When safety is at stake, Colorado moves fast: a judge can issue a temporary civil protection order the same day you ask, before the other party is even notified. Fourteen days later, a real evidentiary hearing decides whether the order becomes permanent.

We represent people on both sides of that courtroom, because both sides carry serious stakes: safety on one, and home access, parenting, and firearm rights on the other. Protection orders also intersect with parenting cases and pending divorces, and the orders have to work together.

How we help

• Emergency and temporary civil protection orders in courts throughout the Denver metro area
• Full representation at the permanent protection order hearing, where the court decides whether the order continues
• Defense against protection orders, including the firearm, housing, employment, and parenting consequences that follow them
• Coordinating protection orders with a pending dissolution or allocation of parental responsibilities case
• Later motions to modify or dismiss a permanent protection order when circumstances warrant it

How Civil Protection Orders Work in Colorado

Civil protection orders are governed by C.R.S. Title 13, Article 14, and can be based on domestic abuse, stalking, sexual assault or unlawful sexual contact, physical assault or threats, and abuse of the elderly or at-risk adults.

• A protection order can prohibit contact, exclude the restrained person from a shared home or workplace, set distance restrictions, and address temporary care of children and animals.
• The petition process uses standardized Colorado Judicial Branch forms (the JDF 402 packet), and filing fees are waived in cases involving domestic abuse, stalking, and sexual assault.
• Civil protection orders are separate from the mandatory criminal protection orders that arise automatically in domestic violence prosecutions; a person can be subject to both at once.
• These cases move fast by design, so both petitioners and respondents benefit from getting organized immediately.

Temporary Protection Orders: The First 14 Days

A temporary protection order (TPO) can issue ex parte, meaning without the other party present, if the judge finds an imminent danger to the petitioner or others under C.R.S. 13-14-104.5.

• Metro courts typically hold the TPO hearing the same day the petition is filed, and Denver's protection order courtroom handles these daily.
• The TPO takes effect against the respondent once they are personally served, and law enforcement handles service.
• A TPO typically lasts up to 14 days, until the permanent order hearing, and can be continued if service has not been accomplished.
• Violating a TPO after service is a crime, so respondents must follow the order exactly even if they believe it is unfounded; the place to contest it is the hearing.

The Permanent Protection Order Hearing

The permanent order hearing is usually set about 14 days after the TPO issues, and it is a genuine evidentiary hearing: testimony, exhibits, witnesses, and cross-examination.

• To make the order permanent, the court must find by a preponderance of the evidence that the respondent committed the qualifying acts and that, without the order, continued harm or threats are likely.
• Permanent in Colorado means indefinite: the order does not expire on its own.
• Either side may request one continuance, and the temporary order stays in effect in the meantime; parties can also resolve the matter by agreement in some cases.
• A restrained person generally must wait at least two years after the permanent order enters before moving to modify or dismiss it under C.R.S. 13-14-108, while a protected person can seek changes sooner.

Consequences and Enforcement

Violation of a protection order is a criminal offense under C.R.S. 18-6-803.5, and Colorado law directs officers to arrest when there is probable cause of a violation.

• Orders issued in domestic violence contexts trigger firearm relinquishment obligations under Colorado law, and federal law separately restricts firearm possession for many restrained persons.
• A protection order can affect a pending or future divorce or APR case, including parenting time logistics, exchanges, and the domestic violence findings courts weigh under C.R.S. 14-10-124.
• Protection orders appear in law enforcement databases and can surface in background checks, affecting housing and employment for the restrained person.
• Mutual no-contact situations still require careful compliance: only a court can modify the order, and informal reconciliation does not suspend it.

Whether You Are Seeking or Responding to an Order

Petitioners should document incidents with dates, messages, photos, and witnesses, and prepare to testify clearly about why continued harm is likely without the order.

• Respondents face high stakes at the permanent hearing: home access, parenting, firearms, and reputation; treating the 14-day window seriously is essential.
• Common defense themes include lack of qualifying conduct, credibility disputes, and the absence of likely future harm; agreed resolutions short of a permanent order are sometimes possible.
• When the parties share children, the protection order intersects with parenting orders, and the two proceedings must be coordinated so the orders do not conflict.
• Neither side is required to have a lawyer, but contested hearings follow the rules of evidence, and preparation usually determines the outcome more than emotion does.

Local courts and where to file

In Denver, civil protection orders are handled by the Denver County Court, which operates a dedicated protection order courtroom with same-day temporary order hearings. In Arapahoe, Douglas, Adams, Broomfield, and Jefferson counties, petitions are typically filed in county court, and when a divorce or APR case is already pending, the district court handling that case can enter protection orders within it. Local advocacy resources and court self-help centers exist across the metro, but contested permanent order hearings are real evidentiary hearings.

Last updated August 2026.