Served Divorce Papers in Colorado: What Should You Do First?

Do not ignore the papers. Read the summons, record the date you received it, and calendar the response deadline shown on the form. Colorado’s current JDF 1012 generally requires a written response within 21 days after receiving the summons, or 35 days when service occurred outside Colorado or notice was made by publication. Your own summons and court docket control.^[1]

Getting served starts the response period and activates automatic court orders. The first goal is not to solve the entire divorce. It is to protect your ability to participate, avoid violating the automatic orders, and prepare for the next stage of the Colorado divorce process.

What Should You Do in the First 24 Hours?

Start with the deadline and the documents. Keep the complete packet together, identify the court and case number, note the date you received it, and avoid making major financial or parenting changes before you understand the automatic orders.

• Photograph or scan the full packet and save it in a secure location
• Write down the date, time, and method by which you received the summons
• Calendar the response deadline and set earlier reminder dates
• Read the petition to identify what the other spouse is asking the court to order
• Contact a Colorado family-law attorney before signing agreements or moving significant assets

How Long Do You Have to Respond?

The standard deadline is 21 days after you receive the summons. The current form extends the deadline to 35 days when you were served outside Colorado or notified by publication.^[1]

Do not calculate the deadline from the date printed on the petition. Start with the date you received the summons and confirm the deadline in the document and court record.

What if You Were Served Outside Colorado?

The standard response period is generally 35 days when service occurred outside Colorado. The same extended period applies when notice was made by publication. Because service and deadline issues can become technical, get legal advice promptly if the method or date is disputed.^[1]

What Does Filing a Response Do?

A response tells the court that you intend to participate and states whether you agree or disagree with the petition. Colorado’s current response form is JDF 1015. Filing it does not end the case or require you to accept the petitioner’s requests.^[3]

A timely response preserves your opportunity to be heard on property, debt, maintenance, parenting time, decision-making, and child support when those issues apply.

What Happens if You Ignore the Papers?

The court may decide the case without your input, and you may not receive further notice of filings or events. You must still obey any orders the court enters. Missing the response deadline does not guarantee that every request will be granted, but it can sharply reduce your ability to shape the result.^[1]

What Automatic Orders Apply After Service?

The automatic temporary injunctions apply as soon as you receive the summons. They generally restrict both parties from transferring marital property outside ordinary expenses, disturbing the peace, taking the children out of Colorado without permission, and changing specified insurance coverage. An insurance change requires written permission from the other party or a court order and at least 14 days’ notice to the other party.^[1][2]

Do	Do not
Continue paying ordinary living and business expenses when appropriate.	Sell, transfer, hide, borrow against, or dispose of marital property outside the permitted exceptions.
Ask for written agreement or a court order before major changes.	Take the children out of Colorado without permission from the other party or the court.
Keep existing insurance coverage in place unless you have written permission or a court order and give at least 14 days’ notice.	Cancel or change covered health, homeowner’s, renter’s, automobile, or life insurance without meeting those requirements.
Keep communications calm and focused on necessary logistics.	Disturb the peace of the other party.

Can You Move Money or Make Decisions About the Children?

Ordinary spending for usual business expenses and life necessities is allowed, but major transfers, withdrawals, loans against assets, or disposal of marital property can violate the injunction. Parenting decisions also need care because the summons prohibits taking the children out of state without permission.

If you need immediate financial, housing, parenting, or safety relief, the answer may be a motion for temporary orders in a Colorado divorce, not unilateral action.

What Financial Documents Should You Preserve?

Gather records before accounts become harder to access. A practical starting list includes:

• Recent bank, credit-card, retirement, investment, and loan statements
• Pay stubs, employment records, and the last two or three years of tax returns
• Mortgage, lease, vehicle, insurance, and major household-expense records
• Business records when either spouse owns or operates a business
• A working list of assets, debts, account numbers, and current balances
• Existing prenuptial, postnuptial, or separation agreements

The petitioner may already have gathered similar records using a pre-filing preparation checklist. Building your own organized file now makes the financial-disclosure process easier.

What if Parenting or Safety Issues Are Urgent?

Raise urgent parenting or safety concerns with an attorney immediately. If you or your children face immediate danger, contact law enforcement or seek emergency court relief. Do not assume that an emergency automatically permits action that conflicts with the summons or existing court orders.

Document the current parenting schedule, upcoming exchanges, school and medical needs, and the specific facts supporting any requested temporary relief.

What Happens After You File the Response?

The case generally moves into case management, mandatory financial disclosures, and any necessary temporary-orders process. The court may schedule an initial status conference and set deadlines for the next filings. The Colorado divorce process roadmap explains how these stages fit together.

What Is the Timeline Checklist?

First 24 Hours

• Identify the date you received the summons and calendar the deadline
• Scan and securely store the full packet
• Read the petition and automatic orders
• Preserve financial records and the current parenting calendar

Before the Response Deadline

• Prepare and file JDF 1015 or another legally appropriate response
• Pay the filing fee or submit the applicable fee-waiver forms
• Confirm compliance with every automatic order
• Identify any temporary financial, parenting, housing, or safety relief you need

Before the Initial Status Conference

• Complete the required financial disclosures
• Organize disputed issues and proposed temporary arrangements
• Review the current parenting schedule and upcoming deadlines
• Prepare questions about negotiation, mediation, and litigation strategy

Schedule a Case Review Before the Deadline

Johnson Law Group can review the summons, confirm the response period, identify immediate risks, and help you file a response that preserves your position. Early guidance gives you a clearer roadmap before temporary arrangements begin shaping the case.

Schedule a consultation before the deadline printed on your papers.

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