Unmarried Partner Infidelity Investigations in Colorado

01Who calls us

Why Couples Without a Marriage License Hire Investigators

A large share of our relationship calls come from people who are not married at all. Some have lived with a partner for years and split rent, a car payment and a dog. Others are engaged and want certainty before a wedding deposit and a joint mortgage application. Many simply sense that something changed and are tired of guessing, a pattern our Denver relationship investigators hear every week. The reasons for clarity are as real as in any marriage, and the work is the same: lawful observation, honest reporting and no drama. Our Colorado surveillance investigations team handles both kinds of case.

What differs is the paperwork that comes afterward. Married spouses divide marital property in a dissolution, while unmarried partners usually untangle a lease, shared accounts and personal belongings without that framework, and an attorney can explain the options. Where children are involved, the court process looks much more like a divorce. Our Colorado attorney services page explains how we support lawyers in both situations, and our specialized investigations index lists every relationship service we offer.

02Colorado law

Are You Actually Married? Colorado Still Recognizes Common-Law Marriage

Colorado is one of a small number of states that still recognizes common-law marriage, and that can change everything about a relationship case. In Hogsett v. Neale, decided January 11, 2021, the Colorado Supreme Court said the core question is whether the couple mutually agreed to enter a marital relationship, shown by conduct that reflects that agreement. Courts look at the totality of the circumstances rather than a checklist. If a common-law marriage exists, ending it generally requires a dissolution, the same as any marriage. Our guide to hidden assets in a Colorado divorce then becomes relevant.

The factors the court mentioned include cohabitation, a reputation as spouses, filing taxes jointly, joint bills or leases, shared estate planning, beneficiary and emergency-contact designations, rings, anniversaries and the couple's own beliefs about marriage. An investigator can lawfully gather some of that from public records and observation, such as how a couple presents itself in public or what property records show. Whether those facts add up to a marriage is a legal question for your attorney, not for us, and our Colorado investigative consulting service helps counsel decide what to collect first.

• Living together and how long
• Holding out as spouses to friends, family or businesses
• Joint leases, accounts, bills or property records
• Shared tax filings or beneficiary designations
• Rings, anniversaries and other symbols of commitment

03The work

What Unmarried Partner Infidelity Investigations in Colorado Document, and What They Leave Out

Our investigators answer specific questions: where your partner went after leaving work, who they met and how long they stayed. Each stop is logged with a time and an address and supported by photographs taken from a public street, sidewalk or business open to everyone. When a night ends at a motel or a rented condo, our lodging surveillance specialists record who enters and leaves without approaching any door. If a new person keeps appearing, we can identify them lawfully through public records rather than guesswork.

Just as important is what we will not do. We do not read a partner's phone, log into their accounts, pose as someone else to extract information or follow anyone into a private home. Those shortcuts can expose you to criminal and civil liability and can ruin the usefulness of anything you learn. Reports describe what was seen in neutral language and flag gaps honestly. If you want a deeper look at a new partner's history before moving in together, our Colorado tenant and roommate screening uses many of the same lawful records.

04Children

Unmarried Parents, Parenting Time and What a Colorado Court Weighs

When unmarried parents separate, the questions about the children follow the same statute that governs divorcing parents. Under C.R.S. § 14-10-124, a Colorado court allocates parenting time and decision-making by the child's best interests, gives paramount consideration to the child's safety and does not presume equal time or favor either parent by sex. Factors include each parent's involvement, the child's adjustment to home and school, and each parent's willingness to encourage the child's relationship with the other. Our Colorado parenting-time investigation guide explains how evidence is usually gathered.

A new relationship rarely matters by itself. What can matter is how it affects the child: an unfamiliar adult supervising toddlers, a pattern of missed exchanges, or a parent who leaves children alone to meet someone. We document those facts carefully, keep children out of photographs wherever possible and write reports a family lawyer can use at a hearing. When papers need to be delivered to the other parent, Delator Field Services in Colorado handles service with logged attempts and a signed affidavit.

05Colorado settings

University Towns, Front Range Suburbs and Mountain Weekends

Relationship cases look different depending on where in Colorado they happen. In Fort Collins, home to Colorado State University, and in Boulder, partners often have unpredictable schedules, bike or walk instead of drive, and spend evenings in busy downtown districts where a vehicle follow is useless. Our Boulder relationship investigators plan those shifts on foot. In the northern suburbs, by contrast, nearly everything happens by car on I-25 and the arterials that feed it, and our Thornton surveillance team works Adams County routinely.

Weekends add the mountains. A partner who says they are camping or skiing with friends may in fact be in Summit County, Estes Park or Steamboat Springs with someone else, and reaching them means crossing I-70 or US-40 in all kinds of weather. Colorado's chain and traction rules run from September through May, so we plan around closures and never promise a mountain timeline. When a weekend becomes a flight, our coordinators for out-of-state infidelity take over the planning in the destination state.

06Legal limits

Where Checking Up on a Partner Becomes Harassment or Stalking

Suspicion can push people to do things that create a criminal case of their own. Colorado's harassment statute, C.R.S. § 18-9-111, covers following a person in or about a public place with intent to harass, annoy or alarm, and it separately covers harassing texts, social media messages and repeated calls with no legitimate purpose. Stalking under § 18-3-602 goes further and includes repeatedly placing someone under surveillance in a way that causes serious emotional distress. Our Colorado legal limits guide explains the difference in plain English.

Recording is the other trap. Colorado requires the consent of only one participant, so you may generally record your own conversations, but secretly capturing a partner's calls with someone else can be wiretapping or eavesdropping. Professional surveillance is designed to stay well inside those lines: limited, purposeful shifts, no contact with the subject and no recording of private conversations. If you are on the receiving end of threatening messages from a partner or an ex, our cyber harassment investigations can help preserve the evidence lawfully.

07Vetting and price

Choosing an Investigator in Colorado and What a Partner Case Costs

Colorado required private investigators to hold a state license from 2015 until 2020, when the bill that would have continued the program was vetoed. There is no state license today, so anyone can advertise investigative services. Delator Group is a licensed Tennessee private investigation firm and applies Tennessee's standard to every Colorado file: insured, scoped in writing and reported for court use. Our vetting checklist for Colorado investigators lists the questions to ask any firm before you hire.

Field surveillance is billed at $100 per hour, the same as in Tennessee, with mileage and travel to mountain or rural counties disclosed up front. A basic background check on a new partner costs $102 and a deep-dive history $300. Most relationship cases begin with two or three targeted shifts rather than open-ended coverage, and no extra hours are worked without your written approval. The full schedule is on our Colorado pricing page, or you can speak with Delator leadership about your situation.

Services

Unmarried Partner Infidelity Services in Colorado

• Partner surveillanceEvening and weekend coverage timed to the hours your partner cannot explain, with photographs and a plain written account of every stop.Learn more
• Fiance and new-partner checksPublic-records research on criminal history, prior relationships of record, civil judgments and identity, from a $102 basic check to a $300 deep dive.Learn more
• Lodging and rental coverageDocumentation of arrivals and departures at motels, hotels and short-term rentals, always from public areas and never at a guest-room door.Learn more
• Coworker relationship concernsObservation of off-site meetings with a colleague, handled quietly without contacting your partner's employer or coworkers, and without entering any place of work.Learn more
• Parenting-time documentationRecords of how a co-parent uses parenting time and who cares for the children, organized for a Colorado family law attorney.Learn more
• Out-of-state trip coverageCoordinated surveillance when a partner's travel crosses into Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico or anywhere a flight from Denver can reach.Learn more
• Harassment and stalking helpLawful evidence preservation and investigation when a relationship or breakup has turned into threats, unwanted contact or a suspected hidden tracking device.Learn more
• Shared-asset researchResearch into jointly funded property, vehicles and bank accounts when a breakup leaves money questions that you or your attorney need answered clearly.Learn more
• Papers for separating parentsService of parenting-case papers on the other parent by Delator Field Services, with time-stamped attempts and a signed affidavit of service.Learn more

How it works

How an Unmarried Partner Investigation Works

1. 01

   Private conversation

   You explain what changed, your partner's routine and vehicles, and what would settle the question for you. We tell you honestly whether surveillance, a records check or both make sense.

2. 02

   Plan and price in writing

   We propose specific shifts or research steps, confirm the hours, travel and total cost in writing, and wait for your approval before assigning an investigator.

3. 03

   Quiet fieldwork

   Investigators observe from public places, rotate vehicles, adjust for weather and traffic, and send brief updates only through the private channel you selected at the start.

4. 04

   Clear written report

   You receive a dated narrative with photographs and a candid note of any gaps, written so that you, or an attorney if needed, can rely on it.

Compare

Common Unmarried Partner Cases in Colorado

Statewide coverage

Relationship Investigations Throughout Colorado

Partner cases come from every corner of the state. Larimer County files go to our Fort Collins private investigators, and Weld County work is handled by the Greeley investigators. In the south, our Pueblo surveillance team covers Pueblo County and the I-25 corridor toward Walsenburg, while west-metro assignments go to the Arvada investigators. Mountain, Western Slope and Eastern Plains cases are scheduled as separate field trips with travel priced first, and every report uses the same format regardless of county.

• Boulder
• Fort Collins
• Denver
• Westminster
• Greeley
• Pueblo
• All of Colorado

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Every service

Investigations available in Colorado

Every service below is available in Colorado and across Colorado, run by the same Delator Group leadership that manages our Tennessee casework. Choose a service to read how it works in Colorado.

Service areas

Private investigators across Colorado