Clear Creek County District Court
Clear Creek County is part of Colorado's 5th Judicial District with Eagle, Lake, and Summit counties. The Colorado Judicial Branch Clear Creek County page treats Clear Creek as a local state court location with District Court, County Court, dockets, payments, protection-order timing, jury information, virtual courtrooms, judges and staff, and probation links. The courthouse and court clerk are in Georgetown.
District Court is the broad trial court. In Clear Creek County, District Court handles felony cases, higher civil matters, domestic relations and divorce, juvenile cases, mental health matters, probate, and appeals from County Court. County Court handles high-volume limited matters such as misdemeanors, traffic, felony advisements, small claims, limited civil matters, and protection orders. Municipal courts sit outside the state Judicial Branch for local ordinance cases.
Clear Creek District Court Contacts
The research did not find numbered district courts in Clear Creek County. Instead, the county is served through the 5th Judicial District at the Clear Creek County Courthouse. A practical court table should therefore name the local court location, court type, judge or staff role, address, and phone rather than inventing numbered courts.
| Court or role | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Creek District Court | General-jurisdiction trial court | 405 Argentine Street, Georgetown, CO 80444 | (303) 569-0820 |
| District Court Judge Catherine J. Cheroutes | Clear Creek and Lake counties | Clear Creek County Courthouse | (303) 569-0820 |
| Chief Judge Paul R. Dunkelman | 5th Judicial District | Clear Creek, Eagle, Lake, Summit coverage | (970) 328-6440 |
| Clerk of Court Katrina Lovato | Local court records and ADA coordinator | 405 Argentine Street, Georgetown, CO 80444 | 303-569-0821 |
District Court vs County Court
Clear Creek County court access depends on the level of court. District Court and County Court share the courthouse and state court system, but they do not hear the same cases. Municipal court matters are separate local ordinance matters. Idaho Springs municipal materials are relevant inside city limits, while Georgetown currently contracts with the Sheriff for police service.
| Issue | District Court | County Court | Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | General jurisdiction | Limited jurisdiction | Local ordinance jurisdiction |
| Criminal cases | Felonies and related District Court proceedings | Misdemeanors, traffic, and felony advisements | Municipal code and local traffic matters |
| Civil matters | General civil cases and appeals | Limited civil and small claims | Local ordinance cases only |
| Family and probate | Divorce, domestic relations, probate, juvenile | Not the main forum for those case types | No state family or probate jurisdiction |
| Record request | Clerk of Court or Judicial Branch request | Clerk of Court or Judicial Branch request | Municipal court listed on citation or local record |
Clear Creek District Case Flow
A Clear Creek County District Court case can arrive by filing, transfer, appeal, or bind-over from County Court. Felony criminal matters may begin with advisement in County Court before moving to District Court. Civil and domestic cases usually begin with a petition or complaint. Probate matters open under PR case class. County Court decisions may be appealed to District Court, while District Court decisions generally move to the Colorado Court of Appeals and then, if accepted, to the Colorado Supreme Court.
Criminal flow: Arrest or summons › County Court advisement › District Court filing or bind-over › arraignment › motions › plea or trial › disposition › sentence › appeal.
Civil and family flow: Complaint or petition › answer or response › case management › disclosure and motions › mediation or hearing › trial or orders › judgment or decree › appeal.
Search Clear Creek District Records
Use the statewide docket search for public hearing and docket information. Select Clear Creek County, Clear Creek County Courthouse, District Court when available, and a useful case class such as CR, CV, DR, JV, or PR. The docket search supports party, business, attorney, case number, date range, and case class paths. It searches dockets, not case documents.
For pleadings, divorce decrees, dispositions, probate orders, and certified copies, contact the Clerk of Court or use the Judicial Branch records request process. The Colorado State Courts Data Access system is login-gated and states that it contains court data but not case documents. The distinction is central to Clear Creek County District Court records, because a docket may confirm a case while the actual order still requires a clerk request.
| Case class | Likely District Court use |
|---|---|
| CR | Felony criminal and related criminal matters. |
| CV | Civil case records and judgments. |
| DR | Domestic relations, including divorce decrees. |
| JV | Juvenile matters, often restricted. |
| PR | Probate estates, guardianships, and conservatorships. |
| CW | Water cases, relevant to Colorado water court context. |
District Court Specialty Contacts
The Clear Creek judges and staff directory lists a Family Court Facilitator for the 5th Judicial District and a Self-Represented Litigant Coordinator. These resources matter in District Court domestic relations, family, and self-help contexts. The self-help contact is 05SelfHelp@judicial.state.co.us, and the listed phone is 970-328-7036. Clear Creek virtual self-help office hours are Friday 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. by Webex, according to the research file.
Water court is a separate Colorado specialty track. Water judges are district judges appointed by the Colorado Supreme Court, and water court records use CW case class. Clear Creek County belongs in the South Platte Basin context, so Water Division 1 issues should be treated as water court matters rather than ordinary Clear Creek District Court civil files.
Note: Juvenile, mental health, sealed, and protected-person records may be restricted even when the court level can be identified.
Clear Creek District Appeals
District Court also serves as an appellate level for some County Court decisions. That means a Clear Creek County case may start in County Court and later appear in District Court because a party appealed. Once a District Court decision is final, the usual next appellate path is the Colorado Court of Appeals, with possible further review by the Colorado Supreme Court. The record path can change as the case moves, so a requester should identify whether the document was created in County Court, District Court, or an appellate court.
Appeal-related records may include notices of appeal, transcripts, briefs, orders, and mandates. The local docket search may help identify the lower case and appeal case, but full document copies still depend on court records request channels. When a case moved from County Court to District Court, ask for the correct case number and court level before ordering certified copies.
Clear Creek District Operations
Clear Creek County District Court operates in a small courthouse setting where timing and counter routing matter. The court location is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Clerk's office closes from noon to 1:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday and third Thursday for staff meetings. Protection-order documents must be filed before 4:00 p.m. on weekdays for same-day completion, clerk processing, and judge review.
Collections payments are handled through court payment instructions and may also use Colorado Judicial Online Payments for eligible balances. The online payment system supports Clear Creek County searches by case number, ticket number, or name. Payments made after 4:00 p.m. apply the next business day. The court asks people mailing checks or money orders to include a name and case number so the funds are credited correctly.
| Operational item | Clear Creek detail |
|---|---|
| Courthouse | 405 Argentine Street, Georgetown, CO 80444 |
| Court phone | (303) 569-0820 |
| Clerk email | ClearCreekClerk@judicial.state.co.us |
| Collections | 303-569-0824 |
| Mailing address | P.O. Box 367, Georgetown, CO 80444 |
Clear Creek District History
Clear Creek County court records have a deeper historical setting than many modern docket searches suggest. The courthouse area is also tied to county archives that hold county, school, and mining district records from 1859 to present. For current District Court records, the statewide docket and Clerk of Court remain the right channels. For older court-adjacent questions involving mining, estates, land, county government, or school records, archives may help explain the context or locate records outside the modern case system.
The Judicial Branch Clear Creek County page may also publish cases of interest separately from ordinary docket lookup when a case has public attention. That type of posting does not replace standard District Court record requests. It is an additional public information channel for selected matters, while routine case records still depend on docket search, the courthouse clerk, and court access rules.