Civil Division

The Denver County Court Civil division handles non-criminal cases involving legal disputes between two or more parties. These parties may be individuals, businesses, or a government involved in the pursuance of a judgment. A critical component of the civil division is the issuance of temporary and permanent protection orders. The Denver County Court has jurisdiction over the following civil case types:

Money Claims up to $25,000
Disputes exceeding $25,000 must be filed in the Denver District Court
Small Claims
For claims not exceeding $7,500
Forced Entry and Detainer (FED) for Evictions
For residential, mobile home, and commercial properties
Foreign Judgments
Cases involving the filing of a judgment that was issued by another state with the Denver County Court, as a precursor to enforcing that judgment in the City and County of Denver
Replevins
Cases involving the recovery of personal property wrongfully taken or retained by another party
Restrictive Housing for In Custody Matters
Cases where a person who is being detained in custody has been placed in restrictive accommodations such as solitary confinement, in order to ensure compliance with relevant laws surrounding such restrictive housing
Nuisance Abatements
Cases brought about by the City and County of Denver against a person when they are involved in a public nuisance, or if the public nuisance occurred in or on their property, or if their property was used in the commission a public nuisance as defined in the Denver Revised Municipal Code
Official Name Changes
Cases involving the various legal name changes available for adults, juveniles, and felons
Temporary and Permanent Restraining (Protection) Orders
Civil court orders restricting or prohibiting contact between specific parties and allowing for criminal charges to be filed if violated

Filing a Civil Case

In-Person

Civil case types may be filed in person at the City & County Building – Clerk’s Office. Civil fees may vary by case type and can be paid at the Clerk’s office upon filing.

Electronic Filing for Attorneys – DCC eFile

Denver County Court hosts an electronic filing platform for attorneys. For more information please see eFile system information

Self Help Center

The Denver County Court Self Help Center provides free, in-person assistance to civil litigants not represented by an attorney. Please see the Contact page for operating hours. The Denver County Court Self Help Center is co-located with the Denver District Court Self Help Center and the Denver Probate Self Help Center at 1437 Bannock Street in Room 281. The Self Help Center cannot provide legal assistance to defendants on criminal matters.

Protection Orders

A Protection Order is an Order that prohibits the restrained person from personally, or having other people on their behalf, have contact with or harass, injure, intimidate, threaten, or molest any protected person. A protection order may also restrict a person from entering or remaining on a premises, allow them to be at a location only during specific times, or restrict them from coming within a specified distance of a protected person or premises.
Call 911 if you need immediate protection or are in an emergency.
Civil Protection Orders may be filed in-person at the City & County Building Monday – Friday 7:30AM – 9:00AM.

Official Name Changes

Official name changes may be filed in-person at the City & County Building and can occur for many different reasons, all of which may require a party to take specific actions in order to obtain the name change. These include but are not limited to: name changes for adults, name changes for a minor, name changes to obtain identity documents, name changes due to gender identification, and name changes for persons over 70 years of age.