Chaffee County, CO Courts and Public Records

The Chaffee Combined Court is the Chaffee County court for both District Court and County Court matters in the 11th Judicial District. District Court hears felonies, civil, domestic relations, juvenile, mental health, and probate cases, and County Court hears misdemeanors, traffic, and small claims.

Have the full name, the case number if you know it, and approximate dates ready before you search. Records for this county are held by the court listed on the county page.

The District and County Courts in Chaffee County together reported 2,431 filings and 2,383 terminations in FY 2024. Combined filings were down 2.1% from FY 2023, and filings equal 117.0 per 1,000 residents.

The largest single change was Misdemeanor in County Court filings, down 127 cases from FY 2023 to FY 2024.

This table covers the five most recent fiscal years for Chaffee County. Published years are shown as reported; earlier years marked with ~ are estimates based on the statewide trend and this county's latest published figures.

Combined filings up 0.2% from FY 2021 to FY 2024, from 2,425 to 2,431. The largest annual change was in FY2022 (+7.0%), when filings rose to 2,594. The largest single class change in FY 2024 was Misdemeanor in County Court filings, down 127 cases from FY 2023. The source reports only four fiscal years for these courts, so the table has four rows and no FY 2021 change is shown.

In FY 2024, the largest District Court category was civil at 30.5% of its 663 filings, and the largest County Court category was infractions at 35.0% of its 1,768 filings.

Mental health (District Court) grew fastest at +75.0%, while Misdemeanor (County Court) fell fastest at -24.5%.

Chaffee County accounted for 0.14% of the 1,715,971 combined filings statewide in FY 2024.

Combined filings in Chaffee County fell 2.1% from FY 2023 to FY 2024, compared with a statewide change of +9.9%. Its filings per resident are 59% below the statewide rate, and the District Court mix is shown above for criminal, civil, and family law cases.

These figures are Colorado statewide totals as reported to the FBI, not counts for Chaffee County. Agency reporting may be incomplete, and county crime counts are not available here. Statewide violent and property crimes combined fell 14.6% from 2024 to 2025. In 2025, reporting agencies covered about 99.1% of Colorado's population, so year-over-year changes can partly reflect which agencies reported.

Rates use the Colorado 2025 population of 6,012,561. County-level rates are not published, so this section does not compare Chaffee County with the state.

Chaffee County has 1 Combined Court location in Salida. Check your notice or ticket for the courthouse assigned to your case before you go.

Federal cases go to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, and parking tickets go to the city or agency that issued the ticket. Find your case type below.

Yes, most Chaffee County court records are public under Colorado's public access rule, Chief Justice Directive 05-01, with exceptions for sealed, restricted, and confidential records.

Public records

Court records are open to the public unless a law, court rule, or court order makes them restricted. Case files, filings, and orders are generally available to inspect at the court.

Restricted or confidential records

Sealed records are visible only to judges, court staff, and authorized Department staff, and outside parties need a court order. Juvenile delinquency, mental health, guardianship, and truancy cases are not public unless a court orders otherwise, and criminal cases with a sexual assault or child victim charge have limited access until victim-identifying information is redacted.

Online access

The Colorado Judicial Branch website does not offer an official statewide case search. Commercial vendors such as cocourts.com and bisi.com cover civil, domestic, felony, misdemeanor, and traffic cases for a fee and show a register of actions only, not documents, so vendor results are not the official court record.

In-person access

Contact the court at 719-539-2561 or visit 142 Crestone Avenue, Salida, CO 81201 to ask about records. You can also send the online records request form to the court.

Fees

The branch's record request form lists $0.25 per page for copies, $20 for certified copies, and $5 for a name search, with research and redaction at $30 per hour. Fees vary by court and form, so confirm with the court before you request records.

Colorado has no official statewide case search, so use the source that covers each case type and request documents that are not online from the court.

1. Identify the case type, such as criminal, traffic, civil, small claims, family law, probate, or juvenile.
2. Check the table below to see which source covers that case type.
3. Search a commercial vendor such as cocourts.com or bisi.com, which charges fees and shows a register of actions.
4. Review the register of actions for case status, parties, and scheduled dates.
5. Request documents that are not online through the online records request form, or call 719-539-2561.

Chaffee County traffic citations, criminal fines, and fees are paid through the options below, which the court lists as available.

1. Online: Pay fees, fines, and restitution through the Colorado Judicial Payment System, linked from the Chaffee County page on coloradojudicial.gov. The branch says to pick the county, then enter the case or ticket number or name.
2. In person or by mail: Payment methods vary by county. Call 719-539-2561 to confirm whether the clerk at 142 Crestone Avenue, Salida, CO 81201 accepts payments in person or by mail.
3. Payment plans: Payment plans are available online, in person, or by mail depending on the county. Call 719-539-2561 to ask whether Chaffee County offers one.

Parking tickets are not paid to this court, so pay the city or agency that issued the ticket.