The local rules for the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado supplement the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and govern how cases move through the Denver federal courthouse, from the first filing through trial. They carry the same force as any other court order. Getting formatting, page limits, or the pre-filing duty to confer wrong can mean a rejected filing or a motion denied without the court reaching the merits.
Which Set of Rules Applies
The court publishes four separate rule sets, and identifying the right one is the first step. Civil cases run under the Local Civil Rules (D.C.COLO.LCivR). Criminal proceedings follow the Local Criminal Rules (D.C.COLO.LCrR). Patent cases add the Local Patent Rules (D.C.COLO.LPtR) on top of the civil rules, covering claim construction, technical discovery, and infringement contentions. Admission, professional conduct, and discipline sit in the Local Attorney Rules (D.C.COLO.LAttyR). Confirm the category before drafting.
Attorney Admission: No Pro Hac Vice
This one catches out-of-state lawyers off guard. The District of Colorado does not allow attorneys to appear pro hac vice. Since 2002, every attorney who files or argues in the district must have full bar admission. To qualify, you need an active license from the highest court of any U.S. state, federal territory, or the District of Columbia, and you must be in good standing in every jurisdiction where you hold admission.1United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Attorney Admission Information
An attorney who wants to help a pro se litigant without entering a full appearance can use the limited scope representation program under LAttyR 2(b)(1) and LAttyR 5. The attorney and client agree in writing on specific tasks; the attorney files a motion requesting permission along with an entry of limited appearance, and later files a motion to withdraw once the defined work is complete. Ghostwriting documents without disclosing the attorney’s involvement is prohibited.2United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Limited Representation
Document Formatting
LCivR 10.1 sets the mechanical requirements for every filing: 8½-by-11-inch white paper, 12-point font, double-spaced body text, and margins of at least one inch on every side. Quotations, footnotes, and references may be single-spaced.3United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Local Rules of Practice – LCivR 10.1
The first page of every filing needs a caption with the full court name, the title of the action, the case number, a descriptive document title, and the name and address of the filer. LCivR 10.1(e) requires that every motion and filing carry a title clearly describing its content. A bare “Motion” without further description does not comply.3United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Local Rules of Practice – LCivR 10.1
Federal Rule 5.2 also requires the filer to redact certain personal identifiers, and that responsibility falls on the filer rather than the clerk. Redact Social Security numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, dates of birth, names of minors, and financial account numbers. Where reference is necessary, use partial identifiers: birth year only, a minor’s initials, or the last four digits of a financial account. Filing unredacted personal information without a sealing order effectively waives the protection.
Motion Practice
This is where cases most often hit procedural snags. Under LCivR 7.1, every motion begins with the duty to confer. Before filing, you must contact opposing counsel or the unrepresented opposing party and make a genuine effort to resolve the dispute without court involvement. The motion itself must describe the specific steps you took. A bare statement that conferral was attempted, without details about what happened, will not satisfy the rule. Skipping it, or burying it at the end of the brief, is one of the fastest ways to lose a motion without the court ever reaching your argument.4United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Local Rules of Practice – LCivR 7.1
Page Limits
Colorado’s page limits are more generous than many federal courts, and they turn on the type of motion:
- Dispositive motions (motions to dismiss, summary judgment, and preliminary injunctions): the motion and response each have a 30-page limit; replies are capped at 15 pages.
- All other motions: motion and response are limited to 15 pages each, with replies capped at 10 pages.
The count includes the cover page, statement of facts, and argument, but excludes the caption, table of contents, table of authorities, and any exhibits.4United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Local Rules of Practice – LCivR 7.1
Requesting Oral Argument
You cannot simply request oral argument inside the brief. LCivR 7.1(h) requires a separate filing titled “Motion Requesting Hearing,” and it must specify how much time you need. Whether the court grants the request is discretionary.5United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Local Rules of Practice – LCivR 7.1(h)
Scheduling and Case Management
After the initial pleadings, a judicial officer convenes a scheduling conference under LCivR 16.1 to set the case timeline. The scheduling order must be entered within 90 days of the complaint being filed. Before the conference, the parties must meet under Federal Rule 26(f) and try to agree on a proposed scheduling order. The plaintiff usually files that proposal; in a case removed from state court, the removing party takes on that job. The order covers discovery scope and deadlines, expert witness identification, estimated trial time, and the parties’ preferred ADR method.6United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Local Rules of Practice – LCivR 16.1
Cases Exempt from Scheduling
Some case types are exempt from the Rule 16(b) scheduling requirements and are managed on the court’s own timeline instead:
- Habeas corpus and similar prisoner petitions
- Forfeiture proceedings
- Administrative agency appeals, including Social Security appeals
- Bankruptcy appeals
- Naturalization proceedings
- Proceedings to enforce or quash an administrative summons or subpoena
- Ancillary proceedings connected to cases in other courts
- Actions to enforce arbitration awards
- Cases brought by persons in federal or state custody
Electronic Filing Through CM/ECF
Electronic filing through CM/ECF is mandatory for attorneys. You need a PACER account first, then must separately request e-filing privileges from the court. A PACER account alone lets you view documents but not file them.7United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Electronic Case Filing (ECF)
Documents upload as PDFs. When a filing is submitted successfully, the system generates a Notice of Electronic Filing that serves as both official confirmation and automatic service on every registered party in the case. If opposing counsel is a registered CM/ECF user, the system’s email notification satisfies the service requirement, and you do not need to mail or email the document separately.7United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Electronic Case Filing (ECF)
Pro se litigants who are not registered for CM/ECF must still be served through traditional means. Attach a certificate of service identifying each party served, the method used, and the date.
Finding the Current Version
The full text of the local rules lives on the court’s official website at cod.uscourts.gov. The rules are updated periodically, and amendments take effect on the date specified by the court, so working from an outdated copy is an avoidable way to file something noncompliant. The same site publishes individual judges’ practice standards, which impose additional requirements on top of the local rules and can modify deadlines, page limits, and formatting preferences within a given judge’s cases. Check the assigned judge’s standards before every filing.