Colorado
Colorado Restraining Order Laws (2026): How to Get a Protective Order
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 17, 2026). · Reviewed by the RecordingLaw editorial team. · Law checked current as of August 17, 2026. · 4 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
In Colorado, a Civil Protection Order is available to any person who has experienced physical violence, threatened physical violence, unlawful sexual conduct, or stalking, regardless of any relationship with the respondent. A permanent civil protection order lasts for the life of the respondent unless modified by the court.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For confidential help 24/7, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788).
Types of restraining orders in Colorado
Colorado's protective-order system is broader than many states because the Civil Protection Order does not require any domestic or intimate relationship between the parties.
The Temporary Civil Protection Order is the initial ex parte order issued the same day the petitioner files. Under CRS section 13-14-104.5(10), the hearing on a permanent protection order must be set not more than 14 days after the temporary order issues, and the temporary order carries the petitioner through to that hearing. There is no hard 28-day maximum. If the petitioner has been unable to serve the respondent in that period, the court must extend the temporary order, continue the hearing, and issue an alias citation, and it must grant additional continuances as needed when the petitioner shows reasonable efforts to serve or that the respondent is evading service. Separately, CRS section 13-14-106(1)(b) lets each party request one good-cause continuance of up to 14 days, and lets the court continue the temporary order and the show-cause hearing to a date certain up to one year out when both parties are present and agree. Under CRS section 13-14-104.5(8)(b), a judge or magistrate may continue a temporary order for up to one year after the date of the permanent-order hearing.
The Permanent Civil Protection Order is issued after the return hearing, at which the respondent has notice and an opportunity to appear and respond. Despite the name, a permanent CPO is not truly permanent in the sense of being irrevocable: it lasts for the life of the respondent, but either party can petition the court to modify or dissolve it. Under CRS section 13-14-108, the protected party may ask the court to modify or dissolve the order at any time. The restrained party, by contrast, cannot file a new motion to modify or dismiss the order within two years of its issuance or of a prior such motion's outcome.
The Emergency Protection Order (EPO) is a court order, not a police order, and it is available after hours, on weekends, and on holidays when the courts are closed. CRS section 13-14-103(1)(a) gives county and district courts the authority to enter an EPO, and section 13-14-103(1)(d) requires the chief judge of each judicial district to keep a judge available to issue emergency protection orders by telephone at all times the county and district courts are closed for judicial business. Under section 13-14-103(1)(e), when a peace officer asserts reasonable grounds to believe someone is in immediate and present danger, that judge may issue a written or verbal ex parte EPO. In other words, police request an EPO and a judge or magistrate issues it. An EPO expires no later than the close of judicial business on the next day of judicial business unless the court continues it, so it is a bridge to filing for a civil protection order during business hours.
The Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) is a separate tool focused on firearm removal. It allows a judge to order a person who poses a significant risk of causing harm to themselves or others to surrender their firearms. As of 2026, SB26-004 expanded the list of who may petition for an ERPO to include health-care facilities, schools, and higher-education institutions, in addition to law enforcement officers, household members, and medical providers.
Who can get a restraining order in Colorado?
Colorado's Civil Protection Order statute is notably inclusive. Under CRS sections 13-14-104.5 and 13-14-106, any person who has been subjected to:
- unlawful sexual conduct,
- physical violence or threatened physical violence,
- stalking, or
- any other behavior that causes a reasonable person to be in fear of imminent serious bodily injury
may petition for a Civil Protection Order. There is no requirement that the petitioner be in a romantic relationship, share a household, or have any prior connection to the respondent. Neighbors, coworkers, strangers, and acquaintances are all eligible petitioners.
Where a domestic relationship does exist (current or former intimate partners, spouses, co-parents, or household members), the relationship is relevant primarily because it triggers mandatory firearm relinquishment and can affect the penalty level for a violation. But the absence of a domestic relationship does not disqualify a petitioner.
Colorado also has a criminal stalking statute (CRS section 18-3-602) and a criminal harassment statute (CRS section 18-9-111) that prosecutors can use alongside or in lieu of civil protection orders in appropriate cases.
How to file for a restraining order in Colorado
Under CRS section 13-14-104.5(1)(a), original concurrent jurisdiction over civil protection orders belongs to any county court, any district, probate, or juvenile court, and any municipal court of record that its municipal governing body has authorized to hear them. Venue under CRS section 13-14-104.5(3) is proper in any county where one of the acts or behaviors described in the petition occurred, in any county where either party lives, or in any county where either party is employed. You do not have to file in the county where the respondent lives, and you do not have to travel back to the county where the incident happened if you live or work somewhere else. HB24-1122 (enacted 2024) clarified these venue rules.
Filing is free for many petitioners, but the rule comes from a state statute rather than a blanket federal exemption. CRS section 13-14-109(1)(a) provides that a court may assess a filing fee against a protection order petitioner, except that it may not assess one if the court determines the petitioner is seeking the order as a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual violence. The Colorado Judicial Branch lists a $95 filing fee for a civil protection order case, with no filing fee in cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Section 13-14-109(2) also bars a state or public agency from charging service-of-process fees to petitioners in those same three categories, and the court must provide the certified copies a petitioner needs at no cost. If you are petitioning on a different ground, such as assault or threatened bodily harm alone, or emotional abuse of an at-risk adult, ask the clerk about the fee and about a waiver based on inability to pay. Under section 13-14-109(3), the court may order the respondent to pay the filing and service fees at the permanent protection order hearing.
The Colorado Judicial Branch provides standardized forms, including JDF 402 (Verified Complaint/Motion for Civil Protection Order) and the JDF 400 guide, at the court clerk's office and at coloradojudicial.gov. JDF 401 is an optional incident checklist, not the petition itself.
After filing, a judge reviews the petition the same day. If the judge finds that immediate protection is needed, a Temporary Civil Protection Order is issued without the respondent being present. The court then schedules the permanent-order hearing within 14 days and arranges for the respondent to be served with the temporary order and a notice of the hearing. If the respondent has not been served by that date, the temporary order does not lapse: the court must extend it and reset the hearing.
Court self-help centers, available at most Colorado courthouses and online, provide free assistance completing the forms. Local domestic-violence organizations also have legal advocates who can help you prepare for the hearing, arrange safety planning, and connect you with shelter and other resources.
Temporary vs. final orders: how long they last
| Order type | Who issues it | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Protection Order (EPO) | A county or district judge or magistrate, reachable by phone when courts are closed, on a peace officer's request | Expires no later than the close of judicial business on the next day of judicial business, unless the court continues it |
| Temporary Civil Protection Order | County or District Court judge (ex parte) | Until the permanent-order hearing, set within 14 days; the court must extend it if the respondent has not been served, and may continue it for up to one year |
| Permanent Civil Protection Order | County or District Court judge (after hearing) | Life of the respondent; protected party may seek modification any time, restrained party limited to once every 2 years |
The temporary order provides immediate protection from the day of filing until the hearing on a permanent order. Petitioners should use that time to gather any additional evidence, arrange for the presence of witnesses, and consider whether to work with a domestic-violence advocate or attorney.
The permanent order, once issued, does not require annual renewals. It remains in effect unless a party files a motion to modify or dissolve it and the court grants that motion. That two-year gap applies only to the restrained party's own modification or dismissal motions; it is intended to prevent the restrained party from using repeated filings to harass the protected party, who may seek modification at any time.
Firearms and a Colorado protective order
Colorado has mandatory firearms relinquishment rules tied to Civil Protection Orders involving domestic violence.
Under CRS section 13-14-105.5, when a Civil Protection Order involves domestic violence that includes threatened or actual physical force, the respondent is required to relinquish all firearms and ammunition. This is not discretionary. The respondent must relinquish within 24 hours of being served in open court, or within 48 hours if served outside of court, excluding weekends and legal holidays, by transferring the firearms to a federally licensed dealer, to a law enforcement agency or a storage facility the sheriff has contracted with, or to a private party through a background-checked transfer. The respondent must also file a sworn affidavit with the court within seven business days listing every firearm and its location, and the court must hold a compliance hearing not less than eight and not more than twelve business days after the order is issued. Failing to appear at that compliance hearing is itself contempt of court.
Non-compliance is more than contempt. Under CRS section 18-6-803.5(1)(c)(I), a restrained person commits the crime of violation of a protection order by possessing or attempting to purchase or receive a firearm or ammunition while a section 13-14-105.5 order is in effect, or by failing to timely file the required affidavit or written statement with the court. That is a class 2 misdemeanor, and a class 1 misdemeanor if one of the escalators described below applies.
When the order does not involve a domestic-violence component, the court has discretion to include a firearms prohibition, but it is not automatic. Petitioners in non-domestic cases should ask the court to include a firearms prohibition if they believe the respondent poses a danger while armed.
Separately, any qualifying final Civil Protection Order also activates the federal firearm ban under 18 U.S.C. section 922(g)(8). A qualifying order is one that was issued after notice and a hearing, restrains the respondent from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or the intimate partner's child, and includes an explicit finding that the respondent represents a credible threat or an explicit prohibition on use or threatened use of physical force. Federal law applies nationwide: a person under such a Colorado order may not possess firearms or ammunition anywhere in the United States.
Colorado's ERPO is an additional firearm-removal tool. A court can order firearm surrender under the ERPO even in the absence of a civil protection order proceeding, based solely on evidence of significant risk of harm.
What happens if someone violates the order?
Violating a Colorado Civil Protection Order is a crime under CRS section 18-6-803.5.
A standard first violation is a class 2 misdemeanor punishable by up to 120 days in jail and a fine of up to $750.
The charge escalates to a class 1 misdemeanor (up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000) if any of the following apply: the respondent has a prior conviction for violation of a protection order; the protection order was issued pursuant to section 18-1-1001 (a mandatory criminal protective order); the order being violated arose out of a stalking situation; or the order involves an intimate-partner relationship.
Colorado law requires a peace officer to arrest a restrained person, or seek an arrest warrant if an arrest would be impractical, when the officer has probable cause to believe the person violated a protection order and was properly served with, or had actual notice of, the order. (Officers have discretion for certain lower-level violations, such as those involving alcohol or controlled-substance possession.) If the respondent violates any provision of the order, including coming within the prohibited distance of your home or sending unwanted messages, call 911 and report the violation. Keep a record of every incident, including dates, times, any witnesses, and any communications, because documented violations support both criminal prosecution and any future motion to strengthen the terms of the order.
This article is general legal information, not legal advice, and it is not a safety plan. Protective-order rules vary by state and change. If you are in danger, call 911. For help with your specific situation, contact your local court's self-help center, a domestic-violence advocate, or a licensed attorney.
For a complete guide to how restraining orders work across all 50 states, see our hub: Restraining Order Laws by State.
Related pages that may be useful: Colorado Recording Laws (recording conversations to document harassment or threats); Colorado Self-Defense Laws (castle doctrine and use-of-force rules in Colorado).
More Colorado Laws
- Colorado Child Custody Laws
- Colorado Divorce Laws
- Colorado GPS Tracking Laws
- Colorado Self-Defense Laws
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a restraining order in Colorado?
File a Verified Complaint/Motion for Civil Protection Order (form JDF 402). Under CRS section 13-14-104.5(1)(a) you may file in any county court, any district, probate, or juvenile court, or an authorized municipal court of record, and under section 13-14-104.5(3) venue is proper in any county where one of the acts occurred, where either party lives, or where either party is employed. A judge reviews the petition the same day and, if immediate protection is warranted, issues a Temporary Civil Protection Order without the respondent present. The hearing on a permanent order is then set within 14 days, and if the respondent has not been served the court must extend the temporary order and continue the hearing. There is no filing fee for a petitioner seeking the order as a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual violence; otherwise the court may assess one, listed by the Judicial Branch at $95. Court self-help centers and local domestic-violence advocates can help you complete the forms.
How long does a restraining order last in Colorado?
A Temporary Civil Protection Order runs until the hearing on a permanent order, which is set within 14 days of issuance. It is not capped at 14 or 28 days: under CRS section 13-14-104.5(10), if the respondent has not been served the court must extend the temporary order and continue the hearing, and must grant further continuances when the petitioner shows reasonable efforts to serve or that the respondent is evading service. A judge may also continue a temporary order for up to one year under sections 13-14-104.5(8)(b) and 13-14-106(1)(b). A Permanent Civil Protection Order issued after the hearing lasts for the life of the respondent. The protected party may petition to modify it at any time; the restrained party may not file a new modification or dismissal motion within 2 years of the order's issuance or a prior motion's outcome, under CRS section 13-14-108.
How much does a restraining order cost in Colorado?
It depends on the ground you file on. CRS section 13-14-109(1)(a) lets a Colorado court assess a filing fee against a protection order petitioner, except that it may not assess one if the court determines the petitioner is seeking the order as a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual violence. The Colorado Judicial Branch lists a $95 filing fee for civil protection order cases, with no fee in domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking cases. Section 13-14-109(2) also bars state and public agencies from charging service-of-process fees to petitioners in those three categories, and certified copies are provided at no cost. Petitioners filing on another ground, such as assault or threatened bodily harm alone, should ask the clerk about the fee and any waiver for inability to pay. The court may order the respondent to pay these costs at the permanent order hearing.
Can I get a restraining order without a police report?
Yes. A police report is not required to file for a Civil Protection Order in Colorado. You file directly with the court, and the judge decides based on your sworn petition. Evidence such as threatening messages, photos, or witness accounts can strengthen your petition, but no prior police contact is required.
Does a restraining order take away gun rights in Colorado?
Yes, in cases involving domestic violence with threatened or actual physical force. Under CRS section 13-14-105.5, relinquishment of all firearms and ammunition is mandatory, the respondent must file a sworn affidavit with the court within seven business days, and the court holds a compliance hearing eight to twelve business days after the order issues. Non-compliance is contempt of court and is also a crime: CRS section 18-6-803.5(1)(c)(I) makes possessing or attempting to buy a firearm under such an order, or failing to timely file the affidavit, a violation of a protection order. A qualifying final order also triggers the federal firearm ban under 18 U.S.C. section 922(g)(8), which applies nationally. Colorado's ERPO law (expanded in 2026 by SB26-004) provides a separate track for firearm removal based on risk.
What happens if the abuser violates the order?
Call 911 immediately. Violating a Colorado Civil Protection Order is a class 2 misdemeanor under CRS section 18-6-803.5 (up to 120 days in jail and a $750 fine). The charge is a class 1 misdemeanor (up to 364 days and $1,000) if the respondent has a prior violation conviction, if the order was issued under section 18-1-1001, or if the order involves stalking or an intimate-partner relationship. Colorado law requires officers to arrest, or seek a warrant, when they have probable cause of a violation and proof of service or notice.
What is the difference between a restraining order and an order of protection?
In Colorado, the formal name is a Civil Protection Order. Other states use terms such as Order of Protection (Illinois, New York), Protection from Abuse Order (Pennsylvania), or Domestic Violence Restraining Order (California). The process is similar across states: a court orders the respondent to stop contacting or coming near the protected person. Colorado is unusual in that its CPO requires no domestic relationship, making it available to any stalking or violence victim.
Updates
Corrected the filing-fee, emergency-order, temporary-order duration, firearm-compliance, venue and court-form sections against the Colorado Revised Statutes and the Colorado Judicial Branch: a filing fee is waived by state statute only for domestic violence, stalking or sexual violence petitioners rather than free for everyone under VAWA, an emergency protection order is issued by a judge at a peace officer request rather than by police, a temporary order has no 28-day ceiling and must be extended when the respondent has not been served, firearm non-compliance is a crime as well as contempt, a petition may be filed in the county where either party lives or works, and the petition form is JDF 402.
Corrected a repeated misstatement about who can ask a Colorado court to modify a permanent Civil Protection Order: the protected party may request modification at any time, and only the restrained party faces a two-year waiting period between motions, under CRS 13-14-108.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources; governing law re-checked for recent changes
Restored the fourth class-1-misdemeanor escalation trigger (an order issued under CRS 18-1-1001) that the article's list omitted, and corrected officer arrest authority from discretionary to the statute's mandatory 'shall arrest' duty, in the body text, KeyTakeaways, and FAQ.
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Reviewed and approved by an editor
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 13: Courts and Court Procedure
§ 13-14-104.5Procedure for temporary civil protection orderIn force
(1) (a) Any municipal court of record, if authorized by the municipal governing body; any county court; and any district, probate, or juvenile court has original concurrent jurisdiction to issue a temporary or permanent civil protection order against an adult or against a juvenile who is ten years of age or older for any of the following purposes: (I) To prevent assaults and threatened bodily harm; (II) To prevent domestic abuse; (III) To prevent emotional abuse of the elderly or of an at-risk adult; (IV) To prevent sexual violence; and (V) To prevent stalking. (b) To be eligible for a protection order, the petitioner does not need to show that he or she has reported the act that is the subject of the complaint to law enforcement, that charges have been filed, or that the petitioner is participating in the prosecution of a criminal matter. (2) Any civil protection order issued pursuant to this section shall be issued using the standardized set of forms developed by the state court administrator pursuant to section 13-1-136.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-08 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at olls.info
§ 13-14-106Procedure for permanent civil protection ordersIn force
(1) (a) On the date of the permanent protection order hearing, or on the day to which the hearing has been continued, the judge or magistrate shall examine the record and the evidence. In all cases except those involving sexual violence, if upon the examination the judge or magistrate finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the respondent has committed acts constituting grounds for the issuance of a civil protection order and that unless restrained the respondent will continue to commit the acts or acts designed to intimidate or retaliate against the protected person, the judge or magistrate shall order the temporary civil protection order to be made permanent or enter a permanent civil protection order with provisions different from the temporary civil protection order.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at olls.info
Cited in 1 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2022
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Drexler v. Spahn (Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit 2022)“…lly overbroad and vague, including C.R.S. §13- 14-101 and C.R.S. §13-14-106.” Appellant’s App’x vol. 1, at 59. Co…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
§ 13-14-105.5Civil protection orders - prohibition on possessing or purchasing a firearmIn force
(1) Order requirements. If the court subjects a respondent to a temporary or permanent civil protection order and the court determines on the record after reviewing the petition for the protection order that the protection order includes an act of domestic violence, as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1), and the act of domestic violence involved the threat of use, use of, or attempted use of physical force, the court, as part of such order: (a) Shall order the respondent to: (I) Refrain from possessing or purchasing any firearm or ammunition for the duration of the order; and (II) Relinquish, for the duration of the order, any firearm or ammunition in the respondent's immediate possession or control or subject to the respondent's immediate possession or control; and (b) May require that before the respondent is released from custody on bond, the respondent relinquish, for the duration of the order, any firearm or ammunition in the respondent's immediate possession or control or subject to the respondent's immediate possession or control; and (c) Shall schedule a compliance hearing pursuant to subsection (5)(a) of this section and notify the respondent of the hearing date and…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at olls.info
§ 13-14-108Modification and termination of civil protection ordersIn force
(1) Any order granted pursuant to section 13-14-105 (1)(c) or (1.5) terminates whenever a subsequent order regarding the same subject matter is granted pursuant to the Uniform Dissolution of Marriage Act, article 10 of title 14; the Uniform Child-custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, article 13 of title 14; or the Colorado Children's Code, title 19. (2) (a) Nothing in this article precludes the protected party from applying to the court at any time for modification, including but not limited to a modification of the duration of a protection order or dismissal of a temporary or permanent protection order issued pursuant to this section. (b) The restrained party may apply to the court for modification, including, but not limited to, a modification of the duration of the protection order or dismissal of a permanent protection order pursuant to this section.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at olls.info
§ 13-14-103Emergency protection ordersIn force
(1) (a) Any county or district court shall have the authority to enter an emergency protection order pursuant to the provisions of this subsection (1). (b) An emergency protection order issued pursuant to this subsection (1) may include: (I) Restraining a party from contacting, harassing, injuring, intimidating, threatening, molesting, touching, stalking, sexually assaulting or abusing any other party, a minor child of either of the parties, or a minor child who is in danger in the reasonably foreseeable future of being a victim of an unlawful sexual offense or domestic abuse; (II) Excluding a party from the family home or from the home of another party upon a showing that physical or emotional harm would otherwise result; (III) Awarding temporary care and control of any minor child of a party involved; (IV) Enjoining an individual from contacting a minor child at school, at work, or wherever he or she may be found; (V) Restraining a party from molesting, injuring, killing, taking, transferring, encumbering, concealing, disposing of or threatening harm to an animal owned, possessed, leased, kept, or held by any other party, a minor child of either of the parties, or an…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at olls.info
§ 13-14-109Fees and costsIn force
(1) (a) The court may assess a filing fee against a petitioner seeking relief pursuant to this article 14; except that the court may not assess a filing fee against a petitioner if the court determines the petitioner is seeking the protection order as a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual violence. The court shall provide the necessary number of certified copies at no cost to petitioners. (b) The court shall neither award any costs nor assess any fees, including attorney fees, against a petitioner seeking relief pursuant to this article 14, except as provided in subsection (1)(a) of this section and section 13-17-102 (2), (4), and (6). (2) A state or public agency shall not assess fees for service of process against a petitioner seeking relief pursuant to this article 14 as a victim of domestic violence as defined in section 18-6-800.3 (1), stalking, or sexual violence.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at olls.info
§ 13-14-100.2Legislative declarationIn force
(1) The general assembly hereby finds that the issuance and enforcement of protection orders are of paramount importance in the state of Colorado because protection orders promote safety, reduce violence and other types of abuse, and prevent serious harm and death. In order to improve the public's access to protection orders and to ensure careful judicial consideration of requests and effective law enforcement, there shall be two processes for obtaining protection orders within the state of Colorado, a simplified civil process and a mandatory criminal process. (2) The general assembly further finds and declares that domestic abuse is not limited to physical threats of violence and harm but also includes domestic violence, mental and emotional abuse, financial control, document control, property control, and other types of control that make a victim more likely to return to an abuser due to fear of retaliation or inability to meet basic needs. Many victims of domestic abuse, particularly victims of domestic violence, are unable to access the resources necessary to seek lasting safety options.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at olls.info
Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 18: Criminal Code
§ 18-6-803.5Crime of violation of a protection order - penalty - peace officers' duties - definitionsIn force
(1) A person commits the crime of violation of a protection order if, after the person has been personally served with a protection order that identifies the person as a restrained person or otherwise has acquired from the court or law enforcement personnel actual knowledge of the contents of a protection order that identifies the person as a restrained person, the person: (a) (I) Contacts, harasses, injures, intimidates, molests, threatens, or touches the protected person or protected property, including an animal, identified in the protection order; (II) Enters or remains on premises or comes within a specified distance of the protected person, protected property, including an animal, or premises; (III) Possesses or consumes alcohol or controlled substances if prohibited by the protection order; (IV) Violates any other provision of the protection order to protect the protected person from imminent danger to life or health, and the conduct is prohibited by the protection order; (b) Except as permitted pursuant to section 18-13-126 (1)(b), hires, employs, or otherwise contracts with another person to locate or assist in the location of the protected person; or (c) (I)…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at olls.info
Cited in 16 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales (Supreme Court of the United States 2005, 545 U.S. 748)“…eans to enforce a restraining order” and “shall arrest,” Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 18-6-803.5 (3)(a)-(b) (Lexis 1999) (emphasis added…”
- Burella v. City of Philadelphia (Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2007, 501 F.3d 134)“…125 S.Ct. 2796 (emphasis added by Castle Rock) (quoting Colo.Rev. Stat. § 18-6-803.5(3) (1999)). The Supreme Court rejected…”
- Gonzales v. City of Castle Rock (Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit 2004, 366 F.3d 1093)“…the Colorado statutes upon which it is based, particularly Colo.Rev.Stat. § 18-6-803.5(3) (2002). Colorado has enacted a statu…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
§ 18-1-1001Protection order against defendant - definitionsIn force
(1) (a) There is created a mandatory protection order against a person charged with a criminal violation of the provisions of this title 18, which order remains in effect from the time that the person is advised of the person's rights at arraignment or the person's first appearance before the court and is informed of the order until final disposition of the action, unless otherwise ordered by the court pursuant to subsection (3)(a) or (6.5) of this section. The order must restrain the person charged from harassing, molesting, intimidating, retaliating against, or tampering with any witness to or victim of the acts charged. (b) The protection order issued pursuant to this section must be on a standardized form prescribed by the judicial department, and a copy provided to the protected parties.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at olls.info
Cited in 8 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2023
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- No. (Colorado Attorney General Reports 2005)“…QUESTION PRESENTED AND CONCLUSION Question: Does C.R.S. § 18-1-1001 , in particular paragraph (5) relating…”
- People v. Rickman (Supreme Court of Colorado 2008, 178 P.3d 1202)“…ledges the existence of a mandatory restraining order under C.R.S. § 18-1-1001; (4) Party shall immediately notify the…”
- Whitesel v. Jefferson County (Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit 2000, 222 F.3d 861)“…harged. Id. This provision is mandatory, pursuant to Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-1-1001(1), for persons arrested for domestic…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
§ 18-3-602Stalking - penalty - definitions - Vonnie's lawIn forcecited in 3 of our articles
(1) A person commits stalking if directly, or indirectly through another person, the person knowingly: (a) Makes a credible threat to another person and, in connection with the threat, repeatedly follows, approaches, contacts, or places under surveillance that person, a member of that person's immediate family, or someone with whom that person has or has had a continuing relationship; or (b) Makes a credible threat to another person and, in connection with the threat, repeatedly makes any form of communication with that person, a member of that person's immediate family, or someone with whom that person has or has had a continuing relationship, regardless of whether a conversation ensues; or (c) Repeatedly follows, approaches, contacts, places under surveillance, or makes any form of communication with another person, a member of that person's immediate family, or someone with whom that person has or has had a continuing relationship in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to suffer serious emotional distress and does cause that person, a member of that person's immediate family, or someone with whom that person has or has had a continuing relationship to suffer…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at olls.info
Cited in 4 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2023
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- United States v. Twitty (Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit 2023)“…e was indicted for violating Colorado’s stalking statute, Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-3-602(1)(b), as assimilated by the…”
- Williams IV v. Carbajol (District Court, D. Colorado 2021)“…rado law also provides a tort-law remedy for stalking. See Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-3-602 (“A person commit stalking if directly,…”
- Gabriel v. El Paso Combined Courts (District Court, D. Colorado 2019)“…tion for a Restraining Order” cites two legal pro- visions: Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-3-602 (“Stalking”) and Fed. R. Civ. P. 65(b)…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Colorado GPS Tracking Laws: Is It Legal to Put a Tracker on a Car? (2026), Colorado Laws on Recording in Public: Rights, Limits, and Exceptions
§ 18-9-111Harassment - Kiana Arellano's LawIn forcecited in 4 of our articles
(1) A person commits harassment if, with intent to harass, annoy, or alarm another person, the person: (a) Strikes, shoves, kicks, or otherwise touches a person or subjects him to physical contact; or (b) In a public place directs obscene language or makes an obscene gesture to or at another person; or (c) Follows a person in or about a public place; or (d) Repealed. (e) Directly or indirectly initiates communication with a person or directs language toward another person, anonymously or otherwise, by telephone, telephone network, data network, text message, instant message, computer, computer network, computer system, or other interactive electronic medium in a manner intended to harass or threaten bodily injury or property damage, or makes any comment, request, suggestion, or proposal by telephone, computer, computer network, computer system, or other interactive electronic medium that is obscene; or (f) Makes a telephone call or causes a telephone to ring repeatedly, whether or not a conversation ensues, with no purpose of legitimate conversation; or (g) Makes repeated communications at inconvenient hours that invade the privacy of another and interfere in the use and…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at olls.info
Cited in 24 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2025
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- People v. Scott (Supreme Court of Colorado 2005, 121 P.3d 366)“…ite violations of C.R.S. § 18-3-204, C.R.S. § 18-3-303, and C.R.S. § 18-9-111 in support of their allegation. These c…”
- Thomas Pearson v. The People of the State of Colorado. (Supreme Court of Colorado 2022, 2022 CO 4)“…mative defense to the specific-intent crime of Harassment, C.R.S. § 18-9-111(1)(a), and failed to properly instruct…”
- People v. Clough (Supreme Court of Colorado 2003, 74 P.3d 552)“…n the courthouse lobby. These criminal acts in violation of CRS. § 18-9-111(1)(h) and 18-9-106(1)(c) reflect advers…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Colorado Video Recording Laws: What Is Legal and What Is Not, Colorado Assault Laws: First, Second and Third Degree Penalties
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Sources and References
- Colorado Revised Statutes sections 13-14-100.2 through 13-14-111 (Civil Protection Orders)(leg.colorado.gov).gov
- CRS section 18-6-803.5 (Violation of Protective Order)(leg.colorado.gov).gov
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Protection Orders(courts.state.co.us).gov
- HB24-1122 (2024) venue clarification for Civil Protection Orders(leg.colorado.gov).gov
- CRS section 13-14-109 (filing fees and costs in civil protection order cases)(olls.info)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Getting a Protection Order (filing fee, where to file, JDF 400/402 forms)(coloradojudicial.gov)