Colorado
Colorado Name Change Laws: Fingerprints, Felony Bar, and How to Petition
Colorado's name-change statute, , is more demanding than most. Petitioners over 14 must submit a certified, fingerprint-based criminal history check, and the court must deny any petition from someone with a prior felony conviction, subject only to a narrow exception process. Publication is the default, but Colorado carves out broad exemptions for domestic violence, child abuse, and gender-identity-related changes.
This guide covers the adult and minor petition process, the felony bar and its narrow exception, publication and its exemptions, and the separate, simpler process for restoring a name after divorce.
Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
Adult Petition Process
Adults file a verified petition in district or county court in the county where they live, under . The court grants the change if it finds the new name is «proper and not detrimental to the interests of any other person.» Petitioners over 14 must include a certified, fingerprint-based criminal history check completed within 90 days of filing. Colorado's Judicial Branch publishes the JDF 433 petition form, Petition for Change of Name (Adult), along with the JDF 432 guide to the process.
Filing Fee
No official statewide filing fee was confirmed for this guide. Confirm the current fee with the district or county court where you plan to file, and ask about the JDF 433 petition form when you do.
Minor Name Changes
Colorado's minor-specific statutory language does not, on its own, spell out who may file on a minor's behalf. What the statute does require is disclosure: a petitioner under 19 must include the caption of any child-support, parental-responsibility, or parenting-time proceeding involving them, and special venue rules route a minor already involved in a custody, support, or foster-care case to the court that is already handling it. The practical mechanics of who files, a parent, in most cases, are handled through the JDF 420 form series rather than spelled out in the statute itself.
Name Change After Divorce
Colorado keeps divorce-related name restoration separate from, and simpler than, the general C.R.S. Section 13-15-101 process. Under , a person restores a former name by filing an ex parte motion under the original dissolution or legal-separation case number, in the same district court that entered the decree, with a sworn statement that the restoration is not detrimental to any person. This post-decree motion does not require fingerprints, publication, or the felony-conviction bar that applies to a standalone name-change petition, and it does not affect either party's rights or obligations under the original divorce decree. See Colorado divorce laws for the broader dissolution process.
Publication
Colorado requires public notice by default, at least three times within 21 days after the court orders publication, in a newspaper in the petitioner's county. The court can skip this for good cause, and several categories of petitioners are exempt outright under : victims of domestic violence, victims of child abuse, victims of domestic abuse, a child or youth adjudicated dependent or neglected, and petitioners changing their name to conform to their gender identity. A separate, simplified process without publication exists for petitioners 70 or older with an inconclusive fingerprint result.
Restrictions
Colorado's felony bar is unusually strict compared to most states in this guide. C.R.S. Section 13-15-101(2)(b) requires the court to deny a petition if the person was previously convicted of a felony, or adjudicated a juvenile delinquent for a felony-equivalent offense. This is a mandatory denial, not a discretionary factor for the judge to weigh. The only path around it is a narrow exception process for obtaining a driver's license under the convicted name, which requires notice to the district attorney and any victim, a fingerprint alias filing, and a court finding that the request is not for fraud, to avoid criminal consequences, or to facilitate criminal activity. Anyone with a felony conviction should understand Colorado's default is an automatic denial, not merely heightened judicial scrutiny.
Marriage-Based Name Change
Colorado has no statute specifically codifying marriage-based name changes. A newly married person typically updates their last name by presenting a marriage certificate to the Social Security Administration and Colorado's Division of Motor Vehicles, the customary practice used in most states without a dedicated marriage statute.
Domestic Violence and Safety Considerations
Colorado's publication exemptions for domestic violence and child abuse victims, and its separate gender-identity exemption, are broader than what many states offer, and they apply automatically to the categories the statute lists rather than requiring enrollment in a separate program. That said, a Colorado publication waiver does not automatically make a new name confidential with the Social Security Administration or the U.S. State Department, which apply their own separate rules. Anyone changing their name for safety reasons should raise it directly with the court at the time of filing.
Related Colorado Records
See Colorado marriage and divorce records for obtaining certified copies your petition may require, and Colorado court records for how name-change case files fit into the state's broader court-records rules.
For the general nationwide process, see how to legally change your name, what it costs to change your name, and the post-name-change checklist.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about Colorado name-change law. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Verify current fees, forms, and any local court practices with the district or county court where you plan to file, or with a licensed Colorado attorney, before relying on anything here for a specific situation.
Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and forms reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Colorado require a fingerprint check to change your name?
Yes, for petitioners over 14. C.R.S. Section 13-15-101(1)(a)(II) requires a certified, fingerprint-based criminal history check completed within 90 days of filing.
Can someone with a felony conviction change their name in Colorado?
Generally no. The court must deny the petition if the person has a prior felony conviction or equivalent juvenile adjudication, with only a narrow exception for a driver's license name change that requires district attorney and victim notice.
Do I have to publish my name change in a Colorado newspaper?
By default, yes, at least three times within 21 days. Domestic violence and child abuse victims, dependency and neglect cases, and petitioners changing their name for gender identity are exempt.
How do I restore my former name after a Colorado divorce?
File an ex parte motion under C.R.S. Section 14-10-120.2, using your original divorce case number in the same district court, with a sworn statement that the restoration is not detrimental to any person. No fingerprints or publication are required for this route.
What court handles a name change in Colorado?
District or county court, in the county where the petitioner lives.
Updates
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on 3 statutory provisions held in our own legal record, each retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 13: Courts and Court Procedure
§ 13-15-101Petition - proceedings - applicabilityIn forcecited in 2 of our articles
(1) (a) (I) Every person desiring to change the person's own name may present a petition to that effect, verified by affidavit, to the district or county court in the county of the petitioner's residence, except as otherwise provided in subsection (1)(a.5) of this section. The petition must include: (A) The petitioner's full name; (B) The new name desired; and (C) A concise statement of the reason for the name change. (II) If the petitioner is over fourteen years of age, the petition shall also include the results of a certified, fingerprint-based criminal history record check conducted pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection (1) within ninety days prior to the date of the filing of the petition. (III) If the petitioner is under nineteen years of age, the petition shall also include the caption of any proceeding in which a court has ordered child support, allocation of parental responsibilities, or parenting time regarding the petitioner.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at olls.info
Also relied on in: How to Legally Change Your Name
§ 13-15-102Publication of changeIn force
(1) Public notice of a change of name shall be given at least three times within twenty-one days after the court orders publication pursuant to section 13-15-101 (1.5). The person changing his or her name shall cause such public notice to be given in a newspaper published in the county in which the person resides. If no newspaper is published in that county, such notice shall be published in a newspaper in such county as the court directs. (2) Public notice of such name change through publication as required in subsection (1) of this section is not required if the petitioner has been: (a) The victim of a crime, the underlying factual basis of which has been found by the court on the record to include an act of domestic violence, as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1), C.R.S.; (b) The victim of child abuse, as defined in section 18-6-401, C.R.S.; (c) The victim of domestic abuse as that term is defined in section 13-14-101 (2); or (d) A child or youth adjudicated dependent or neglected pursuant to article 3 of title 19 or subject to a continued adjudication pursuant to section 19-3-505 (4).
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at olls.info
Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 14: Domestic Matters
§ 14-10-120.2Ex-parte request for restoration of prior name of partyIn forcecited in 2 of our articles
(1) Pursuant to the provisions of this section, at any time after the entry of a decree of dissolution or legal separation, a party to the action may request restoration of a prior full name. (2) The requesting party must file a verified motion and affidavit under the same case number in the district court in which the decree of dissolution or legal separation was entered. The requesting party's motion and affidavit must include: (a) The caption and case number for the action in which the decree of dissolution or legal separation was entered; and (b) The requesting party's sworn statement that the restoration of a prior full name is not detrimental to any person. (3) The court shall enter an order restoring the requesting party's name if the court determines that: (a) The court entered a decree of dissolution or legal separation in an action concerning the requesting party; and (b) The request to restore a prior full name is not detrimental to any person. (4) The order restoring a prior full name of the party does not affect any party's rights or obligations pursuant to the decree of dissolution or legal separation entered in the action.
Official text (excerpt) · as of 2026-07-29 · Read the full section at olls.info
Also relied on in: Name Change After Divorce
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Sources and References
- Colorado Revised Statutes Section 13-15-101, Change of Name(colorado.public.law)
- Colorado Revised Statutes Section 13-15-102, Publication of Notice, Exceptions(colorado.public.law)
- Colorado Revised Statutes Section 14-10-120.2, Restoration of Former Name(colorado.public.law)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, JDF 433, Petition for Change of Name (Adult)(coloradojudicial.gov).gov