Search Free Denver Public Records & Vital Information

Free Denver Public Records Search
Access Denver County Records: marriage, divorce, warrants, arrests, probation, criminal, court, background checks, and all public records.

Look up free Denver public records about crimes, probation, warrants, prisoners, arrests, court cases, marriages, divorces, and property taxes and ownership.

Due to the federal Freedom of Information Act and the Colorado Open Records Act, this information is made readily accessible through agencies whom serve City of Denver and Denver County.

But the key to finding this information is knowing which agency hosts and distributes a given record and determining which have online databases, of if they don’t, deterring the best method to request a given record.

No matter what’s being sought, this resource enables Denver citizens to access information about themselves or others quickly and efficiently by following the provided links and processes.

How To Find Arrest Details, Jail Records & Mugshots for Free in Denver County Colorado

Arrest records include what the person was arrested for, when, where and mugshots, all of which can be found through the combined county and city search tool below.

You can look through arrests via the specific jail or police department that might’ve made the arrest. These will show up before any official records.

When searching for this information in Denver County, the best way to access an individual’s arrests, jail records, or mugshots is through official avenues. Some third-party websites offer some of this information, but official custodians are the most reliable source.

View Arrest Records via the Denver County Inmate Locator or Request a Police Report

Looking for arrest records in Denver County can be done in a few ways. Searching for these records on a county level broadens your search since you can check for various cities and jurisdictions within the county.

Before you begin your search, knowing as much information about the incident as possible will help narrow down your search and be as fast as possible. Knowing the individual’s name and/or birthday is a great start.

You can use the Denver City & County Inmate Search when looking for someone you believe is still in custody.1 The tool allows you to search for an inmate solely based on their name. You can access details about the inmate, which agency arrested them, and the charges they face.

A screenshot of the inmate search results on the Denver County Sheriff's Department page displays offenders' information such as full name, age, sex, race, booking number and status, facility and CD Number.
Source: Denver County Sheriff’s Department1

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive report on the arrest, you can request an official record of the police report from Denver County by locating the report you need and then completing the form.2 You can mail in your request or submit it online, depending on the form you fill out.

Here’s the address to the Denver County Sheriff’s office:

Denver Sheriff Department
P.O. Box 1108
Denver, Colorado 80201

You can also contact someone at the Sheriff’s office by calling (720)-913-3642 or emailing [email protected].

The address for the Denver County Jail is:

Denver County Jail
10500 E. Smith Road
Denver, Colorado 80239

If you want to call them, you can do so at (720)-913-3600. Alternatively, you can reach them via email at [email protected].

The contact information for the Downtown Detention Center is:

Downtown Detention Center
Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center
490 W. Colfax Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80204

To contact the Downtown Detention Center by phone, call them at (720)-337-0400. The email address for the center is [email protected].

Furthermore, unlike many other Colorado and United States counties, Denver County doesn’t include other cities, towns, or municipalities within its borders. It’s just the city of Denver, with all the city’s suburbs that people know in three different counties to the North, South, East, and West.

The physical address for the Denver Police Department is:

Denver Police Department
Police Administration Building
1331 Cherokee Street
Denver, Colorado 80204

You can contact the police department for information at their phone number, (720)-913-6010.

If you want to get in touch with the Denver County Jail about records or current inmates, the address is:

Denver County Jail
10500 E. Smith Road
Denver, Colorado 80239

How To Access Denver County Criminal Records

Not all criminal records are the same, but you can find them through varying agencies and information that can be found includes warrants, probation, charges, background check reports, and the sex offender registry.

Just because someone has a criminal record in one county doesn’t mean it will appear in the county you’re searching in. For incidents in Denver County, you can search for them and find out more about the arrest, what the court determined, their jail time, probation information, and more.

Determine if Someone Has a Criminal History via the Denver County Courts

There are a few ways to determine if someone has a criminal history in Denver County. Remember, just because someone doesn’t have a criminal history in Denver County doesn’t mean they don’t have one in the surrounding counties or other parts of the state.

The best way to discover if someone has a criminal history in the county of Denver is to search for a person via the county’s court record search. You can search in several ways when you visit the Denver County Court website.

You can perform your free criminal record check by searching for the specific case number if you have it or by the individual’s name. Looking for their name is the best way to ensure you’re seeing all criminal records rather than just one specific one with the case number.

A screenshot of the case management system's quick search page on the Denver County Court website requires users to input the case number to search.
Source: Denver County Court – Case Management System3

Via this online web portal, you can also look for if the person you’re looking for has a warrant out for their arrest but has yet to be charged. In addition to this, you can see if there are any upcoming court dates by looking up their name.

All the above are free for you to search as a guest. If you want to perform what the website calls a general search, you can, but you’ll need to pay $6 for every search.

To perform a search with this portal, you’ll visit the website and click on the option you want. From there, fill in all the required sections and click submit. You should see all applicable information for criminal records for the person you’ve searched for in Denver County.

View Criminal Case Information Using the Denver County District Court Records Counter

While the Denver County Court website has a free online search option, the Denver DC Records Counter allows for official record requests.

This is a lengthier process because you’ll need to fill out a record request form and allow for roughly three business days for a response. The information that the form asks for is standard. It includes your name and contact information as well as much information about the case or person you’re looking for as possible.

A screenshot of the Record Request Form to the Denver District Court Records Department shows the necessary information to complete the request, including the department's address and logo in the right corner.
Source: Denver District Court Records Department4

The more information you can provide them, the easier and more likely it will be that they’ll be able to find the records you’re searching for.

Once you’ve completed the form, you can mail or email it. You can also return the form in person if you choose.

There are associated costs with filing a record request with this agency. A $0.25 fee per page gets printed out, so the longer the record, the higher the fee. You’ll also pay $25 for a transcript of judgment.

Lastly, you’ll either pay an onsite or offsite retrieval fee per case. Onsite is $5, while offsite is $12.

The mailing address for the Denver County Records Counter is:

Denver County Records Counter
Attention: Records Department
1437 Bannock Street, Room 256
Denver, Colorado 80202

If you prefer to email the form, you can do so by emailing [email protected].

How To Find Out if Someone Has an Arrest Warrant in Denver County Colorado

To perform a warrant search, visit the warrant search page on the Denver County Court website.5 Aside from the link provided, you can find the page by visiting the main Denver County Court website, navigating to the search portal, and clicking on the warrant search.

A screenshot of the warrant search page on the Denver County Courts website requires searchers to input an individual's last name and first name, DOB and enter the code to search.
Source: Denver County Courts5

The main thing about a warrant search is that you must know the person’s first and last name and date of birth. Usually, you can search for one or the other, but you need to have all the pieces of information for the search to work.

Remember, this avenue will only show you warrants in Denver County, not the surrounding counties. The person you’re looking for may live in Denver County, but their warrant is in another nearby county. If so, you’ll need to perform a warrant search in those counties separately.

If someone has a warrant out for their arrest, local law enforcement agencies are able to provide Denver public record information pertaining to warrants. You’ll need to call around, but you can get in touch with the Denver Sheriff’s Department at (720)-913-3642, the Denver County Jail at (720)-913-3600, or the Downtown Detention Center at (720)-337-0400.

You can also dial 311 to navigate to any service you need, including the direct lines listed above, without having to dial the full number. To contact all three at the same time, they share an email address, which is [email protected].

Look through the Denver County warrant lookup instructions or the tutorial for finding details of anyone wanted in Colorado for additional insight on accessing warrant information.

How To Access Probation Information in Denver County CO

The simplest way to search for someone’s probation information is through the Denver County Court case search. If the case you’re looking at results in the individual going on probation, you’ll be able to see information about when probation starts and is supposed to end through that search.

In some cases, that search will tell you the stipulations of the probation, but most of the time, it just includes the start and end date.

For those looking to access probation information, including the probation officer who’s in charge of the individual, you’ll need to go through the County’s Probation Department. The adult and juvenile probation offices are in the same building but have different mailing addresses.

The Denver Adult Probation Office can be reached by phone at (303)-607-7000, or their fax number is (303)-607-7002.6 Their physical address is:

Denver Adult Probation
303 W. Colfax Avenue, 5th Floor
Denver, Colorado 80204

How To Conduct a Background Check in Denver County

Running a background check on someone is necessary for keeping your employees safe on the job and when you’re looking to bring someone around your family in many cases.

Whatever the reason you have for running a background check or looking over a previously run one, you can do so via the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for personal and non-personal checks.7

Since these are all Denver public records, consent from the individual you’re reviewing is not required if you’re looking up someone for personal reasons. However, you cannot use the information you find for any illegal purposes to intimidate, harass, or stalk them.

For official or professional background checks, there’s a stricter process. These background checks are usually reserved for firearm licenses, employment licenses, insurance, housing, elderly, childcare, and even volunteer positions for specific populations. When a background check is done for official purposes or to make a decision, they require consent and must abide by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), local laws and regulations, and be in compliance with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The background check process for level 1 and level 2 checks are similar but slightly different. For a name-based background check (level 1), you only need the individual’s name and social security number.

Level 2 background checks are where you’ll be fingerprinted at a vendor and run a check on your legal history. These checks are reserved for those working with at-risk populations in healthcare, law enforcement, etc.

You can get your fingerprinting done at two vendors in Denver County. You can go with IdentoGo or Colorado Fingerprinting. You can find the contact information for both parties on the CBI website and a link to book your appointment online.

If you want a copy of your full identity history, you can access that from the FBI.8 They will release a summary of all criminal offenses in the state of Colorado or a statement with proof that you don’t have criminal offenses via mail, online, or through an approved channel. They need your fingerprint card to access the sheet.

For those making a mail request, you should expect to wait up to two months for the request to process. Online requests take less than five to ten days after receiving the fingerprint card.

How To Execute a Colorado Criminal Record Search Utilizing State & Federal Agencies

The county courts aren’t the only way to perform a criminal record search on someone in Denver. There are state and federal agencies which allow you to see if someone has a criminal history throughout Colorado.

These are helpful because a person might have a record in another part of the state that’s not showing up. After all, you’re looking only at one county. One of the best state agencies to do this is the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The CBI also operates the state’s sex offender registry, where you can look for criminal records surrounding these crimes.

A screenshot of the list of felony convicted individuals, including their mugshots, full name, address, DOB and offender designation.
Source: Colorado Bureau of Investigation9

Depending on what county you’re looking at to see if someone has a criminal record determines which state resource you’ll want to use. The Colorado Judicial Branch has a public index search available for individuals. For phone numbers and addresses where you can get in touch with someone about criminal records, you need to find the county the crime was committed in.

For Denver County, you’ll want to visit the Denver City & County Building:

City & County of Denver District Court
1437 Bannock Street, Room 256
Denver, Colorado 80202

You can reach them via phone number at (303)-606-2300.

Going through the CBI is another excellent state resource for finding criminal records. You can perform a search with the ICHC for $4. If you have further questions about the report you receive, you can call the CBI with questions at (303)-239-4208 or email them at [email protected].

There are a few other resources you can take advantage of when looking for criminal records in Colorado:

  • The Colorado Department of Corrections Offender Search – shows current Colorado state prisoners and whether or not someone is on parole.10
  • The Colorado Sex Offender Registry – allows you to filter offenders by location, name and the extent of their offense, such as a sexually violent predator, multiple offenses, felony offenses and failure to register as an offender.
  • The Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Finder – reveals information about current federal prisoners and those who’ve been in a federal correctional facility dating back to 1982.11
  • PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) allows you to search nationwide for cases, but you’ll pay $0.10 per page to see the records.
  • The National Sex Offender Registry – only permits searches by name and location, but it does search the entirety of the U.S.

How To Search Public Court Records in Denver County

There are several kinds of courts in Denver County. The county court deals primarily with small civil cases, misdemeanor criminal cases, some family law and traffic violations.

The juvenile court has records on delinquency and adoption matters involving people who are minors. The probate court handles cases related to wills, conservatorships and guardianships.

The Denver County Court public portal allows you to look for individuals who have bonded out, the courtroom calendar. Looking up court records and cases in Denver County doesn’t just include criminal cases.

The Denver County Court has several kinds of records you can go through. From case dockets, which provide a chronological telling of actions in a specific case, to court orders, which detail the rulings and decisions the judges made in any specific case. This way, you could find out information about restraining orders, child custody and more.

You can also search for court filings, probate records, judgments and arrest records. The Denver County Courts provide extensive legal documents, like motions and petitions, booking details, and court appearances.

You’ll be able to look up any case in their history, from real estate dealings to divorces, marriages, and more.

Depending on the type of court record you’re looking for is the path you’ll take on their website.

Most options take you to the Office of the Clerk and Recorder and their online services. You can also call the Denver Clerk & Recorder at (720)-865-8400 or in person at the following address:

Denver Clerk & Recorder
Department 101
201 W. Colfax Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80202

How To Acquire Denver County Vital Records (Marriage, Divorce, Birth & Death)

Vital records are any document showing a life record—everything from birth certificates to marriage licenses, divorces, and death certificates. Looking up vital records is helpful when you’re trying to determine if someone is married or divorced, genealogy, name changes, and more.

Marriage and divorce certificates can also show property changes, name changes, and proof of marriage for those looking to adopt.

Birth and death certificates are used for similar reasons. They’re beneficial when building a family tree or learning more about your genealogy. They can help verify identity, gain an inheritance, enroll in school, and verify citizenship.

The primary agency that helps look up and obtain vital records in Denver County is the county’s Department of Public Health & Environment.12 You can also access the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment records.13

The Denver and Colorado Departments of Public Health and Environment regulate and manage all records surrounding medical marijuana cards for residents.

Check Marital Information or Request Certificates via the Denver County Office of the Clerk & Recorder

You can look up marital information in Denver for free via a vital record search. You can perform a quick marriage records search with their online marriage record database.14

Note: You’ll need to continue as a guest or create a free account with the department.

You’ll want to adjust your search type to “marriage/civil union” and then enter the criteria that you have, like their name. Once it appears, you can view the record for free and download an electronic copy.

A screenshot of the marriage search results on the website of the Office of the Clerk and Recorder in Denver, Colorado displays a list of marriage licenses, including document and license number, name and recorded date.
Source: Office of the Clerk and Recorder in Denver, Colorado15

If you want a physical copy of the marriage license or verification of divorce, you will have to go in person or complete the online divorce record application form.

Certified copies cost $1 per document and then an additional $0.25 per page of the document. You’ll fill in the prompts when instructed to complete your certified copy request.

The Denver County Office of the Clerk & Recorder is open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on all federal and city holidays.16 You can contact this department by phone at (720)-913-8497 or by email at [email protected].

If you plan on visiting the department in person, the address you’ll head to is:

Clerk & Recorder Office Denver County
201 W. Colfax Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80202

Browse the instructions for finding Denver County divorce information for more assistance.

For older marital records that can reveal more about family history, visit the Colorado Archives.

Track Down Birth or Death Records via the Denver County Department of Public Health & Environment

The Denver and Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment is the best way to look up birth and death records. Going with the local agency is usually the best, but you might need to perform a statewide search in some cases.

You can visit the office in person to get a copy of a birth or death certificate in Denver County. You’ll need to complete the application for both the birth certificate and the death certificate. You will also need to show a valid driver’s license or another form of identification. After that, you’ll need to pay the fee.

A screenshot of the Birth Certificate Application form for the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment displays the necessary fields that the requester must complete.
Source: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment17

The first copy of a certificate is $20, and any additional copies are $13 per piece. If you want your certificate ASAP, you can pay an additional $25 for expedited shipping.

You can reach the local branch of this agency at (720)-295-7964. They’re open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and you don’t have to have an appointment.

The Department of Public Health & Environment’s local address in Denver County is:

Department of Public Health & Environment
120 West 5th Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80205

If you need to contact the Colorado State Vital Records Office, their phone number is (303)-692-2200, and their email address is [email protected].18 You can only purchase birth and death certificates for yourself, parents, children, and siblings if you can prove that you share at least one parent.

You may only access these records if the document is 100 years old or older, and they only began keeping these in 1908 and it’s important take that into account when searching for Denver public records about births and deaths.

If you want to avoid going to the office, you can fill out the form online and complete the process through VitalChek. Lastly, you can complete the form and request a copy through the mail, but this is the lengthiest option.

How To Obtain Free Denver County Property & Tax Records

To look up and access Denver property and tax records, you can go through local courts, the tax assessor, and the appraisal district. The best option is to search online with the Denver Property Taxation & Assessment System.

The basic search lets you choose from real estate businesses and personal property. Just enter the property’s address to see your results. An advanced search option allows you to enter more information, like the direction, street type, and more.

In search results, a screenshot of the Denver Property Taxation and Assessment System displays the business address, schedule number, mailing address, assessed value, and tax district.
Source: Denver County Tax Collector19

Another agency where you can look up property records is the Office of the Clerk and Recorder. This online database shows marriage and divorce records, property records, deeds, and foreclosure documents for a person or property.

If you will use this database for your free search, be sure to search as a guest so you don’t need to make an account. You’ll want to filter the document types so you’re only looking at property records instead of filtering through several different types of records.

An Overview of Citizens’ Rights & Using Denver Public Records Responsibly

While all the records we’ve discussed are public, you need to remember a few essential things when accessing, sharing, and using any information you find via Denver public records. Even though anyone can access the records, the records’ subjects are still entitled to privacy and fair treatment.

For personal background checks and searches, you consider the person’s privacy and never use the information in an illegal manner, such as identity fraud, stalking or harassment.

Depending on who you share information you find with and the severity of the information, it can be considered harassment. Use your judgment when sharing information that you acquire from public record searches.

Regarding professional background checks, employers and landlords have strict rules they need to follow. They have to follow all the rules that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FRCA), and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have put in place to protect individuals. If there’s a violation, the individual can take legal action.

FOIA Requests: Government agencies are required to uphold high and transparent standards. You can reach out to a government agency and request records as long as they don’t contain any information that is deemed sensitive. If you want to file a FOIA request, you can do so via this link.

Filing Complaints: If you feel you weren’t treated fairly because of a public record search or professional background check, you can file a complaint with the EEOC. An example of unfair treatment might be an employer or landlord performing a background check on one person but not doing it for another.

For professional background checks, written consent is required. If an employer runs a background check on someone without their written consent, you can contact the FTC.

You can access public records in Denver County with the tools and online databases above.

Individuals looking to perform a background check can use the tools found throughout this resource to find all the Denver public records you need, or you can check out the Colorado public record lookup resource for further guidance on finding various details on anyone in the state.


References

1Denver County Sheriff’s Department. (n.d.). Find the location of an inmate in Denver County. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://denvergov.org/inmatesearch/>

2Denver County Police Department. (n.d.). Police Records. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Police-Department/Police-Records>

3Denver County Court. (n.d.). Case Management System. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://public.denvercountycourt.org/Case/Quick>

4Denver District Court Records Dept. (n.d.). Record Request Form. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://www.courts.state.co.us/userfiles/file/Court_Probation/02nd_Judicial_District/Denver_District_Court/Records%20Request%20Form%20Jan%202023%20Form%20Fillable.pdf>

5Denver County Court. (n.d.). Warrant Search. Retrieved October 1, 2023, from <https://www.denvercountycourt.org/search/?searchtype=searchcancelwarrant>

6Colorado Judicial Branch. (n.d.). Denver County Probation. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://www.courts.state.co.us/Probation/County/Index.cfm?County_ID=3>

7Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI). (n.d.). Internet Criminal History Check System (ICHC). Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://www.cbirecordscheck.com/>

8Federal Bureau of Investigation. (n.d.). Identity History Summary Checks (Rap Sheets). Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/more-fbi-services-and-information/identity-history-summary-checks>

9Colorado Bureau of Investigation. (n.d.). Search Results. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://apps.colorado.gov/apps/dps/sor/search/search-summary.jsf>

10Colorado Department of Corrections. (n.d.). Offender Search. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://www.doc.state.co.us/oss/>

11Federal Bureau of Prisons. (n.d.). Find an inmate. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/>

12Denver Department of Public Health & Environment. (n.d.). Birth and Death Certificates. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Public-Health-Environment/Birth-and-Death-Certificates>

13Colorado Department of Health and Environment. (n.d.). Contact Vital Records. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://cdphe.colorado.gov/contact-vital-records>

14Denver Clerk and Recorder. (n.d.). Denver Clerk & Recorder Online Services. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://countyfusion3.kofiletech.us/countyweb/loginDisplay.action?countyname=Denver>

15Office of the Clerk and Recorder in Denver County. (n.d.). Search Criteria. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://countyfusion3.kofiletech.us/countyweb/disclaimer.do>

16Denver County Government. (n.d.). Clerk and Recorder. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Clerk-and-Recorder>

17Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. (2021, March). Birth Certificate Application. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Fjg8nxxIbJEM1BgZyBws_3-j4NztjwOd/view>

18Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. (n.d.). Contact Vital Records. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://cdphe.colorado.gov/contact-vital-records>

19Denver County Government. (n.d.). Denver Property Taxation and Assessment System. Retrieved October 13, 2023, from <https://www.denvergov.org/property/businesspersonalproperty/assessment/446501000/>