The figures on this page are general estimates. Laws, fees, thresholds, and prices differ by state and change often, and your own situation may change the result. Before you act, confirm the current numbers and rules for Colorado with a licensed professional — an attorney, tax advisor, or licensed agent as appropriate. Reading this page does not create a professional relationship.
This page is built to print. Use your browser's Print command and choose "Save as PDF" for a one-page Colorado reference. Every figure below is compiled from the statutes and state authorities listed at the bottom — the same sources cited on our Colorado probate pages.
Colorado probate fees
| Item | Colorado |
|---|---|
| Court filing fee | Add publication of notice to creditors and certified copies (Letters Testamentary). |
| Attorney fees | Not statutory. Colorado is a Uniform Probate Code state, so there is no fixed percentage. Attorneys charge hourly or a flat fee, and the fee must be 'reasonable.' Under C.R.S. §15-10-602 and §15-10-603, an attorney who provides services to an estate is entitled to reasonable compensation, and the court can review fees for reasonableness on request. |
| Executor / personal representative fees | Not statutory. The personal representative is entitled to 'reasonable compensation' for services — Colorado has no California-style percentage schedule. Colorado courts cannot simply award a flat percentage; reasonableness depends on the estate's size and complexity and the time and skill involved. The former §15-12-719 was repealed and folded into the general reasonable-compensation provisions at C.R.S. §15-10-601 et seq.; family representatives often waive the fee. |
| Fee basis | reasonable |
Worked example
On a $500,000 Colorado estate there is no statutory percentage. Because the fee must be reasonable, a personal representative's charge is measured by hours and responsibility rather than by a percentage of the estate — but the probate court can reduce a fee it finds unreasonable.
Colorado thresholds and deadlines
| Item | Colorado |
|---|---|
| Small-estate threshold | No Colorado figure is stated in this field. The governing provision is §15-10-112,, §15-12-1201. The figure previously stated here was never verified against a statute or an independent publisher: its only source was a commercial reproduction of the code, and Colorado law cannot be read at a primary source from the environment this page was checked in. It is recorded in data/withdrawn-figures.json as co-small-estate-note, so it cannot return to any page without failing the build. |
| Creditor claim period | Four months after the first publication of notice to creditors under C.R.S. §15-12-801, but not always a full four months: §15-12-801(1) requires the published notice to name a date no earlier than four months from first publication or one year from the date of death, whichever occurs first, so where death preceded publication by more than eight months the bar falls earlier. A creditor given written notice has the later of that published date or 60 days after the notice was mailed or delivered, and in no case later than one year from the date of death (§15-12-801(2)). Claims arising before death are barred one year after the date of death under C.R.S. §15-12-803(1)(a)(III). |
| Statutory floor (creditor period) | Four months after the first publication of notice to creditors under C.R.S. §15-12-801, but not always a full four months: §15-12-801(1) requires the published notice to name a date no earlier than four months from first publication or one year from the date of death, whichever occurs first, so where death preceded publication by more than eight months the bar falls earlier. A creditor given written notice has the later of that published date or 60 days after the notice was mailed or delivered, and in no case later than one year from the date of death (§15-12-801(2)). Claims arising before death are barred one year after the date of death under C.R.S. §15-12-803(1)(a)(III). |
| Simplified real-property transfer | Colorado's collection-by-affidavit procedure is limited to personal property and cannot be used to transfer real estate. To avoid probate on a home, owners use a beneficiary (transfer-on-death) deed under C.R.S. §15-15-401 et seq. or a living trust. |
| Transfer-on-death deed | Colorado allows a beneficiary deed (its form of transfer-on-death deed) for real estate under C.R.S. §15-15-401 et seq. The owner records a deed naming a grantee-beneficiary before death; the owner keeps full control and can revoke it any time, and the property passes to the beneficiary at death outside probate. |
What passes outside Colorado probate
These transfers are not part of the estate the fees above are calculated on:
- Beneficiary designations — retirement accounts, life insurance, payable-on-death accounts.
- Joint ownership with right of survivorship.
- Transfer-on-death deed — Colorado allows a beneficiary deed (its form of transfer-on-death deed) for real estate under C.R.S. §15-15-401 et seq. The owner records a deed naming a grantee-beneficiary before death; the owner keeps full control and can revoke it any time, and the property passes to the beneficiary at death outside probate.
- Assets titled into a funded living trust.
Sources for this sheet
- Statutes: C.R.S. §15-10-601 et seq. (reasonable compensation); C.R.S. §15-12-1201 (collection of personal property by affidavit); C.R.S. §15-12-801 (notice to creditors); C.R.S. §15-12-803 (limitations on presentation of claims); C.R.S. §15-15-401 et seq. (beneficiary deed)
- State authority: Colorado Judicial Branch (courts.state.co.us)
- Creditor claim period: https://colorado.public.law/statutes/crs_15-12-801
- Transfer-on-death deed: https://colorado.public.law/statutes/crs_15-15-401
- Court filing fees: https://www.courts.state.co.us/userfiles/file/Administration/ITS/EFiling/FILING_FEES_SURCHARGES_AND_COSTS_IN_COLORADO_STATE_COURTS.pdf
Compiled August 15, 2026 from the sources listed above. Fee schedules, thresholds, and court costs are amended by legislatures and courts — confirm each figure against the cited statute or the Colorado court before relying on it.
The full Colorado guides
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How Much Does Probate Cost in Colorado? — the full cost breakdown.
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How Much Does an Executor Get Paid in Colorado? — the fee rule in detail.
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How Long Does Probate Take in Colorado? — the timeline and its statutory floor.
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How to Avoid Probate in Colorado — the transfers that pass outside it.
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How Much Does a Will Cost in Colorado? — execution requirements and pricing.
Fee sheets for other states
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This sheet sets out Colorado probate figures as published at the time of compilation. It is not legal advice. Figures and statutes change and their application depends on the specific estate. Confirm current figures with the Colorado courts or a licensed Colorado attorney.