Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Colorado Adoption Law

The Colorado Constitution and Colorado Revised Statutes are available online at: www.michie.com/colorado

Brief Summary of Access to Adoption Records: 
Adoption Finalization Date                         Access Conditions
Prior to July 1, 1951                                 Mutual consent or court order
(NOTE: AIS/CTC has received word that courts are also beginning to grant access to records for adoptions finalized before 1949 based on wording in the new Court of Appeals Case.  See related FAQ under Adoption Records.)   

July 1, 1951 - June 30, 1967                     Direct access for the adoptee

July 1, 1967 - September 1, 1999              Mutual consent or court order

September 1, 1999 - present                    Direct access for most adoptees  


Colorado's Children's Code is found under Title 19. Article 5 deals with relinquishment and adoption, and Part 3 of Article 5 addresses access to adoption information. 

See Section 19-5-304 for the Confidential Intermediary Law  

See Section 19-5-305 for laws regarding access to adoption records.

Colorado Open Records Laws are found under Title 24, Article 72 (but generally do not apply to adoption records).

Rules governing adoption records for the Colorado Department of Human Services are found under 7.306.34 and 7.306.35. A new emergency rule was approved and effective Nov. 6, 2009, allowing the release of records for adoptions finalized between July 1, 1951 and July 1, 1967. Final wording was approved early in December, 2009.     


For more detailed information about access to adoption records, please see our FAQ section.    

AIS-CTC Registry

You can now join the free online AIS/CTC reunion registry directly by logging in and providing information about yourself and the person(s) you are seeking. We will never sell your information to anyone. We will only disclose your information to the person(s) you are looking for. Please note that any fields labeled "visible on your profile" are visible only to the site administrator. In order to help us minimize SPAM and computer generated messages, registration involves these steps:

1) Create a login account by providing basic information and establishing your password.You will receive an electronic response from AIS/CTC.
2) Click on the link we send from the email address you provide in order to confirm your registration. 
3) Once you confirm your registration, the registry administrator will approve and enable your account, usually within 24-48 hours. You will receive a second email from AIS/CTC informing you that your account is now active. 
4) From the AIS/CTC homepage, use your login name and password and click on the "Login" button.  You will still be on the home page, but if you scroll back down the page, you will notice a greeting with your username. Click on "My Profile" to see what you've already entered, or click on "Edit My Profile" to make changes or add more detailed information about yourself and the person(s) for whom you are searching. See our FAQ section, or contact us for more help.

By joining this registry, you certify and acknowledge that you:

  • Are over the age of 18 and are the person named as the registrant or their legal representative.

  • Consent to the release of your name and contact information in the event of a possible match.

  • Agree to hold harmless Adoptees in Search - The Colorado Triad Connection, its Board, and its members from any results, errors, omissions or failure to notify any party. Please remember to update your contact information if it changes.

  • Understand that AIS/CTC makes no guarantees regarding the outcome of any registration, search and reunion. We will do everything we can to verify matches and contact people in a timely manner.  However, because we are a volunteer organization, we operate under the constraints of certain variables and limitations.

  • Please note that this registry is limited to births, adoptions and relinquishments which took place in Colorado. See our Search links for other more comprehensive online registries.

    To begin the process, click on the following link:

By clicking here, I affirm that I understand and agree to the above terms and conditions.

Thank you for becoming part of our community!