Reading a Search Warrant
C.R.S. 16-3-305 — served within fourteen days, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at a home, and a knock and an announcement
A Colorado search warrant is executed within fourteen days after its date, by an officer authorized to execute it in the county or municipality where the property is.
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- Between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., unless the judge, for good cause, expressly authorizes another time.
- By officers readily identifiable as law enforcement, in uniform or wearing a visible badge, who clearly identify themselves.
- With a body worn camera on and activated when entering the premises.
- With a knock and an announcement loud enough for the officers to reasonably believe the occupants can hear, and a reasonable time, given the size of the home, for someone to reach the door.
The legislature found that no knock entries can increase danger, because occupants may mistake officers for unlawful intruders, and that preventing the destruction of evidence does not justify the risk to human life.
How a warrant is served is also measured by the Fourth Amendment. The Supreme Court of the United States has held that whether officers knocked and announced their presence before entering is part of whether the entry was reasonable, and that the knock and announce principle forms part of that analysis rather than being a rigid rule without exceptions. Those holdings are a floor: a state's own constitution and statutes can give more protection than they do, never less.
Sources for this section (2)
- C.R.S. 16-3-305 — Search warrants - direction - execution and return - legislative declaration
- Wilson v. Arkansas, 514 U.S. 927 (1995) — Knocking and announcing is part of whether an entry is reasonable
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Colorado attorney.