The plain-English summary

Title 14, Article 10 of the Colorado Revised Statutes is the section of Colorado law that governs parental responsibilities and parenting time decisions. When a Colorado court orders supervised parenting time, the legal authority for that order comes primarily from provisions within this article — including § 14-10-124 (the best interests of the child standard) and § 14-10-129 (modification and restriction of parenting time).

This page is not legal advice TruVisit Denver is a supervised visitation provider, not a law firm. This page is an educational overview only. For advice about your case, consult a licensed Colorado family law attorney. For the current authoritative text of any section, see the official Colorado Revised Statutes.

Key sections that matter for supervised parenting time

§ 14-10-124 — Best interests of the child

The cornerstone of Colorado parenting decisions. Every allocation of parenting time and decision-making responsibility is governed by the best-interests standard, which directs the court to consider factors like the child's relationship with each parent, the child's adjustment to home and school, and each party's ability to encourage the child's relationship with the other parent.

§ 14-10-129 — Modification and restriction of parenting time

The statute that controls both routine modifications and restrictions. Its key rule for supervision: a court shall not restrict a parent's parenting time unless it finds that the parenting time would endanger the child's physical health or significantly impair the child's emotional development — and the court must enumerate the specific factual findings supporting any restriction it imposes.

§ 14-10-129(4) — Motions to restrict based on imminent danger

Colorado's emergency mechanism. A parent may move to restrict parenting time or parental contact based on imminent physical or emotional danger to the child. When the allegations are facially sufficient, the court sets a hearing within 14 days.

§ 14-10-116.5 — Child and Family Investigators

Authorizes the court to appoint a Child and Family Investigator (CFI) to investigate and report on the best interests of the child. CFI reports frequently inform supervised parenting time decisions.

Allocation of Parental Responsibilities (APR)

Colorado's framework for parenting cases outside of divorce. An APR case opens with a Petition for Allocation of Parental Responsibilities (form JDF 1413) and produces a parenting plan (form JDF 1113) covering parenting time and decision-making responsibility.

Colorado-specific terminology

Colorado uses different vocabulary than many other states for family law:

  • "Parenting time" instead of "visitation"
  • "Allocation of parental responsibilities" (APR) instead of "custody"
  • "Decision-making responsibility" instead of "legal custody"
  • "Parenting plan" — the document that sets out the parenting time schedule and decision-making arrangements
  • "Child and Family Investigator" (CFI) — a court-appointed investigator who reports on the child's best interests (similar in function to a GAL elsewhere)
  • "Legal representative of the child" — an attorney appointed to represent the child's best interests
  • "Permanent orders" — Colorado's term for the final orders in a domestic relations case

Court professionals appointed under Colorado law

  • District Court Judge or Magistrate — issues orders, presides at hearings and permanent orders
  • Child and Family Investigator (CFI) — investigates and makes recommendations on the child's best interests
  • Legal representative of the child — represents the child's best interests as an attorney
  • Parental Responsibilities Evaluator — a mental health professional conducting a deeper evaluation in contested cases
  • Mediator — facilitates settlement; mediation is commonly ordered before contested hearings
  • Parenting Coordinator / Decision-Maker — appointed post-decree in some cases to help parents implement orders
  • Supervised Visitation Provider — neutral third party present at visits

Key practical implications for parents

  • The order controls. Whatever your Colorado court order says about supervised parenting time governs.
  • You usually have provider choice. Most Denver metro orders specify the requirement ("professional supervision") without naming a specific company.
  • Fee allocation is in the order. Whoever the order says pays, pays.
  • The supervisor's records may be subpoenaed. TruVisit Denver's reports are built to withstand subpoena and possible testimony.
  • The supervisor is neutral. By design and by professional obligation.

Reading your Colorado court order — what to look for

  • Type of supervision — full supervised parenting time? monitored exchange? therapeutic visitation? a combination?
  • Frequency — how often are visits ordered?
  • Duration — length of each parenting time period; total duration of the supervised arrangement
  • Location requirements — does the order specify a type of location?
  • Conditions on visits — restrictions on topics, prohibited items, gifts
  • Reporting — who receives reports? how often?
  • Cost allocation — who pays
  • Step-up criteria — what would trigger a change in the arrangement

What this means in practice for working with TruVisit Denver

If your order references "professional supervised parenting time" without naming a provider, TruVisit Denver can be that provider. Our intake process includes a review of your order — we'll flag anything ambiguous and make sure our reporting format matches what your order requires.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a court order to use TruVisit Denver?
Most of our cases come with a Colorado court order, but it isn't strictly required. Some parents engage us voluntarily — for example, as part of a stipulated arrangement before permanent orders are entered.
Can the court order us to use a specific provider?
Yes. Colorado courts sometimes name a specific provider. More commonly, the order simply specifies the requirement and leaves provider selection to the parties.
What if we can't agree on a provider?
When the parties can't agree, the court can intervene and either appoint a specific provider or order mediation. TruVisit Denver is regularly selected as a neutral choice in cases where the parties couldn't agree on others.
Are TruVisit Denver supervisors qualified under Colorado law?
Our supervisors are trained, background-checked, and experienced in the documentation standards used by Colorado district courts. We provide credentialing information to your attorney or to the court on request.