How Long Does a Divorce Take in Colorado?
Minimum 91 days. That’s the mandatory waiting period from the date of filing to the earliest the court can enter a decree. For a completely uncontested divorce—both parties agree on everything—you’re looking at roughly three to four months.
Most divorces aren’t completely uncontested.
Contested Timelines
A moderately contested divorce—disagreements on a few issues but general willingness to negotiate—typically takes four to eight months. A highly contested case with significant assets, custody disputes, or an uncooperative spouse can take twelve months or more. Complex high-asset cases with business valuations, multiple experts, and trial preparation have gone eighteen months to two years in extreme situations.
What Slows Things Down
Discovery is usually the biggest time factor. In complex cases, gathering and analyzing financial information—bank records, business financials, tax returns, investment statements—takes months. Add a business valuation, and the valuator needs time to conduct interviews, analyze records, and produce a report. Add a custody evaluation, and the CFI or PRE needs time to complete their investigation.
Court calendars matter too. If your case goes to trial, you’re at the mercy of the court’s schedule. Some jurisdictions along the Front Range are faster than others, but judicial backlogs are a reality everywhere.
And then there’s the human element. One uncooperative party can slow everything down—missing deadlines, withholding documents, refusing to negotiate in good faith. Your attorney can push the process forward with motions and court intervention, but obstruction adds time and cost.
What Speeds Things Up
Preparation and cooperation. Exchange financial disclosures promptly. Respond to discovery requests on time. Come to mediation with realistic expectations. Hire an attorney who manages the timeline actively, not passively. And—this keeps coming up because it’s true—regulate your emotions enough to make decisions based on where you want to end up, not where you want to draw blood.
At Burnham Law, we manage timelines actively. We push cases forward, stay on top of deadlines, and set realistic expectations from day one.