How Do You Waive Court Fees in Colorado?

The Colorado rule in one table

| Authority | Chief Justice Directive 98-01, amended effective April 2025, with the income table amended January 13, 2026 | | Forms | JDF 205, Motion to Waive Fees (Motion to File Without Payment and Supporting Financial Affidavit). JDF 206, Order Re: Court Fees, sections A through C only. Legal-services certification: JDF 203. Inmate forms: JDF 201 and 202 | | Who decides | Court staff, a legal service provider, or a nonprofit entity reviews the JDF 205 affidavit, generally on the signed affidavit alone, then court staff completes JDF 206 and the court enters the order. For JDF 203 cases, the clerk allows the applicant to proceed without any additional court order unless a judge referral is warranted | | Eligibility, tier 1 | Receiving public benefits, or income at or below the guidelines with liquid assets of 1,500 dollars or less | | Eligibility, tier 2 | Income up to 25 percent above the guidelines, liquid assets of 1,500 dollars or less, and monthly expenses equal to or exceeding monthly income | | Income table, monthly | Family of 1: 2,078 dollars. 2: 2,818 dollars. 3: 3,557 dollars. 4: 4,297 dollars. 5: 5,036 dollars. 6: 5,776 dollars. 7: 6,516 dollars. 8: 7,255 dollars | | Automatic-qualification benefits | Aid to the Blind Colorado, Aid to the Needy and Disabled, Old Age Pension A and B, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Aid to Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program | | Waived costs | Filing fees, reasonable copy fees, forms and instruction fees, jury fees, e-file and e-service fees, and research fees, where owed to the state | | Cannot be waived | Transcript fees, witness fees, and process server fees | | If not indigent | The court may permit payment of the filing fee in installments. If payment is not received on the court's schedule, the court may dismiss the filer's claims or the entire case without further notice | | Recoupment | If the indigent person successfully prosecutes or defends the action, judgment is entered for court costs, and collected costs are paid to the court up to the amount waived |

What makes Colorado different

Colorado publishes the number: a dated dollar table by household size, updated January 13, 2026, with two tiers above and below the line. The second tier is the distinctive one: income up to 25 percent above the guidelines still qualifies where liquid assets are 1,500 dollars or less and monthly expenses meet or exceed monthly income. The affidavit does most of the work: the determination is generally made solely on the signed JDF 205, with supporting documentation only if the court determines it is needed.

The second difference is the hard edge on what cannot be waived. Transcript, witness, and process-server fees sit outside the court's waiver power entirely, while sheriff service ordered by the court may be paid from mandated costs. E-filing of fee waivers is available only when responding to an eviction case; otherwise filing is in person or by mail. Indigency status remains for the duration of the case in all civil case types except domestic cases, where it remains until final orders are entered.

The process, step by step

1. Complete JDF 205, marking the benefits box if applicable, otherwise the full financial sections, and the first three sections of JDF 206.
2. Submit to the court in person or by mail. E-filing is available only when responding to an eviction case.
3. Court staff, a legal service provider, or a nonprofit entity reviews the affidavit, generally on the signed affidavit alone. Supporting documentation is requested only if the court determines it is needed.
4. The court enters the JDF 206 order. If found not indigent, the court may set an installment schedule for the filing fee instead, with dismissal without further notice if the schedule is missed.

Related guides

The same process in the other states in this family: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Washington, Oregon, Colorado. Compare all seven at Court Fee Waivers by State.

Source

The forms, the directive, the two tiers, the dollar table, the benefits list, the waived and non-waivable costs, the installment and dismissal rule, and the recoupment rule on this page come from the Colorado Judicial Branch Fee Waivers page and Chief Justice Directive 98-01, amended effective April 2025 with the income table amended January 13, 2026. Facts verified 2026-10-27.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your government agency.