Baca County District Court Overview
Baca County District Court is part of Colorado's 15th Judicial District, which also includes Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Prowers counties. Colorado district courts are general-jurisdiction trial courts. They hear civil cases in any amount, domestic relations, felony criminal, juvenile, probate, mental health, and other matters assigned by Colorado law. In Baca County, probate is not a separate local court. Probate filings are handled as a District Court case type.
The local court office sits with Baca County Court functions at the Springfield courthouse. The Colorado Judicial Branch Baca County page identifies the county as part of the 15th Judicial District and lists Baca County Court at 741 Main Street, Suite 5, Springfield, CO 81073. The court phone listed for current court business is 719-361-7020. Call that number for instructions on proceeding with court business, virtual courtroom access, record availability, accommodations, interpreter requests, or questions before travel.
The image below comes from the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, which is separate from Baca County District Court but relevant when a matter is federal rather than state court.
State District Court records for Baca County remain with the Colorado Judicial Branch, while federal district cases use the separate federal court system.
Baca County District Court List
Baca County does not have multiple separately numbered district courts listed in the research. The local state court functions are administered through the Baca County courthouse under the 15th Judicial District. The required local table is therefore a court and office table rather than a numbered urban division list. It includes the trial court, clerk counter, related county records office, and regional criminal justice offices that frequently intersect with District Court cases.
| Court / Office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baca County District Court / Baca County Court | District and County Court functions for state cases | 741 Main Street, Suite 5, Springfield, CO 81073 | 719-361-7020 |
| Baca County Clerk of Court | Court records, filings, copies, docket assistance | 741 Main Street, Suite 5, Springfield, CO 81073 | 719-361-7020 |
| Baca County Clerk and Recorder | Marriage, recorded documents, elections, county open records | 741 Main Street, Suite 3, Springfield, CO 81073 | 719-523-4372 |
| 15th Judicial District Attorney | State criminal prosecution for Baca and district counties | 110 East Oak Street, Lamar, CO 81052 | 719-336-7446 |
| Colorado State Public Defender, La Junta Office | Public defense office serving Baca County | 402 Santa Fe Ave., Suite 105, La Junta, CO 81050 | 719-384-5448 |
The Baca County Judicial Branch page and the Baca County local courts page are the better sources for current hearing and clerk instructions than older contact lists. A DA contact page also lists Baca County Combined Court at 719-523-4555, but the court's own current page lists 719-361-7020 for court business.
District Court vs County Court
Baca County uses Colorado's state court structure. District Court handles the broadest trial-court work, while County Court handles more limited matters. Municipal courts are separate local courts for ordinance and municipal traffic cases. The distinction decides where a person searches the docket, which case class applies, and which office can release records.
| District Court | County Court | Municipal Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Scope | Civil cases in any amount and appeals where allowed. | Small claims and lower-value civil matters. | Local ordinance matters when authorized by town code. |
| Criminal Scope | Felony criminal cases and serious state matters. | Misdemeanors, traffic, criminal traffic, and felony advisements. | Municipal ordinance and town traffic citations. |
| Family and Probate | Domestic relations, juvenile, probate, mental health. | Not the main forum for divorce or probate files. | Not a state District Court family or probate forum. |
| Record Path | Docket search, record request form, Clerk of Court. | Docket search, record request form, Clerk of Court. | Town or municipal court contact if not in state court. |
The image below comes from the District of Colorado federal court contact page, another useful reminder that similarly named courts can have different custodians and record systems.
For Baca County state court matters, the local Clerk of Court and Colorado Judicial Branch tools remain the access points.
Baca County District Court Flow
District Court case flow depends on case type. A felony case usually begins with arrest or summons activity, advisement, a prosecutor-filed complaint or information, arraignment, pretrial settings, plea or trial, disposition, sentencing, and appeal if allowed. Civil cases usually begin with complaint or petition, service, answer, motions, disclosure or discovery, settlement work, trial or hearing, judgment, and appeal.
Criminal flow: Arrest or summons › First appearance › Complaint or information › Arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or trial › Disposition › Sentencing › Appeal.
Civil and family flow: Petition or complaint › Service › Answer › Motions › Disclosure or discovery › Hearing or trial › Order or judgment › Appeal.
Probate follows a different path. A person may file an estate, guardianship, conservatorship, will, application, petition, claims, letters, or closing document. Access can be limited if the probate matter involves a protected person or confidential information, and the statewide request form warns that identification may be required.
Baca County District Court Records
Baca County District Court records are searched through the same state access model used for other Colorado trial courts. The Colorado Judicial Branch Docket Search can help locate docket settings, while the Record/Document Request Form is used for case-file documents. The official access guide says court records are not directly searchable through a free Judicial Branch case-file database and that copies are obtained through the court or request form.
Common District Court file types include felony complaints or informations, disposition and sentence orders, protection orders, civil judgments, transcripts of judgment, satisfactions of judgment, divorce decrees, parenting plans, support orders, juvenile matters, probate letters, wills, trusts, applications, petitions, claims, and mental health records. Some of those records are public. Others are redacted, restricted, sealed, or require identification.
The image below comes from District of Colorado CM/ECF, the federal electronic filing system for federal cases, not Baca County state cases.
Federal electronic filing is useful for federal matters, but Baca County District Court records are requested through Colorado state court channels.
Baca County 15th Judicial District
The 15th Judicial District groups Baca County with Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Prowers counties. This rural regional structure means court administration, prosecution, defense services, and some public contacts are not limited to one county office. The official DA page names Andrew J. Hayden as District Attorney for the 15th Judicial District and lists the DA office in Lamar. The Colorado State Public Defender La Junta office serves Baca County along with several neighboring counties.
Judicial staff should be handled cautiously. Research found snippets naming Tarryn L. Johnson as District Court Chief Judge and Mike Davidson as District Court Judge, while another biography snippet appeared mismatched to Baca County because it identified a judge from a different judicial district. Use the Colorado Judicial Branch judges and staff page for current assignments before naming a judge in a filing, letter, or court appearance plan.
Note: Baca County District Court users should verify judge, division, and hearing details through current Judicial Branch contacts.
Water and Federal Court Context
Colorado also has specialized water courts. Water judges are district judges appointed by the Colorado Supreme Court, and water matters involve water rights, use, administration, and related basin issues. Research did not resolve a separate Baca County water-court page for this project, but water court context can matter in a rural agricultural county. A water rights matter should not be treated as an ordinary Baca County civil filing without checking the Colorado Judicial Branch water court information.
Federal cases are separate. Baca County is within the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado for federal civil and criminal matters. Federal docket access uses PACER, federal filings use CM/ECF, bankruptcy matters use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado, and federal appeals from Colorado go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. No federal courthouse in Baca County was located in official sources during research.
The image below comes from PACER, the federal case and docket access system.
PACER is for federal records. It should not be used as the primary search path for Baca County District Court state case records.
The image below comes from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado.
Bankruptcy records are federal records, while probate estate files in Baca County are state District Court records.
The image below comes from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, which hears federal appeals from Colorado.
Colorado state District Court appeals usually move through the Colorado appellate system, while federal appeals follow the Tenth Circuit path.
Visit Baca County District Court
The local courthouse information is straightforward. Baca County Court and the Clerk of Court are listed at 741 Main Street, Suite 5, Springfield, CO 81073, with phone 719-361-7020 and fax 719-931-0389. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a lunch closure from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. The county and Judicial Branch pages do not publish dedicated parking rates, garage names, transit routes, locker policies, or cell phone rules.
Baca County District Court
741 Main Street, Suite 5
Springfield, CO 81073
719-361-7020
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; lunch closure 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
Call ahead for ADA accommodations, interpreter services, virtual courtroom instructions, bond hearing information, transcript requests, or urgent record questions. Baca County covers a large rural area, and a phone check can prevent a long trip for a continued hearing or restricted file.