Timeline in Colorado

The 91-Day Wait: What Starts the Clock

C.R.S. § 14-10-106(1)(a)(III) sets Colorado's 91-day floor before a decree can be entered. It ties the start date to jurisdiction over the respondent rather than to the filing date itself. A jointly filed petition starts the clock immediately at filing, since both spouses are already before the court. A petition filed by one spouse alone starts the clock only once the other spouse is served, signs a waiver of service, or otherwise appears in the case. This means two cases filed the same day can reach their earliest possible decree date weeks apart, depending on which path was used.

Residency: 91 Days for Spouses, 182 for Kids

At least one spouse must have been domiciled in Colorado for at least 91 days immediately before filing, under C.R.S. § 14-10-106(1)(a)(I). Colorado's official guidance is specific that this is exactly 91 days, not the commonly rounded three months. If minor children are part of the case, a separate and longer threshold applies. The children must have lived in Colorado for at least 182 days, or since birth if under six months old, before the court has jurisdiction to allocate parental responsibilities.

How an Uncontested Case Moves Through the Court

Colorado doesn't have a separately named statutory simplified-dissolution track with a marriage-length or asset-value cutoff. Instead, spouses who file the Petition (JDF 1011) jointly as co-petitioners skip the summons and service steps entirely, which starts the 91-day waiting period immediately at filing. If the parties reach full agreement on every issue and have no minor children, they can also file JDF 1018, an Affidavit for Decree Without Appearance, letting the court enter the final decree without a hearing. Cases with minor children require a signed Parenting Plan and aren't eligible for that no-hearing path.

The moment a petition is filed, an automatic temporary injunction takes effect on both spouses without either side having to request it. Neither spouse can sell, transfer, or hide marital property, or change insurance beneficiaries, without consent or a court order.

What Restarts or Delays a Case

Because the 91-day clock depends on how and when the respondent enters the case, the biggest single delay in a one-spouse-filed case is the time it takes to complete service. A respondent who is hard to locate or avoids service can push the earliest possible decree date out significantly, since the clock simply hasn't started until service, appearance, or a signed waiver happens. Once both spouses are before the court, a case involving minor children without a signed Parenting Plan will need a hearing rather than qualifying for the no-appearance affidavit process, which adds time. A dispute over property, support, or parenting time that turns the case contested also moves it onto the regular hearing docket.