C.  Adoption Petition

C.R.S. § 19-5-208(1)
An adoption petition must be filed within thirty days of the adoptive placement. The court may waive this requirement for reasonable cause or excusable neglect. 

C.R.S. § 19-5-204
The petition is filed in the county where the petitioner resides or the child placement agency is located.














C.R.S. § 19-5-208(2)




C.R.J.P. 6






C.R.S. § 19-1-126
 C.R.S. § 19-5-208(2.5)
C.R.S. § 19-1-126(1)(c)


C.R.S. § 19-5-208(5)



C.R.S. § 19-5-208(6)
Adoption Petition Checklist
  • Caption:  “In the matter of the petition of (child) for the adoption of a child;”
  • Name, birthplace and date, race, and residence of adopting parents;
  • Date of marriage;
  • Adopting parents’ relationship to the child, if any;
  • Child’s full name after adoption;
  • Description of the child’s property;
  • Names and addresses of any legal guardian;
  • Agency or person with guardianship and custody of the child;
  • How long the child has lived with adopting parents;
  • Names of adopting parents’ other children, including living, dead, natural and adopted;
  • Each petitioner’s residence and occupation at the child’s birth;
  • Names of birth parents if known;
  • Why venue is proper;
  • How the child has become available for adoption;
  • Name of the placing agency or person, and placement date;
  • If a designated adoption, the facts surrounding the designation;
  • Verification;
  • A statement indicating what continuing inquiries the county department of social services or child placement agency has made in determining whether the child who is the subject of the proceeding is an Indian child;
  • Whether the child is an Indian child;
  • The identity of the Indian child’s tribe, if the child is identified as an Indian child;
  • If notices were sent to the parent or Indian custodian of the child and to the Indian child’s tribe, the postal receipts, or copies thereof, attached to the petition for adoption and filed with the court or filed within ten days after the filing of the petition for adoption.
  • For custodial, step-parent or kinship adoptions, the petition must also include:
    • Whether the prospective adoptive parent has been convicted of a felony in one of the following areas:  child abuse or neglect, spousal abuse, any crimes against a child, a crime of violence, rape, sexual assault, homicide, or assault;
    • Current criminal records check;
  • For custodial or kinship adoptions, a statement that petitioner has consulted DHS concerning eligibility for public assistance.
C.R.J.P. 6.1
For missing parents, an affidavit of unknown whereabouts is required. The affidavit must detail what steps have been taken to find the parent. Notice by a single publication is sufficient.

People in the Interest of A.J.C., 88 P.3d 599 (Colo. 2004)
When an adoption petition is dismissed in another state prior to the filing of a petition for allocation of parental responsibilities in Colorado, Colorado may exercise jurisdiction as long as the other state had not determined custody.