Colorado criminal-record information is spread across several official systems. Court cases are maintained by the Colorado Judicial Department, statewide fingerprint-supported criminal history is maintained by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), arrest and police records are held by individual criminal-justice agencies, county jails maintain local custody information, and the Department of Corrections maintains information about people under state correctional jurisdiction. The quickest search depends on the record you actually need.
Which Colorado criminal record do you actually need?
“Criminal record” can mean several different things. Starting with the wrong database is one reason people conclude that a record does not exist when it is simply maintained somewhere else.
Criminal court case
Use for filed criminal charges, case events, hearings, dispositions, sentencing and court-file records.
State criminal history
Colorado’s central repository contains fingerprint-supported criminal-history information submitted by Colorado law-enforcement agencies.
Arrest and incident records
Contact the agency that made the arrest or investigated the incident for agency-held records.
Current jail booking
Local sheriff or detention systems are normally the best source for current county custody.
State correctional record
Use the Colorado Department of Corrections for state-prison and qualifying correctional-custody information.
Federal criminal case
Federal prosecutions are outside Colorado’s state-court system and generally use PACER.
How to search Colorado criminal court cases
The Colorado Judicial Branch maintains Colorado’s state trial courts. District courts hear criminal cases, while county courts handle misdemeanors, traffic matters, felony complaints that may later move to district court, protection orders and other matters.
Colorado also operates an official Colorado State Courts Data Access program. This provides read-only access to court data such as the name index and register of actions.
Identify the county where the case was filed
If you know the arrest location, that can be a useful starting point, but the final case may be filed in a different court depending on jurisdiction and charge level.
Use Colorado Judicial Branch court access
Search available statewide court data or use the Judicial Branch’s court-by-county directory to locate the appropriate clerk.
Open the register of actions
Review charges, court dates, case events and available disposition information rather than relying on a name match alone.
Request court documents if needed
Court data access does not automatically include the underlying complaint, sentencing order, protection order or other filed documents.
To locate a Colorado trial court by county, use the official Colorado courts directory.
Denver has an important court-record exception
Colorado users should know this before searching statewide court data: Denver District Court records are included in Colorado State Courts Data Access, but Denver County Court records are not.
Denver District Court
District-court records follow the Colorado Judicial Branch statewide system.
Denver County Court
Search through the separate Denver County Court Public Portal.
Denver County Court’s official public portal lets users search a case using a case number or arrest-booking number. Its “Find Your Court Date” feature can also use first name, last name and date of birth for cases with an active future court date.
However, Denver County Court says its public website does not provide a general person-name search of all historical cases or downloadable case documents. Copies of criminal or municipal case documents can be requested from the Clerk of the County Court.
Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse
Room 160 – Clerk of the County Court520 W. Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO 80202
Phone: 720-337-0410
How to understand a Colorado court record
A court search becomes useful only after you understand what the result is telling you.
| Record item | What it means | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | The court’s unique case identifier. | County, filing year and case type. |
| Charge | An allegation filed against the defendant. | Do not treat a charge as a conviction. |
| Register of Actions | A chronological summary of court activity. | Hearings, filings, pleas, orders and final events. |
| Disposition | How the charge or case was resolved. | Conviction, dismissal, acquittal, deferred judgment or another result. |
| Sentence | Penalty or conditions imposed after the applicable disposition. | Jail/prison, probation, fine, restitution or other conditions. |
| Sealed | Public access has been restricted under applicable law or court order. | Do not assume a missing public result means the case never existed. |
Colorado Bureau of Investigation criminal-history search
The CBI Internet Criminal History Check System (ICHC) is Colorado’s official public name-based criminal-history search.
The database contains Colorado criminal-history arrest information based on fingerprint submissions from Colorado law-enforcement agencies. It does not provide a nationwide FBI record.
Open the official CBI ICHC system
A one-time search can be performed without creating a recurring-use account.
Enter the person’s identifying information
First name, last name and date of birth are required. CBI says a Social Security number is optional but can improve match accuracy when that number is present in the record.
Review possible matches carefully
A name-based record should not automatically be assumed to belong to the person you intended to search, particularly when the name is common.
Follow the case to the source agency or court
If a disposition is incomplete or needs explanation, CBI advises contacting the agency that supplied the arrest information, the court of jurisdiction or the appropriate district attorney.
What the Colorado CBI public search does not include
CBI’s public criminal-history system is useful, but it is not a complete picture of every criminal-justice event involving a person.
- criminal history from other states
- federal criminal-history databases
- publicly unavailable sealed records
- public warrant information
- juvenile criminal arrest information not releasable by CBI
- arrests that were not supported by fingerprints in the CBI database
CBI also warns that its report is based on information submitted to the bureau. If the final disposition was never supplied or clarification is needed, the original court or agency may provide a more complete answer.
Request an official or notarized Colorado CBI criminal-history response
The online ICHC is not the only option. CBI also accepts a written public request for criminal-history record information.
Current published fee
CBI’s current public request form lists a fee of $13 per name.
Mail response
The CBI request form states that a reply is generally mailed in approximately 3–5 business days. Notarization may add processing time.
The request asks for the person’s name and date of birth. Other identifying data may be provided to help distinguish records.
Official CBI form: Public Request for Criminal History Record Information .
Colorado arrest records and police records
A recent arrest may be easier to investigate through the agency that actually made the arrest than through a court or CBI name search.
Under Colorado’s criminal-justice-records law, “official actions” include events such as an arrest, indictment, filing of criminal charges, disposition and certain custody or supervision decisions.
The criminal-justice agency taking an official action must maintain a record of that action, and records of official actions are generally open for inspection subject to statutory exceptions.
Identify the arresting agency
Determine whether the arrest was made by a city police department, county sheriff, Colorado State Patrol or another criminal-justice agency.
Locate that agency’s records unit
Look for “Records,” “Police Records,” “Open Records,” “CCJRA” or “Criminal Justice Records.”
Describe the record precisely
Supply the person’s name, approximate incident or arrest date, report/case number when known, location and the specific document requested.
Ask for the legal basis if access is denied
Colorado law permits a requester denied access to ask for a written explanation of the grounds for denial.
Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act: what it means for a public-record search
Colorado criminal-justice records are governed substantially by the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act (CCJRA), found in C.R.S. §§ 24-72-301 through 309.
One especially useful distinction is between records of official actions and other criminal-justice records.
Generally open
Records of official actions—such as arrest, charging and disposition—are generally required to be maintained and open to inspection unless another law provides otherwise.
Access can be restricted
A custodian can deny access to certain investigatory files, intelligence information or security-related material when disclosure would be contrary to the public interest or otherwise restricted.
Criminal-justice record copy charges
Colorado law permits criminal-justice agencies to charge reasonable search, retrieval and redaction fees up to actual costs. For a standard-page copy, the statute generally authorizes a charge of no more than 25 cents per page, unless another specific fee applies or local government establishes authorized charges under the statute.
Official statutory reference: Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act .
Colorado booking photographs
Booking photographs are criminal-justice records, but access can depend on the custodian, applicable law and the circumstances of the request.
Colorado law also specifically prohibits obtaining a booking photograph when the requester knows it will be placed in a publication or website that requires payment or another exchange for removing the image.
How to search for warrants in Colorado
CBI explicitly states that its criminal-history search does not provide warrant information.
Warrant information is usually best checked with the issuing court or law-enforcement agency. Availability varies by jurisdiction because agencies can maintain their own warrant-search procedures.
Known court case
Review the court record and contact the court clerk if warrant status is not publicly clear.
Known county
Check the official county sheriff’s warrant page or records unit.
Denver County Court
Denver’s official portal includes warrant-related functions and case access separate from the statewide Judicial Data Access system.
Colorado county jail records and recent bookings
Colorado does not have one public county-jail roster that replaces every local sheriff’s system. County jails are administered locally, so a recent detention is normally checked through the sheriff or detention center for the county where the person was booked.
Useful search terms on an official county website include:
- inmate search
- jail roster
- current inmates
- detention center
- booking search
- sheriff inmate information
Colorado Department of Corrections inmate records
Use the Colorado Department of Corrections offender search when the person is or was under qualifying Colorado DOC jurisdiction.
A DOC search is not the same as a criminal-history check. It is useful for correctional information, while court records and CBI records answer different questions about the underlying criminal case and criminal-history repository.
Use DOC when you need
- state correctional information
- offender identification
- facility information when publicly available
- qualifying custody/supervision information
Do not use DOC as a substitute for
- a statewide CBI criminal-history search
- a district or county court case search
- a current county-jail roster
- a federal inmate search
Colorado criminal appeals and appellate records
Colorado’s appellate system is separate from ordinary trial-court research. The Colorado Court of Appeals is generally the first appellate court for appeals from district courts, while the Colorado Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and may review Court of Appeals decisions or hear specified matters directly.
Intermediate appellate court
Use the Colorado Judicial Branch’s Court of Appeals resources for appellate case information, opinions and related material.
State court of last resort
Search Supreme Court opinions, case announcements and other public appellate resources through the Colorado Judicial Branch.
How to get Colorado criminal court documents and certified copies
A name index or register of actions may tell you that a case exists, but some tasks require the actual filed document. Colorado Judicial Branch record-request resources identify common criminal documents such as:
- criminal complaint or information
- disposition / sentence order
- protection order
- ticket
- register of actions
- certified or exemplified court record
| Service | Published Judicial fee / estimate | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Filed-paper court copy | Up to $0.75/page | Chief Justice Directive 06-01 allows this rate for filed papers. |
| Electronic/unfiled-record copy | Up to $0.25/page | Applicable categories depend on the record and court process. |
| Certified copy | $20/document | Used when an official certification of the court copy is required. |
| Exemplified copy | $20/document | Additional authentication may be requested for particular legal uses. |
| Name search | $5 | Listed by Colorado Judicial Branch research-request guidance. |
| Off-site file retrieval | Actual cost | Can apply when an archived file must be retrieved. |
| Research/redaction | May be charged | Fees depend on the work required and applicable Judicial policy. |
Fees can change and individual court circumstances vary. Confirm the final amount with the court before mailing payment or making a time-sensitive request.
Colorado Judicial Branch record research: Court record research request.
What to do when an older Colorado criminal case is not online
Older criminal records may have been archived or stored off-site. Online court data should not be treated as proof that a historical record never existed.
Identify the original court
Determine the county and court that handled the matter.
Provide identifying details
Full name, approximate filing year, date of birth, case number if known and case type can help court staff locate an older file.
Ask whether off-site retrieval is needed
Colorado Judicial Branch guidance recognizes that an actual retrieval charge can apply to files stored off-site.
Specify the document you need
Asking for “everything” can create unnecessary research and copy costs. Request the complaint, disposition, sentence order or other specific item when possible.
Colorado sealed and expunged criminal records
Colorado has expanded both petition-based and automatic criminal-record sealing in recent years. Whether a particular record qualifies depends on the type of offense, disposition, timing and other statutory conditions.
Colorado law provides automatic sealing for certain arrest records where no charges are filed. For qualifying arrests occurring on or after January 1, 2022, legislation requires the CBI to automatically seal an arrest record in its custody and control when no criminal charges have been filed within the statutory period, subject to exceptions.
Colorado also provides automatic or petition-based sealing mechanisms for additional categories of criminal records. Some offenses are not eligible, and different waiting periods or procedures can apply.
For current eligibility and procedure, use the Colorado General Assembly’s Process for Sealing or Expunging Criminal Records and Colorado Judicial Branch forms rather than relying on an old eligibility chart.
What if a Colorado criminal-history record is wrong?
Colorado law gives a “person in interest” a process to challenge the accuracy and completeness of criminal-justice records that pertain to that person.
If the problem appears in a CBI criminal-history report, contact CBI’s Biometric Identification and Records Unit rather than asking the ICHC website’s technical contractor to interpret or modify the record.
Colorado Bureau of Investigation
Phone: 303-239-4208
Address: 690 Kipling Street, Lakewood, CO 80215
When challenging a record, keep copies of the criminal-history report and any court disposition, dismissal or sentence documentation that supports the correction.
Federal criminal records in Colorado
A prosecution in the U.S. District Court is not a Colorado state-court case. Colorado Judicial Branch and CBI searches do not replace federal court-record systems.
PACER
Use PACER to search federal court cases. PACER requires an account and charges can apply under the federal judiciary’s current fee rules.
FBI Identity History Summary
A person who needs their own fingerprint-based FBI Identity History Summary should use the FBI Identity History Summary Check .
Colorado Bureau of Investigation records office
Colorado Bureau of Investigation
Biometric Identification and Records Unit690 Kipling Street
Lakewood, CO 80215
Records phone: 303-239-4208
Suite information can vary by the specific CBI service or form. Check the current CBI form before mailing time-sensitive documents.
Check the service first
Some criminal-history functions are designed for online or mail processing. Confirm whether your specific request requires an in-person visit before traveling to the office.
Colorado criminal-record search tips that prevent common mistakes
Use both court and CBI sources
They answer different questions. A court file and a state repository record are not interchangeable.
Separate Denver County Court
Denver County Court has its own public portal and is excluded from statewide State Courts Data Access.
Use DOB with common names
A name alone can produce false matches. Compare date of birth and other available identifiers.
Recent arrest? Search locally
A sheriff or police records unit may have useful public arrest information before a case search is practical.
Do not look for warrants in CBI
CBI expressly excludes warrant information from its public criminal-history response.
Ask for the final disposition
A court disposition is far more meaningful than an arrest entry or initial charge alone.
Older cases may be off-site
Contact court records staff before assuming an old file is missing or destroyed.
Ask for denial grounds
If a CCJRA request is denied, Colorado law provides a process to request the reason in writing.
Search appeals when outcomes changed
An appellate opinion may explain why a trial-court ruling was affirmed, reversed or modified.
Using Colorado criminal records for employment, housing or other decisions
Finding a public criminal record does not automatically mean it can be used without restriction for employment, housing, credit, licensing or another eligibility decision.
A consumer report obtained from a consumer-reporting agency can trigger requirements under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and other applicable laws. Employers, housing providers and other decision-makers should use the compliance rules applicable to their particular purpose rather than treating a public-record website as a legally complete screening process.
Colorado criminal records: frequently asked questions
1. Can I search Colorado criminal records online?
Yes. Colorado provides official online resources for court data and the CBI Internet Criminal History Check. They contain different information, so a complete search may require more than one system.
2. What is the official Colorado statewide criminal-history search?
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation operates the Internet Criminal History Check System at cbirecordscheck.com. It is a Colorado-only name-based search of criminal-history information maintained by CBI.
3. Does a Colorado CBI criminal-history check include federal or other-state records?
No. CBI states that the public system contains Colorado records and does not disclose information from other state or federal criminal-history databases through that search.
4. Does the Colorado CBI search show warrants?
No. CBI specifically says warrant information is not included. Contact the issuing court or responsible law-enforcement agency for current warrant information.
5. Where do I search Denver County Court criminal cases?
Use the Denver County Court Public Portal. Denver County Court records are not included in the Colorado State Courts Data Access program, although Denver District Court records are included.
6. How do I obtain a certified Colorado criminal court record?
Request the document from the court that maintains the case and specify that certification is required. Colorado Judicial Branch fee guidance currently lists a $20 certification fee per qualifying document, with copy charges potentially applying separately.
7. Are Colorado police investigation files always public?
No. Records of official actions generally receive strong public-access treatment under the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act, but investigative files and certain other records can be restricted or withheld under applicable law and public-interest standards.
8. Where do I search for someone in Colorado state prison?
Use the Colorado Department of Corrections offender search. A person held in a county jail should instead be searched through the appropriate county sheriff or detention center.
9. Can a Colorado criminal record be sealed automatically?
Yes, Colorado law provides automatic sealing for certain categories, including some arrest records where charges are not filed and qualifying criminal records under other statutory provisions. Eligibility depends on the record, offense, disposition and timing.
10. What should I do if a Colorado criminal record appears to be wrong?
Identify which agency maintains the incorrect information. Colorado law provides a process for a person in interest to challenge the accuracy and completeness of criminal-justice records. For a CBI report, contact CBI’s records unit and provide supporting court disposition documents when available.
Official resources for Colorado criminal-record research
- Colorado Judicial Branch
- Colorado State Courts Data Access
- Colorado courts by district and county
- Colorado Judicial Branch court-record research request
- Denver County Court Public Portal
- CBI Internet Criminal History Check
- Colorado Bureau of Investigation
- Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act
- Colorado General Assembly record-sealing guide
- Colorado Department of Corrections offender search
- Colorado Court of Appeals
- Colorado Supreme Court
- PACER federal court records
- FBI Identity History Summary Checks