Elbert County District Court
Colorado District Courts are general-jurisdiction trial courts. The Colorado Judicial Branch says District Courts hear civil cases, felony criminal cases, domestic relations, juvenile, probate, and mental health cases. Elbert County District Court sits at the Elbert County Courthouse in Kiowa and is part of the 23rd Judicial District with Douglas and Lincoln counties.
That district assignment is recent and important. The 23rd Judicial District began operating on January 14, 2025. Older Elbert County cases may still be associated in searches or older references with the former 18th Judicial District. A record seeker should not assume an older reference is wrong just because current pages now show the 23rd Judicial District.
District Court is also where several major Elbert County record types connect. Divorce files, felony criminal case files, larger civil matters, juvenile matters, mental health proceedings, and probate files all route through District Court or its clerk functions. That does not mean every detail is public online. Juvenile, sealed, mental health, and many protected records require direct court handling or may be restricted from public search.
The Colorado Judicial Branch Elbert County trial-court page is the main court landing source.
Use that source for current Judicial Branch links and county court context.
Elbert County District Court Contacts
Elbert County court administration is centralized at the courthouse in Kiowa. The same public phone and email are used for combined court contact, while some regional services are based in Castle Rock for the 23rd Judicial District.
| Court / office | Role | Address | Phone / email |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elbert County District Court | Felony, civil, domestic, juvenile, probate, mental health, and appeals | 751 Ute Ave., PO Box 232, Kiowa, CO 80117 | 303-621-2131; elbertclerk@judicial.state.co.us |
| Elbert County Court | Misdemeanor, traffic, small claims, county civil, felony complaints, protection orders | 751 Ute Ave., PO Box 232, Kiowa, CO 80117 | 303-621-2131 |
| 23rd Judicial District Self Help Center | Self-represented litigant help | 4000 Justice Way, Castle Rock, CO 80109 | 720-437-6112; 23Selfhelp@judicial.state.co.us |
| 23rd Judicial District Attorney, Elbert Office | Prosecution of state criminal cases | 751 Ute Avenue, PO Box 493, Kiowa, CO 80117 | 303-621-2875 |
| Colorado State Public Defender, Douglas Office | Public defender service for Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln | 1161 S Perry St Ste 200, Castle Rock, CO 80104 | 303-688-3081; Douglas@coloradodefenders.us |
District Court vs County Court
Colorado separates general trial jurisdiction from limited trial jurisdiction. District Court handles the broader and more serious case categories. County Court handles limited civil, misdemeanor, traffic, small claims, protection order, and felony complaint work before a felony is transferred or bound over.
| Topic | District Court | County Court | Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil jurisdiction | Larger civil cases and appeals from county court | Civil cases under $25,000 and small claims | Municipal ordinance matters if created by town court |
| Criminal jurisdiction | Felony criminal cases | Misdemeanors and felony complaints before transfer or bindover | Town ordinance and municipal traffic matters |
| Family cases | Divorce, legal separation, and domestic relations | Not the main family case forum in the research | Not a domestic relations court |
| Probate | Probate Division of District Court | Not the probate forum in the research | Not a probate forum |
| Search path | Docket search, Clerk of Court, courthouse research | Docket search, Clerk of Court, payment system for eligible traffic | Confirm with Elizabeth, Kiowa, or Simla municipal court if local ordinance case |
Elbert County District Case Flow
A District Court case moves through different steps depending on the subject. A felony case may begin with an arrest or complaint in County Court before a bindover or transfer to District Court. A civil case usually starts when a complaint or petition is filed. Domestic relations and probate cases start with petitions, applications, or forms filed with the court.
Appeals can also move up or down the local structure. County Court decisions may be appealed to District Court, while District Court decisions may move to the Colorado Court of Appeals or higher review when the law allows. That hierarchy matters when a party has a county-court traffic or misdemeanor case that later produces a District Court appeal record.
Criminal flow: Arrest or complaint › first appearance › bindover or filing in District Court › arraignment › pretrial motions › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil and family flow: Complaint or petition › service › response › disclosures or hearings › orders or trial › judgment or decree › post-judgment motions › appeal if allowed.
Note: Elbert County Combined Courts does not accept faxed documents, so filing methods should be confirmed before submission.
Elbert County District Judges
The official judges and staff page lists Ryan J. Stuart as District Court Chief Judge for the 23rd Judicial District, serving Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties, with primary phone 720-437-6262 and Division 1. It lists Theresa Slade as District Court Judge for Elbert County, primary phone 303-621-2131, Division 1. Rory Devlin is listed as County Court Judge for Elbert County, Division A. Carol Rigato is Court Executive for the 23rd Judicial District.
The staff listing also identifies Lynda Eichler as Clerk of Court, Jury Commissioner, and Probate Registrar, Jessica D'Agostino as Family Court Facilitator, and the Court Resource / Self-Represented Litigant Coordinator through 23selfhelp@judicial.state.co.us and 720-437-6112. Those roles matter when a record search turns into a copy request, jury question, probate question, or self-help need.
The official Elbert County judges and staff page shows the current Judicial Branch staff source.
Staff listings can change, so use the Judicial Branch page for current assignments before relying on a name.
Search Elbert County District Records
The free Colorado Judicial Branch docket search is useful for upcoming settings, court dates, and docket-level lookup. Select the 23rd Judicial District, Elbert County, Elbert County Courthouse, and District Court when those details fit. The docket search requires at least one filter in addition to date, such as case number, party name, business name, or attorney information.
CoCourts is a paid register-of-actions source for many public district and county case types, but it excludes sealed cases, juvenile cases, probate cases, and confidential details. For certified copies, older files, probate files, divorce files, sealed access questions, or documents not visible in public portals, contact the Elbert County Clerk of Court directly.
Elbert County Courthouse
The Elbert County Courthouse location page lists 751 Ute Avenue, PO Box 232, Kiowa, CO 80117. Public hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The courthouse phone is 303-621-2131, and the court email is elbertclerk@judicial.state.co.us. The location page also lists a collections phone of 303-621-3235 and says collections payments may be made in person or mailed with a name and case number.
County administrative offices use a different schedule and address, and the Clerk and Recorder recording office is at 440 Comanche Street. For District Court records, the courthouse is the correct physical court location.
Collections are also court-specific. The courthouse page lists collections phone 303-621-3235, in-person collections at the courthouse during court hours, and mailing to PO Box 232 with the payer's name and case number. It also says there are no telephone payments. Online court payments are handled through the Colorado Judicial Online Payment System when the case or ticket is eligible.
The official courthouse location page provides the courthouse address, hours, and collections details.
Check the courthouse page before travel because court hours differ from the county's four-day administrative schedule.
Lower Courts in Elbert County
County Court handles misdemeanors, traffic infractions and offenses, felony complaints before transfer or bindover, protection orders, small claims, and civil matters under the county-court jurisdictional ceiling. Municipal courts may handle town ordinance or municipal traffic matters. Official Elbert County town materials identify Elizabeth, Kiowa, and Simla as towns, but the research did not locate a unified municipal-court case portal.
If a ticket, summons, or ordinance case came from a town police or municipal process, confirm the issuing court before assuming the District Court has the full case file. If the matter became a state criminal, civil, family, probate, or appeal case, District Court or County Court records are handled through the courthouse and Clerk of Court.
Elizabeth, Kiowa, and Simla are the named towns in the official county town list. The research did not locate one countywide municipal case portal, so local ordinance or municipal traffic questions should be checked with the issuing municipality. State traffic, misdemeanor, and felony complaint matters are different because they can route through Elbert County Court and, for felonies, District Court.
The Elbert County jail may hold people arrested by the Sheriff's Office, Elizabeth or Simla police, Colorado State Patrol, and state or federal agencies, but jail custody is not the same as District Court filing. A felony arrest becomes a District Court record only when the charging and transfer path reaches that court. For the full criminal case file, search the court record rather than the jail custody record.