Simplified route
$88,000
Collection of personal property by affidavit (C.R.S. 15-12-1201); usable 10 days after death.
Eligibility and caveatsColorado estate administration
Colorado probate: rules, process, costs, executor fees and deadlines
To open a Colorado probate estate, file in the district court for the county where the person lived; Denver County filings go to Denver Probate Court. Colorado Judicial Branch instructions. Estimate this estate.
Small-estate limit: $88,000
That figure applies to deaths in 2026. Colorado sets this ceiling by the decedent’s date of death, so an earlier death is measured against a different amount.
In Colorado, estates up to $88,000 (2026 deaths) can use the small-estate route; executor pay is whatever the court finds reasonable (C.R.S. 15-10-602); and claims arising before death close one year after it, sooner once notice is published. Colorado allows an out-of-court affidavit to collect a decedent's personal property when the estate is within an inflation-indexed cap. Formal probate opens in the District Court, except that Denver County has a dedicated Denver Probate Court.
Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Sources rechecked October 3, 2026. This page last revised .
Answer first
Colorado simplified probate route
Up to $88,000; usable 10 days after death. Source: JDF 998; operative amount under C.R.S. 15-12-1201 / 15-10-112.
Collection of personal property by affidavit (C.R.S. 15-12-1201)How do you open a probate estate in Colorado?
Colorado's court instructions describe formal and informal opening procedures. In an informal opening the probate registrar reviews the paperwork without a hearing; formal opening involves court review and an opportunity for interested people to raise disagreements. Find the forms and filing steps in the judicial branch guide.
How long does probate take in Colorado?
The duration depends on the estate and its claims. The notice to creditors sets a claim date under C.R.S. 15-12-801; see the Colorado timeline for the separate deadlines and their triggers.
No combined Colorado probate total
The District Court (Denver Probate Court in the City and County of Denver) filing charge is statewide: $229 (Colorado Judicial Branch fee schedule; C.R.S. 13-32-102(1)(b),(7)). Executor pay is reasonable compensation (C.R.S. 15-10-602), not a rate. Each side in full: Colorado probate filing cost and Colorado executor fees.
Screen a specific Colorado estate with the calculators on the small-estate page, or compare states in the full estate navigator.
What the reviewed rules establish
Court cost
$229
1 published schedule, itemised on the filing-cost page.
Filing-cost detailExecutor compensation
Court-reviewed
No percentage schedule; the court decides what is reasonable. Source: C.R.S. 15-10-602.
Colorado has no statutory percentage schedule. C.R.S. 15-10-602(1) entitles a fiduciary and his or her lawyer to reasonable compensation for services rendered on behalf of an estate, and 15-10-602(4) preserves the court's inherent authority and responsibility to determine the reasonableness of compensation and costs. The former schedule sections 15-12-719 and 15-12-721 are both repealed. A court must order refund of excessive compensation.
C.R.S. 15-10-602, Recovery of reasonable compensation and costs (Colorado General Assembly (Office of Legislative Legal Services)).
The section’s own words
A fiduciary and his or her lawyer are entitled to reasonable compensation for services rendered on behalf of an estate.
Creditor deadline
Multiple triggers
C.R.S. 15-12-801 (Colorado General Assembly (Office of Legislative Legal Services); reviewed August 9, 2026)
Timeline and creditor detailsColorado decision map
The four facts that change the Colorado route
Each Colorado answer below links to the page that sets out its source.
| Question | Recorded Colorado answer |
|---|---|
| What route is being screened? | Collection of personal property by affidavit (C.R.S. 15-12-1201) |
| What property and basis count? | personal probate property only; net of enforceable liens and encumbrances. |
| What is the amount screen? | $88,000 for deaths from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026 |
| What is the time or deadline record? | 10 days after death; creditor deadlines: separate clocks by triggering event |
| What does the cost record establish? | $229 is the recorded statewide amount. |
| What does compensation use? | Reasonable compensation set by the court, measured on the estate accounting. |
Limits and unresolved costs
- Colorado's small-estate cap is set by the decedent's YEAR OF DEATH, not a single timeless figure. The Colorado Judicial Branch table JDF 998 publishes the operative amount per year: $88,000 for 2026 deaths, $86,000 for 2025 deaths, and $82,000 for 2024 deaths (earlier years are lower - 2023 $80,000; 2022 $74,000; 2020-2021 $70,000). A death in an earlier year must use that year's figure: a 2025 estate of $87,000, for example, does NOT qualify even though it is under the 2026 cap. Always check JDF 998 for the year of death.
- Colorado's filing fees come from the Judicial Branch's fee list, which shows no revision date; the statute behind them is C.R.S. 13-32-102. Confirm the fee with the district court clerk before you file.
Continue
What Colorado courts publish
Each link goes to the court’s own page and is checked before every release.
- Official formCollection of Personal Property by Affidavit (JDF 998/999)Colorado Judicial Branch
- Fee scheduleColorado Judicial Branch List of FeesColorado Judicial Branch
- Self-help centreOpen an EstateColorado Judicial Branch
- Court resourceTrial Courts by CountyColorado Judicial Branch
Limits on court material
- JDF 999 is the statewide collection-by-affidavit form; JDF 998 is the instruction guide that publishes the year-of-death cap.
- Probate opens in District Court in every county except the City and County of Denver, which uses the separate Denver Probate Court.
Colorado primary sources
Each rule on the Colorado pages comes from one of these 8 sources; the citation opens the publisher’s own text. All were last rechecked October 3, 2026.
Simplified-procedure rule
C.R.S. 15-12-1201, Collection of personal property by affidavit.
Simplified-procedure rule
C.R.S. 15-11-403, Exempt property (indexing base).
Threshold indexing rule
C.R.S. 15-10-112, Cost of living adjustment of certain dollar amounts.
Simplified-procedure rule
JDF 998; operative amount under C.R.S. 15-12-1201 / 15-10-112, JDF 998 - Guide to Collecting a Decedent's Personal Property (year-of-death cap).
Court cost rule
Colorado Judicial Branch fee schedule; C.R.S. 13-32-102(1)(b),(7), Colorado Judicial Branch - List of Fees (Probate Case Fees).
Executor compensation rule
C.R.S. 15-10-602, Recovery of reasonable compensation and costs.
Creditor deadline rule
C.R.S. 15-12-801, Notice to creditors.
Creditor deadline rule
C.R.S. 15-12-803, Limitations on presentation of claims.
Sources rechecked October 3, 2026: Colorado source list · how sources are checked · report a correction