Lookup El Paso County District Court

El Paso County District Court Overview

The El Paso County District Court sits in Colorado's 4th Judicial District with Teller County. The public-facing state courthouse is the El Paso County Judicial Building at 270 S. Tejon St. in Colorado Springs. Local government sources also refer to the court complex as El Paso County Combined Courts or the Terry R. Harris Judicial Complex. The same building houses District Court and County Court functions, so a visitor should check the case type, court type, division, and hearing notice before assuming which court has the file.

District Court is the general-jurisdiction trial court for El Paso County. It hears civil cases in any amount, domestic relations, felony criminal cases, juvenile matters, probate cases, and mental health proceedings. Appeals from District Court generally go to the Colorado Court of Appeals, while some matters may go directly to the Colorado Supreme Court. The District Attorney describes the District Court unit as the office's largest unit and the one that handles the most serious and violent crimes.

El Paso County District Court Staff

The official El Paso County judges and staff list identifies District Court judges, County Court judges, magistrates, and court executive staff. The table below focuses on the trial-court staff and divisions documented in the research file. Division numbers matter when checking dockets, appearing for a hearing, or contacting the correct courtroom staff.

The El Paso County judges and staff directory should be checked before relying on a division assignment, because court staff and division assignments can change.

District Court vs County Court

The most common El Paso County routing problem is confusing District Court, County Court, and a city municipal court. District Court handles broad trial-court work and serious criminal cases. County Court handles lower-level state matters. Municipal courts are city courts for ordinance and municipal traffic violations. A ticket, summons, docket entry, or court notice usually identifies which path applies.

El Paso County Case Movement

Case movement depends on the court level and filing type. A felony complaint may begin in County Court and later move to District Court after the charging path develops. A divorce, probate estate, guardianship, juvenile case, mental health case, or civil action in any amount starts in District Court. A city summons may never reach the state Combined Courts if the violation is handled by Colorado Springs Municipal Court or another city court.

Felony path: arrest or summons › advisement or bond hearing › complaint or filing decision › District Court case › arraignment › motions and pretrial hearings › plea or trial › disposition and sentence › appeal if filed.

Civil and family path: petition or complaint filed › service and response › temporary orders or early case events where needed › motions, disclosure, or mediation › hearing or trial › order or judgment › post-judgment enforcement or appeal.

Probate path: application or petition › clerk review and division assignment › letters, orders, claims, or protective proceeding events › closing documents or ongoing court supervision.

El Paso County District Court Records

District Court records are searched first through the Colorado Judicial Branch Docket Search when a hearing, party, attorney, case class, or case number is known. The docket search is not a full document portal. Complete copies must be requested from the Clerk of Court through the Record/Document Request Form, by email to 04ResearchRequest@judicial.state.co.us, or in person in Room S101.

• Felony records: complaint or information, advisement, motions, pleas, verdict, sentence, and register of action entries.
• Civil records: complaint, answer, motions, orders, judgments, transcript of judgment, satisfaction of judgment, and protection orders.
• Domestic relations: divorce decree, parenting plan, separation agreement, support order, and petition where access is allowed.
• Probate records: letters, wills, trusts, applications, petitions, claims, and closing documents, subject to access limits.
• Restricted records: juvenile, sealed, suppressed, mental health, and confidential protected information may be withheld or require ID.

For a broader records workflow, the El Paso County Clerk of Court page separates court copies from Clerk and Recorder documents.

4th Judicial District Offices

District Court cases often involve offices outside the clerk's counter. The 4th Judicial District Attorney has an El Paso County office at 105 E. Vermijo Ave. in Colorado Springs and describes separate District Court and County Court prosecution units. The District Court unit handles the most serious and violent crimes, while the County Court unit is responsible for misdemeanor and traffic offenses. The Colorado Springs Public Defender office represents eligible clients in El Paso and Teller counties.

Municipal Court Routing

Municipal courts are separate from the El Paso County District Court. Colorado Springs Municipal Court, Manitou Springs Municipal Court, Monument Municipal Court, Fountain Municipal Court, and other city courts may handle city ordinance cases and municipal traffic matters. The Manitou Springs Municipal Court page warns that Manitou Springs Police also write some citations into El Paso County Combined Courts, so the ticket itself controls where the case is heard.

Colorado Springs Municipal Court's vendor payment page uses record types such as Court Case, Summons, Parking Ticket, Photo Enforcement, and License Plate. That kind of record is not the same as a District Court felony, divorce, probate, or civil case. If the paperwork names a municipal court, start with that city court before submitting a state court records request.

Note: A municipal bench warrant or traffic matter may not appear in the same place as a state District Court case.