Colorado Open Records Act Basics
CORA is the Colorado Open Records Act, codified at C.R.S. § 24-72-201 et seq. (Title 24, Article 72, Part 2). The Secretary of State explains that most public records held by state and county offices are open to inspection, with named exceptions. Requesters must contact the office that actually keeps the records. CORA does not mean every juvenile, medical, sealed, or law-enforcement record is open without restriction.
The Colorado Secretary of State CORA page explains public records, request routing, delivery options, and fees. Jefferson County agencies follow the statewide CORA framework but each one runs its own request system. CCJRA, at C.R.S. § 24-72-301 et seq., is the separate statute for criminal justice records held by law-enforcement agencies and prosecutors.
Route the Request to the Right Jefferson County Office
The most common mistake on a Jefferson County public records request is routing it to the wrong office. The table below maps record types to custodians. Pick the right one before drafting the request.
| Record Type | Custodian | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Court case files, dockets, divorce decrees, probate | Clerk of Court at Jefferson Combined Court | Record/Document Request Form |
| Real estate records, deeds, liens, plats | Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder | Recording office / land records search |
| Marriage and civil union records | Clerk and Recorder, Records and Licensing | Records and Licensing office |
| Sheriff incident reports, jail booking, BWC | Jefferson County Sheriff's Office | NextRequest portal |
| Statewide criminal history | Colorado Bureau of Investigation | CBI ICHC online |
| DA prosecution data | First Judicial District Attorney | DA office request |
| County government records (budgets, contracts, commissioners) | Jefferson County (general) | County Open Records request |
Records Held by the Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder
The Clerk and Recorder maintains a wide set of non-court county records. Clerk Amanda Gonzalez leads the office. Recent news releases describe major online-records expansions. The 2025 announcement said scanned images of records from 1859 forward came online for the first time in county history.
- Real estate records: deeds, liens, certificates, plats, bonds.
- UCC financing statements and related filings.
- Marriage and civil union licenses and copies.
- Clerk to the Board records (commissioner meetings, resolutions).
- Liquor licensing records.
- Election and voter administration records, subject to election-law limits.
- Motor vehicle title and registration records, subject to state and federal privacy rules.
The Clerk and Recorder routes county open-records requests through a dedicated page. Use it for any request that touches the offices the Clerk runs.
CCJRA and Sheriff Records
CCJRA is the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act at C.R.S. § 24-72-301 et seq. It covers records held by criminal justice agencies - sheriff, police, district attorney, corrections - and is distinct from CORA. The Sheriff's Records Unit handles CCJRA requests through NextRequest.
Available Sheriff records: incident reports, body-worn camera footage, background checks for agency contacts and arrests within Jefferson County, booking records, release records, other Detention Facility records, pre-March 2018 location searches, and publicly released Columbine investigation records. The Sheriff does not hold court records, CBI statewide criminal histories, sealed or expunged records, active investigation materials, juvenile records, or March 2018-current dispatch and location searches.
Court Records Under Court Rules
Court records follow Chief Justice Directives and Colorado Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure for access, sealing, and suppression. The Clerk of Court at the Jefferson Combined Court keeps court files. Use the Record/Document Request Form for court files; do not file a CORA request for them.
The Colorado Revised Statutes Title 24 PDF contains public-records statutes, the Criminal Justice Records Act, sealing provisions, and CORA. Read the table of contents to find the section that fits a specific record. Title 19 (Children's Code) sets juvenile record restrictions and lives in a separate PDF.
How to File a Jefferson County Public Records Request
- Pick the right office. Use the routing table above.
- Identify the records. Be specific: date range, parties, subject, agency.
- Pick the channel. Court files use the Record/Document Request Form. Sheriff records use NextRequest. Clerk and Recorder records use the recording office. Other county records use the Open Records page.
- Provide your contact details. Email and phone speed up the response.
- Submit the request and note any deposit or processing fee.
- Track the response. CORA generally requires a response within three business days.
- Pay any final fees and pick up or download the records.
- If denied, ask for a written reason citing the exception in CORA or CCJRA.
The Secretary of State page provides a CORA primer with delivery options, fee guidance, and the standard response window. Use it when an agency provides no clear request channel. The Colorado General Assembly explains how the official Colorado Revised Statutes are made available through LexisNexis and downloadable PDFs.
The Colorado Revised Statutes access page covers how to find the statute that controls a record type before drafting the request.
Fees, Redactions, and Response Timing
Each Jefferson County office sets its own fees within the limits CORA and CCJRA allow. Court records cost $0.25 per page (party cap $15), $20 per certified document, $5 for a name search, and $30 per hour after the first hour of research and redaction. The Sheriff charges $3 per request, the first hour free, then $40 per hour, plus media fees of $10 per CD/DVD or 32GB flash drive. The Clerk and Recorder charges $43 per standard recorded document, with copy fees free under 20 pages and $5 plus $0.25 per added page over 20 pages.
The standard CORA response window is three business days. Complex requests may take longer. Agencies must justify a longer period in writing. CCJRA requests follow a similar window with extensions allowed for investigative concerns.
Records Not Open to the Public
Some records are confidential under Colorado law and do not become public on request. The exemptions in CORA and CCJRA cover personal medical information, sealed criminal records, juvenile records under the Children's Code, certain personnel files, ongoing investigation materials, and records protected by federal privacy law. Court rules add their own restrictions for suppressed cases and protected probate or family matters.
The Colorado General Assembly publishes a memorandum at leg.colorado.gov/publications/process-sealing-or-expunging-criminal-records that covers sealing eligibility, waiting periods, and the petition process. DUI, DWAI, and DUID convictions are not eligible for sealing under C.R.S. § 24-72-706.
Note: A denial under CORA or CCJRA must cite a statutory basis. Ask for the citation in writing if a request is refused.
Recent Jefferson County Open-Records Initiatives
The Clerk and Recorder's office has expanded online records significantly in 2025. A February 2025 release announced that 600,000 records had been added online, expanding searchable real estate and related records back to 1970. An October 2025 release announced that more than 350,000 additional records had been added and that scanned images of records from 1859 forward were available online for the first time in county history.
The Sheriff's records-request workflow moved to NextRequest. The portal supports 24/7 submission and tracking. The Sheriff's records page lists fees that became effective January 2, 2025. The shift moved sheriff records away from manual paper requests and toward a tracked digital workflow. In 2025, Clerk Amanda Gonzalez was named a Raising the Bar honoree by the Colorado Women's Bar Association Foundation. The county news item also noted her role in developing and implementing a jail voting-access law that increased the number of eligible incarcerated voters casting ballots.
What to Put in a Jefferson County CORA Request
A clear request gets a faster response. The fields below cover the basics every Jefferson County agency expects. Drafting the request with all of them up front avoids back-and-forth.
| Field | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Requester name | Required for response and any fee waiver tracking. |
| Contact info | Email and phone speed up the back-and-forth on scope and fees. |
| Records description | Be specific. Name the record type, dates, parties, and incident or case numbers if known. |
| Date range | Narrower ranges cost less and ship faster. |
| Format preference | Paper, email, USB, or download link. |
| Fee waiver basis | If you qualify for a fee waiver, cite the basis (public interest, indigency). |
| Pickup or shipping | In-person, mail, or electronic delivery. |