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Based on the date of the vital event (birth, death, marriage, divorce), determine whether you are seeking a state, territory, county, or parish level record. If the record you are seeking has been digitized, you can access it online, through the projects described below. If it has not been digitized or if you need a certified copy, contact the appropriate state or county office to view the record.
Some early vital records may be located in the county courthouses or the county health departments, but their location is not consistent.
History Colorado has a small card catalog index for early vital records (births, deaths, marriages) that appeared in Colorado newspapers between 1860 and 1940. The General Index in the Denver Public Library ;also includes many births, marriages, and deaths, mostly taken from newspaper references.
| Adoption Records |
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment records only court-ordered adoptions for children born in Colorado or outside the United States. It forwards all other adoption documents to the child's state of birth. |
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| Birth Records |
Statewide registration of births began in 1908, filed in the Colorado State Archives. |
| Death Records |
Registration of deaths began slightly earlier, depending on the county, becoming statewide in 1908, see Colorado State Archives. See also Denver Public Library's Colorado Obituary Project External |
| Marriage Records |
The county's clerk and recorder maintains marriage records (generally available from the early days of the county). A statewide list of marriages and divorces indexed by name of the groom exists for the years 1900 through 1939 (with one quarter of entries pre-1900) and is located at the Colorado State Archives, as well as the Denver Public Library External and the FamilySearch Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City. Denver Public Library External has an online version of the marriage index (1975-present) that will include brides as well as grooms. |
| Divorce Records |
Found in the district courts or the Colorado State Archives, depending on the county and the year. Denver Public Library External provides indexes for help in locating divorce records. |
The subscription resources marked with a padlock 
are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.
Using Ancestry Library Edition for Colorado
Begin your search through Ancestry's vast collections, by viewing the list designated as Colorado records External.
Using FamilySearch for Colorado
FamilySearch provides useful state and county wikis that make excellent starting points for research. The Colorado Wiki External includes links to each of its counties.
FamilySearch has digitized many of its microfilms containing county courthouse records including birth, death, and marriage. Not all records have been indexed yet, so search engine results may NOT show you the full range of FamilySearch data. You must browse the FamilySearch catalog External listings for each county to view the full set of records available. The vast amount of accessible original records is well worth your time to explore.
The Colorado State Archives provides information about which vital records are available and how to access them.
Below are selected print publications for statewide vital records. The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.
To locate additional published materials, go to the Print Resources section of this guide for search tips on locating published county courthouse records, abstracts, and indexes that may aide you in locating original records at the county level.
Guide to vital statistics records in Colorado. by 
