B. Subject Matter Jurisdiction


		B. Subject Matter Jurisdiction

C.R.S. § 19-1-104(1)

The juvenile court has exclusive original jurisdiction:

over a child committing a delinquent act;
to decide child abuse or neglect cases;
to determine legal custody of a child;
to appoint a guardian of the person or legal custodian of the child;
to terminate the legal parent-child relationship;
to issues orders of support under article 6;
to determine parentage of the child and order support;
over the adoption of a person of any age;
to consent to the marriage, employment or enlistment of a child, when such consent is required by law;
for treatment or commitment of a child who has a mental illness or developmental disability, and who comes within the court’s jurisdiction;
under the interstate compact on juvenile cases;
over truancy cases;
to make a determination concerning a petition for review of need for placement;
to decide the appeal of any child found to be in contempt of a municipal court order.

Denver v. Juvenile Court, 511 P.2d 898 (Colo. 1973)

The juvenile court determines the care and custody of children under its jurisdiction, not the county DHS. The court may delegate this authority to the county DHS.

C.R.S. § 19-3-205

The court’s D&N jurisdiction does not end until the child turns 21 or the court terminates it.

Maniatis v. Karakitsios, 422 P.2d 52 (Colo. 1967)

A challenge for lack of jurisdiction may be raised at any stage during a juvenile proceeding.

In re Marriage of De La Cruz, 791 P.2d 1254 (Colo. App. 1990)

The juvenile court is a creature of statute and its jurisdiction does not extend beyond legislative mandates.

P.F.M. v. District Court, 184 Colo. 393, 520 P.2d 742 (1974)

Parties cannot confer jurisdiction by stipulation. The failure of DHS to timely request a temporary custody hearing does not deprive the juvenile court of jurisdiction.

C.R.S. § 19-1-104(1)
People v. Forsythe, 43 P.3d 652 (Colo. App. 2001)

A criminal court does not have jurisdiction to order, as a condition of probation, that a probationer mother not have custody of her children. However, it is proper for the criminal court to order a probationer mother not to have unsupervised contact with her children.