Colorado Filing Fees and Fee Waivers: Know What You Will Pay
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Filing a family case in Colorado normally carries a fee. Dissolution filing fee: ~$230. Fees are set locally and change, so treat any figure as a starting point and confirm the current amount with your clerk.
Not being able to pay does not close the courthouse door. Every state has a way to ask a judge to waive or defer the fee, usually by filing a short sworn statement about your income and expenses. The official Colorado documents for that request are below.
Official Colorado fee resources
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Colorado family law forms (official index) (Colorado judicial branch): The official statewide collection of Colorado family law forms. When a direct document link stops working, this index is where the current version lives. https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/self-help/about-family-cases-forms?language=en
Colorado court self-help resources (Colorado courts self-help): Official self-help information for people handling their own Colorado family case, including instructions and plain-language guides. https://www.courts.state.co.us/Self_Help
Colorado trial courts by county (Colorado judicial branch): Find the courthouse or clerk that serves your area, with locations and contact details. https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/trial-courts-county
Colorado official filing information (Colorado judicial branch): The court's own page explaining how documents are filed in Colorado and what a parent without a lawyer is allowed to do. https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/e-filing-non-attorneys
Verified official Colorado fee waiver documents
These official documents are how you ask a Colorado court to waive or defer a filing fee.
JDF 203 Certification of Determination of Indigency, form JDF 203 (Fee Waiver), official document: https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/JDF%20203%20Certification%20of%20Determination%20of%20Indigency.pdf
Motion to File Without Payment and Financial Affidavit (JDF 205), form JDF 205 (Fee Waiver), official document: https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/JDF205.pdf
Order re Fee Waiver (JDF206), form JDF206 (Fee Waiver), official document: https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/sites/default/files/2024-08/JDF206.pdf
Official link data for Colorado was last verified June 2026. Report anything outdated through our contact page and we will re-check the official source.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to file a family case in Colorado?
Dissolution filing fee: ~$230. If you cannot afford the fee, ask the clerk about a fee waiver or indigency application; every state has a process for requesting one.
Will asking for a fee waiver hurt my case?
No. The fee waiver request goes to the question of what you can afford, not to the merits of your case. Courts handle these routinely.
What if my waiver is denied?
Ask the clerk about paying in installments or deferring the fee. Practice varies by court, so ask before you assume the case cannot be filed.
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