Colorado law (C.R.S. 18-6-800.3) defines domestic violence as “an act or threatened act of violence upon a person with whom the actor is or has been involved in an intimate relationship.” The law also defines:
Domestic violence as any act against property, including an animal, that is used to coerce, punish, intimidate or enact revenge upon a person with whom the actor is in an intimate relationship.
An intimate relationship as any relationship between spouses, current or former unmarried couples, or unmarried parents of a child (regardless of whether they have ever lived together).
Please note that domestic abuse is not a stand-alone crime. Instead, it is a sentencing enhancer that’s added to other criminal charges, like assault or stalking.