Conejos County District Court Overview
Conejos County District Court is part of Colorado's 12th Judicial District. The district also includes Alamosa, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, and Saguache counties, which means several judges and regional services serve more than one San Luis Valley county. Conejos County District Court and Conejos County Court operate through Conejos Combined Court, a combined state trial court setting rather than a large separate courthouse complex.
Colorado District Courts are the main trial courts of general jurisdiction. In Conejos County, District Court handles felony criminal cases, civil cases without the County Court dollar ceiling, domestic relations cases, juvenile matters, probate cases, mental health proceedings, and water matters assigned by judicial district or water division. County Court handles misdemeanors, traffic infractions, small claims, protection orders, and civil cases within county-court jurisdiction.
The Colorado Judicial Branch is the statewide source for court hierarchy, public access links, online payments, self-help, and Water Courts. Conejos County users should pair that state source with the local Conejos court location page because the current public counter and hearing location changed after the courthouse fire.
Conejos County District Court Location
The Conejos Combined Court location page lists the public court contact information. The ordinary courthouse is closed until further notice because of a fire, and in-person customer assistance is available at a temporary Antonito location. People with hearings should follow the address on the summons, hearing notice, trial notice, or later court communication because trial settings may receive separate location instructions.
Conejos Combined Court
Temporary physical address: 603 Main Street
Antonito, CO 81120
Mailing address: P.O. Box 128, Conejos, CO 81129
719-376-5465
ConejosClerk@judicial.state.co.us
Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except state holidays
Research also found local access details that matter for District Court visits. On-street parking is available near the temporary facility. Jury instructions tell jurors to call 719-589-7679 after 5:00 p.m. the business day before reporting, and jurors may be directed to return cell phones and handbags to their vehicle.
Conejos County District Court Table
Conejos County does not have a list of multiple numbered District Courts like some larger states. The local trial court is the Conejos County District Court within the 12th Judicial District, operating at the Conejos Combined Court. The same court location also houses County Court operations, so the table below identifies the local trial-court forums by court level and case type rather than by separate court number.
| Court Number | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12th Judicial District | District Court: felony, civil, domestic relations, juvenile, probate, mental health, water matters | 603 Main Street, Antonito, CO 81120; mail P.O. Box 128, Conejos, CO 81129 | 719-376-5465 |
| Conejos County Court | County Court: misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, protection orders, civil cases under county-court jurisdiction | 603 Main Street, Antonito, CO 81120; mail P.O. Box 128, Conejos, CO 81129 | 719-376-5465 |
| Water Division 3 context | Water Court matters for the Rio Grande basin and San Luis Valley context | Regional assignment; Conejos page lists water notices and Water Referee WebEx access | Use Conejos Combined Court or Colorado Judicial Branch water-court contacts |
| Municipal courts | Town ordinance and municipal traffic matters where active | Verify with the town clerk or police for Antonito, La Jara, Manassa, Sanford, Romeo, or other local venues | No consolidated Conejos municipal court portal located |
Conejos County District Court Comparison
District Court, County Court, and municipal court records are not interchangeable. A felony case, divorce, estate case, or major civil case will usually follow the District Court path. A misdemeanor, traffic infraction, small claim, or county-court civil matter may remain in County Court. A town-code citation or municipal traffic issue may sit with a local municipal court instead of Conejos Combined Court.
| Feature | District Court | County Court | Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil jurisdiction | Civil cases in any amount under Colorado District Court authority | Civil cases under Colorado county-court jurisdiction, including small claims | Town ordinance matters where a municipal court is active |
| Criminal jurisdiction | Felonies and related District Court criminal proceedings | Misdemeanors, traffic misdemeanors, felony complaints before transfer, and protection orders | Municipal code violations and local traffic ordinance cases |
| Family and probate | Divorce, custody, support, juvenile, probate, guardianship, conservatorship, and mental health matters | Limited family overlap through protection-order or related county-court processes | Not the normal forum for divorce or probate records |
| Search path | Colorado docket search, record/document request form, and Clerk of Court contact | Same Colorado Judicial Branch tools and Clerk of Court contact | Contact the town clerk or police if the matter is municipal |
Conejos County District Court Case Flow
A Conejos County District Court record grows as filings, hearings, and orders are added to the case. A docket entry can show a hearing date, appearance type, and courtroom, while the full case file may include pleadings, motions, orders, judgments, disposition papers, or sentencing documents. For copies, the Colorado court record/document request form is the official document path.
Criminal flow: arrest or summons › advisement or bond hearing › Complaint/Information › arraignment › pretrial hearings › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil flow: complaint or petition › service › answer or response › motions › case management › settlement or trial › judgment or order › post-judgment collection or appeal.
County Court decisions may be appealed to District Court. District Court judgments generally go to the Colorado Court of Appeals unless a direct Colorado Supreme Court route applies. Federal cases are separate and go through the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.
Conejos County District Court Staff
The Conejos judges and staff page lists District Court Chief Judge Amanda C. Hopkins and District Court Judges Kim Cortez-Rodriguez, Michael A. Gonzales, and Crista Newmyer-Olsen. It also lists County Court Judge/Magistrate Jason T. Kelly, Court Executive Jennifer Pacheco, Clerk of Court Felix Gallegos, Jury Commissioner Lachelle Montano, Family Court Facilitator Kaylene Guymon, and Self-Represented Litigant Coordinator Caitlin Mizell. Several judges serve all or multiple counties in the 12th Judicial District.
Self-help is regional. Conejos County self-help contact information lists 12selfhelp@judicial.state.co.us and 719-589-7621, with the office located in the Alamosa Justice Center at 8955 Independence Way. The District Attorney serving Conejos County is the 12th Judicial District Attorney in Alamosa, and the Colorado State Public Defender office serving Conejos County is also in Alamosa.
Conejos County District Court Dockets
The Colorado Judicial docket search is the main public tool for Conejos County District Court hearing information. Searchers can filter by judicial district, county, courthouse, court type, division, date range, case number pieces, party name, business name, attorney name, or attorney bar number. The portal requires a date component plus at least one more filter.
Results may show date, time, duration, name, case number, hearing type, location, appearance type, and courtroom. A docket row is not a full case file. It helps locate hearing activity and case identifiers, then the clerk's record request process supplies actual documents when public access rules allow release.
| Search Need | Best Starting Point | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Upcoming hearing | Colorado Judicial docket search | Shows date, time, hearing type, appearance type, and location when public. |
| Filed order or pleading | Record/document request form | The docket portal does not provide full filed documents. |
| Fines, costs, restitution, or ticket payment | Colorado Judicial Online Payment System | Searches by case number, ticket number, or name for payable matters. |
| Paid case summary | CoCourts Register of Action | May show status, parties, charges, disposition, plea, judge, agency, and scheduled events. |
Conejos County District Court Records
District Court records in Conejos County include common civil and criminal files, but the local mix also includes probate, domestic relations, juvenile, mental health, and water matters. Probate records should be described as Probate Division of District Court records because Colorado does not use a separate county probate court for Conejos County. The record request form has a Probate section for Letters, Will, Trust, Application, Petition, Closing, Claims, and Date of Death.
Water matters are especially relevant in the San Luis Valley. Colorado has seven Water Divisions, and the Conejos County court page lists a Water Division 3 trial notice in Case No. 2007CW52 involving the Rio Grande Water Conservation District, Subdistrict No. 1, and groundwater-management-plan approval. Water records should be handled through the water-court and district-court channels that apply to the specific case.
Conejos County District Court Sources
The Colorado Judicial Branch home page is the statewide entry point for trial courts, dockets, online payments, self-help, and public access resources.
Use Colorado Judicial Branch pages for Conejos County District Court records before turning to private or unofficial search sites.
Federal appeals from Colorado federal court go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, a separate federal appellate court system.
A Conejos County state District Court appeal follows Colorado appellate routes, while federal cases use federal District of Colorado and Tenth Circuit systems.
CourtListener is a free federal case lookup source that can help with federal opinions and dockets but does not replace the local Conejos County District Court clerk.
CourtListener is useful for federal research context; local Conejos County District Court records still come from Colorado Judicial Branch tools and the Clerk of Court.
Conejos County Federal Court Context
Conejos County is within the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado because Colorado is one federal judicial district. Federal cases may include federal crimes, civil-rights claims, constitutional claims, federal habeas petitions, diversity civil cases, bankruptcy-adjacent litigation, federal land disputes, or agency matters. These cases are not filed in Conejos County District Court, even if the people, land, or events are local.
The District of Colorado has federal court locations in Denver, Colorado Springs, Durango, and Grand Junction. Federal court records use PACER and CM/ECF rather than Colorado Judicial Branch dockets. A Conejos County state case appears in federal records only if it is removed, filed, appealed, or otherwise handled in federal court.
Conejos County District Court Access
Public access to Conejos County District Court records is broad but not unlimited. The Colorado Judicial Branch access guide and Chief Justice Directive 05-01 govern court-record access, while P.A.I.R.R. controls administrative court records. The Colorado Open Records Act applies to many government records, but court case records have separate judicial rules.
Juvenile records, sealed criminal records, mental health proceedings, adoption records, protected-person details, financial account numbers, social security numbers, victim and minor information, police officer identities, juror information, and certain non-party details may be restricted or redacted. A record request may return a full copy, a redacted copy, a fee estimate, or a denial based on law, court rule, court order, or public-interest limits.
Note: Check the Conejos County Judicial Branch page before traveling because courthouse closure and temporary-location notices can change.