Protective Orders
C.R.S. 13-14-104.5 — a temporary order, a hearing within fourteen days, and no police report required
A county, district, probate or juvenile court in Colorado, and a municipal court of record where authorized, may issue a temporary or permanent civil protection order against an adult, or a juvenile ten years of age or older, to prevent assaults and threatened bodily harm, domestic abuse, emotional abuse of the elderly or an at risk adult, sexual violence, or stalking.
Who handles this in Colorado: Metro Volunteer Lawyers and Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Colorado directory.
No police report needed. A petitioner does not have to show that the act was reported to law enforcement, that charges were filed, or that they are taking part in a prosecution.
A motion for a temporary order is heard at the earliest possible time, and the hearing may be held without the other side present. The hearing on a permanent order is set not more than fourteen days after the temporary order issues, and the temporary order is extended if the respondent cannot be served in time.
At the permanent hearing the judge or magistrate examines the record and the evidence, and in most cases decides on a preponderance of the evidence.
Violating a protection order is a class 2 misdemeanor, and more where the person was convicted of violating one before.
Sources for this section (3)
- C.R.S. 13-14-104.5 — Procedure for temporary civil protection order
- C.R.S. 13-14-106 — Procedure for permanent civil protection orders
- C.R.S. 18-6-803.5 — Crime of violation of a protection order - penalty - peace officers' duties - definitions
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Colorado attorney.