Chapter 3 - § 3.1 • INTRODUCTION

• Jurisdiction: Colorado

§ 3.1 • INTRODUCTION

Title 14, Article 10 of the Colorado Revised Statutes is known as the Uniform Dissolution of Marriage Act. C.R.S. §§ 14-10-101, et seq. It was enacted in 1971 and is the controlling statutory authority for dissolving a marriage in Colorado. Regardless of whether the marriage was entered into at common law or via satisfying the statutory requirements, a decree of dissolution of marriage is required for such a marriage to be dissolved (see Chapter 33, "Family Relationships"). Under the Act, the sole grounds for such decree is "an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage relationship." C.R.S. § 14-10-102. Either party, or both parties, or even a legal guardian with court approval may initiate the dissolution action, but for a decree of dissolution to enter, only one party need assert that the marriage is irretrievably broken. C.R.S. §§ 14-10-106, -107, and -110.

With the passage of the Uniform Dissolution of Marriage Act, Colorado adopted a no-fault...