Colorado
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Couples planning to file for divorce in the state of Colorado should spend some time getting together the necessary documents and facts before they begin the process. The Colorado divorce process is generally not procedurally difficult, as the state offers standardized forms and specific instructions about preparing and filing them on the judicial branch website. In order to prepare for divorce in Colorado, parties should research the process and get together everything they will need in order to legally dissolve the marriage.
Make sure one of the parties satisfies the Colorado residency requirement. According to state domestic relations law, in order to file for divorce in Colorado, either the husband or the wife must have lived in the state for at least 90 consecutive days before filing a petition to dissolve their marriage. Additionally, the divorce will need to be filed in the district court of the county where one of the parties lives.
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Visit the Colorado State Judicial Branch website, which includes all forms that may be required in order to file and finalize a divorce action in any county in the state. This site also offers detailed flow charts for every situation--contested or uncontested divorce, with or without children or property--that spell out the specific documents that need to be used and the specific order of each step in the process. Familiarize yourself with what you will need for your individual case.
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Sit down with your spouse and talk about how you want to handle all marital issues that will be settled as a result of the divorce. These issues will include division of property and debt, child custody, child support and spousal support. Your divorce will move more quickly, and cost less money and time, if you can come to your own agreed-upon decisions about all of these personal matters.
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Write out child custody arrangements on a yearly calendar. Be sure to include where the child or children will be each week and during vacations and specific holidays. Use your pay stubs, income tax returns and the child support calculator available at the Colorado Department of Human Services website to determine how much child support will need to be paid.
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Prepare the proper legal documents. Whether you do this on your own or have an attorney help you do it, getting the correct forms together is an important part of preparing for a Colorado divorce. Proofread the finalized paperwork several times and make sure everything is in order, and that the agreements that you and your spouse have made are clearly defined.
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Save up the money to pay the filing fee. As of 2010, the filing fee to open a divorce in the district court of any Colorado county is $230. Call the clerk of the district court where you will be filing your divorce case to make sure this fee has not changed and to find out what forms of payment the clerk will accept.

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