Colorado has NO fixed age at which a child gets to choose. The court considers a child's wishes only if the child is mature enough to express a reasoned, independent preference, and it's never the deciding factor.

Colorado has no magic age at which a child can pick which parent to live with. The child's wishes are just one of the best-interest factors, and the judge weighs them only "to the extent the child is sufficiently mature to express reasoned and independent preferences." As a practical matter, a thoughtful teenager's preference carries more weight than a young child's, and judges look hard at whether a stated preference is genuine or just a pull toward the more lenient parent.

Children rarely testify, and judge interviews are uncommon. More often, a child's wishes come in through a neutral professional, a Child and Family Investigator (CFI) or a Parental Responsibilities Evaluator (PRE), who meets the family and reports to the court. The goal is to hear the child without dragging them into the middle of the conflict.

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Colorado

Colorado, USA