Access La Plata County Clerk Records

La Plata County Clerk of Court

The Colorado Judicial Branch lists the Clerk of Court at the La Plata County Courthouse, 1060 East Second Ave, Suite 106, Durango, CO 81301. The clerk phone is 970-247-2304 and the email address is laplataclerk@judicial.state.co.us. Courthouse hours are Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., and the Clerk's Office window is Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., excluding state holidays.

The Clerk of Court is the practical access point for District Court and County Court case files. That includes certified court copies, case-file records, dockets, probate case files, divorce case files, criminal case files, and state traffic or county court files. Some information can be checked online through the state docket system, CoCourts, or account-gated Data Access, but full documents and certifications come through the clerk.

Clerk of Court vs Recorder

La Plata County has a split clerk structure. The court Clerk of Court works under the Colorado Judicial Branch and handles court case records. The County Clerk and Recorder handles recorded documents, marriage and civil-union licenses, elections, and motor-vehicle services. Recorded deeds, deeds of trust, liens, plats, marriage licenses, and recording fees are not court case files.

Note: Marriage licenses are issued by the County Clerk and Recorder, while divorce decrees are certified court records from the Clerk of Court.

La Plata County Court Clerk Records

The Clerk of Court supports records from District Court and County Court. District Court handles felony criminal, domestic relations and divorce, child support and custody, probate, juvenile, adoptions, civil cases in any amount, mental health, and water-related claims. County Court handles lower-level civil matters, small claims, misdemeanors, traffic infractions, felony complaints before transfer, protection orders, and other limited matters.

• Criminal case files: charges, pleas, dispositions, sentencing orders, motions, hearings, and warrant entries where public.
• Divorce files: decrees, parenting orders, support orders, and public domestic relations docket data with sensitive items restricted.
• Probate files: estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, letters, orders, and court filings.
• Traffic court files: state traffic citations, case events, disposition, and failure-to-appear information.
• Civil files: complaints, answers, motions, judgments, writs, and orders in District or County Court.

Request La Plata County Certified Copies

Certified copies are court copies carrying official certification from the Clerk of Court. They are often needed for divorce decrees, probate letters, orders, judgments, and legal filings where a plain docket printout is not enough. The research did not locate an official local court copy fee schedule, so requesters should confirm page, search, and certification costs with the clerk before ordering.

1. Identify the court: District Court, County Court, or Municipal Court if the case is a city matter.
2. Find the case number through the Colorado Judicial Branch docket search or prior court papers if possible.
3. List the party names, document type, date range, and whether a certified copy is required.
4. Contact the Clerk of Court by phone, email, mail, or in person to confirm availability and cost.
5. Follow the clerk's payment, pickup, mailing, or certification instructions.

La Plata County Court Record Channels

The free Colorado Judicial Branch Docket Search is the starting point for court dates and docket information. For La Plata County, use the Sixth Judicial District, La Plata County, or La Plata County Courthouse filters as available. The Judicial Branch public access page also points users to Webex, docket search, sealed case search, and records access resources.

Colorado State Courts Data Access is account-gated and says it contains court data, not case documents. CoCourts is a paid vendor under Judicial Branch contract and provides Register of Action fields for many open and closed Colorado cases, but it excludes sealed, juvenile, and probate case types. Certified documents still route back to the Clerk of Court.

CoCourts Register of Action fields can include status, court, case number, case type, case file date, close date, judge or magistrate, agency, sentence date, parties, charges, disposition, plea, and scheduled events. That kind of data helps identify a file before contacting the clerk, but it does not supply the signed order, decree, pleading, or certified copy a requester may need for legal use.

La Plata County Court Access Rules

Court records are governed by Colorado Judicial Branch access policy, P.A.I.R.R., Chief Justice Directive 05-01, CORA, CCJRA, and case-specific confidentiality laws. Public access does not mean every document is open. Juvenile files, sealed records, adoption matters, mental health proceedings, protected information, financial identifiers, and victim or protected-party details may be withheld or redacted.

Requesters should ask the clerk whether the record is public, partly restricted, sealed, or available only to parties or attorneys. Records of official action in criminal justice matters have different access rules from general public records. Court administrative records follow Judicial Branch rules rather than the County Clerk and Recorder's recording channels.

La Plata County courthouse access also has practical limits. Visitors should expect security screening at the courthouse, and the research notes that phones, keys, wallets, laptops, tablets, and metal items may need to be screened. People visiting the clerk window should allow time for entry screening and should not bring prohibited items into the building. Jury visitors should also verify reporting status before arrival because trials can be canceled.

Court case copies, decrees, orders, docket questions, restricted-file questions, hearings, and certified filings belong with the Clerk of Court. Recorded-document searches, marriage licensing, and recorder copy requests belong with the County Clerk and Recorder instead.