Colorado Refreshed Its Protection-Order Forms — What Pro Se Filers Need to Know
By Attorney Charles E. Liken Jr., Colorado court-appointed Child & Family Investigator. The Judicial Branch renumbered and updated the civil protection-order packet. If you're filing on your own, make sure you're using the current forms.
Charles E. Liken Jr., Esq. — On the Legal Front Lines · Government Investigator, Denver Human Services · Licensed Colorado Attorney ~ 20+ Years in Private Practice · Colorado Deputy District Attorney · Colorado Court-Appointed Child and Family Investigator
Colorado's Judicial Branch updated its civil protection-order (CPO) forms in 2025, and some of the numbers people remember are now out of date. The complaint you file is still JDF 402, and the instruction guide is JDF 400 — but the temporary order is now JDF 398, the permanent order is JDF 399, and the intake sheet filed with your complaint is JDF 442.
Filing for a protection order against domestic abuse, stalking, or sexual assault carries no filing fee, and a judge can issue a same-day temporary order on a finding of imminent danger, with a hearing set within 14 days (C.R.S. §§ 13-14-104.5, 13-14-106).
We've assembled every current form, with direct links to the official Colorado Judicial Branch PDFs, on our how-to-file a protection order page. The forms are free — knowing what to put in them, and what a judge needs to hear, is where a lawyer helps.
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