Often times grandparents serve a critical role in their grandchildren’s lives. Unfortunately, when parents go through a divorce, a grandparent’s ability to continue his or her relationship with the grandchildren can suffer. In Colorado, a grandparent may file a motion to intervene and request grandparent visitation in certain types of cases. Specifically, C.R.S. 19-1-117 allows a grandparent or a great-grandparent to ask the Court for reasonable visitation rights if there has been a child custody case (which can include a divorce or custody case between unmarried parents).
If the grandparent decides to seek a Court order for visitation, he will likely need to file a motion to intervene first. If the motion to intervene is granted, the grandparent becomes a party to the child custody proceeding. Then, the grandparent must file specific documents to request Court ordered visitation.
Many grandparents do not want to be a party to his or her child’s divorce case. Sometimes grandparents choose to hire an attorney and try to negotiate grandparent visitation with the parents. If that is successful, the parents can file a notice with the Court indicating they agree to the grandparent visitation.
Child custody proceedings and divorces are hard for the entire family. Ensuring grandparents continue to have contact with their grandchildren can be very important to families.