The Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act (CCJRA), explained
The CCJRA (C.R.S. 24-72-301 to 24-72-309) covers records kept by police, sheriffs, prosecutors, jails, and other criminal justice agencies. This includes incident reports, arrest records, 911 recordings, and video.
Two kinds of records
- Records of official action (arrests, charges, dispositions, releases from custody, and similar actions) must be open for inspection (C.R.S. 24-72-303).
- All other criminal justice records may be released at the custodian's discretion (C.R.S. 24-72-304), unless release is prohibited by law. Custodians weigh the public interest, privacy, and harm to active investigations.
Deadlines
Unlike CORA, the CCJRA does not set a fixed number of days. Agencies are expected to respond within a reasonable time.
Fees
Agencies may charge reasonable fees that do not exceed actual costs for searching, retrieving, redacting, and copying records (C.R.S. 24-72-306), and they may ask for a deposit first.
The solicitation statement
Before receiving records, requesters must sign a statement that the records won't be used for the direct solicitation of business for pecuniary gain (C.R.S. 24-72-305.5).
Body cam video
When there's a misconduct complaint, C.R.S. 24-31-902 (SB20-217) generally requires release of unedited recordings within 21 days of a request. Learn more.
Common reasons for denial
- Active investigation
- Privacy of victims or witnesses
- Sealed records
- Juvenile records
- Confidential informants
- Records that are not "official action" where the custodian finds release contrary to the public interest
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Sources: C.R.S. 24-72-301 to -309 and 24-31-902; Colorado Department of Public Safety records guidance. Checked October 2026. Not legal advice.