How to Fill Out JDF 1113 (Parenting Plan) Without a Lawyer in Colorado

The JDF 1113 is Colorado's official Parenting Plan form — a ten-page document that becomes a binding court order the moment a judge signs it. The court provides the blank form. What it doesn't provide is a single line of instruction on how to fill it out. Every section has blank fields where you write the decisions that will govern your child's schedule, holidays, communication rules, and decision-making arrangement for years. Getting those decisions wrong — or leaving them vague — means you're back in court filing a modification.

Here's how to work through each section of the JDF 1113 without an attorney, and where most self-represented parents go wrong.

Before You Start: What the JDF 1113 Actually Is

The Parenting Plan is not a custody petition. It's a separate form that accompanies your petition — whether that's a divorce (JDF 1001), legal separation, or standalone Allocation of Parental Responsibilities case (JDF 1413 for unmarried parents). You can file it jointly with your co-parent (stipulated plan) or submit your own proposed plan for the court to consider.

Colorado retired "custody" and "visitation" as legal terms. The JDF 1113 uses "parenting time" (the physical schedule), "decision-making responsibility" (authority over education, medical care, religious upbringing, and extracurricular activities), and "Allocation of Parental Responsibilities" (the umbrella term). Using the correct terminology throughout your form signals to the judge that you understand the framework.

Section-by-Section Walkthrough

Sections 1–3: Identifying information. Straightforward — names, case number, children's names and dates of birth. The critical detail most parents miss: if you have children with different other parents, each child needs a separate JDF 1113 with the relevant parent.

Sections 4–6: Decision-making allocation. This is where you designate who has authority over major decisions in four categories: education, medical/dental, religious, and extracurricular activities. Options are joint (both parents decide together), sole to one parent, or a hybrid (joint for some categories, sole for others). Joint decision-making is the default unless the court finds it would endanger the child. If you and your co-parent genuinely cannot communicate about medical decisions, requesting sole medical decision-making with a specific rationale is stronger than requesting sole everything.

Sections 7–9: Residential schedule. The heart of the plan. You must specify: the regular weekly schedule (which nights with which parent), the holiday schedule (with alternating years and specific pickup/dropoff times), summer vacation arrangements, and school break schedules. The most common mistake is writing "parents will share holidays equally" — that's not a plan, it's a hope. Specify: "Parent A has Thanksgiving in even-numbered years from Wednesday at 6:00 PM through Sunday at 6:00 PM; Parent B has Thanksgiving in odd-numbered years for the same period."

Section 10: Transportation and exchanges. Designate who drives for pickups and dropoffs, where exchanges happen (school is ideal because neither parent has to see the other), and what happens when a parent is late. Leaving this blank creates conflict at every exchange.

Sections 11–13: Overnight calculation. This directly feeds the child support calculation. Under the 2026 graduated system, every overnight counts from the first one — there's no longer a 93-night minimum threshold. Count your overnights carefully from the schedule you designed in Sections 7–9. A miscounted overnight doesn't just affect your plan; it changes your child support by potentially hundreds of dollars per month.

Sections 14–16: Communication and dispute resolution. Specify the communication method between parents (OurFamilyWizard, TalkingParents, email only, text), response time expectations, and how you'll handle disagreements before going back to court. A dispute resolution clause — "parents will attempt mediation through a mutually agreed mediator before filing any motion to modify" — can save thousands in future legal fees.

Sections 17–19: Additional provisions and signatures. This is where you add ROFR (right of first refusal — if one parent can't be with the child for more than a set number of hours, the other parent gets first option before a babysitter), relocation notice requirements (Colorado requires written notice at least 60 days before a proposed relocation), and any other terms specific to your family.

The Five Mistakes That Get Plans Rejected or Create Future Problems

1. Vague holiday language. "Alternating holidays" without specifying which holidays, what times, and which parent gets which year in even vs. odd years. The judge will send it back or the mediator will fill in the gaps — and their version may not match your intent.

2. Ignoring the overnight count. Under the 2026 child support rules, your schedule's overnight count directly determines the parenting-time credit in the support calculation. Parents who design a schedule without counting overnights often discover their support obligation doesn't match what they expected — after the order is signed.

3. Using "custody" language. Colorado courts use Allocation of Parental Responsibilities terminology. A form that repeatedly references "custody" and "visitation" signals unfamiliarity with the framework. More importantly, confusing "parenting time" with "decision-making" — requesting "full custody" when you mean "majority parenting time with joint decision-making" — can produce an order that gives you something different from what you wanted.

4. No communication protocol. Parents who don't specify a communication method in their plan default to whatever channel is most convenient — which in high-conflict situations becomes a vector for harassment. Designating a platform like OurFamilyWizard or TalkingParents (which create court-admissible logs) protects both parents.

5. Missing the relocation clause. Colorado law requires 60 days' written notice before relocating with a child. But the JDF 1113 lets you specify additional relocation terms. Parents who leave this blank discover the gap when one parent announces a move — and the plan provides no framework for the resulting dispute.

A Structured Alternative to Guessing

The Colorado Child Custody & Parenting Plan Guide includes a dedicated JDF 1113 walkthrough worksheet — a printable companion that maps every section of the form to the specific decisions you need to make, with space for your answers and explanations of what the court expects. It also includes schedule comparison templates with overnight counts, the 2026 child support calculation explained step by step, and mediation preparation materials.

The difference between completing the JDF 1113 with structured guidance and completing it from the blank form is the difference between three hours of focused preparation and weeks of back-and-forth with the court clerk about missing sections.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I modify my JDF 1113 after it's signed by the judge?

Yes, but modifications require filing a Motion to Modify (JDF 1406 for parenting time, JDF 1423 for decision-making) and demonstrating a substantial and continuing change in circumstances. There's also a two-year waiting period for most modifications, with exceptions for endangerment. This is why getting the initial plan right matters — changing it later has a legal threshold.

Do both parents have to agree on the parenting plan?

No. Both parents can submit separate proposed JDF 1113 forms, and the court decides. However, a stipulated (agreed) plan is far more likely to be approved as written. If you can agree on most terms and only dispute one or two sections, you can submit a joint plan with the disputed sections flagged for the court to resolve.

Where do I get the JDF 1113 form?

Download it from the Colorado Judicial Branch website (courts.state.co.us) under Self-Help / Forms. It's a fillable PDF. You can also pick up printed copies at any district court Self-Help Center.

How long does the JDF 1113 process take?

For divorce cases, Colorado has a mandatory 91-day waiting period from the date of service. The parenting plan is typically finalized at the same time as the divorce decree. For standalone APR cases (unmarried parents), there's no mandatory waiting period, but the Initial Status Conference must be held within 42 days of filing. Most uncontested cases with a stipulated parenting plan are resolved in three to four months.

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