1

Defense Counsel First Appearance Grant Program

The Defense Counsel First Appearance Grant Program launched with the purpose of reimbursing in whole or in part, costs associated with the provision of defense counsel to defendants at their first appearance in municipal courts as required under §13-10-114.5 Colorado Revised Statute.

#FFFFFF

Effective July 1, 2018 under §13-10-114.5 Colorado Revised Statute:

  • At the time of first appearance on a municipal charge, if the defendant is in custody and the charged offense includes a possible sentence of incarceration, the court shall appoint counsel to represent the defendant for purposes of the initial appearance unless, after a full advisement pursuant to C.M.C.R. 210 and §16-7-207 Colorado Revised Statute, the defendant makes a knowing, intelligent, and voluntary waiver of his/her right to counsel.
  • If the defendant remains in custody, the appointment of counsel continues until the defendant is released from custody. If the defendant is released from custody, he/she may apply for court-appointed counsel, and the court shall appoint counsel if the court determines that the defendant is indigent and the charged offense includes a possible sentence of incarceration.

Participating municipalities will have the opportunity to request reimbursement at a rate of $100 per hour for eligible cases.

The Colorado Office of Policy, Research and Regulatory Reform is currently conducting a sunset review of the Colorado Defense Counsel First Appearance Grant Program as described in section 2-3-1203 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. Analysis is performed to determine if the grant program is necessary and should be continued or repealed.  To provide input on this review, please visit: Department of Regulatory Agencies.

Who Should Apply

Municipal courts.

The Application Process

Applications are currently being accepted on an individual basis. Applications will be reviewed and processed as received. All applications must be submitted using the online grants portal to be considered for an award.
Apply and Manage Grant
If you do not yet have an account, you will need to create one using the prompt on the login page. Log into the system and complete each section of

How to Submit a Defense Counsel on First Appearance Request/Report

Manage your Grant or Apply for Funds

Please use the Defense Counsel on First Appearance Program Request for Reimbursement Form to complete requests within the Grants portal.

Funding Information

August 2023 Funding Decisions

February 2023 Funding Decisions

January 2023 Funding Decisions

July 2022 Funding Decisions

Program Timeline

A Payment Request and/or Status Report is due 30 days after each quarter of the calendar year.

Quarter 1: Payment Request and Status Report due April 30
Quarter 2: Payment Request and Status Report July 30
Quarter 3: Payment Request and Status Report October 30
Quarter 4: Payment Request and Status Report January 30

Resources

#FFFFFF
#FFFFFF

Contact Information

Initial Interest

Direct inquiries regarding initial program interest to your Regional Manager. Use the other program contacts once the initial process with your Regional Manager is complete.

#FFFFFF

Program Contacts

Mitchell Craddock
Program Manager
(303) 815-7078
mitchell.craddock@state.co.us

#FFFFFF

Was this content helpful?