Garfield County Court Dockets
A docket is a court calendar and event list. For Garfield County court dockets, it may show the court, case number, party or attorney search match, hearing date, scheduled event, and courtroom-related information when the entry is public. It is not the same as a full court file. A docket can tell a person when a hearing is set or whether activity exists, but it does not supply certified copies, pleadings, exhibits, sentence orders, divorce decrees, or probate letters.
State docket information is tied to Colorado's trial court structure. Garfield County is in the 9th Judicial District. District Court handles felony, domestic relations, civil, probate, juvenile, and mental health matters. County Court handles misdemeanors, traffic infractions, small claims, protection orders, civil claims under $25,000, and felony complaints that may move upward. Municipal courts in Glenwood Springs, Rifle, Carbondale, Silt, and New Castle are separate local courts for city ordinance, municipal traffic, park, and local misdemeanor cases.
The Colorado trial courts by county page is assigned to Garfield County court dockets in the manifest.
That state trial-court page helps confirm that Garfield County dockets should be read within Colorado's District Court and County Court framework.
Search Garfield County Court Dockets
The official free tool is the Colorado Judicial Branch docket search. For Garfield County court dockets, use the 9th Judicial District and Garfield County filters, then add a date and another filter such as courthouse, case number, party name, or attorney. The state research notes that the docket page requires a date plus at least one additional filter. If the search is too broad, the tool repeats the filter requirement instead of returning results.
- Open the Colorado docket search and select the date being checked.
- Select 9th Judicial District or Garfield County to narrow the search to the local state court system.
- Choose the Garfield County Courthouse or Garfield County Associate Court - Rifle if the location is known.
- Add a case number, party name, or attorney name as the second filter.
- Review the docket result for the hearing date, event, court location, and case identifier.
- Use the court record request form if a copy of the complaint, order, disposition, sentence, judgment, or Register of Actions is needed.
The Garfield County Judicial Branch landing page provides local state-court links and courthouse cards.
The local landing page is useful before searching because Garfield County has both the Glenwood Springs courthouse and the Rifle associate court.
Garfield County Docket Search Fields
The docket search fields are important because Garfield County court dockets do not work like a broad name-only background search. The date is central. The user then narrows the search by district, county, courthouse, case number, party, or attorney. A case number is the best search value when available because it reduces false matches and avoids confusion between District Court, County Court, and municipal matters.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Judicial District | Use 9th Judicial District for Garfield County state court dockets. |
| County | Use Garfield County for state court calendar results. |
| Courthouse | Filters between Garfield County Courthouse and Garfield County Associate Court - Rifle when available. |
| Date | Required baseline field for the public docket search. |
| Case Number | Exact court case number if known. |
| Party Name | Name search when the party is publicly listed. |
| Attorney | Attorney filter when counsel is known. |
| Results | Public docket entries returned when the filter rules are met. |
The manifest assigns the Colorado Judicial Branch docket search image to Garfield County court dockets.
The form image reinforces why a date and second filter should be ready before searching Garfield County court dockets.
Courts With Garfield County Dockets
Garfield County court dockets may come from state court or from a municipal court. State District Court and County Court matters are handled through the Colorado Judicial Branch. Local city courts have their own pages and contacts. Glenwood Springs says some State Patrol, Garfield County Sheriff, and specific city police citations are heard at Garfield County Combined Courts, and the citation controls. That detail matters because a traffic or ordinance case may not appear where a user expects it.
| Court or Office | Location | Docket Role |
|---|---|---|
| Garfield County Courthouse / Combined Courts | 109 8th St., Suite 104, Glenwood Springs | District and County Court dockets, case records, transcripts, and state court requests. |
| Garfield County Associate Court - Rifle | 200 E. 18th St., Suite 103, Rifle | State court location for matters routed to Rifle. |
| Glenwood Springs Municipal Court | City Hall, first floor, Glenwood Springs | Municipal ordinance and traffic matters, with some citations routed to Combined Courts. |
| Rifle Municipal Court | 201 East 18th Street, Rifle | Traffic violations, criminal misdemeanors, park violations, and municipal-code cases. |
| Silt Municipal Court | 231 N. 7th St., Silt | Misdemeanors, bench warrants, summons, and penalty assessments. |
| New Castle Municipal Court | 450 W. Main St., New Castle | Local municipal court matters with links to county and District Court resources. |
Dockets vs Garfield County Records
A Garfield County court docket should be read as a locator and timeline. It can help track whether a case has a hearing, whether a court date has moved, or whether a public event is listed. A full case record is broader. It can include the complaint, information, motions, orders, disposition, sentence order, judgment, decree, parenting plan, probate letters, ticket, transcript of judgment, or Register of Actions.
| Point | Docket | Full Case Record |
|---|---|---|
| Main use | Find dates, events, and calendar entries. | Review filings, orders, outcomes, and certified documents. |
| Access route | Free Colorado docket search for state court dates. | Record/document request form, court clerk, or authorized vendor register search. |
| Documents | Usually no document copies. | May include complaint, order, judgment, sentence, decree, letters, or ROA. |
| Limits | Requires date and another filter; restricted cases may not display. | Fees, ID, redaction, and access review may apply. |
Note: A Garfield County court docket can confirm a hearing path, but certified records must come from the court.
Read Garfield County Dockets
Common docket terms are short but meaningful. "Docket" means the court calendar or list of case events. "Register of Actions" means a broader chronological case summary with filings, hearings, charges, sentences, and minute orders. "Motion" means a request asking the judge for an order. "Disposition" means the outcome of a case or charge, such as dismissed, guilty, deferred, or sentenced. "Continuance" means a hearing was reset.
When the docket result raises a document question, switch from the docket tool to the record request form. The Colorado form lets Garfield County users request case-type records such as civil orders, criminal complaints or information, disposition and sentence orders, protection orders, traffic tickets, divorce decrees, parenting plans, support orders, probate letters, wills, trusts, claims, and the Register of Actions. The form also asks for party names, case number if known, filing year, county or location, date of birth if known, and other identifying facts. That detail helps the clerk distinguish similarly named parties and older cases.
If no docket appears, check the date, courthouse, case number, spelling, and court type. Then confirm whether the matter is a municipal case, a restricted case, an older record, or a case that requires direct contact with the court. For Garfield County state court help, the courthouse phone is 970-928-3065 and the official court email is GCGWSCourt@judicial.state.co.us. For transit or courthouse access planning, the manifest assigns the City Ride Glenwood Springs page to the docket page.
Transit details are useful for in-person docket questions because the main courthouse sits in downtown Glenwood Springs near other county justice offices.