Montrose County, CO Courts and Public Records

Montrose County's District and County Courts operate within Colorado's unified state court system in the 7th Judicial District. District Court hears felonies, civil, domestic relations, juvenile, mental health and probate cases, while County Court hears misdemeanors, traffic, infractions, small claims and civil cases.

Have the person's full name, the case number if you know it, and approximate dates ready before you search. Montrose County has two court locations, Montrose and Nucla.

Montrose County's District and County Courts received 5,609 new filings in FY 2024 and closed 5,246 cases. Filings rose 8.5% from 5,171 in FY 2023, equal to 125.2 filings per 1,000 residents. District Court figures include the Montrose and Montrose-Nucla locations.

The biggest driver of the change was District Court civil filings, which rose from 275 to 564.

Total filings in Montrose County moved from 5,962 in FY 2021 to 5,609 in FY 2024, and dispositions were 5,246 in FY 2024. Figures marked with ~ are estimates based on the other years shown for this county.

Over the four reported years, total filings fell 5.9%, from 5,962 to 5,609. The largest annual change was a decrease in FY 2023, when filings went from 5,646 to 5,171 (-8.4%). In the latest year, filings rose 8.5%, driven mainly by District Court civil (+289) and County Court civil (+82). FY 2020 is not in the source, so FY 2021 has no year-over-year change.

Chart note: a line chart of filings versus dispositions would run from oldest to newest, with years marked ~ as estimates.

Montrose County's largest single category in FY 2024 was County Court misdemeanor with 1,009 filings, or 18.0% of all 5,609 combined filings. County Court accounted for 71.2% of combined filings.

The fastest-growing category was District Court civil (+105.1%), and the fastest-falling was District Court juvenile (-23.0%).

Montrose County accounted for 0.33% of the 1,715,971 combined filings in Colorado's district and county courts in FY 2024.

Montrose County's filings rose 8.5% in FY 2024, while statewide filings rose 9.9%. Per resident, the county files 125.2 cases per 1,000 residents compared with 288.0 statewide.

These figures are Colorado statewide totals as reported to the FBI, not counts for Montrose 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 Montrose County with the state.

Montrose County has 2 court locations for District and County Courts. Check your notice or case paperwork for the courthouse assigned to your case before you go.

Montrose County's courts are part of Colorado's unified court system, so District Court and County Court divide case types by level. Federal cases go to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

Yes, most Montrose County court records are public, with exceptions set by Colorado Chief Justice Directive 05-01 (amended effective November 10, 2025). Read the directive.

Public records

Most District and County Court case records are open to the public, subject to the restrictions below. Access is governed by Chief Justice Directive 05-01.

Restricted or confidential records

Sealed records are visible only to judges, court staff and authorized 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

Colorado Judicial Branch does not provide a public case search on its website. Commercial vendors LexisNexis Colorado Courts Record Search (cocourts.com) and Background Information Services (bisi.com) list register of actions for a charge, but they do not provide documents and are not the official court record. Read the access guide.

In-person access

Visit Montrose Combined Courts at 1200 North Grand Avenue, Bin A, Montrose, CO 81401 to review or request records, or contact the court location that handles your case.

Fees

The Colorado Judicial Branch record request form lists $0.25 per page for copies, $25 for a transcript of judgment, $20 for certified copies, $5 for a name search, and $30 per hour for research and redaction. Fees vary by court and form.

Colorado has no statewide public case search on coloradojudicial.gov, so use the commercial vendors below for register of actions and request documents through the court.

1. Identify the case type, such as criminal, traffic, civil, small claims, domestic, probate or juvenile.
2. Use a commercial vendor such as cocourts.com or bisi.com for case types they cover, and note that results are not official records.
3. Search by party name or case number as the vendor requires, and note the case number.
4. Review the register of actions for case status and events.
5. Submit the online records request form for copies of documents, or contact Montrose Combined Courts for records not available elsewhere.

Traffic citations, criminal fines and parking tickets follow different routes, so confirm which one you have before you pay.

1. Online: Fees, fines and restitution can be paid through the Colorado Judicial Payment System. Find the county payment page from the Montrose County court page. Limits: accepted payment types vary by court.
2. In person: Visit Montrose Combined Courts at 1200 North Grand Avenue, Bin A, Montrose, CO 81401 to pay in person if the court accepts in-person payments. Limits: confirm accepted payment types with the court first.
3. Payment plans: Payment plans are offered by some courts, online, in person or by mail depending on the county. Limits: confirm whether Montrose County offers one, and whether a processing fee applies.
4. Mail: Mail payments are offered in some counties, depending on the court. Limits: confirm the mailing address and accepted payment types with the court before you send anything.

Parking tickets are not paid to the court. Pay the citing city or agency listed on the ticket.