Colorado agreed divorce · Longmont · Boulder County · Weld County
A simple divorce, kept simple.
When both spouses agree, Colorado lets many divorces move through the court on paperwork. Answer ten quick questions to see whether yours is likely simple, simple with some help, or worth a talk with a lawyer first. Then follow the steps and the official forms.
Is my Colorado divorce a simple one?
Ten questions, about two minutes. You will get one of three results: likely simple, simple with help, or talk to a lawyer first, with the official forms that usually apply.
0 of 10 answered
The path, start to finish
An agreed Colorado divorce in six steps
The short version. The full timeline with every official form has links to each one on the Colorado Judicial Branch site.
Check you can file in Colorado
Before day 1One spouse must have lived in Colorado for at least 91 days before filing.
File the petition, ideally together
Day 1JDF 1000 Case Information Sheet and JDF 1011 Petition, filed in the county where either of you lives. Filing together skips the summons, service and response steps.
Follow the automatic orders
From filingOnce the petition is filed, neither spouse may sell, hide or borrow against marital property, disturb the other's peace, or change insurance covering the other, except as the orders allow.
Exchange financial disclosures
Within 42 daysEach spouse files JDF 1111 Sworn Financial Statement and JDF 1104 Certificate of Compliance. An Initial Status Conference is scheduled within 42 days of filing.
Sign your agreements
When readyJDF 1115 Property and Financial Agreement; with children, also JDF 1113 Parenting Plan and the child support worksheet.
Ask for the decree
After 91 daysIf you qualify, JDF 1018 Affidavit for Decree Without Appearance with the proposed JDF 1019 Decree. The court may still set a hearing.
Sources: JDF 1010, How to File for Divorce; Colorado Judicial Branch, Divorce or Legal Separation; C.R.S. 14-10-106 and 14-10-120.3 in the Colorado Revised Statutes 2026, Title 14.
What "simple" means here
Simple is about agreement, not about speed
Every Colorado divorce has the same 91-day minimum wait, even when the spouses agree on everything. What makes a divorce simple is that the court has nothing to decide: you file a full written agreement, and the judge reviews it.
Colorado law lets the court enter final orders on sworn affidavits instead of testimony when the conditions in C.R.S. 14-10-120.3 are met. The Colorado Judicial Branch form for that request is JDF 1018.
The fewer moving parts you have (children, a house, retirement accounts, a business, maintenance), the more likely the paperwork alone will do it. Each one you add is a place where a careful review is worth having. Read when simple isn't simple.
The decree-without-appearance conditions
- No minor children and neither spouse is expecting a child, or both spouses have a lawyer or licensed legal paraprofessional and a written agreement covers the children and child support.
- The responding spouse joined the petition or was properly served.
- No genuine dispute about any material fact.
- No marital property to divide, or a written agreement dividing it.
- The court may still require a hearing, and the affidavit does not shorten the 91-day wait.
Sources: C.R.S. 14-10-120.3 in the Colorado Revised Statutes 2026, Title 14; JDF 1018, Affidavit for Decree Without Appearance.
Who is behind this site
Attorney Charles E. Liken Jr.
- Colorado-licensed attorney
- Court-appointed Colorado Child & Family Investigator
- Former government fraud investigator, 700+ investigations
- Former Colorado Deputy District Attorney
Attorney Liken practices Colorado family law at The Longmont Law Firm, LLC, serving Longmont, Boulder County and Weld County. His investigator background shows up where agreed divorces most often go wrong: the financial disclosures and the fine print. More about Attorney Liken, or read his full biography on longmont.law.
Questions
Simple divorce questions, answered from the official sources
How long do we have to live in Colorado before filing for divorce?
One spouse must have lived in Colorado for at least 91 days right before the case is filed. If you have children, the Colorado Judicial Branch says they must have lived in Colorado for at least 182 days, or since birth if under six months old.
Sources: C.R.S. 14-10-106(1)(a)(I) in the Colorado Revised Statutes 2026, Title 14; JDF 1010, How to File for Divorce.
Is there a waiting period even if we agree on everything?
Yes. The court cannot enter the decree until at least 91 days have passed since it gained jurisdiction over the responding spouse. The 91 days start when the petition is filed together, or when the other spouse is served or signs a waiver of service.
Sources: C.R.S. 14-10-106(1)(a)(III) in the Colorado Revised Statutes 2026, Title 14; JDF 1010, How to File for Divorce.
Can we get divorced without a final court hearing?
Sometimes. Colorado allows final orders on sworn affidavits, using form JDF 1018, when there are no minor children and neither spouse is expecting a child (or both spouses have a lawyer or a licensed legal paraprofessional and a written agreement covers the children), there is no genuine dispute about any important fact, and the marital property is divided by written agreement or there is none. The court is not required to grant it and may still set a hearing, and the affidavit does not shorten the 91-day wait.
Sources: C.R.S. 14-10-120.3 in the Colorado Revised Statutes 2026, Title 14; JDF 1018, Affidavit for Decree Without Appearance.
What financial paperwork does each spouse have to provide?
Within 42 days after filing or receiving the petition, each spouse must file a Sworn Financial Statement (JDF 1111) and a Certificate of Compliance (JDF 1104). The certificate lists documents sent to the other spouse but not filed with the court, such as the most recent three years of income tax returns, pay stubs, bank and retirement statements, and debt records.
Sources: JDF 1010, How to File for Divorce; Colorado Judicial Branch, Case Process; JDF 1104.
Can my spouse and I file together?
Yes. When both spouses sign the petition as co-petitioners, the Colorado Judicial Branch says to skip the summons, service and response steps, which makes the process simpler.
Sources: Colorado Judicial Branch, Divorce or Legal Separation; JDF 1010, How to File for Divorce.
We have children. Can our divorce still be simple?
It can be agreed, but it involves more. You will file a Parenting Plan (JDF 1113) and a child support worksheet, and a decree without a hearing is allowed only if both spouses are represented by a lawyer or a licensed legal paraprofessional. A court may also order parents of a child under 18 to attend a parenting education class.
Sources: JDF 1010, How to File for Divorce; C.R.S. 14-10-120.3(1)(a) and 14-10-123.7(2) in the Colorado Revised Statutes 2026, Title 14.
When is the divorce final?
When the court signs and enters the decree (form JDF 1019). Colorado law says a decree of dissolution is final when entered, subject to the right of appeal.
Sources: JDF 1010, How to File for Divorce; C.R.S. 14-10-120(1) in the Colorado Revised Statutes 2026, Title 14.
What if we change our minds?
Tell the court right away. The Colorado Judicial Branch warns that if both spouses want to stop and do not notify the court, the divorce can still go forward. The form to use is JDF 1305, Stipulated Motion to Dismiss.
Source: JDF 1010, How to File for Divorce.
Can Attorney Liken help without taking over the whole case?
Yes. Many agreed divorces only need a lawyer for part of the work, such as reviewing a draft agreement, a parenting plan or the financial disclosures. The Longmont Law Firm also offers divorce mediation and flat-fee quotes.
Next step
Talk it through with Attorney Liken
Bring your checklist result to a free 20-minute call. No charge and no obligation.
Office telephone 303-406-2791
Office fax number 720-713-7147
Office mailing address The Longmont Law Firm, LLC, 1601 29th St. Suite 1292, Boulder, CO 80301
Email charles@longmont.law
Please do not send confidential details by email before we speak. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.