Routt County District Court
Routt County District Court sits within Colorado's 14th Judicial District, which also includes Grand County and Moffat County. The local court location is Routt County Combined Court at 1955 Shield Drive, Unit 200, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487. The same public counter supports District Court and County Court matters, but the two courts have different jurisdiction. District Court is the higher trial court for Routt County. County Court is the limited-jurisdiction court for smaller civil, misdemeanor, traffic, protection order, small-claims, and early felony complaint matters.
Colorado District Courts hear civil cases in any amount, felony criminal cases, domestic relations, juvenile cases, probate, mental health, and water matters. In Routt County, those District Court files are maintained through the state-court Clerk of Court rather than the elected county Clerk and Recorder. The Colorado Judicial Branch lists Carmma Parkison as Clerk of Court, Jury Commissioner, Water Clerk, and Probate Registrar for Routt County.
Routt County District Court Contacts
The court does not operate as a set of separately numbered local district courts. It is a single District Court function within Routt County Combined Court, supported by the 14th Judicial District judges and staff listed by the Colorado Judicial Branch. The local contact table is therefore better read by court role, not by court number.
| Court or role | Type | Address or contact | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Routt County District Court | General-jurisdiction trial court | 1955 Shield Drive, Unit 200, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487 | 970-879-5020 |
| Brittany A. Schneider | Chief District Court Judge, 14th Judicial District | District-wide judicial role | 970-824-8254 |
| Billy-George Hertzke | District Court Judge and Water Judge | Routt County judicial staff listing | 970-879-5020 |
| Mary C. Hoak | District Court Judge | 14th Judicial District judicial staff listing | 970-725-3357 |
| Carmma Parkison | Clerk of Court, Water Clerk, Probate Registrar | carmma.parkison@judicial.state.co.us | 970-879-5020 |
Routt District Court vs County Court
Routt County court records can be hard to follow when a case changes level. A felony complaint may begin in County Court for advisement and then move to District Court. A civil claim can be routed by amount. A city traffic or municipal-code ticket may not be in the state court system at all if it belongs to Steamboat Springs Municipal Court. Matching the case to the proper court prevents false negative searches.
| District Court | County Court | Municipal Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil reach | Civil cases in any amount | Civil cases under $25,000 and small claims | City-code matters, not general civil claims |
| Criminal role | Felony criminal cases | Misdemeanors, criminal traffic, felony complaints before bindover | Alleged municipal-code and city traffic violations |
| Family or probate | Domestic relations, juvenile, probate, mental health | Not the main family or probate venue | No District Court family or probate role |
| Record search path | Docket search, Clerk of Court, records request | Docket search, Clerk of Court, payment portal | Steamboat Springs Municipal Court clerk and city payment channels |
Routt County District Court Case Flow
A Routt County District Court case reaches the record system through filing, transfer, or bindover. Civil and domestic cases often begin with a complaint or petition. Felony cases may start with arrest, advisement, bond, or a complaint in County Court before the District Court record becomes the main case file. Probate cases begin with an application or petition. Water cases use Colorado's specialized water-court structure, with local water clerk and water judge roles reflected in the Routt County staff listing.
Criminal flow: Arrest or summons › advisement or first appearance › felony filing or bindover › arraignment › pretrial › plea or trial › disposition › sentence › appeal.
Civil and family flow: Complaint or petition filed › service › answer or response › motions and disclosures › hearing, settlement, or trial › order or judgment › post-judgment activity or appeal.
Search Routt District Court
The Colorado Judicial Branch docket search is the public starting point for Routt County District Court records. Select Routt County, the 14th Judicial District, Routt County Combined Court, and District Court when those filters help. Case number searches use a four-digit year, case class, and sequence. Party searches support first and last name or a business name. Attorney searches support attorney name or bar number.
Use docket results as a route to the court file, not as certified proof of the file. The Judicial Branch access guide says court records such as decrees, dispositions, and case documents are requested through the online records request form or from the court where the document was filed. For Routt County, that means contacting Routt County Combined Court at 970-879-5020 or routtclerk@judicial.state.co.us when a docket confirms the case and copies are needed.
| Search field | Use in a District Court search |
|---|---|
| Judicial District | Choose the 14th Judicial District for Routt, Grand, and Moffat counties. |
| County | Select Routt County. |
| Courthouse | Select Routt County Combined Court when available. |
| Court Type | Select District for District Court cases or Both if unsure. |
| Case Class | Use classes such as CR, CV, DR, PR, CW, JV, or JD when known. |
| Party or attorney | Search by person, business, attorney name, or attorney bar number. |
Routt District Court Case Types
District Court records in Routt County may include major civil claims, felony criminal cases, divorce and other domestic relations matters, juvenile case categories, probate estates, guardianships, conservatorships, mental health proceedings, and water matters. Some files are public in part, while others are restricted by statute, court policy, sealing order, or privacy rule. Juvenile, adoption, mental health, and parts of guardianship or conservatorship cases should not be treated as ordinary open files.
Probate is a District Court function in Routt County, not a separate probate court. The docket tool includes PR as a case class. Water matters are also Colorado-specific. The Routt County staff page lists Judge Billy-George Hertzke as District Court Judge and Water Judge, and Carmma Parkison as Water Clerk, which helps explain why water-case searches may use District Court and water-court terms at the same local office.
Routt District Court Federal Records
Routt County District Court is a Colorado state trial court. Federal cases from Colorado use different courts and different record systems. The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado is the federal trial court for Colorado, while federal bankruptcy cases use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado and appeals go to the Tenth Circuit. Do not use the federal court sites to find ordinary Routt County divorce, probate, felony, civil, or county traffic files.
The federal court homepage is relevant when a matter was filed in federal court, but local Routt County District Court records remain with the Colorado state court system.
The District of Colorado PACER page explains federal electronic access for the federal district court.
PACER is useful for federal dockets and filings, not for state District Court case copies at Routt County Combined Court.
Routt District Court Appeals
Colorado Judicial Branch materials state that District Court decisions may be appealed to the Colorado Court of Appeals, with some matters going directly to the Colorado Supreme Court. County Court decisions may be appealed to District Court. That distinction affects record searches because an appealed matter can have both a trial-court file and an appellate docket. Start with the originating Routt County case when searching for trial filings, orders, and local hearing history.
Federal appeals are different. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit hears federal appeals from Colorado and other states in the circuit.
The Tenth Circuit image helps separate federal appellate records from Colorado state appeals that may follow a Routt County District Court decision.
Routt District Court And PACER
The national PACER system is the federal account registration and case-search service. It is often confused with state court access because both involve court records and online dockets. For Routt County District Court, PACER is not the correct source unless the case is federal. Use Colorado Judicial Branch docket search, CoCourts or another listed vendor for paid register-of-actions access, and the Routt County Clerk of Court for state case documents.
The national PACER page belongs in the federal path, while local state trial records stay with Routt County Combined Court and Colorado Judicial Branch access rules.