A Colorado divorce runs on a fixed clock and a set of required steps, and knowing both is what keeps a case from stalling. The state imposes a 91-day minimum before any divorce becomes final, and most cases take longer once property, support, and parenting are on the table.
A divorce lawyer in Colorado Springs helps you move through the initial status conference, financial disclosures, and negotiation without losing months to avoidable mistakes.
The Law Office of Andrew Bryant handles divorce and family law for clients across El Paso County and the Pikes Peak region.
Whether your case is a quiet, agreed split or a contested fight over a business and a house, the path runs through the same El Paso County courthouse and the same rules. Call (719) 634-7353 to talk through where yours stands.
Why Work With Our Colorado Springs Divorce Attorneys?
We handle divorce as our core work, not as a sideline, and that focus shows in how we prepare a case. The Law Office of Andrew Bryant represents clients through every part of a Colorado dissolution, from the first filing to the final decree, in both agreed and contested matters.
Recognition and Local Standing
The Law Office of Andrew Bryant was voted one of the top law offices and law firms in Colorado Springs by The Gazette for nearly a decade.
Andrew Bryant also holds recognition as an Expertise Top Lawyer in family, divorce, and criminal matters, along with a National Trial Lawyers Top 100 listing. That recognition reflects years of work in the local courts where these cases are actually decided.
We also approach representation as a partnership rather than a takeover. As Andrew Bryant puts it, “You need to put clients in the best position to make a good decision.
We’ll advise you along the way and we’ll support whatever decision you make.” Mark Galler describes his role the same way, as “the advice-giving kind of guiding force versus the driving force.”
Clients tend to come to us for a few reasons that matter once a case gets moving:
- We prepare each case as if it may go to a hearing, which strengthens your position in negotiation.
- We keep you involved in decisions rather than making them for you.
- We know the El Paso County process, its facilitators, and its judges.
- We give you a realistic read on timing and cost early, not after the retainer is spent.
A divorce lawyer earns their keep in the details that decide outcomes, such as how a business gets valued or how a parenting schedule is written. Getting those right the first time is far cheaper than fixing them later.
How Does the Divorce Process Work in Colorado?
A Colorado divorce follows a defined sequence set by statute and court rule. One spouse files a petition, the other is served or joins as a co-petitioner, and the case moves through disclosure, negotiation, and either a settlement or a contested hearing.
Colorado is a no-fault state, so neither spouse has to prove wrongdoing to end the marriage.
The process breaks into stages that most cases share:
- Filing the petition. One spouse files for dissolution of marriage in the district court, or both file together.
- Service or joint filing. The other spouse is formally served, or signs on as a co-petitioner.
- The initial status conference. An early meeting with the court sets the schedule and identifies disputed issues.
- Financial disclosures. Both spouses exchange sworn financial information.
- Negotiation or mediation. The spouses try to settle property, support, and parenting.
- Settlement or hearing. Agreed terms go to a judge, or a contested case proceeds to a final hearing.
Each stage has its own deadlines, and missing one tends to push the whole case back. A lawyer keeps the sequence on track so your divorce does not stall between steps.
What Is the 91-Day Waiting Period in a Colorado Divorce?
Colorado law requires at least 91 days between the start of the case and the earliest date a divorce becomes final.
The clock runs from the date the responding spouse is served or the date both spouses file jointly, under C.R.S. 14-10-106. No Colorado divorce finishes faster than that, even when both spouses agree on everything.
The 91 days is a floor, not an estimate. As Andrew Bryant tells clients, “The quickest you can be divorced is 91 days. This is probably going to take a year. You really need to start psychologically preparing yourself that it’s not a quick fix.”
An uncontested case with simple finances may finish near the minimum, while a contested case with a business or a disputed parenting plan often runs several months to a year or more.
What Happens at the Initial Status Conference?
The initial status conference is an early court meeting that sets the roadmap for your case. It usually takes place within 42 days of filing, often with a family court facilitator or a magistrate rather than the assigned judge.
The meeting identifies the contested issues, confirms deadlines, and decides whether experts such as a business appraiser are needed.
Two represented spouses may skip the conference by filing a stipulated case management plan instead. Either way, this early stage sets the pace, so arriving prepared with your financial picture in order saves time across the whole case.
What Financial Disclosures Are Required in a Colorado Divorce?
Both spouses must exchange full financial information, and the duty is automatic.
Under C.R.C.P. 16.2, each spouse provides mandatory disclosures and a sworn financial statement within 42 days of service, without waiting for the other side to ask. The sworn financial statement covers income, assets, debts, and monthly expenses.
Colorado treats this as an ongoing duty of honesty between spouses. The disclosures typically include several categories of documents:
- Recent pay stubs and proof of all income sources
- Federal and state tax returns
- Bank, retirement, and investment account statements
- Documentation of real estate, vehicles, and other significant assets
- Records of debts, including credit cards and loans
How fast you produce these records often decides how fast the case moves.
Mark Galler’s ideal client is “somebody that is responsive, that will listen, communicate, and follow instruction,” in part because complete disclosures early keep the timeline in your hands rather than the other side’s.
Hiding an asset carries real consequences, too, since a court may reopen the property division for up to five years after the decree if a spouse concealed assets or debts.
How Is Property and Debt Divided in a Colorado Divorce?
Colorado divides marital property and debt equitably, which means fairly rather than in an automatic fifty-fifty split.
Under C.R.S. 14-10-113, the court divides property acquired during the marriage after weighing factors such as each spouse’s economic circumstances and contributions.
Separate property, such as qualifying property owned before marriage or received by gift or inheritance, generally remains separate. However, any increase in its value during the marriage may be treated as marital property.
The line between marital and separate property is where many disputes start. A business started during the marriage, a home bought before it, or an inheritance mixed into a joint account can each raise hard questions.
Equitable division also applies to debt, so a court allocates marital debts along with marital assets.
Contested and Uncontested Divorce in Colorado Springs
An uncontested divorce means both spouses agree on all terms, while a contested divorce means one or more issues need resolution by negotiation or a judge.
Uncontested cases move faster and cost less, since there is no fight over property, support, or parenting. Contested cases take longer because they require disclosure, negotiation, and sometimes a hearing.
Most divorces settle before a final hearing. Even so, a case prepared as though it may be tried tends to settle on stronger terms, because the other side sees you are ready either way.
How Does Spousal Maintenance Work in Colorado?
Spousal maintenance, which many people call alimony, is court-ordered support paid from one former spouse to the other.
Colorado uses an advisory formula under C.R.S. 14-10-114 for marriages of at least three years where the spouses’ combined annual adjusted gross income is $240,000 or less. Above that income, or outside that range, the court decides maintenance using statutory factors instead of the formula.
What Factors Affect Spousal Maintenance?
The guideline is advisory, not binding, so a judge may depart from it with findings. Courts weigh factors such as the length of the marriage, each spouse’s income and earning capacity, and the marital standard of living.
For higher-income Colorado Springs families, especially those with business income, maintenance often becomes one of the most heavily negotiated parts of the case.
How Are Parenting Plans and Child Support Decided?
Colorado decides parenting arrangements based on the best interests of the child, using the term allocation of parental responsibilities rather than custody. A parenting plan sets out where the children live, how decisions get made, and the parenting time schedule.
Colorado courts decide parenting time based on the best interests of the child, with the child’s safety receiving paramount consideration. There is no automatic rule requiring a fifty-fifty parenting schedule.
As Andrew Bryant notes, many people walk in believing this is an automatic fifty-fifty state, and it is not; the court starts from the child’s best interests.
How Is Child Support Calculated in Colorado?
Child support follows a statewide calculation based on each parent’s income, the number of overnights, the number of children, and certain add-on costs such as health insurance and childcare.
Colorado updated its child support rules effective in 2025, so the exact figures a calculation produces are best confirmed for your specific numbers rather than assumed.
Getting the parenting schedule and the income figures right at the start is what produces an accurate support number and avoids a return trip to court.
FAQs for Divorce Lawyer Colorado Springs
How long does a divorce take in Colorado Springs?
A divorce in Colorado Springs takes at least 91 days from service or joint filing, and often longer. Uncontested cases with simple finances may finish near that minimum. Contested cases involving property, support, or parenting disputes commonly run several months to a year or more, depending partly on the assigned court’s docket.
Do I need a lawyer for an uncontested divorce in Colorado?
Not always, but a lawyer helps even when a divorce is uncontested. An agreement that reads clearly today can create problems later if the property or retirement terms are vague.
Having a lawyer review or draft the decree protects you against errors that are expensive to fix after the fact.
Can I file for divorce in Colorado if my spouse does not agree?
Yes, you may file for divorce in Colorado without your spouse’s agreement. Colorado is a no-fault state, so one spouse alone may end the marriage.
Your spouse still has to be served, and disagreement over terms makes the case contested rather than blocking the divorce itself.
What is the biggest mistake people make in a Colorado divorce?
The most common mistake is going it alone to save money on the front end. A do-it-yourself parenting plan or property agreement often creates problems that cost far more to fix later.
As Andrew Bryant puts it, a case that seems cheap to handle yourself can turn into tens of thousands of dollars to correct.
What is the difference between legal separation and divorce in Colorado?
Legal separation divides property, support, and parenting much like a divorce, but it does not end the marriage. Some couples choose it for religious or insurance reasons.
A legal separation may later be converted into a full dissolution if either spouse decides to end the marriage.
Talk With a Colorado Springs Divorce Lawyer Today
The decisions you make in the first weeks of a divorce, from how you file to how fast you disclose, shape how long the whole case takes and what it costs. Getting solid advice early is what keeps a divorce from turning into a year of avoidable delay.
Bring your questions and a rough picture of your finances, and we will walk you through your options, the likely timeline, and the steps that matter most in your situation.
The Law Office of Andrew Bryant represents divorce clients throughout Colorado Springs and El Paso County. Contact us at (719) 634-7353 for a free consultation.
