The Vital Records Section of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment maintains official documentation of vital events in the state of Colorado.  The Vital Records Section will not have record of the divorce, separation, or annulment if the county did not forward the information for the State Index. Dissolution records for the entire state are available for the years from 1851 to 1939 and 1968 to present.  Divorce records for the years 1940-1967 are not available in the Vital Records Section.  These records may be obtained from the county where the dissolution was decreed.  

Requests for divorce records may be made by the person named on the record, immediate family members of the person named, legal representatives of the person named, and others demonstrating a direct and tangible interest in the record.  Requests must be accompanied with proof of relationship with the persons named on the record. 

Details to be submitted in the form include: 

• Name of the husband
• Name of the Wife
• County issuing the divorce decree
• Date of divorce decree
• Signature of the Requester
• Day time phone number of the requester
• Purpose for obtaining the divorce records
• Requester’s relationship with the husband/wife
• Proof of relationship
• Credit card information or money order/check payable to “Vital Records Section”

 Additionally, a photocopy of the requestor’s identification must be enclosed.  The requestor’s driver’s license, state id or passport may be used as a valid identification

A fee must be paid to access divorce records.  Fee may be paid by checks, money orders and credit cards.  Checks or money orders must be payable to “Vital Records Section”.  Cash must not be sent.

Cost of verification is $17 for a copy of the divorce records.  If no record is found after making a search, $17 will be retained as the search fee.  An additional fee of $10.00 is charged for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time.  An additional charge of $5 is to be paid for each additional index searched. Convenience charge will be added for phone, fax or online credit card orders.  An amount of $9.00 will be charged as credit card convenience charge. 

Requests for divorce records/ verification may be made in person, by fax, by mail, or online.  Request may be made using marriage dissolution verification application available online.  Processing time for requests made in person, by mail, via fax, or online vary. 

Divorce records when applied in person will be available on the same day of making application. 

Divorce records may be obtained online with the help of the private service company, VitalChek.  Online requests can be made only by using a credit card, and a surcharge applies for the use of credit card.  Vital Chek provides divorce records expeditiously upon the payment of a fee.  When requests are made online with all required documentation, divorce records will be mailed on the next working day.

Divorce records for requests made with credit card information via fax will be issued within five business day upon receipt of required details. 

Requests by mail must be accompanied by credit card information or money order/check payable to the “Vital Records Section.”  The processing time is three weeks.

 Upon furnishing a proof of relationship with the parties named in the certificate, certified copies of dissolution of marriages may be issued to: 

• Petitioner or respondent listed on certificate
• Parents, Stepparents, Grandparents, Great Grandparents, Siblings, Children, Stepchildren, Grandchildren, Great Grandchildren.  Certificates may be issued to the In-laws, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins if they can demonstrate direct and tangible interest.
• Legal representative of the petitioner/respondent or their immediate relatives.
• Any person who may demonstrate a direct and tangible interest when information is needed for determination or protection of a personal or property right.
• Paralegal, Consular Corps, Employers and Insurance companies
• Probate researchers with documented proof of a direct and tangible interest
• Creditors, on presenting documentary evidence to establish direct and tangible interest