Colorado route screening
$88,000 applies to a death in 2026. The screening tool below will not return a figure until a date of death is entered, because measuring an older estate against today’s ceiling would give a confident wrong answer. Basis: C.R.S. s 15-10-112 cost-of-living adjustment, published by year of death on Colorado Judicial form JDF 998.
Sources reviewed August 9, 2026. Sources rechecked October 3, 2026. This page last revised .
A successor may collect a decedent's personal property by presenting an affidavit (no court filing) once at least ten days have elapsed since death, no personal representative is appointed or pending, and the fair market value of property subject to disposition by will or intestacy, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed twice the C.R.S. 15-11-403 amount as CPI-adjusted under C.R.S. 15-10-112. The Colorado Judicial Branch (JDF 998) publishes the operative cap by year of death: $88,000 for 2026 deaths. This is an inflation-indexed, year-specific amount, not a permanent threshold, and the affidavit does not transfer real estate.
Where the limit comes from
This limit is date-dependent. The latest published band is $88,000 for deaths from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026; earlier dates use the bands below.
Controlling citation: 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) (Colorado Judicial Branch; R: March 19, 2026).
Year of Death Amount 2026 $88,000 2025 $86,000 2024 $82,000 2023 $80,000 2022 $74,000 2020 & 2021 $70,000
The Colorado ceiling is not one timeless number. It is republished on a schedule, and the figure that governs an estate is the one in force on the day the person died — not the one in force today. Measuring an older estate against the current ceiling can report that it qualifies when the operative limit was lower, so the bands are set out in full below.
| Date of death | Ceiling |
|---|---|
| Deaths from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026 | $88,000 |
| Deaths from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 | $86,000 |
| Deaths from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024 | $82,000 |
How the figure is set: C.R.S. s 15-10-112 cost-of-living adjustment, published by year of death on Colorado Judicial form JDF 998.
For a death before 2024 see JDF 998, which lists the figure for each earlier year.
| Procedure | Collection of personal property by affidavit (C.R.S. 15-12-1201) |
|---|---|
| What counts | Personal property only; real property is outside this route |
| Value basis | Value less enforceable liens and encumbrances |
| Waiting period | 10 days after death |
The Colorado caveats that can change this answer are listed once, on the Colorado overview.
What a small-estate screen can and cannot decide, and which assets never enter it, is explained once in small-estate affidavit or probate and what counts as a probate asset.
JDF 998 - Guide to Collecting a Decedent's Personal Property (year-of-death cap)
Year of Death Amount 2026 $88,000 2025 $86,000 2024 $82,000 2023 $80,000 2022 $74,000 2020 & 2021 $70,000
What this means: The Judicial Branch's figure for each year of death, used because the statute states the cap only as a formula. $88,000 applies to 2026 deaths; other years have their own figure.
C.R.S. 15-12-1201 - Collection of personal property by affidavit
less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed twice the amount set forth in section 15-11-403, as adjusted by section 15-10-112; (b) At least ten days have elapsed since the death of the decedent; (c) No application or petition for the appointment of a personal representative is pending or has been granted in any jurisdiction;
What this means: The statute states the limit as a formula (twice the 15-11-403 amount, adjusted for inflation under 15-10-112); the dollar limit for each year of death is published by the Colorado Judicial Branch in table JDF 998.
Sources rechecked October 3, 2026: Colorado source list · how sources are checked · report a correction