Las Animas County Clerk Offices
The Colorado Judicial Branch Las Animas County page is the official starting point for the state Clerk of Court function. Las Animas County is a combined court location, which means District Court and County Court records are handled at the same courthouse counter in Trinidad. The Clerk of Court / Las Animas County Combined Court is the right office for state court case files, certified copies from court cases, docket questions, transcript requests, interpreter requests, ADA accommodations, and documents filed in civil, criminal, domestic, probate, small claims, traffic, and protection order matters.
The county also has a separate elected Las Animas County Clerk and Recorder. Karrie L. Apple is the current Clerk and Recorder. Her office handles recording, marriage and civil-union licensing, elections, motor vehicle services, and recorded copies. That office is not the clerk for state court case files. The split matters in Las Animas County because a divorce decree belongs with the state court, while a recorded marriage license copy or deed belongs with the county Clerk and Recorder.
Clerk of Court / Las Animas County Combined Court
Office: Las Animas County Courthouse
200 E. 1st St., Room 304
Trinidad, CO 81082
719-846-3316
Fax 719-497-8267
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Las Animas County Clerk and Recorder
Clerk: Karrie L. Apple
200 E. First Street, Room 205
Trinidad, CO 81082
719-846-3314 option 5
CountyClerk@lasanimascounty.org
Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m.-5:15 p.m.
Las Animas County Clerk Duties
The Las Animas County Clerk of Court keeps state court records for both the District Court and County Court sides of the Combined Court. District Court records may involve felony criminal cases, civil cases in any amount, domestic relations, juvenile matters, probate, mental health, and appeals from County Court. County Court records may involve misdemeanors, traffic infractions, small claims, civil cases under $25,000, felony complaints before transfer, and protection orders. A person seeking a case document should use the court record request form or contact the Combined Court, not the county recording office.
The county Clerk and Recorder has a different records role. The Las Animas recording page lists deeds, deeds of trust, DD214 military discharges, subdivisions, liens, judgments and decrees, federal and state tax liens, releases, public trustee documents, business incorporation documents, statements of authority, and marriage licenses as common recorded document categories. The county page also states that Colorado law does not allow the Clerk's office to conduct real estate record searches for the public, so searchers must use the public document portals or request specific copies.
The official marriage license screenshot assigned to this page comes from the Las Animas County marriage and civil-union license page, which is a county Clerk and Recorder service rather than a state court service.
That distinction helps avoid a common mistake: marriage licensing starts with the Clerk and Recorder, while divorce case copies are requested from the Clerk of Court through the Judicial Branch.
- State court documents: pleadings, orders, dispositions, divorce decrees, probate letters, tickets, and registers of action from Las Animas County court cases.
- County recorded documents: deeds, liens, plats, DD214 access requests, recorded marriage licenses, and other documents accepted by the Clerk and Recorder.
- Marriage licensing: applications and verification are handled by the Clerk and Recorder during stated office hours.
- Search limits: the Clerk and Recorder cannot conduct real estate searches for the public under the rule cited by the county.
- Certified copies: court certified copies and recorded-document certified copies follow separate fee schedules and request channels.
Las Animas Certified Copy Requests
A certified copy is a copy issued by the official custodian with the office's certification. Las Animas County court users often need certified court copies for divorce decrees, judgments, probate letters, satisfaction documents, or criminal disposition records. For state court case files, the Judicial Branch record/document request form is the main online channel. The form routes requests to the correct court and says responses are generally provided within three business days unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Recorded-document certified copies follow the Clerk and Recorder workflow. The county recording page says certified copies are not electronically transmitted. Staff process them in office and physically mail them after verbal confirmation and verification of the mailing address. For copy requests, the county instructs users to call 719-846-3314 or email countyclerk@lasanimascounty.org. That process is distinct from court certified copies and from commercial register-of-actions searches.
- Decide whether the record is a court case document or a county recorded document. Court case files go through the Combined Court; recorded instruments go through the Clerk and Recorder.
- For court documents, use the Colorado Judicial Branch Record/Document Request Form and select Las Animas County as the county or location.
- Provide the case number if known, case type, filing year, party names, date of birth when relevant, and the specific document needed.
- Mark whether certification or exemplification is needed, then wait for the court to confirm fees, identity needs, redaction issues, or retrieval costs.
- For recorded documents, call or email the Clerk and Recorder, confirm the book/page or portal result if known, and verify the mailing address for certified copies.
Note: Las Animas County Combined Court publishes a fax number, but the court page says it does not accept fax filings.
Las Animas Court Request Fields
The state record/document request form is detailed because it serves many Colorado courts and case types. Las Animas County requesters should fill in enough facts for the Clerk of Court to identify the file without guessing. A case number is helpful but not always required. Party information is required, and some suppressed, juvenile, probate, or confidential records may require a U.S. government-issued photo ID before the court reviews or releases anything.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Requester name and contact | Partly required | First name, last name, email, phone, and mailing address help the court respond and bill fees. |
| Case number | No | The form gives an example format such as 2019T999999; use the number if known. |
| Case type | No | Options include civil, divorce, felony, juvenile, misdemeanor, probate, protection order, small claims, traffic, and water. |
| County or location | No | Select Las Animas County when the case was filed at the Trinidad courthouse. |
| Party information | Yes | List the name or names on the case, with date of birth for the primary party if known. |
| Document checkboxes | No | Choices include divorce decree, complaint, disposition, ticket, order for judgment, letters, will, petition, and other documents. |
| Certification request | No | Use this when a certified or exemplified copy is needed for official use. |
Las Animas County Clerk Fees
Las Animas County clerk fees differ by custodian. Court record copies use the Colorado Judicial Branch fee table from the record request form. Recorded-document copies use the Clerk and Recorder recording fee schedule. Fees can change, and both offices may need to calculate totals after reviewing the request. Use the court table for case files and the county recording table for deeds, liens, plats, and recorded licenses.
| Item | Amount or rule |
|---|---|
| Court copy per page | $0.25, with a $15.00 maximum for parties and their attorneys and no maximum for non-parties. |
| Court certified or exemplified copy | $20.00 per document. |
| Court name search | $5.00. |
| Court research or redaction | $30.00 per hour after the first hour, billed in 15-minute increments. |
| Recorded-document standard copy | $0.25 per page. |
| Recorded-document certified copy | $1.00 plus $0.25 per page. |
| Recorded-document search and retrieval | $41.37 per hour after the first free hour, cited locally to C.R.S. 24-72-205(6). |
| All recording documents | $43.00 with no page count, cited locally to C.R.S. 30-1-103. |
Las Animas Recording Portals
The Clerk and Recorder's recording page gives unusually clear public-record search boundaries. Records from inception through 1992 are routed to ArcaSearch. Records from 1993 to present are routed to iDocMarket. The county says users must register to view and print documents and fees apply. The same page promotes a free Document Alert service through iDocMarket that sends an automated email when a document records under a subscriber's name or property legal description.
The official recording portal screenshot assigned to this page comes from the Las Animas County Clerk and Recorder recording page.
Those portals are useful for recorded instruments, but they do not replace a Las Animas County court case records request through the Colorado Judicial Branch.
Recording can be done by mail, over the counter, or through the county's e-recording vendor, Simplifile. The research file lists Simplifile's phone as 800-460-5657. DD214 military discharge copies have special limits: the county follows National Archives dissemination rules, requires a written request form and picture ID, and distributes copies only to the veteran, next of kin, or authorized requester.
Important: The Clerk and Recorder cannot conduct real estate searches for users; use the portals or request a specific document.
Las Animas Clerk Forms
Forms depend on the office and record type. For state court documents, the Judicial Branch record/document request form is the key clerk form because it covers civil, criminal, family, traffic, and probate document requests for Las Animas County. The Judicial Branch Las Animas County page also links to transcript requests, interpreter requests, ADA accommodations, jury information, virtual courtrooms, records requests, and online payments.
For county Clerk and Recorder services, the local pages provide marriage license requirements, recording instructions, copy channels, and DD214 access rules. Marriage licenses are issued during Clerk and Recorder office hours under C.R.S. 14-2-107, but Las Animas County processes and verifies marriage applications Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The license fee is $30.00, and the county page says debit or credit card payments are not accepted for the license.
- Court Record/Document Request Form for Las Animas County court case copies.
- Colorado Judicial Branch Docket Search for hearing and docket lookups.
- Marriage and Civil Union License page for local license rules and fees.
- Recording page for portals, copy fees, DD214 access, and e-recording.
Las Animas Mail and Online Access
Online access in Las Animas County is a mix of official court tools and county recording portals. The Colorado Judicial Branch docket search can help identify hearing information, but document copies must be requested from the court. Commercial register-of-actions vendors can provide limited summary information for some Colorado cases, but they do not provide official documents and may omit sealed, juvenile, probate, confidential, or non-public-party information. Court files remain with the court where they were filed.
Mail and physical handling are still important. The Clerk and Recorder physically mails certified recorded-document copies after confirmation and address verification. The Combined Court handles in-person court requests at Room 304 and closes at noon before reopening at 1:00 p.m. The Clerk and Recorder is in Room 205 at the same street address but follows different hours and posts weather, training, and holiday closures. Rural travel from outside Trinidad should be planned around those schedules.