Divorce in Colorado: Costs, Laws, and Calculators (2026)

Everything you need to understand the financial reality of divorce in Colorado. State-specific costs, formulas, and free calculators.

Our estimate, uncontested
$2,000 - $5,000
Our estimate, contested
$14,000 - $42,000
Estimated timeline
4 - 13 months
DCE State Score
52 / 100

By our own estimates, Colorado divorces cost about 26% less than our national working figure of $12,900.

On our record Colorado publishes advisory maintenance guidelines and requires mediation before a contested divorce can proceed to trial.

Colorado is a no-fault only state. The sole ground for dissolution is "irretrievable breakdown" of the marriage. C.R.S. § 14-10-114, read from an Internet Archive capture of content.leg.colorado.gov dated 2026-09-24, puts Colorado on advisory maintenance guidelines that reach a marriage of at least three years where combined annual adjusted gross income does not exceed $240,000, and the court makes findings about the guideline result rather than being bound by it: the statute says the guidelines create no presumptive amount or term. We are not printing the calculation. What we used to show here described the tax rules that applied before 2019 and left out the multipliers the statute applies to the guideline amount when maintenance is not deductible to the payer, and the copy read here is the 2024 edition. Our record has Colorado requiring mediation before any contested hearing, which reduces the number of cases that proceed to trial. That is our own record rather than Colorado's own court rules. Our record puts its residency requirement at 91 days, which our copy says is the minimum to establish Colorado jurisdiction.

What this section says about Colorado's mediation requirement is a characterisation this site carries rather than a finding. That is our own record rather than Colorado's own law.

Key Fact

C.R.S. § 14-10-114, read from an Internet Archive capture of content.leg.colorado.gov dated 2026-09-24, has the court work out a specific guideline amount and term, which makes maintenance more predictable here than in a purely discretionary state. They are advisory: the court makes findings in support of whatever amount and term it orders, and the guidelines reach only combined annual adjusted gross income up to and including $240,000.

Recent Development

Colorado updated its requirements for parenting plans submitted to family courts, requiring more specificity on decision-making for education, medical care, and extracurricular activities. Courts now review plans more carefully for completeness before acceptance.

Colorado Divorce Quick Facts

State law, attorney rates, and procedural rules for Colorado.

Property division system, in our record
Equitable Distribution (judicial discretion)
How alimony is decided, in our record
Judicial discretion
Child support formula
Income Shares Model
Mandatory waiting period, in our record
91 days
Residency requirement, in our record
91 days
Mediation required, in our record
Yes
Equal parenting presumption, in our record
No
Fault divorce available, in our record
No
Collaborative divorce available
Yes, and our record says the same for all fifty states
Filing fee range
$230
Attorney hourly rates, our estimate
$250 - $450/hour
Filing fee last checked
Not independently verified

Where these Colorado figures come from, since it is fair to ask. The court filing fee is the one we have gone back to, and even there we are recording what a fee schedule says rather than citing a document we have opened. Everything else on this page that is a cost or a length of time - attorney rates, the mediator's per-session rate, QDRO preparation, the uncontested and contested totals, the number of months a case takes - came into our data when the site was first built, and nobody has checked any of it against a published source since. Our own value distributions give the game away: attorney rates across all fifty states take seven distinct values at the low end, every one of them a multiple of 25, which is what a set of estimates looks like rather than fifty separate readings. We think they are in the right neighbourhood. We are not going to call them Colorado averages. For a real number, a Colorado family law attorney will quote you their own rate, and the clerk of court in your county will tell you the filing fee to the dollar.

The waiting period and the residency requirement in that table are in the same position, and they matter more, because a wrong number there is a filing in the wrong place rather than a bad estimate. Both came into our data at the original build and nobody here has read Colorado's dissolution statute. Confirm both with the clerk of court in the county where you will file, and ask specifically whether the wait runs from the day you file or from a separation date, because states do it both ways and our records hold one number for both cases.

DCE State Score Breakdown

Our proprietary index ranks every state on cost, complexity, and timeline. Higher is more favorable.

Overall DCE State Score

52/ 100

On our own 0 to 100 scale, a score of 52 puts Colorado in the band we call moderate, which runs 50 to 69. The cut points are ours, set when we built the score, and they compare Colorado with no average.

Cost Score

25/ 40

The midpoint of the uncontested cost range we hold for Colorado, against a national baseline of ours. A higher cost lowers the score.

Complexity Score

17/ 30

Lowered by a longer waiting period, a longer residency requirement, a mediation requirement, a discretionary approach to alimony and more judicial discretion over custody, and raised by an equal-parenting presumption and collaborative divorce being available, each as we hold it for Colorado.

Timeline Score

10/ 30

Based on our own contested duration estimate for Colorado and the uncontested duration our pages show for it, which is never below its waiting period, each against a national baseline of ours. A longer case lowers the score.

Divorce Calculators for Colorado

All 15 calculators preconfigured for Colorado.

Colorado Divorce Laws Overview

Property Division

Our record has Colorado as an equitable distribution state. That is our own record rather than Colorado's own property division law. Equitable does not mean equal, it means fair, based on the circumstances. Judges consider factors including each spouse's income and earning capacity, contributions to the marriage, length of the marriage, and the economic circumstances of each spouse. Outcomes can vary significantly from case to case.

Spousal Support (Alimony)

Colorado courts have discretion over the amount and term of maintenance, and that is the statute speaking rather than our record. C.R.S. § 14-10-114 (read from an Internet Archive capture of content.leg.colorado.gov dated 2026-09-24) has been read here, and what we hold out of it is C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b) and (3)(e), which establishes that the court works out an advisory guideline amount and term where the marriage lasted at least three years and the combined annual adjusted gross income does not exceed $240,000, then sets what is fair and equitable after considering them, and that the guidelines "do not create a presumptive amount or term of maintenance". That reading covers the 2024 edition of the section and not what the 2025 and 2026 sessions did to it. We are not reproducing the guideline calculation here, and the estimate on our alimony calculator is a national approximation rather than a Colorado figure. The factors our record lists are: length of the marriage, income difference between spouses, standard of living during the marriage. Those came into our data at the original build rather than from a reading of the statute. Outcomes can vary significantly depending on the judge and the specific facts of your case.

Child Support

Colorado uses the Income Shares Model for child support, and we have read the guideline that says so. In that model both parents' incomes are combined, a total support obligation is set from that combined figure and the number of children, and each parent's share is proportional to their share of the combined income. The paying parent pays their share to the receiving parent. The figure Colorado's own guideline works from is combined adjusted gross income, under C.R.S. § 14-10-115(7)(a)(I) and (7)(b).

Custody and Parenting Time

Colorado courts determine custody on the best interests of the child. Our record carries no presumption of equal parenting time for the state and puts judicial discretion here in the middle of its three-point scale. That is our own record rather than Colorado's own custody law. Courts generally favor arrangements that allow both parents meaningful involvement in the child's life.

Other Notable Factors

  • Our records show Colorado requires mediation before a contested divorce case can proceed to trial, from our own state data rather than from a reading of its court rules. Where that holds it adds cost and time, and it often results in settlement without a court hearing.

This estimate is for planning purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Consult a licensed family law attorney in your state for guidance specific to your situation.

Recent Law Changes in Colorado

All state updates

Notable updates to Colorado family law that affect divorce outcomes and costs.

Colorado Updates Parenting Plan Requirements

Minor

Our record dates this to July 2022

Colorado divorcing parents must submit more detailed parenting plans than before. Vague plans that leave major decisions unaddressed will be returned for revision. Working with a family law attorney or mediator to draft a complete plan upfront saves time.

No document behind this change has been opened here. The link goes to Colorado's own site rather than to the instrument, so read the change itself as our record.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a divorce cost in Colorado?
Our working estimate is $2,000 - $5,000 for an uncontested Colorado divorce and $14,000 - $42,000 for a contested one, with the spread depending on attorney involvement, custody disputes, and the complexity of the marital estate. Court filing fees alone are $230. Both totals are ours rather than measured averages: they came into our data when this site was built and no survey stands behind them.
How long does a divorce take in Colorado?
Our records put Colorado's mandatory wait at 91 days, an uncontested case at roughly 4 months, and a contested one at about 13. Treat all three as ours rather than as findings: we have not read Colorado's dissolution statute or its court caseload statistics. The clerk of court in the county where you will file can confirm the wait, and whether it runs from filing or from a separation date, which differs by state.
How is property divided in Colorado?
Our record has Colorado as an equitable distribution state. That is our own record rather than Colorado's own property division law. Equitable does not mean equal, it means fair, based on the circumstances. Judges consider factors including each spouse's income and earning capacity, contributions to the marriage, length of the marriage, and the economic circumstances of each spouse. Outcomes can vary significantly from case to case.
How is child support calculated in Colorado?
Colorado uses the Income Shares Model for child support, and we have read the guideline that says so. In that model both parents' incomes are combined, a total support obligation is set from that combined figure and the number of children, and each parent's share is proportional to their share of the combined income. The paying parent pays their share to the receiving parent. The figure Colorado's own guideline works from is combined adjusted gross income, under C.R.S. § 14-10-115(7)(a)(I) and (7)(b).
How is alimony determined in Colorado?
Colorado courts have discretion over the amount and term of maintenance, and that is the statute speaking rather than our record. C.R.S. § 14-10-114 (read from an Internet Archive capture of content.leg.colorado.gov dated 2026-09-24) has been read here, and what we hold out of it is C.R.S. § 14-10-114(3)(b) and (3)(e), which establishes that the court works out an advisory guideline amount and term where the marriage lasted at least three years and the combined annual adjusted gross income does not exceed $240,000, then sets what is fair and equitable after considering them, and that the guidelines "do not create a presumptive amount or term of maintenance". That reading covers the 2024 edition of the section and not what the 2025 and 2026 sessions did to it. We are not reproducing the guideline calculation here, and the estimate on our alimony calculator is a national approximation rather than a Colorado figure. The factors our record lists are: length of the marriage, income difference between spouses, standard of living during the marriage. Those came into our data at the original build rather than from a reading of the statute. Outcomes can vary significantly depending on the judge and the specific facts of your case.

Divorce Costs in Nearby States

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