co-arapahoe

Arapahoe County District Court (18th Judicial District)

NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Drafting and filing guidance only. Verify every step against the current 18th JD local rules and chambers preferences before filing.

Use this skill in addition to co-statewide-format when the case is in the Arapahoe County District Court, part of the 18th Judicial District (which also covers Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties — though Douglas County District Court will become its own JD as a result of HB22-1210 separation; verify current effective date before relying on cross-county practice).

The 18th JD is the second-busiest judicial district in Colorado by civil-case volume after Denver and El Paso.

Three courthouse locations

Courthouse	Address	Use
Arapahoe County District Court — Centennial	7325 S. Potomac St., Centennial, CO 80112	Principal civil court; most CV cases filed here
Aurora Municipal Justice Center (state)	14999 E. Alameda Pkwy., Aurora, CO 80012	Some Arapahoe County Court matters, traffic, evictions
Robert A. Christensen Justice Center — Littleton	1790 W. Littleton Blvd., Littleton, CO 80120	Domestic relations, juvenile, mental health

The principal civil filing location is the Centennial courthouse. The court's website publishes assignment-by-courtroom information.

Caption — Arapahoe District Court variant

DISTRICT COURT, ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
7325 South Potomac Street
Centennial, CO 80112

Plaintiff(s): PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATES, LLC,  ▲ COURT USE ONLY ▲
                                                  ┌───────────────────┐
v.                                                │ Case Number:      │
                                                  │  2025CV031987     │
Defendant(s): JOHN DOE.                           │                   │
                                                  │ Division: 24      │
                                                  │ Courtroom: 401    │
                                                  └───────────────────┘

                  MOTION TO DISMISS
              (UNDER C.R.C.P. 12(b)(5))

Case numbers follow the standard YYYYCV0##### format. The Division identifies the assigned judge's chambers; the Courtroom identifies the physical hearing room (rooms 200-series are on the second floor, 400-series on the fourth floor of the Centennial courthouse).

Authoritative source — pull the current chambers info every time

The 18th JD publishes its current chambers roster, courtroom assignments, and judges' practice standards at:

https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/courts/judicial-districts/18th-judicial-district

Agent behavior: before drafting a notice, scheduling a hearing, or formatting a chambers-copy cover sheet, fetch the current division-to-judge mapping and the assigned judge's practice standards. The 18th JD rotates civil-domestic-criminal assignments periodically, and chambers preferences (e.g., chambers copy required for any motion over 25 pages, courtesy email of proposed orders in Word format) vary by judge.

Motion practice — C.R.C.P. 121 § 1-15 + local conventions

Statewide C.R.C.P. 121 § 1-15 timing applies as in Denver:

• Response: 21 days after service
• Reply: 7 days after service of the response
• Page limits: 15 (motion / response), 10 (reply); leave required for excess

18th JD distinctives:

• Most Arapahoe District judges require a certificate of conferral (C.R.C.P. 121 § 1-15(8)) even for some borderline-dispositive motions — practice is to confer and certify even when in doubt.
• Chambers copies: some judges require courtesy copies for motions exceeding 20-25 pages. Always check the judge's practice standards; if required, deliver to the chambers office on the same day as e-filing.
• Proposed orders: many judges request a Word-format proposed order emailed directly to chambers in addition to the PDF filed through CCEFS. The cover sheet on the chambers copy should note "Proposed Order also emailed in Word format."

Case management — C.R.C.P. 16(b)

The 18th JD follows the C.R.C.P. 16(b) timeline. The clerk's office sets an initial case-management conference approximately 49 days after the case is at issue. The parties file a joint proposed Case Management Order 7 days before the CMC. The court holds the CMC by phone or, in complex cases, in-person at the assigned courtroom.

Filing — CCEFS

Same as statewide. The 18th JD requires e-filing for represented parties; pro se filers may file by paper or use CCEFS Pro Se.

Civil filing fees match the statewide schedule (C.R.S. § 13-32-101).

Service of process

C.R.C.P. 4 service deadlines apply (63 days from complaint filing). The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office processes civil service requests for in-county service; private process servers are used extensively in the 18th JD.

Document set for a noted motion

Identical to Denver (see co-denver):

1. Motion (with title in ALL CAPS citing the rule)
2. Supporting affidavit/declaration(s) with exhibits
3. Certificate of Conferral (C.R.C.P. 121 § 1-15(8))
4. Proposed Order (separate document; some judges require an additional Word-format email copy)
5. Certificate of Service

Pro se resources

The 18th JD operates a Self-Help Center at the Centennial courthouse. JDF forms (see co-pro-se) are universally accepted for pro se filings.

Composition

• For statewide format: co-statewide-format
• For motion drafting: co-draft-motion
• For scheduling: co-schedule-hearing
• For filing mechanics: co-file-packet
• For pro se workflows: co-pro-se
• For Denver matters (the other principal Colorado civil court): co-denver

References

• references/centennial-courthouse.md — facility info, parking, clerk hours
• references/civil-divisions.md — division-to-judge mapping
• references/filing-procedures.md — CCEFS workflows, chambers copy conventions, Word-format proposed orders