Post-Decree Modification Attorneys for Denver Metro Family Court Orders

A decree freezes a moment in time: incomes, schedules, school years, addresses. Life does not stay frozen. Colorado law permits parenting time, decision-making, child support, and in some cases, maintenance, to be revisited when circumstances change in a substantial and continuing way.

We handle both directions of that door: pursuing modifications the facts support, and defending against ones they do not. When the problem is not the order but the other party ignoring it, enforcement remedies for parenting time and support are their own track, and we use them.

How we help

• Modifying parenting time and decision-making responsibility, which carry different legal standards depending on the change and the originating orders
• Child support and maintenance modifications based on substantial and continuing changes in circumstances as contemplated by the statute
• Relocation cases when a parent seeks to move with the children after the decree
• Enforcement of parenting time under Colorado's dedicated remedies statute, including makeup parenting time
• Contempt proceedings and collection of unpaid support or unpaid property settlement obligations
• Defending against modification requests and contempt claims

When Colorado Courts Will Change an Existing Order

The unifying theme is a substantial and continuing change in circumstances: temporary bumps in the road usually are not enough.

• Parenting time, decision-making responsibility, child support, and sometimes maintenance can all be modified under the right circumstances; each has its own statute and standard.
• Property division is final: with narrow exceptions like fraud or undisclosed assets, courts do not reopen the asset split after the decree. If you think you might need to reopen your case, consult with an attorney as soon as possible as you are on the clock.
• The parent or spouse asking for the change carries the burden of proving it is warranted.
• Many orders and agreements require mediation before filing a modification motion, and metro courts consistently order it anyway.

Modifying Parenting Time Under C.R.S. 14-10-129

Routine schedule adjustments are decided under the best interests of the child standard, so courts can fine-tune parenting time as children grow and circumstances shift.

• A change that also switches which parent the child lives with most of the time faces a stricter standard: generally the court keeps the existing arrangement unless the parties agree, the child has been integrated into the other home with consent, or the current environment endangers the child and the benefit of change outweighs the harm. After a contested motion of that type is decided, a parent generally must wait two years before filing another, absent endangerment.
• A motion to restrict parenting time under C.R.S. 14-10-129(4) alleges imminent physical or emotional danger and requires a hearing within 14 days; it is a serious tool that courts expect parties to use carefully.
• Common triggers for schedule modifications include new work schedules, school changes, a child's evolving activities and needs, significant changes in a party's household that are affecting a child's best interest, and in some cases, persistent conflict at parenting time exchanges.

Modifying Decision-Making Under C.R.S. 14-10-131

Once an order has been issued allocating decision-making, a motion to change that allocation cannot be filed within two years unless the court believes the existing allocation of decision-making may endanger the child's physical health or significantly impair the child's emotional development. If a modification of decision-making authority can be sought, courts keep the existing allocation unless the moving parent proves changed circumstances and that modification serves the child's best interests within the statute's framework.

• Grounds include agreement of the parties, integration of the child into the moving party's home with consent, or endangerment where the benefit of change outweighs the harm.
• Repeated unilateral decision-making by one parent, or a total breakdown in communication, can be a basis for converting joint decision-making to sole.
• Evidence matters: contemporaneous records of missed consultations, medical or school conflicts, and communication logs are usually more persuasive than general complaints.

Modifying Child Support and Maintenance Under C.R.S. 14-10-122

Child support can be modified when a continuing change (income, overnights, health insurance, emancipation of a child, child care costs) would move the monthly amount by 10 percent or more. The March 2026 law change alone moves many older orders past that threshold, and our attorneys show the actual math in three worked examples.

• Maintenance is modifiable on a substantial and continuing change that makes the existing order unfair, unless the parties agreed to non-modifiable contractual maintenance, when the terms of the parties' agreement will control.
• Modified support generally applies retroactively only to the date the motion was filed, which makes prompt filing after a substantial change of circumstances, such as job loss, critical.
• Voluntary income reductions rarely help the reducing party: in many instances, courts can impute potential income to a parent or spouse who is voluntarily earning below capacity.

Relocation After the Decree

A parent who intends to move far enough to substantially change the child's geographic ties to the other parent must give notice with the proposed new location and a revised parenting plan.

• Contested relocations are decided under the factors in C.R.S. 14-10-129(2)(c), including the reasons for and against the move, and evidence of how the prospective and current location support the best interests of the children, such as the ties of the party and child to the location, relationships with extended family in the area, educational opportunities for the children, and the overall impact on the child.
• Neither parent carries a presumption in a post-decree relocation; the court weighs the statutory factors fresh to determine what is in the child's best interest, and these are among the least predictable family law disputes and often result in some of the longest consecutive allocations of overnight parenting time.
• Relocation motions receive docket priority in Colorado, but families should still plan for a meaningful litigation timeline before any move.
• Moving with the child without notice or court permission can backfire badly, up to and including orders returning the child and changes to the parenting arrangement.

Local courts and where to file

Modification motions are usually filed in the district court that entered the original decree, which retains jurisdiction unless the case has been formally moved to another jurisdiction (Douglas County decrees now run through the 23rd Judicial District after its January 2025 split from the 18th). If everyone has moved to a different Colorado county, venue can sometimes be transferred, and metro districts often require mediation before a contested hearing.

Last updated August 2026.