Yuma County Dissolution Of Marriage

Yuma County handles all dissolution of marriage cases through the Combined Court in the 13th Judicial District. The court processes domestic relations matters including divorce, legal separation, and allocation of parental responsibilities for residents of Yuma County. You can access case records by submitting a request to the clerk's office, using the statewide online record request system, or searching through approved third-party vendors that provide real-time court data access authorized by the Colorado Judicial Branch.

Yuma County Court System

The Combined Court in Yuma County serves as the courthouse for all matters in the 13th Judicial District. The courthouse is in Wray, the county seat. District Court handles dissolution of marriage cases along with felony criminal cases and civil matters that exceed a certain dollar amount. County Court processes smaller civil claims, traffic matters, and misdemeanor offenses.

Filing for dissolution requires working with the District Court clerk's office. The fee to file a petition is $260 under C.R.S. § 13-32-101, which sets court fees for Colorado. A response filed by your spouse costs $146. These fees apply across Colorado and were increased by the state legislature in January 2025.

You can find more information about the court at https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/courts/trial-courts/yuma-county. The website has forms, contact details, and directions to the courthouse. Check the site for office hours and any updates about closures or changes to court operations.

Court staff at the clerk's office can help with basic questions. If you need help with forms or court procedures, ask at the counter. Many courts offer self-help centers or resources for people without lawyers who need to file their own cases.

How To File In Yuma County

Before you file for dissolution in Yuma County, one spouse must meet the residency requirement. At least one party needs to have lived in Colorado for 91 days before filing the petition. This rule comes from C.R.S. § 14-10-106, which governs dissolution requirements.

Colorado law uses a no-fault standard. You do not need to prove wrongdoing by either party. The only ground required is that the marriage is irretrievably broken. This simplifies the process and reduces conflict. Parties can agree on all terms or let the court decide disputed issues. Either way, the legal standard stays the same.

When you file, an automatic temporary injunction takes effect under C.R.S. § 14-10-107. This injunction prevents both spouses from selling property, moving children out of state, or changing insurance without court approval. It remains in place until the case concludes. The purpose is to protect both parties and maintain stability while the case moves through the court system.

Bring your completed forms and the filing fee to the clerk's office. If you cannot afford the fee, you can request a waiver by submitting a financial affidavit. The court reviews your income and expenses to decide if you qualify. Fee waivers are covered by CJD 06-01, a directive from the Colorado Supreme Court that sets the criteria for reducing or eliminating fees for parties who cannot pay.

Accessing Dissolution Records

Most dissolution of marriage records in Yuma County are public. You can request records through the online form at coloradojudicial.gov/recorddocument-request-form. The form asks for the case type, names of parties, and case number if available. After you submit the form, court staff will contact you about the cost and how to obtain the records.

You can also email your request directly to the court's records office. Include both parties' full names, the approximate filing date or decree date, and any case number you have. Staff typically respond within three business days. If the case file is stored off-site or requires special handling, it may take a bit longer to process your request.

In-person requests work too. Visit the clerk's office in Wray to ask for case files. Staff can search by name or case number and tell you what records are available. In-person visits let you ask questions and get immediate answers about access to specific documents. If you are a party to the case and need restricted information, bring a government-issued photo ID.

Third-party services like CoCourts.com offer searches of Colorado court records. These vendors provide access to the register of actions, which shows case activity. They do not supply copies of actual documents. To get certified copies or full case files, you still need to contact the court directly. The vendors charge their own fees separate from court copy fees.

Record Copy Fees

Yuma County uses the statewide fee schedule for record copies. Regular copies cost $0.25 per page for single-sided sheets and $0.50 for double-sided pages. Parties to the case pay a maximum of $15 for copies regardless of the number of pages. This cap does not apply if you are not a party to the case. Non-parties pay per page with no maximum.

Certified copies are $20 per document. A certified copy includes a stamp and signature from the clerk confirming it is a true copy of the official record. You need certified copies for legal purposes like submitting to government agencies, banks, or other institutions. Regular copies are fine if you only need the information for your own use and do not need to prove authenticity.

If the file is not readily available, additional fees may apply. Off-site retrieval costs the actual expense to get the file from storage. Research or redaction that exceeds one hour costs $30 per hour, billed in 15-minute increments. Ask the clerk for an estimate if your request involves extra work so you know the total cost in advance.

Division Of Property And Support

Courts in Yuma County follow Colorado law for dividing marital property. The state uses an equitable division model set forth in C.R.S. § 14-10-113. Equitable means fair but not necessarily equal. The court considers factors like marriage length, each spouse's income, and contributions to marital assets when dividing property.

Separate property remains with the spouse who owned it before marriage or received it as a gift or inheritance during the marriage. Marital property includes assets acquired during the marriage. The court divides marital property in a way that seems fair based on the circumstances. If one spouse stayed home with children while the other worked, that contribution is factored into the division.

Spousal maintenance may be awarded when one spouse needs financial support after dissolution. Rules for maintenance are in C.R.S. § 14-10-114. The statute includes advisory guidelines to help judges determine the amount and duration of payments. These guidelines are not mandatory, but courts use them as a baseline. The final decision depends on the financial situation of both parties and the specific facts of the case.