The legal separation will begin in Colorado after you and your spouse fulfill all the requirements for the separation process. The couple will file a request for a legal separation with the court. The court then requires that a 90-day waiting period must occur after the filing before the court can act on the request. During this time, the spouses should work on the negotiations for the legal separation and create the separation agreement. If the two of you cannot finalize the separation agreement, the court can make the decisions for you after the 90-day period passes. Then, once the court comes to a final ruling on the separation agreement and makes it into a court order, it becomes official.