where District Court Fits in the Colorado Court System

The Colorado Judicial Branch trial courts page maps the full court hierarchy that applies to Arapahoe County cases. Understanding where the District Court sits in that hierarchy matters when you are deciding whether to appeal a ruling or when you need to understand why a case ended up in a particular court.

The trial courts by county page on the Colorado Judicial Branch website breaks down each court tier, including district courts, county courts, water courts, and the appellate courts, with links to locate the right court for any county in Colorado.

The full Colorado court hierarchy runs from the lowest trial-court level up to the court of last resort:

Case flow: Municipal Court / County Court › District Court › Colorado Court of Appeals › Colorado Supreme Court

County court decisions may be appealed to District Court. District Court decisions generally go to the Colorado Court of Appeals, which is the intermediate appellate court. From the Court of Appeals, a party may petition the Colorado Supreme Court for certiorari review. Some matters, such as first-degree murder cases and cases involving the constitutionality of statutes, may go directly from the District Court to the Supreme Court. Water cases do not flow through Arapahoe County District Court; they go to Water Division 1 in Greeley.

Federal cases are a separate system. Arapahoe County cases that raise federal questions, civil rights claims under federal law, or bankruptcy may be filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado in Denver. Federal court records are accessed through PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov, not through the Colorado Judicial Branch docket system.

Clerk of Court and Administrative Staff

The Arapahoe County Clerk of Court is Shana Kloek. The clerk's office handles filing, case processing, records requests, and administrative functions for all cases filed in the 18th Judicial District courts. For the main switchboard and general court inquiries, call 303-645-6600. The records team, which handles requests for copies of case documents and decrees, is reached at 303-645-3814 or 18records@judicial.state.co.us.

The clerk's office is distinct from the Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder, which is a separately elected county office. The Clerk and Recorder (Joan Lopez) handles real estate recording, marriage and civil-union licenses, motor vehicle services, elections, and passports. Court records, divorce decrees, probate files, and criminal case documents are not held by the Clerk and Recorder and must be requested through the court's own records team. For full information on the court's records office, see the Clerk of Court page.

Jury matters are handled by Jury Commissioner Kimberly Gehler at 303-645-6861 or arapahoejury@judicial.state.co.us. Family court facilitation services for self-represented parties in domestic relations cases are available through Karla Carrigan at 303-645-6853.

Problem-Solving Resources and Support Services

The 18th Judicial District's District Attorney, Amy Padden, has stated goals that include alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders, juvenile justice reform, and better approaches to mental health and substance-abuse issues in the criminal justice system. The court system in Arapahoe County supports these goals with several non-adversarial resources.

The Office of Dispute Resolution is linked from the official Arapahoe court page and provides mediation services for civil and family cases. Mediation can help parties reach agreement without a full trial, reducing cost and delay. The self-help centers at both court locations offer assistance in English and Spanish for people who are not represented by an attorney. The child-friendly courts program and parenting-class providers are also listed on the court page for families going through divorce or custody proceedings. For legal aid resources and self-help forms, see the Arapahoe County self-help resources page on the Judicial Branch website.

The court also offers virtual courtrooms and public livestreaming for some proceedings. Wedding ceremonies may be performed by district court judges; contact the Justice Center at 303-645-6600 for information. The court maintains an automated phone system with options for common inquiries including bond hearings and general case information.

Related Arapahoe County Court Resources

Arapahoe County District Court is connected to several other record types and court offices that serve the same parties and case files. The pages below cover each topic in more detail.

For docket schedules and case search tools, see Arapahoe County Court Records and Court Dockets. For the Clerk of Court's office, filing addresses, and records request procedures, see the Clerk of Court page. Criminal case records, including felony charges and disposition history, are covered on the Criminal Records page. Divorce and domestic relations filings, including how to request a divorce decree, are covered on the Marriage and Divorce Records page. For probate matters in Arapahoe County District Court, including estate filings and guardianships, see the Probate Records page.