Rio Grande County Court Dockets
A court docket is the calendar and activity list for a case. In Rio Grande County, it can identify the case number, court type, courthouse, hearing date, hearing type, party names, attorney search information, and sometimes the judicial officer. A docket is useful when a person needs to check whether a case is active, see when the next event is set, find the case class, or gather details before asking the Clerk of Court for a document copy.
Dockets should not be read as the full court record. A docket may show that a motion, sentence order, judgment, or protection order exists, but the document itself is requested through the Colorado Judicial record and document request form or from the clerk at Rio Grande Combined Court. The difference matters for users trying to prove a disposition, enforce a judgment, respond to a missed hearing, or prepare for a court date.
| Docket | Full Case Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Tracks case events and hearings. | Contains filings, orders, judgments, and copies. |
| Best use | Confirm a court date or case class. | Review the legal file or get certified proof. |
| Access path | Colorado Judicial docket search. | Record request form or Clerk of Court. |
| Limits | May omit sealed or restricted material. | May require fees, ID, redaction, or party status. |
Search Rio Grande County Dockets
Rio Grande County District Court and County Court dockets are searched through the Colorado Judicial Branch docket search. The official form says at least one filter in addition to date is required. For a local search, choose Rio Grande County, Rio Grande Combined Court, or Court Type = Both. County Court is often the branch for misdemeanors, felony advisements, criminal traffic, civil traffic, small claims, and lower civil matters. District Court is often the branch for felonies, domestic relations, probate, juvenile, mental health, civil cases in any amount, and water matters.
- Open the Colorado Judicial docket search and select a date range.
- Add a local filter, such as County = Rio Grande County or Courthouse = Rio Grande Combined Court.
- Use Court Type = Both unless District Court or County Court is known.
- Search by case-number parts when the year, case class, and sequence are known.
- Search by individual, business, attorney name, or attorney bar number when a case number is not known.
- Use the record request form or clerk contact if the docket shows that a document copy is needed.
The Colorado Judicial online payment system can also locate eligible fees, fines, costs, restitution, and tickets by case number, ticket number, or name.
Payment lookup is separate from the docket, but it can help when the case has a fine, cost, restitution, or ticket balance.
Rio Grande County Docket Fields
The docket form fields are more detailed than a simple name search. Date is the base filter, and one extra filter is required. The case class field helps users separate criminal, misdemeanor, traffic, divorce, probate, small claims, civil, juvenile, and water matters. The attorney-search fields are useful for checking a lawyer's calendar, while the party-search fields are better for users who know a person's name but not the case number.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Date Range | Limits dockets to Today, 1 Week, 1 Month, 3 Months, 6 Months, or a specific date. |
| County | Use Rio Grande County to narrow the statewide docket search. |
| Courthouse | Use Rio Grande Combined Court for local state trial court matters. |
| Court Type | Select Both, County, or District depending on the case type. |
| Case Class | Signals CR, M, T, DR, PR, S, CV, CW, juvenile, or related file type. |
| Party Search | Searches individual first and last name or business name. |
| Attorney Search | Searches attorney name or attorney bar number. |
Sample Rio Grande County docket entries were not inspected during research, so these fields come from the official search form rather than a personal case result. That is the safer way to explain docket data without exposing or inventing case facts.
Rio Grande County Docket Courts
Rio Grande Combined Court is the local state court location for District Court and County Court services. The courthouse is part of the 12th Judicial District with Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, and Saguache counties. District Court Chief Judge Amanda C. Hopkins is listed for the district, and John W. Stenger is listed as a County Court judge for Rio Grande County. The court address is 925 6th Street, Room 204, Del Norte, Colorado 81132, with phone 719-657-3394 and email riograndeclerk@judicial.state.co.us.
The Rio Grande County probation page shows another court-adjacent office in the same courthouse.
Probation is not the docket office, but probation contacts often matter after sentencing or when a docket event concerns compliance.
- District Court docket matters can include felony, civil, domestic relations, juvenile, probate, mental health, and water-related cases.
- County Court docket matters can include misdemeanors, felony advisements, criminal traffic, civil traffic, small claims, and lower-value civil cases.
- Monte Vista Municipal Court handles Monte Vista Police traffic, parking, and ordinance citations and is a court of record.
- Del Norte Municipal Court handles town matters at Town Hall and requires advance calls for Zoom arrangements.
- Federal criminal, federal civil, bankruptcy, and Tenth Circuit appellate dockets are outside Rio Grande Combined Court.
Rio Grande County Docket Dates
Rio Grande County has several local scheduling details that should be checked before travel. The court page lists County Court civil return dates on Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. The 12th Judicial District also uses Webex links for Rio Grande County proceedings, domestic relations proceedings, advisements, water-referee matters, and a visiting judge room. Court users should confirm whether a hearing is in person, remote, or hybrid before relying on a travel plan.
The Colorado Judicial press releases page can show current district-wide items, closure notices, and public notices that affect the court system.
Press releases do not replace the docket, but they can add context for district vacancies, public notices, or statewide court alerts.
| Local Detail | What to Confirm |
|---|---|
| Civil return date | Rio Grande County Court civil return dates are listed as Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. |
| Webex | Confirm the correct courtroom link and whether remote appearance is allowed. |
| Livestream and captioning | Criminal proceeding observation may be available through Colorado Judicial livestreaming where authorized. |
| Closures and delays | Check state holiday, closure, delay, and local court notices before driving. |
Note: A docket listing is not permission to appear remotely; call the clerk if the order or notice is unclear.
Rio Grande Municipal Court Dockets
Some Rio Grande County court docket searches fail because the case belongs to a municipal court instead of the state combined court. Monte Vista Municipal Court handles citations issued by the Monte Vista Police Department for traffic, parking, and ordinance violations. The city says citations issued by Colorado State Patrol or the Rio Grande County Sheriff's Department go to the combined court system. Monte Vista court sessions are held on the first Thursday of each month, and penalty-assessment tickets have a separate advisement and payment process.
Del Norte Municipal Court is at Town Hall, 140 Spruce Street, Del Norte, CO 81132. The official municipal court page lists Judge Barbara Zollars, Clerk Nineah Martinez, phone 719-657-2708, email dncourt@delnortecolorado.com, and a Zoom note that parties must call ahead. Municipal dockets may involve local ordinance, parking, and town traffic matters rather than statewide District Court or County Court cases.
Rio Grande Dockets vs Documents
Use the docket when the goal is to track what has happened or what is scheduled. Use a document request when the goal is to see the actual complaint, information, order, judgment, sentence, protection order, or register of actions. For Rio Grande County court dockets tied to a criminal case, the docket may show hearings and case status, while the full file can show charges, pleas, disposition, and sentencing. For civil cases, the docket may show a judgment event, while the requested document proves the judgment terms.
The PACER Tenth Circuit lookup is relevant only for federal appellate matters, not ordinary Rio Grande County trial court dockets.
Federal docket systems can matter after a federal appeal, but local District Court and County Court records stay with Colorado Judicial.
Read Rio Grande County Dockets
Case-class codes are the first clue. T usually points to traffic. M points to misdemeanor. CR points to a criminal case, often felony-level material. DR points to divorce, custody, or domestic relations. PR points to probate. CW points to water cases. S points to small claims. The code is not a full explanation of the record, but it helps decide whether to contact the combined court, a municipal court, the sheriff, the County Clerk and Recorder, or a federal court.
A docket result should be checked against notices, orders, and clerk instructions. Hearing dates can change. Some records are sealed, suppressed, juvenile, probate, or confidential. If the docket concerns a missed court date, bench warrant, bond issue, or payment deadline, verify with the clerk or issuing court before taking action. The full Rio Grande County court records path is used when the docket alone is not enough.