Fourth Judicial District Court, Colorado Filing Rules

A judicial officer granting a motion to disqualify or recuse, or recusing sua sponte, must issue a written order or minute-order entry stating the reasons for the disqualification or recusal.

The party filing the motion must file a Notice to Set form by the stated deadline to schedule a pretrial conference and hearing and provide the mediation date.

The People must deliver the proposed jury instructions, joint witness list, exhibits, and supplemental jury questionnaires to the Division and opposing counsel by noon on the Friday before trial.

Unless the district attorney consents to a personal recognizance bond, the defendant must have a surety's written consent to remain on bond pending sentencing, with no exceptions.

The parties must file a Rule 16-compliant proposed case management order no later than 42 days after the case is at issue under Rule 16(b)(1).

A notice to set must be filed at least seven days before the setting date.

A District Attorney request for a no-bond hold must be made promptly.

Motions must be filed within 21 days after arraignment.

A reply to a motion response is due no later than seven days after the response.

The proposed case management order is due no later than 42 days after the case is at issue under Rule 16(b)(1).

All exhibits must be submitted electronically through the Colorado Courts E-filing System, subject to exceptions.

Proposed jury instructions must be electronically filed in an editable format.

When possible, unsigned plea copies should be submitted through E-filing at least two days before the disposition date.

An electronic copy of the District Attorney's proposed instructions must be provided to the court and defense.

Each exhibit must be submitted as a separate file within the filing submission.

Motions in limine and motions for substantive amendments to charges must be in writing.

The body text must use a type size no smaller than 12 points.

All plea paperwork must be one-sided.

A creditor seeking a formal Rule 69(e) creditor’s examination must call the clerk of the assigned division to schedule it.

Pro se settings must be arranged by telephone with Division 9 Judicial Assistants.

If a domestic-relations courthouse closure caused by bad weather reschedules a hearing, contact Division 24 staff by email with all parties or representatives to arrange the new hearing date.

The parties should not contact the Court for a case management conference date unless the Court directs them to do so.

If Division 12 hearings are canceled because of a courthouse closure, parties must call the next day to leave a message requesting a reset.

At least seven days before the return date, the plaintiff must serve the defendant with the summons, complaint, blank answer form, two informational forms, and blank fee-waiver forms.

Counsel intending to rely on newly released case law should provide copies to opposing counsel and the court before the hearing begins.

A motion to reduce bond will be heard only after proper notice to the District Attorney.

Written status reports and motions for permanency must be served on counsel of record and pro se parties at least five days before the hearing.

All motions, including motions in limine, must be heard at the motions hearing unless the court orders otherwise.

Parties must engage in meaningful conferral before filing a disputed motion; an unreturned voicemail or email does not qualify, and a motion lacking evidence of conferral will be denied.

Before filing any motion, counsel must discuss the filing directly with opposing counsel, and letters, faxes, emails, or relayed conversations do not satisfy the requirement.

Before filing a motion, the parties or counsel must have an actual good-faith conversation about disputed issues and attempt to resolve them, unless that is impossible.

Parties must confer meaningfully before filing a disputed motion, and the motion will be denied if the conferral is not evident; an unreturned voicemail or email does not qualify.

The Joint Trial Management Certificate may not exceed 15 pages, excluding the header, signature lines, and certificate of service, and each party must receive equal space.

Summary-judgment motions and response briefs are limited to 20 double-spaced pages, while reply briefs are limited to 15 double-spaced pages.

Confidential records submitted for in camera review must be sealed and labeled as confidential.

The QRTP assessment must be filed as a suppressed document.

Continuances will not be granted on the trial day, and any continuance motion must be handled before or at the pretrial readiness hearing.

Parties generally must enter a plea by their third appearance, and requests for additional dates are granted only for good cause.

Absent extraordinary circumstances, continuance motions will not be accepted on the trial day and must be addressed by the pretrial readiness hearing or criminal docket.

Absent extraordinary circumstances, the Court will not accept a joint continuance motion or grant a requested continuance on the day of trial.

Exhibits should be submitted in one filing when possible.

Documentary exhibits must be marked and uploaded into the Court Filing System as one submission when possible, with the filing party’s designation.

A movant may not file a summary-judgment motion and a separate brief; all argument and authority must be combined in the motion.

Filing fees are removed for closed civil cases.

A separate hard-copy judge set of exhibits is unnecessary when all exhibits have been electronically filed.