Colorado Vital Records

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Births and Deaths
A law was passed in 1876 requiring counties and towns in Colorado to record births and deaths. In those counties where the clerks complied, the records are available at the local courthouse. Most early files are incomplete.

Statewide registration began in 1907 and was generally complied with by 1920. Some of the earlier county records and delayed registrations of births since 1941 are at the Colorado Department of Health. To obtain copies of these records, write to:

Vital Records Section Colorado Department of Health 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South HSVRD-VR-A1 Denver, CO 80246-1530 Telephone: 303.692.2200 Fax: USA 1.800.423.1108;outside continental U.S. 303.691.9307 E-mail [mailto:vital.records@state.co.us vital.records@state.co.us] Internet: http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/certs/

The current fees for records are at the above website and at www.vitalrec.com. State your relationship to the individual you want information about and your reason. Certificates are released only to members of the immediate family.

Marriages
Each county has kept marriage records since the date it was organized. A few records date from 1860. You can write to the appropriate county clerk for information.

The Colorado Department of Health has a statewide index to marriages from 1900 to 1939 and from 1975 to the present (Family History Library films beginning with 1690047, years 1900-1939, 1975-1992). They will check the index and then forward the inquiry to the correct county office.

The Colorado Division of State Archives and Public Records also has copies of marriage records for 20 counties, including Denver from 1861 to 1952.

Some county marriage records have been extracted and published. For example, many early marriage records have been published in The Colorado Genealogist (see the "Periodicals" section of this outline). The earliest Denver and Arapahoe County marriage records have recently been published in Marriages of Arapahoe County, Colorado, 1859-1901: Including "Territory That Became Adams, Denver, and Other Counties" (Denver: Colorado Genealogical Society, 1986; Family History Library book 978.882, V2m, fiche 6087871).

Many of the early marriages for the western part of the state are searchable online at no cost in the Western States Marriage Index.

Divorces
Divorce records are available from the clerk of the district court in the county where the decree was granted. The Colorado Department of Healthhas a statewide index of divorce records for the years 1900 to 1939 and 1968 to the present. The index identifies the county that granted the divorce. The department of health does not provide certified copies. You can write to the county clerk for copies of the records.

Guide to Vital Records
You can learn more about the history and availability of vital records in Guide to Vital Statistics Records in Colorado, Volume 1 (Denver: Historical Records Survey, 1942; Family History Library book 978.8 A3h; film 897482 item 10).

Online Resources

 * Death indexes
 * Birth and Death Certificates
 * Arapahoe County Marriages 1861-1868
 * Boulder County Marriages 1860-1900
 * Western History and Genealogy
 * Gilpin County Brides' And Groom's Marriage Index
 * Marriages of Grand County, Colorado The First Hundred Years
 * La Plata County marriages records from 6/19/1877 through 7/2/1959