How to Search Larimer County Court Records
Larimer County Court case searching uses three tools. The free Colorado Judicial Branch docket search returns hearing information, parties, and case numbers. The paid CoCourts service is a Colorado Judicial Branch initiative operated by LexisNexis that returns statewide register-of-action summaries. The Clerk of Court at the Larimer County Justice Center holds the actual case files and is the only source of certified document copies.
The docket search will not return results without at least one filter beyond date. Choose the 8th Judicial District, then narrow by Larimer County, by courthouse, and by case class. Knowing whether the case sits in District Court or County Court speeds the result. The Loveland County Court takes most county-court matters in the south of the county.
- Open coloradojudicial.gov/dockets and select the 8th Judicial District and Larimer County.
- Pick a date range and add one filter beyond date such as last name, attorney name, or case number.
- Narrow by courthouse (Larimer County Justice Center or Loveland County Court) and case class (C, CR, CV, DR, M, PR, R, S, T).
- Click the case number to see hearing dates and parties.
- For document copies, use the Larimer County Combined Courts records request form, email 08RecordRequest@judicial.state.co.us, or call 970-494-3500.
Lead-in: the Colorado Judicial Branch Larimer County page lists the two courthouses, the clerk contacts, and the customer-service hours used in the search workflow.
The page also links virtual courtrooms, jury services, transcript requests, mediation, ADA, interpreters, and the records request form used by the Clerk of Court for Larimer County cases.
The Larimer County Judicial System
Larimer County sits in the 8th Judicial District of Colorado. The Colorado court system has four layers. Municipal courts handle city ordinance violations in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park. County Court is the trial court of limited jurisdiction for misdemeanors, traffic, civil claims at or below $25,000, and small claims at or below $7,500. District Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction for felonies, civil over $25,000, domestic relations, probate, juvenile, and water cases. The Colorado Court of Appeals and the Colorado Supreme Court round out the system.
A case follows a clear path. A felony begins with arraignment in County Court, then proceeds to a preliminary hearing and, if bound over, to District Court. A misdemeanor is tried in County Court. A traffic infraction is handled with a penalty assessment or a County Court appearance. A civil case begins with the complaint in District Court or County Court based on amount. A divorce or probate matter begins in District Court. Appeals from County Court go to District Court; appeals from District Court go to the Colorado Court of Appeals; further review is by the Colorado Supreme Court.
Case flow: Municipal Court › County Court › District Court › Colorado Court of Appeals › Colorado Supreme Court
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Municipal Court (Fort Collins, Loveland, Estes Park) | City ordinance and traffic code | Local ordinance and city traffic violations |
| County Court (Larimer County Justice Center, Loveland County Court) | Limited; up to $25,000 civil; small claims up to $7,500 | Misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, protection orders, felony advisements |
| District Court (Larimer County Justice Center) | General | Felonies, civil over $25,000, divorce, probate, juvenile, mental health, water |
| Colorado Court of Appeals | Intermediate appellate | Most appeals from District Court |
| Colorado Supreme Court | Court of last resort | Discretionary review and original jurisdiction |
Larimer County Courthouses
Larimer County has two primary state-court locations and a separate county Clerk and Recorder office. The Justice Center is the main filing location for District Court and most County Court matters. The Loveland County Court handles county-court matters in the south of the county. The Clerk and Recorder, a separate elected office, handles real-property recording and marriage licenses, not court case files.
Larimer County Justice Center
201 LaPorte Avenue, Suite 100
Fort Collins, CO 80521
970-494-3500
Mon-Fri 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Loveland County Court
810 E. 10th Street, Suite 110
Loveland, CO 80537
970-622-2100
Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-noon, 1-5 p.m.
Larimer County Clerk and Recorder
200 W. Oak Street, 1st Floor
Fort Collins, CO 80521
Recording 970-498-7860
Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Types of Court Records Available in Larimer County
The 8th Judicial District handles every Colorado case class. Civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, traffic, and small claims cases all run through Larimer County District Court and County Court. The Sheriff and the District Attorney maintain separate criminal justice records that overlap with the court file. The Clerk and Recorder handles vital records that connect to family-law and probate cases. Sealing, juvenile confidentiality, and victim protections apply to a portion of each set.
The Colorado Judicial Branch register-of-action service covers civil, civil water, small claims, domestic, felony, misdemeanor, and traffic cases. Document copies, however, must come from the court.
- Criminal records – felony filings in District Court, misdemeanors and traffic in County Court; see criminal records.
- Civil records – complaints, answers, motions, judgments; see court records.
- Family and divorce records – domestic relations decrees, parenting plans, child support; see marriage and divorce records.
- Probate records – estates, wills, guardianships; see probate records.
- Traffic records – County Court and municipal court citations and dispositions.
- Warrant records – outstanding warrants and Most Wanted; see warrant records.
- Inmate records – current custody, booking, releases; see inmate records.
What Larimer County Court Records Show
A Larimer County case file contains identifying fields and the full register of actions. The Colorado Judicial Branch docket search exposes a subset of those fields online. Documents are not online and must be requested from the Clerk of Court. The fields below match the Colorado case-class structure and the docket result.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Year, case class, and sequence (example 2025CV012345). |
| Filing Date | The day the case was opened. |
| Parties | Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, or estate. |
| Case Class | C, CR, CV, CW, DR, JD, JV, M, PR, R, S, or T. |
| Court | Larimer County Justice Center or Loveland County Court. |
| Register of Actions | Chronological list of filings, hearings, orders. |
| Disposition | Final outcome of the case or charge. |
| Sentence / Judgment | Sentence in a criminal case; money judgment or decree in civil and domestic cases. |
Public Access Laws for Larimer County Court Records
Colorado uses three statutes that touch Larimer County records. The Colorado Open Records Act at C.R.S. 24-72-200.1 to 24-72-205.5 governs county administrative records. The Criminal Justice Records Act at C.R.S. 24-72-301 to 24-72-309 governs records held by law enforcement and criminal justice agencies. Court case files are controlled by Colorado Judicial Branch rules and Chief Justice Directive 05-01.
Key Statutes:
C.R.S. § 24-72-203 – sets the right to inspect public records at reasonable times.
C.R.S. § 24-72-205 – sets copy and research fees; the state maximum hourly fee rose to $41.37 effective July 1, 2024.
C.R.S. § 24-72-303 – requires records of official actions to be open to inspection, subject to limitations.
C.R.S. § 24-72-703 – controls sealing of adult criminal records, with waiting periods and exclusions.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Several Larimer County record categories are not public. Sealed cases require a court order to access; court staff cannot verify the existence of a sealed case without an order. Juvenile delinquency and dependency files are confidential. Adoption records require statutory eligibility. Mental health proceedings and HIPAA-protected medical records are restricted. Victim and child-witness identifying information is removed from released criminal justice records. Financial identifiers, Social Security numbers, and other identity-theft-sensitive details are redacted under court rule.
To view a sealed case, the requester must file a motion in the case. Juvenile expungement runs through Colorado Judicial Branch Form JDF 301. Adult sealing runs through the petition process described by the Colorado General Assembly's sealing and expunging memorandum.
Specialty Courts and Programs in Larimer County
The 8th Judicial District maintains several specialty resources. The Larimer court page publishes a Weekend Advisement Hearing schedule (BHO3) with Sunday 9:30 a.m. bond hearings for long weekends and a paperwork cutoff at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Court Resource Center on the first floor of the Justice Center helps self-represented filers with non-criminal cases including divorce, custody, protection orders, probate, guardianship, and small claims. The court also links a Domestic Relations Pro Se Class and an Ask-A-Lawyer Clinic flyer.
At the Larimer County Jail, the Medically Assisted Treatment Program is voluntary and grant-funded; it provides medication, counseling, group therapy, case management, and referrals for opioid and alcohol use disorders. The District Attorney has announced alternatives-to-incarceration initiatives and a January 2026 bias-motivated and hate crime hotline.
Larimer County Sheriff and Jail
The Larimer County Sheriff is John Feyen, with a term running January 2023 to January 2027. The Sheriff's Office is at 2501 Midpoint Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525, phone 970-498-5100. The Larimer County Jail is at 2405 Midpoint Drive, phone 970-498-5200. Captain Troy Badberg commands the Jail Division. The Sheriff's site publishes the inmate search, the booking report, the released-inmates page, the jail-population dashboard, the incident blotter, and a Most Wanted list.
The jail FAQ confirms that the identity of persons in jail is public information by state law, and the easiest way to find someone is to search by name on the inmate page. See Larimer County inmate records for the full roster details, released inmates for the post-release lookup, and warrant records for active warrants and surrender steps.
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records in Larimer County
Marriage and civil union licenses in Larimer County are issued by the Clerk and Recorder Recording Department. Divorce decrees are court records held by the Clerk of Court. Probate cases are filed in District Court. See marriage and divorce records and probate records for the full walkthroughs and certified-copy steps.
- Testator
- The person who signed the will.
- Personal representative
- The person named in the will or appointed by the court to administer the estate.
- Guardianship
- Court order giving authority to make personal decisions for a minor or incapacitated adult.
- Conservatorship
- Court order giving authority to manage another person's finances.
Larimer County Court Records Fees
Court records fees are set by the Colorado Judicial Branch list of fees and apply at the Larimer County Justice Center and Loveland County Court. County administrative records are charged under CORA at the county Clerk and Recorder's published rates.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Photocopy (plain, printed page) | $0.75 per page |
| Photocopy (electronic page) | $0.25 per page |
| Certified or exemplified copy | $20.00 each |
| Transcript of judgment | $25.00 |
| Marriage or civil union license | $30.00 (Clerk and Recorder) |
| Certified marriage copy | $1.25 each (Clerk and Recorder) |
How to Interpret Larimer County Court Records
A docket entry can look opaque on first read. The case number tells you the year, the case class, and the sequence number. Case class codes used in Colorado are C (small claims by sequence), CR (criminal felony), CV (civil), CW (civil water), DR (domestic relations), JD (juvenile delinquency), JV (juvenile dependency), M (misdemeanor), PR (probate), R (restraining order), S (small claims), and T (traffic). The register of actions lists filings in date order. Disposition labels include dismissed with prejudice (case ended and cannot be refiled on the same claim), dismissed without prejudice (case ended but may be refiled), guilty plea, no contest plea, judgment, and decree.
A charge is not the same as a conviction. CoCourts' disclaimer warns that criminal cases in the index may represent an arrest filing only and may not have been prosecuted by the District Attorney. A docket entry that shows a charge with no disposition is open. A disposition of dismissed or acquittal means no conviction. A guilty plea or a guilty verdict produces the conviction.
Accuracy, Updates, and Record Limitations
Court records are updated as filings are docketed, but there is a lag between courtroom events and the public docket. Sealing orders, recall of warrants, and bond posts can change the public-facing data within hours. The Larimer County Released Inmates page shows people released at least eight hours ago, which means a current-custody check should also use the inmate search and a call to the jail at 970-498-5200. Recorded documents at records.larimer.org are updated by the Clerk and Recorder as documents are scanned and imaged.
Note: Confirm any time-sensitive court information by phone with the Clerk of Court at 970-494-3500 before relying on an online docket entry for legal decisions.
History of Larimer County Courts
Larimer County is one of Colorado's older Front Range counties, with Fort Collins as the county seat. The court system today is integrated into Colorado's 8th Judicial District. The civic and court campus sits in downtown Fort Collins, with the county administration at 200 W. Oak Street and the Justice Center at 201 LaPorte Avenue. The Loveland branch courthouse at 810 E. 10th Street rounds out the county-level footprint. The Clerk and Recorder is a separately elected office from the Judicial Branch Clerk of Court, a split that traces back to Colorado's statewide unified-courts reform in the 1960s.
Recent administrative notes show active management. The Larimer court page links 2026 District Court Case Assignments and Magistrate Assignments. The Court Resource Center reflects a modern trend toward structured self-help access. The Clerk and Recorder launched the Recording Activity Notification Service in 2024 under Tina Harris, who serves January 2025 to January 2027 after appointment and election. The Sheriff's jail dashboard and Medically Assisted Treatment Program are two of the more visible reform initiatives at the jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a Larimer County court case?
Use the Colorado Judicial Branch docket search at coloradojudicial.gov/dockets. Select the 8th Judicial District and Larimer County, then add at least one filter beyond date. For paid statewide register-of-action access, use CoCourts. For document copies, contact the Larimer Clerk of Court at 970-494-3500 or 08RecordRequest@judicial.state.co.us.
Where is the Larimer County courthouse?
The Larimer County Justice Center is at 201 LaPorte Avenue, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80521. The Loveland County Court branch is at 810 E. 10th Street, Suite 110, Loveland, CO 80537. The Justice Center is open Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with Clerk of Court customer service until 4:30 p.m.
Who is the 8th Judicial District Attorney?
Gordon P. McLaughlin, with a term running January 2025 to January 2029. His office is at 201 LaPorte Avenue, Suite 200, Fort Collins, CO 80521, phone 970-498-7200. The DA serves Larimer and Jackson counties and is limited to two four-year terms.
How do I find someone in the Larimer County Jail?
Use the Larimer County inmate search at the Sheriff's site, or call the jail at 970-498-5200. By state law, the identity of persons in jail is public information. The released-inmates page shows people released at least eight hours ago. See the inmate records page for the full walkthrough.
How much is a certified court copy?
A certified or exemplified copy from the Colorado Judicial Branch is $20.00 each. Plain printed copies are $0.75 per page, and electronic-page copies are $0.25 per page. A certified marriage copy from the Larimer County Clerk and Recorder is $1.25 each. See the Clerk of Court page for the full fee schedule.
More on the Larimer County Court Records FAQ page.