Title 19, Children's Code
0 chapters · 277 sections in this title.
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-100.5 Legislative declarations - reasonable efforts - movement of children and sibling groups
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(1) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that the stability and preservation of the families of this state and the safety and protection of children are matters of statewide concern. The general assembly finds that the federal “Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-101 Definitions. (Repealed)
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Source: L. 87: Entire title R&RE, p. 759, � 1, effective October 1. L. 93: Entire section amended, p. 2013, � 2, effective July 1; (1) amended, p. 582, � 19, effective July 1. L. 94: (1) amended, p. 1084, � 3, effective May 4. L. 96: Entire section repealed, p. 85, � 11, effectiv…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-102 Neglected or dependent child
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(1) A child is neglected or dependent if: (a) A parent, guardian, or legal custodian has abandoned the child or has subjected him or her to mistreatment or abuse or a parent, guardian, or legal custodian has suffered or allowed another to mistreat or abuse the child without takin…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-103 Child not neglected - when
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(1) No child who in lieu of medical treatment is under treatment solely by spiritual means through prayer in accordance with a recognized method of religious healing shall, for that reason alone, be considered to have been neglected or dependent within the purview of this article…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-104 Hearings - procedure
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Any hearing conducted pursuant to this article 3 in a county designated pursuant to section 19-1-123 regarding a child who is under six years of age at the time a petition is filed in accordance with section 19-3-501 (2) must not be delayed or continued unless good cause is shown…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-201 Venue
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(1) (a) Except as provided in subsection (1)(b) of this section, all proceedings brought pursuant to this article 3 must be commenced in the county in which the child resides or is present. (b) A county department, guardian ad litem or counsel for youth, or other person filing a …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-201.5 Change of venue - county department and county attorney responsibilities - rules
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(1) Each county department shall designate a change of venue coordinator to facilitate the transfer of jurisdiction of a case between county departments. (2) Within fifteen days after a court signs an order pursuant to section 19-3-201 granting a change of venue and transferring …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-202 Right to counsel and jury trial
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(1) At the first appearance of a respondent parent, guardian, or legal custodian, the court shall fully advise the respondent of the respondent's legal rights, including the right to a jury trial, the right to be represented by counsel at every stage of the proceedings, and the r…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-203 Right to guardian ad litem and counsel for youth
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(1) Upon the filing of a petition pursuant to section 19-3-502 that alleges abuse or neglect of a child, the court shall appoint a guardian ad litem for any child who is under twelve years of age. The guardian ad litem must be an attorney-at-law licensed to practice in Colorado a…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-204 Temporary protective custody. (Repealed)
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Source: L. 87: Entire title R&RE, p. 761, � 1, effective October 1. L. 90: Entire section repealed, p. 1037, � 6, effective April 3.
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-205 Continuing jurisdiction
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(1) Except as otherwise provided in this article 3, the jurisdiction of the court over any child or youth adjudicated as neglected or dependent shall continue until the child or youth becomes eighteen and one-half years of age unless earlier terminated by court order; except that…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-206 Representation of petitioner
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In all proceedings brought under this article, the petitioner shall be represented by a county attorney, special county attorney, or city attorney of a city and county. Source: L. 87: Entire title R&RE, p. 762, � 1, effective October 1. Editor's note: This section was contained i…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-207 Inadmissibility of certain evidence
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(1) Upon the request of the county attorney, special county attorney, or the city attorney of a city and county, the court shall set a hearing to determine the admissibility in a subsequent criminal proceeding arising from the same episode of information derived directly from tes…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-208 Services - county required to provide - out-of-home placement options - rules - definitions
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(1) Each county or city and county shall provide a set of services, as defined in subsection (2) of this section, to children who are in out-of-home placement or meet the social services out-of-home placement criteria and to their families in the state of Colorado eligible for su…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-208.5 Pilot program - legislative declaration - child welfare - mental health services - rules - repeal. (Repealed)
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C.R.S. 19-3-208.5Statutes 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 Service…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-209 Individual case plan - required
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An individual case plan, developed with the input or participation of the family, is required to be in place for all abused and neglected children and the families of such children in each case which is opened for the provision of services beyond the investigation of the report o…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-210 Foster parents’ bill of rights study - task force created - principles to be examined - report. (Repealed)
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C.R.S. 19-3-210Statutes 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 …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-210.5 Foster parents' bill of rights
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(1) A foster parent has the right to: (a) Be treated with dignity, respect, and consideration as a team member who is making important contributions to the objectives of the child welfare system, including the reunification of the foster child or youth with the foster child's or …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-211 Conflict resolution process - rules - definitions
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(1) (a) The state department, in conjunction with the attorney general, shall adopt rules concerning the statewide implementation of a conflict resolution process in each county and city and county pursuant to the provisions of this section. The purpose of such conflict resolutio…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-212 Notice of rights and remedies for families
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(1) The state department shall prepare, with the assistance of the attorney general, on a standardized written form, a detailed informational notice of rights and remedies for families subject to the provisions of this article. (2) The notice prepared pursuant to subsection (1) o…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-213 Placement criteria
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(1) In a case in which the county department recommends placement out of the home for a child or in which a child is in out-of-home placement, the court, the guardian ad litem, the county department, a CASA volunteer, and other parties shall consider the best interests of the chi…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-213.5 Placement transition plans - out-of-home placements in family-based settings - training - rules - definitions
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(1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) “Individualized placement transition plan” means a plan developed pursuant to subsection (2)(a) of this section to prevent children in placements in foster care homes, kinship foster care homes, or non-certif…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-214 Placement reporting
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(1) Each county department shall maintain and update on a monthly basis a report of the number of children who have been removed from their homes and placed in the temporary custody of the county department for the preceding month. The report shall indicate whether a child who ha…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-215 Foster care - capacity may be exceeded for sibling groups
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The state board of human services shall promulgate rules that allow foster care homes to exceed capacity for the number of children and for square footage requirements in order to accommodate the joint placement of sibling groups in a single foster care home. Source: L. 2000: Ent…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-216 Rules
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The state board of human services shall promulgate rules to determine whether there is child abuse or neglect as defined in section 19-1-103 (1)(a)(VII) or if a child is neglected or dependent as described in section 19-3-102 (1)(g). Source: L. 2020: Entire section added, (SB 20-…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-217 Family time upon removal - rules
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(1) At any hearing held pursuant to section 19-3-403 (2) or (3.5), the court shall enter temporary orders for reasonable family time with the child's or youth's parent that is consistent with the age and developmental needs of a child or youth if the court finds that visitation i…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-218 Transferring temporary legal custody of a child or youth - advisement
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Prior to transferring temporary legal custody of a child or youth to a relative or kin, the court shall make findings that the relative or kin was advised regarding the differences between kinship foster care and non-certified kinship care, including, but not limited to, financia…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-219 Language access
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(1) Pursuant to this article 3, the court shall provide language access to a child or a parent, guardian, other custodian, or other party if the person requests language access or the court finds that a person has limited English proficiency. (2) A person who receives language ac…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-301 Short title
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This part 3 shall be known and may be cited as the Child Protection Act of 1987. Source: L. 87: Entire title R&RE, p. 762, � 1, effective October 1. Editor's note: This section was contained in a title that was repealed and reenacted in 1987. Provisions of this section, as it exi…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-302 Legislative declaration
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(1) The general assembly declares that the complete reporting of child abuse is a matter of public concern and that, in enacting this part 3, it is the intent of the general assembly to protect the best interests of children of this state and to offer protective services in order…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-303 Definitions. (Repealed)
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Source: L. 87: Entire title R&RE, p. 763, � 1, effective October 1. L. 91: (2.5) and (10) amended and (4.5), (4.7), and (9.5) added, p. 222, � 3, effective May 24. L. 92: (9.5) amended, p. 2175, � 29, effective June 2. L. 93: (2) amended, p. 1250, � 2, effective June 6. L. 94: (1…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-304 Persons required to report child abuse or neglect
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(1) (a) Except as otherwise provided by section 19-3-307, section 25-1-122 (4)(d), and subsections (1)(b) and (1)(c) of this section, a person specified in subsection (2) of this section who has reasonable cause to know or suspect that a child has been subjected to abuse or negle…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-304.2 Mandatory reporter task force - creation - reporting - definitions - repeal. (Repealed)
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C.R.S. 19-3-304.2Statutes 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 Service…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-304.3 Domestic abuse task force - creation - best practices and training for recognition of domestic abuse as child abuse or neglect - policies and procedures - rules
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(1) (a) The state department shall create a domestic abuse task force, referred to in this section as the “task force”. The task force must be formed for no more than two years. The task force shall review recommendations from the state department’s domestic violence program and …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-304.4 Pre-adolescent services task force - duties - report - repeal. (Repealed)
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C.R.S. 19-3-304.4Statutes 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 Service…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-304.5 Emergency possession of certain abandoned children - definition
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(1) If a parent voluntarily delivers a child to a firefighter, as defined in section 18-3-201 (1.5), or a staff member who engages in the admission, care, or treatment of patients at a hospital or community clinic emergency center, as defined in subsection (9) of this section, wh…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-305 Required report of postmortem investigation
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(1) Any person who is required by section 19-3-304 to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect who has reasonable cause to suspect that a child died as a result of child abuse or neglect shall report such fact immediately to a local law enforcement agency and to the appro…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-306 Evidence of abuse - color photographs and X rays
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(1) Any child health associate, person licensed to practice medicine in this state, registered nurse or licensed practical nurse, hospital personnel engaged in the admission, examination, care, or treatment of patients, medical examiner, coroner, social worker, psychologist, or l…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-307 Reporting procedures - definitions
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(1) (a) Reports of known or suspected child abuse or neglect made pursuant to this article 3 must be made as soon as practicable, but no later than twenty-four hours after receiving the information, to the county department, the local law enforcement agency, or through the child …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-308 Action upon report of intrafamilial, institutional, or third-party abuse - investigations - child protection team - rules - report
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(1) (a) The county department shall respond immediately upon receipt of any report of a known or suspected incident of intrafamilial abuse or neglect to assess the abuse involved and the appropriate response to the report. The assessment must be in accordance with rules adopted b…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-308.3 Differential response program for child abuse or neglect cases of low or moderate risk - rules - evaluation
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(1) (a) There is created the differential response program, referred to in this section as the “program”. The program will allow county departments of human or social services that choose to participate to address known or suspected incidents of intrafamilial abuse or neglect tha…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-308.5 Recorded interviews of child
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(1) Any interview of a child conducted pursuant to section 19-3-308, concerning a report of child abuse, may be audiotaped or videotaped. However, interviews concerning reports of sexual child abuse are strongly encouraged to be videotaped. A competent interviewer at a child advo…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-309 Immunity from liability - persons reporting
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Any person, other than the perpetrator, complicitor, coconspirator, or accessory, participating in good faith in the making of a report, in the facilitation of the investigation of such a report, or in a judicial proceeding held pursuant to this title, the taking of photographs o…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-309.5 Preconfirmation safety plan agreement - first-time minor incidents of child abuse or neglect - rules
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(1) The county department and any person who is believed to be responsible for the abuse or neglect of a child as a result of an investigation of a report of child abuse or neglect pursuant to section 19-3-308 may agree to defer the filing of a confirmed report of child abuse or …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-310 Child abuse and child neglect diversion program
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(1) The district attorney, upon recommendation of the county department or any person, may withhold filing a case against any person accused or suspected of child abuse or neglect and refer that person to a nonjudicial source of treatment or assistance, upon conditions set forth …
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-310.5 Mediation - pilot program. (Repealed)
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Source: L. 94: Entire section added, p. 1742, � 1, effective July 1. L. 95: (5) amended, p. 516, � 10, effective July 1. L. 98: (10) repealed, p. 732, � 23, effective May 18. Editor's note: Subsection (11) provided for the repeal of this section, effective July 1, 1999. (See L. 9…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-311 Evidence not privileged
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(1) The incident of privileged communication between patient and physician, between patient and registered professional nurse, or between any person licensed pursuant to article 245 of title 12, or certified or licensed school psychologist and client, which is the basis for a rep…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-312 Court proceedings
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(1) The county department or local law enforcement agency receiving a report under section 19-3-304 or 19-3-305, in addition to taking such immediate steps pursuant to sections 19-3-401 and 19-3-308 (4) as may be required to protect a child, shall inform, within seventy-two hours…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-313 Central registry. (Repealed)
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Source: L. 87: Entire title R&RE, p. 771, � 1, effective October 1. L. 91: (3) to (7) amended and (14) added, p. 230, � 6, effective May 24. L. 96: (14) amended, p. 1586, � 12, effective July 1; (4), (5), and (7) amended and (5.5) added, p. 1287, � 2, effective January 1, 1997; (…
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 19-3-313.5 State department duties - reports of child abuse or neglect - training of county departments - rules - notice and appeal process - confidentiality
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(1) Legislative declaration. As a result of the report of the state auditor evaluating the performance of the state central registry of child protection released in November of 2001 and the subsequent repeal of the state central registry of child protection, the general assembly …