Title 19, Children's Code

Source: L. 87: Entire title R&RE, p. 773, � 1, effective October 1. L. 90: (2)(j) and (2)(k)(I) amended, p. 1392, � 8, effective May 4; entire section repealed, p. 1012, � 8, effective July 1. Editor's note: Subsections (2)(j) and (2)(k)(I) were amended in House Bill 90-1075. Tho…

The department of human services is authorized to accept federal funds such as child abuse and neglect state grants which are available for the implementation of programs which would further the purposes of this part 3. Source: L. 87: Entire title R&RE, p. 775, � 1, effective Oct…

Source: L. 88: Entire section added, p. 744, � 14, effective July 1. L. 94: (1)(a), (2)(b), (2)(f), and (3) amended and (5) added, p. 2015, � 10, effective January 1, 1995. L. 2002: (1)(d) amended, p. 1144, � 2, effective July 1. L. 2003: (1)(a) and (5) amended, p. 1015, � 25, ef…

On and after January 1, 2017, pursuant to the federal Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act, Pub.L. 113-183, the department and each county department, as defined in section 19-1-103, shall implement a uniform screening tool that includes questions that are in…

C.R.S. 19-3-318Statutes current through Chapter 65 of the 2026 Regular Session, effective as of April 20, 2026. The text of this section is not final. It will not be final until compared to, and updated from, the text provided by the Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services …

(1) A child may be taken into temporary custody by a law enforcement officer without order of the court: (a) When the child is abandoned, lost, or seriously endangered in such child's surroundings or seriously endangers others and immediate removal appears to be necessary for suc…

(1) When a child is taken into temporary custody, the officer shall notify a parent, guardian, or legal custodian without unnecessary delay and inform him that, if the child is placed out of the child's home, all parties have a right to a prompt hearing to determine whether the c…

(1) A child who must be taken from his or her home but who does not require physical restriction may be given temporary care with his or her grandparent, upon the grandparent's request, if in the best interests of the child, in a shelter facility designated by the court or with t…

(1) Temporary shelter is the temporary care of a child in a physically unrestricted setting pending a return to the child's home or placement in an appropriate alternate setting pursuant to applicable state law. Receiving temporary care in temporary shelter is voluntary and a chi…

The court may find that it is not necessary to remove a child from his or her home to a temporary shelter facility and may provide temporary shelter in the child's home by authorizing a representative of the county or district department of human or social services, which has eme…

(1) In addition to other powers granted to the court for the protection of children, the court may issue verbal or written temporary protective custody orders or emergency protection orders, or both. Each judicial district shall be responsible for making available a person appoin…

(1) (a) (I) Any time a child or youth is taken into temporary custody by a law enforcement officer and any time the court places temporary custody of a child or youth with a county department, or the county department has the legal authority for placement pursuant to this part 4,…

C.R.S. 19-3-407Statutes current through Chapter 65 of the 2026 Regular Session, effective as of April 20, 2026. The text of this section is not final. It will not be final until compared to, and updated from, the text provided by the Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services …

(1) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that: (a) It is beneficial for a child who is removed from his or her home and placed in foster care to be able to continue relationships with his or her brothers and sisters, regardless of age, in order that the siblings may sha…

(1) Whenever it appears to a law enforcement officer or other person that a child is or appears to be within the court’s jurisdiction, as provided in this article 3, the law enforcement officer or other person may refer the matter to the court, which shall make a preliminary inve…

(1) The petition and all subsequent court documents in any proceedings brought under this article shall be entitled “The People of the State of Colorado, in the Interest of , a child (or children) and Concerning , Respondent.” The petition shall be verified, and the statements in…

(1) After a petition has been filed, the court shall promptly issue a summons reciting briefly the substance of the petition. The summons shall also contain a statement, when appropriate, that the termination of the parent-child legal relationship is a possible remedy under the p…

(1) Any person summoned or required to appear as provided in section 19-3-503 who has acknowledged service and fails to appear without reasonable cause may be proceeded against for contempt of court. (2) If after reasonable effort the summons cannot be served or if the welfare of…

(1) At the adjudicatory hearing, the court shall consider whether the allegations of the petition are supported by a preponderance of the evidence; except that jurisdictional matters of the age and residence of the child shall be deemed admitted by or on behalf of the child unles…

(1) (a) If it appears from the evidence presented at an adjudicatory hearing or otherwise that a child may have an intellectual and developmental disability, as defined in article 10.5 of title 27, the court shall refer the child to the case management agency, as defined in secti…

(1) (a) After making an order of adjudication, the court shall hear evidence on the question of the proper disposition best serving the interests of the child and the public. Such evidence shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, the social study and other reports as pro…

(1) When a child or youth has been adjudicated to be neglected or dependent, the court may enter a decree of disposition the same day, but in any event it shall do so within forty-two days, unless the court finds that the best interests of the child or youth will be served by gra…

This part 6 shall be known and may be cited as the Parent-Child Legal Relationship Termination Act of 1987. Source: L. 87: Entire title R&RE, p. 787, � 1, effective October 1. Editor's note: This section was contained in a title that was repealed and reenacted in 1987. Provisions…

(1) Termination of a parent-child legal relationship shall be considered only after the filing of a written motion alleging the factual grounds for termination, and termination of a parent-child legal relationship shall be considered at a separate hearing following an adjudicatio…

Before a termination of the parent-child legal relationship based on abandonment can be ordered, the petitioner shall file, only if the location of a parent remains unknown, an affidavit stating what efforts have been made to locate the parent or parents of the child subject to t…

(1) The court may order a termination of the parent-child legal relationship upon the finding by clear and convincing evidence of any one of the following: (a) That the child has been adjudicated dependent or neglected and has been abandoned by the child's parent or parents as fo…

(1) Following an order of termination of the parent-child legal relationship, the court shall consider, but shall not be bound by, a request that guardianship and legal custody of the child be placed with a relative of the child. When ordering guardianship of the person and legal…

(1) The court, at the conclusion of a hearing in which it ordered the termination of a parent-child legal relationship, shall order that a review hearing be held not later than ninety days after the date of the termination. At such hearing, the agency or individual vested with cu…

(1) An indigent parent has the right to have appointed one expert witness of his or her own choosing whose reasonable fees and expenses, subject to the review and approval by the office of the respondent parents' counsel, shall be paid by the state of Colorado pursuant to section…

(1) An order for the termination of the parent-child legal relationship divests the child and the parent of all legal rights, powers, privileges, immunities, duties, and obligations with respect to each other, but it shall not modify the child's status as an heir at law which sha…

(1) Appeals of court decrees made under this part 6 shall be given precedence on the calendar of the appellate court over all other matters unless otherwise provided by law. (2) Whenever an appeal is made under this part 6, an indigent parent, upon request, shall be provided a tr…

The general assembly shall make annual appropriations to the office of the respondent parents' counsel for the purpose of meeting the expenses of sections 19-3-607 (1) and 19-3-609 (2). Source: L. 87: Entire title R&RE, p. 791, � 1, effective October 1. L. 2016: Entire section am…

Source: L. 88: Entire section added, p. 755, � 2, effective May 31. L. 91: Entire section repealed, p. 883, � 1, effective June 5. 19-3-612. Reinstatement of the parent-child legal relationship - circumstances - petition - hearings - legislative declaration. (1) The general assem…

(1) The general assembly finds that, for various reasons, some children are not adopted after the termination or voluntary relinquishment of the parent-child legal relationship and in some cases might benefit from a reinstatement of the parent-child legal relationship if the form…

Source: L. 87: Entire title R&RE, p. 791, � 1, effective October 1. L. 91: (1) amended, p. 1159, � 4, effective July 1. L. 92: (2) amended, p. 225, � 12, effective July 1. L. 93: (1) amended, p. 1637, � 24, effective July 1; (1) amended, p. 1139, � 75, effective July 1, 1994. L. …

(1) (a) In order to provide stable, permanent homes for every child or youth placed out of the home, in as short a time as possible, a court shall conduct a permanency planning hearing. The court shall hold the permanency planning hearing as soon as possible following the initial…

(1) The court shall conduct a periodic review at least every six months and, at the periodic review, shall determine the following: (a) Whether the child's or youth's safety is protected in the placement; (b) Whether reasonable efforts have been made to find safe and permanent pl…

Source: L. 94: Entire section added, p. 2058, � 10, effective July 1. L. 98: Entire section amended, p. 822, � 28, effective August 5. L. 2001: Entire section amended, p. 851, � 12, effective June 1. L. 2019: Entire section repealed, (HB 19-1219), ch. 237, p. 2355, � 3, effective…

(1) A party may request the court to determine whether a youth is an incapacitated person, as defined in section 15-14-102. The motion must be filed with the court prior to the youth's eighteenth birthday. (2) If there has been a determination, or if a determination is pending, t…

(1) When a youth turns eighteen years of age while the youth is a named child or is a youth in a dependency and neglect case open through this article 3, the court shall hold a transition hearing within thirty-five days after the youth's eighteenth birthday. The purpose of the tr…