The District of Colorado local rules are the court-specific requirements that sit on top of the Federal Rules and govern how filings, motions, scheduling, and attorney appearances work in the federal courthouse in Denver. They come in four sets: Local Civil Rules (D.C.COLO.LCivR), Local Criminal Rules (D.C.COLO.LCrR), Local Patent Rules (D.C.COLO.LPtR), and Local Attorney Rules (D.C.COLO.LAttyR). Confirm which set applies before you draft anything, because patent cases pick up extra claim construction and infringement contention requirements on top of the standard civil rules, and attorney admission and discipline run through their own track.
No Pro Hac Vice Admission
This is the rule that 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 has needed full bar admission here. 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
If you are helping a pro se litigant and do not want to enter a full appearance, the court has a limited scope representation program under LAttyR 2(b)(1) and LAttyR 5. You and your client agree in writing on the specific tasks you will handle, and you file a motion requesting permission along with an entry of limited appearance. Once the defined work is finished, you file a motion to withdraw. Ghostwriting documents without disclosing your involvement is prohibited.2United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Limited Representation
Document Formatting
LCivR 10.1 sets the formatting baseline for every filing: 8½-by-11-inch white paper, 12-point font, double-spaced body text, and at least one-inch margins on every side. Quotations, footnotes, and references can 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 carries 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) specifically requires that each motion and filing carry a title clearly describing its content; “Motion” alone will not comply.
Privacy Redactions
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 applies in full, and the responsibility to redact falls on the filer, not the clerk. Social Security numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, dates of birth, names of minors, and financial account numbers must be redacted. Where a reference is necessary, use only the birth year, 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 for that information.
Motion Practice
LCivR 7.1 is where cases most often hit procedural snags. Before filing any motion, you have a duty to confer: 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, will not satisfy the rule, and skipping or burying the conferral statement is one of the fastest ways to have a motion denied without the court reaching the merits.4United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Local Rules of Practice – LCivR 7.1
Page Limits
Limits vary by motion type:
- Dispositive motions (motions to dismiss, summary judgment, preliminary injunctions): 30 pages for the motion and for the response; 15 pages for the reply.
- All other motions: 15 pages for the motion and for the response; 10 pages for the reply.
The page count includes the cover page, statement of facts, and argument. It excludes the caption, table of contents, table of authorities, and any exhibits.
Requesting Oral Argument
Requesting oral argument inside your brief does not count. LCivR 7.1(h) requires a separate filing titled “Motion Requesting Hearing” that specifies how much time you need. Whether the court grants it is entirely discretionary.5United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Local Rules of Practice – LCivR 7.1(h)
Scheduling and Case Management
Under LCivR 16.1, a judicial officer convenes a scheduling conference after the initial pleadings, and the scheduling order must be entered within 90 days of the complaint being filed. Before the conference, the parties meet under Federal Rule 26(f) and try to agree on a proposed scheduling order. The plaintiff is usually responsible for filing that proposal. If the case was removed from state court, the removing party takes on that responsibility instead.6United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Local Rules of Practice – LCivR 16.1
The order addresses discovery scope and deadlines, expert witness identification, estimated trial time, and the parties’ preferred method of alternative dispute resolution.
Cases Exempt from Scheduling
Not every case runs through the full Rule 16(b) scheduling process. The following are exempt and are managed on the court’s own timeline:
- 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
Registration in CM/ECF is mandatory for attorneys. You first need a PACER account, then must separately request e-filing privileges from the court. A PACER account by itself lets you view documents but not file them.7United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Electronic Case Filing (ECF)
Documents must be uploaded in PDF. When a filing goes through, the system issues a Notice of Electronic Filing that serves as both official confirmation and automatic service on all registered parties. If opposing counsel is a registered CM/ECF user, that email notification satisfies the service requirement, so you don’t need to separately mail or email the document.
Pro se litigants who are not registered must still be served through traditional means. A certificate of service attached to the filing should identify each party served, the method used, and the date of service.
Finding the Current Rules and Judge Standards
The full text of the local rules is published on the court’s official website at cod.uscourts.gov. The rules are updated periodically and amendments take effect on the date the court specifies, so working from an outdated copy is an avoidable problem. 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 that judge’s cases. Check the assigned judge’s standards before you file.