co-statewide-format

name: co-statewide-format description: > Use when drafting Colorado court documents — pleadings, motions, declarations, proposed orders under C.R.C.P. 10 (form of pleadings) and Chief Justice Directive 11-01 (statewide filing standards). Covers the flexible caption (four-row table: court-type / county / address; parties; attorney/pro se + COURT USE ONLY box; title), numbered paragraphs, signature blocks (with Colorado attorney registration #), exhibits, footer with page count, line numbering, and citation format. Triggers: "draft a Colorado pleading", "C.R.C.P. 10", "CJD 11-01", "flexible caption", "Colorado declaration". version: 0.6.1

Colorado Statewide Court Document Formatting

NOT LEGAL ADVICE. This skill assists with drafting and formatting only. Verify against current Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure, Chief Justice Directives, and the local rules of the filing court before submitting any document.

Use these rules whenever drafting a paper to be filed in a Colorado state court. They derive from C.R.C.P. 10 (Form of Pleadings, Motions, and Other Documents) and Chief Justice Directive 11-01 (Standards for the Filing of Pleadings in Colorado State Courts).

C.R.C.P. 10 + CJD 11-01 format requirements (mandatory)

Colorado uses a uniform 1-inch margin on all four sides of every page, including page 1 — there is no enlarged page-1 top margin and no required leading whitespace before the caption.

scripts/format-check.py validates these requirements against a generated .docx.

Default typography

• Font: Times New Roman 12 pt (most common in district court); Arial 12 pt also accepted under CJD 11-01
• Line spacing: Double for pleadings and motion text; single for block quotes, signature blocks, and captions
• Paragraph numbering: Bold Arabic numeral followed by a period and a tab, e.g. 1.\tI am the Petitioner...
• Bold lead-ins for labeled paragraphs: **Background.** at the start of a paragraph, then regular text in roman

Required footer (mandatory on every generated document)

Every generated document MUST carry a running footer on every page with:

• Left: a short document identifier — typically [Document title] — Case No. [case number] (e.g., Motion to Dismiss — Case No. 2025CV031234). Keep it to a single line so it never wraps.
• Right: Page X of Y, where X is the current page number and Y is the total page count. Use Word's PAGE and NUMPAGES fields — never a static number.
• Font: 10 pt; matches body font family.
• Alignment: right-aligned tab stop at 9,360 DXA (6.5") places the page counter flush right while the title stays flush left.

The footer runs continuously from page 1 through the last exhibit page — do not restart or suppress pagination anywhere.

Line numbering (pleading paper)

Apply continuous line numbering down the left margin of every generated Colorado pleading. Line numbers count every line of the body and restart on each page.

C.R.C.P. 10 and CJD 11-01 do not themselves require line numbering, and a Colorado pleading filed without line numbers is rule-compliant. But line-numbered pleading paper is universal practice across the claude-legal marketplace: it lets the court and opposing counsel cite to an exact location ("page 4, lines 12–15") and never harms a Colorado filing. Apply it by default to every motion, memorandum, declaration, notice, and proposed order. Exhibits and attachments are exempt.

For programmatically generated .docx documents, apply line numbering through the section's lineNumbers property:

import { LineNumberRestartFormat } from "docx";

sections: [{
  properties: {
    page: { /* size + margins */ },
    lineNumbers: {
      countBy: 1,                                // number every line
      restart: LineNumberRestartFormat.NEW_PAGE, // restart 1.. each page
    },
  },
  // ...
}]

This emits <w:lnNumType w:countBy="1" w:restart="newPage"/> into the section's <w:sectPr>. The numbers render in the left margin and do not shift the 1-inch text margin.

Do NOT set start explicitly. An explicit start: 1 renders off by one in LibreOffice (the first body line shows "2"). Omit start — it defaults to 1 in OOXML.

Margin rule (double vertical line)

Draw a double vertical rule — two thin parallel lines (~0.75 pt each, with a ~7 pt gap between them) — down the left margin between the line numbers and the body text. It is the standard companion to line-numbered pleading paper. Like line numbering, C.R.C.P. 10 and CJD 11-01 do not require it, but it is universal convention across the claude-legal marketplace. Apply it by default to every line-numbered pleading; exhibits and attachments are exempt.

Implement it as two independent full-height line shapes anchored in the page header, so they repeat on every page — not as an OOXML double page border, whose style couples the inter-line gap to the line weight (widening the gap thickens both lines into heavy bars).

Draw each line as a thin filled rectangle (VML v:rect). One shape per <w:pict> — multiple <v:rect> elements in a single <w:pict> will not all render; each rectangle needs its own <w:pict> inside its own <w:r> run.

docx-js has no first-class API for header-anchored VML shapes. Add them with the docx skill's unpack → edit → pack workflow: generate the file with docx-js (give each section an empty Header so a word/header1.xml part exists, and keep the lineNumbers section property from above), then rewrite the header XML and repack:

python scripts/office/unpack.py out.docx unpacked/
#   ... inject the rule into unpacked/word/header*.xml (helper below) ...
python scripts/office/pack.py unpacked/ out.docx --original out.docx

Inside each unpacked/word/header*.xml, declare the VML namespace on the root <w:hdr> and add the two runs — one v:rect per <w:pict> per <w:r> — inside the header paragraph. A document can have several header parts (first-page / even / default, or one per section); add the runs to each distinct word/header*.xml, giving every v:rect a unique id. This stdlib helper (no python-docx) does it and is idempotent:

import pathlib, re

def _runs(i):
    outer = ('<w:r><w:pict><v:rect id="VRuleOuter%d" '
             'style="position:absolute;margin-left:60pt;margin-top:21.6pt;'
             'width:0.75pt;height:748.8pt;'
             'mso-position-horizontal-relative:page;'
             'mso-position-vertical-relative:page;z-index:-251658240" '
             'fillcolor="black" stroked="f"/></w:pict></w:r>') % i
    return outer + (outer.replace('VRuleOuter%d' % i, 'VRuleInner%d' % i)
                         .replace('margin-left:60pt', 'margin-left:67pt'))

word = pathlib.Path('unpacked/word')

# 1. Double rule: one set of shapes per distinct header part (unique ids).
for i, hdr in enumerate(sorted(word.glob('header*.xml'))):
    xml = hdr.read_text(encoding='utf-8')
    if 'VRuleOuter' in xml:                                   # idempotent
        continue
    if 'xmlns:v=' not in xml:
        xml = re.sub(r'(<w:hdr\b)',
                     r'\1 xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml"', xml, count=1)
    xml = xml.replace('</w:p>', _runs(i) + '</w:p>', 1)       # first header para
    hdr.write_text(xml, encoding='utf-8')

# 2. Keep line numbers off header/footer text.
for f in list(word.glob('header*.xml')) + list(word.glob('footer*.xml')):
    xml = f.read_text(encoding='utf-8')
    xml = re.sub(r'(<w:pPr(?:\s[^>]*)?>)(?!<w:suppressLineNumbers/>)',
                 r'\1<w:suppressLineNumbers/>', xml)
    xml = re.sub(r'(<w:p(?:\s[^>]*)?>)(?!<w:pPr)',
                 r'\1<w:pPr><w:suppressLineNumbers/></w:pPr>', xml)
    f.write_text(xml, encoding='utf-8')

The <w:lnNumType> line-numbering element is already emitted by docx-js's lineNumbers section property (above), so the patch only touches the header / footer parts.

Geometry (US Letter, 1-inch margins, line-number distance 360 twips = ¼″): body text starts at 72 pt and the line-number gutter at ~54 pt, so the two rules at margin-left 60 pt and 67 pt sit ~7 pt apart, clear of both. The gap is the difference of the two values; margin-top:21.6pt + height:748.8pt spans the full page height; width:0.75pt is the line weight.

Verify with python scripts/office/validate.py out.docx then python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to pdf out.docx; confirm two thin parallel lines with a clear gap between the numbers and the text on every page and that the header / footer text is not line-numbered. Then open the .docx in Microsoft Word, where VML renders slightly differently and the output must still be correct.

Caption structure (C.R.C.P. 10(a) + CJD 11-01)

Colorado uses the statewide "flexible caption" published by the Colorado Judicial Branch (the JDF blank caption template at coloradojudicial.gov/.../flexiblecaption_0.pdf). It is a single bordered table divided into four stacked rows. The right-side "COURT USE ONLY" box pairs with the attorney / party- without-attorney information row — not with the party row above it. This is the most common mis-drafting error and the linter checks for it.

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ☐ Small Claims  ☐ County Court  ☒ District Court                 │
│ ☐ Probate Court ☐ Juvenile Court ☐ Water Court                   │
│ [COUNTY] County, Colorado                                        │
│ Court Address: [street address, city, CO ZIP]                    │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Plaintiff(s): VELOCITY INVESTMENTS, LLC,                         │
│                                                                  │
│ v.                                                               │
│                                                                  │
│ Defendant(s): JOHN DOE.                                          │
├───────────────────────────────────────────┬──────────────────────┤
│ Attorney or Party Without Attorney:       │ ▲ COURT USE ONLY ▲   │
│ (Name & Address)                          │                      │
│   Jane Q. Public                          │ Case Number:         │
│   123 Main St., Denver, CO 80202          │   2025CV031234       │
│                                           │                      │
│ Phone Number: (303) 555-0100              │ Div.: 12  Ctrm.: 270 │
│ FAX Number: (303) 555-0101                │                      │
│ E-mail: jane@example.com                  │                      │
│ Atty. Reg. #: 12345 (omit if pro se)      │                      │
├───────────────────────────────────────────┴──────────────────────┤
│                  [INSERT TITLE OF FORM]                          │
│             (e.g., MOTION TO DISMISS UNDER C.R.C.P. 12(b)(5))    │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The four rows in order

1. Court identifier row (full width). Six court-type checkboxes on two lines — Small Claims / County Court / District Court on the first line; Probate Court / Juvenile Court / Water Court on the second. Mark exactly one with a filled box (☒) or an inline [X]. Then [COUNTY] County, Colorado on its own line, then Court Address: with the courthouse street address.
2. Party row (full width). Plaintiff(s) / Petitioner(s) on top, then v. (or In re: for in-rem captions), then Defendant(s) / Respondent(s). Use the party designations that match the case type — Plaintiff / Defendant for civil; Petitioner / Respondent for domestic-relations, probate, and most special proceedings; In the Matter of for guardianships, name changes, and similar.
3. Attorney / party-without-attorney row (split into two cells).
   • Left cell (≈ 4,800 DXA): the attorney-or-pro-se information block. Required fields in this exact order: Attorney or Party Without Attorney: (Name & Address) → Phone Number → FAX Number (write "N/A" if none) → E-mail → Atty. Reg. # (pro se filers leave this field absent — do not write "N/A" here; the field is for licensed attorneys only).
   • Right cell (≈ 2,160 DXA): the ▲ COURT USE ONLY ▲ box containing Case Number:, then Div.: and Ctrm.: on a single line. 1-pt black border on all four sides of this cell. The case-number field is left blank by the filer on an initial pleading — the clerk stamps the number on acceptance — but is populated on every subsequent filing.
4. Form-title row (full width). The document title in ALL CAPS, centered, immediately below the caption table. This is the only row that does not require a border around the cell.

Build it as a single 4-row table

The whole caption is one bordered table with row 3 split into two cells. Do not try to stack two independent tables or float the COURT USE ONLY box outside the row — it belongs in row 3.

Place the document title (row 4) between the bordered caption and the body. If you prefer the title inside the bordered table, that is also acceptable under CJD 11-01 — JDF forms vary on this point.

Captions that vary from the standard layout

• Appellate filings (Colorado Supreme Court, Colorado Court of Appeals): use the appellate caption per C.A.R. 28, not the flexible caption. The flexible caption is a trial-court template.
• Water Court: same flexible caption, but check the Water Court box and add the water division number in the court-identifier row (e.g., "Water Division 1").
• Probate / Juvenile: check the corresponding box. Juvenile Court captions in dependency-and-neglect cases use the "In the Interest of [child]" party designation in row 2.
• Domestic relations: row 2 uses In re the Marriage of: / In re the Parental Responsibilities concerning: with Petitioner / Co-Petitioner / Respondent rather than Plaintiff / Defendant.

Required body elements

Every affidavit or declaration needs:

1. Salutation clause at the top of the body: "I, [Name], being first duly sworn upon oath" (affidavit) or "I, [Name], under penalty of perjury pursuant to C.R.S. § 13-27-104, declare as follows:" (declaration)
2. Numbered paragraphs with substantive content
3. Verification clause at the end (declaration form): "I declare under penalty of perjury pursuant to the laws of the State of Colorado that the foregoing is true and correct."
4. Date and place of execution: "Executed on [date] at [city], [state]."
5. Signature block with signer name, role, address, phone, email

Motions and memoranda do not need a perjury clause but do need:

• A signature block with name, address, phone, email
• A Colorado attorney-registration number (#XXXXX) if the signer is a Colorado-licensed lawyer; pro se filers omit this
• A short certificate of service at the foot of the document showing how, when, and on whom the document was served

Signature block format

Respectfully submitted this ___ day of __________, 20__.

                                        ____________________________
                                        [Name]
                                        [Reg. No. ##### (if attorney)]
                                        [Street address]
                                        [City, CO ZIP]
                                        Phone: (###) ###-####
                                        Email: name@example.com
                                        [Pro Se / Attorney for Party]

The attorney-registration number is mandatory on every pleading filed by a Colorado-licensed lawyer — see C.R.C.P. 11(a). Pro se filers omit the number and add "Pro Se" or "Self-Represented" on the last line.

Certificate of service

Every document filed with the court must include a certificate of service unless filed under seal or otherwise excused. Place it at the foot of the document above the signature block:

                    CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I certify that on [date], a true and correct copy of the foregoing
[Document Title] was served on:

  [Opposing party name]
  [Address]
  via [E-Service through CCEFS / U.S. Mail, postage prepaid /
       email at name@example.com per C.R.C.P. 5(b)(2)(E)]

                                        ____________________________
                                        [Signer name]

Under C.R.C.P. 5(b), service by Colorado Courts E-Filing (CCEFS) constitutes valid electronic service; pro se filers without a CCEFS account must serve by mail, hand delivery, or email per C.R.C.P. 5(b)(2)(E).

Exhibits

Embed exhibits at the end of the document, after the signature block and certificate of service, in this order:

1. Exhibit List page, centered title, each entry like: Exhibit A: [one-line description]
2. One cover page per exhibit: EXHIBIT A centered and bold at the top of the page, followed by an italic caption describing the exhibit, then the exhibit image or text
3. Footer pagination continues through the exhibits — do not restart the page counter

Reference exhibits in the body by letter: "True and correct copies of the disputed account statements are attached hereto as Exhibits A through D."

The four document templates

See references/templates/ for complete scaffolds:

• declaration.md — declaration / affidavit with numbered paragraphs and exhibits
• motion-with-memo.md — C.R.C.P. 121 § 1-15 motion with the combined motion-and-brief format (Colorado allows a unified document under the local Rule 121 conventions)
• notice-of-setting.md — notice that places a motion on the court's calendar after the JA/clerk has assigned a hearing
• proposed-order.md — proposed order for judge signature, with the caption replicated and the dispositional language sliced into numbered findings and a separate "IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED" block

Each template includes the caption, body skeleton, signature block, certificate of service, and (for declarations) exhibit list scaffolding.

Citation format

Follow the Colorado Appellate Court conventions and the ICW Style Manual. Common forms:

• Colorado Supreme Court: People v. Smith, 2020 CO 12, ¶ 15, 456 P.3d 789 (post-2012 cases) or People v. Jones, 252 P.3d 1191 (Colo. 2011) (pre-2012)
• Colorado Court of Appeals: Smith v. Jones, 2019 COA 45, ¶ 22, 432 P.3d 100
• Tenth Circuit: Spann v. Carter, 23 F.4th 1131 (10th Cir. 2022)
• C.R.S.: C.R.S. § 13-80-103.5 (always use the § symbol for Colorado statutes)
• C.R.C.P.: C.R.C.P. 12(b)(5) (no section symbol for rules)
• C.R.E.: C.R.E. 803(6)
• Federal statutes: 15 U.S.C. § 1692g

Italicize case names (including v.). Use the public-domain neutral citation format (2020 CO 12, ¶ 15) for Colorado Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decisions issued after January 1, 2012; the parallel P.3d citation is required.

Producing documents programmatically

For .docx generation, use the docx npm package. Key points:

• Set page size explicitly to US Letter (12,240 × 15,840 DXA) — docx-js defaults to A4
• Use Times New Roman at size: 24 (half-points = 12 pt)
• Apply uniform 1,440 DXA margins to all four sides on every section
• Build the right-block table cell with a 1-pt border on all four sides for the case-number / division / courtroom box
• Use LevelFormat.BULLET with a numbering config for bullets — never unicode bullet characters
• Build the footer with a right-aligned tab stop at 9,360 DXA and use PageNumber.CURRENT / PageNumber.TOTAL_PAGES for "Page X of Y"

For format validation, run scripts/format-check.py on the generated .docx.

Filing mechanics: paper vs. e-filing

Colorado is largely on Colorado Courts E-Filing (CCEFS) for attorneys (mandatory for represented parties in most counties); pro se filers may file electronically through CCEFS Pro Se if available in the filing county, otherwise by paper at the clerk's window. See co-file-packet for the full e-filing workflow.

Composition

• For drafting a Colorado motion or memorandum: co-draft-motion
• For drafting a Colorado declaration: co-draft-declaration
• For drafting a notice of setting / hearing: co-draft-note
• For drafting a proposed order: co-draft-order
• For court-specific overlays: co-denver, co-arapahoe, co-county-courts
• For pro se conventions: co-pro-se
• For pre-filing QC: co-quality-check

References

• references/templates/declaration.md
• references/templates/motion-with-memo.md
• references/templates/notice-of-setting.md
• references/templates/proposed-order.md
• references/crcp-10-full-text.md — the full rule text
• references/cjd-11-01-full-text.md — full text of the CJD
• references/caption-format.md — caption structure with the two-block layout and docx-js recipe
• references/exhibit-handling.md — exhibit list, cover page, and pagination
• references/citation-format.md — Colorado neutral-citation conventions