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Colorado source record

Every source behind the Colorado guide

8 primary records, quoted verbatim and checked against 32 named presence or absence conditions that must pass against the live government text. Open the record, read the words the publishing body actually used, and confirm the current rule for yourself.

Last full re-fetch September 15, 2026

What each source establishes

The Colorado guide rests on the source-backed rules this site can verify for the state: which simplified procedure exists and what it limits, what the court charges, how the person administering the estate may be paid, and the statutory creditor-deadline clocks the official text states.Every published rule below is quoted in the publisher’s own words rather than summarised.

Simplified-procedure rule

C.R.S. 15-12-1201

Colorado General Assembly (Office of Legislative Legal Services) · Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 · Verified August 9, 2026

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 codified figure is expressed as a formula (twice the 15-11-403 amount, CPI-adjusted per 15-10-112); the operative dollar cap is published per year of death by the Judiciary in JDF 998 (source co-small-estate-current).

What was published from this source

  • CO C.R.S. 15-12-1201

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • small-estate formula
  • ten-day wait
  • no PR pending disqualifier
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Simplified-procedure rule

C.R.S. 15-11-403

Colorado General Assembly (Office of Legislative Legal Services) · Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 · Verified August 9, 2026

On and after January 1, 2012, the decedent's surviving spouse is entitled to exempt property from the estate in the form of cash in the amount of or other property of the estate in the value of thirty thousand dollars

What was published from this source

  • CO C.R.S. 15-11-403

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • base amount thirty thousand
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Threshold indexing rule

C.R.S. 15-10-112

Colorado General Assembly (Office of Legislative Legal Services) · Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 · Verified August 9, 2026

these dollar amounts must be increased or decreased if the CPI for the calendar year immediately preceding the year of death exceeds or is less than the reference base index.

What this means: Establishes the CPI-U indexing mechanism; the reference base index is the CPI for calendar year 2010 and the department of revenue publishes a cumulative list of the adjusted amounts before February 1 each year.

What was published from this source

  • CO C.R.S. 15-10-112

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • cpi indexing mechanism
  • reference base 2010
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Simplified-procedure rule

JDF 998; operative amount under C.R.S. 15-12-1201 / 15-10-112

Colorado Judicial Branch · R: March 19, 2026 · Verified August 9, 2026

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: Judiciary-published operative figures; used because the statute states the cap only as an indexed formula. $88,000 is specific to 2026 deaths and must not be frozen as a timeless threshold.

What was published from this source

  • CO JDF 998; operative amount under C.R.S. 15-12-1201 / 15-10-112

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • affidavit conditions
  • 2026 operative amount
  • year-of-death table
  • section identity

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Court cost rule

Colorado Judicial Branch fee schedule; C.R.S. 13-32-102(1)(b),(7)

Colorado Judicial Branch · Publisher states no currentness signal; manual session review required · Verified August 9, 2026

1st Filing for: Decedent's Estate (not small estates) Guardianship/Conservatorship Personal Injury Settlement Petition to Accept Transfer $229 13-32-102(1)(b), (7) Small Estate $113 13-32-102(1)(a), (7)

What this means: Statewide judiciary fee list; the page states no edition or revision date, so currentness is a disclosed limitation.

What was published from this source

  • CO Colorado Judicial Branch fee schedule; C.R.S. 13-32-102(1)(b),(7)

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • decedent estate first filing 229
  • small estate 113
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Executor compensation rule

C.R.S. 15-10-602

Colorado General Assembly (Office of Legislative Legal Services) · Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 · Verified August 9, 2026

A fiduciary and his or her lawyer are entitled to reasonable compensation for services rendered on behalf of an estate.

What this means: The former percentage-schedule sections 15-12-719 and 15-12-721 are both repealed; compensation is now the reasonable-compensation standard under 15-10-602 subject to the court's determination of reasonableness.

What was published from this source

  • CO C.R.S. 15-10-602

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • reasonable compensation standard
  • court determines reasonableness
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Creditor deadline rule

C.R.S. 15-12-801

Colorado General Assembly (Office of Legislative Legal Services) · Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 · Verified August 9, 2026

a date not earlier than four months from date of first publication or the date one year from date of death, whichever occurs first

What was published from this source

  • CO C.R.S. 15-12-801

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • publication bar date floor
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Creditor deadline rule

C.R.S. 15-12-803

Colorado General Assembly (Office of Legislative Legal Services) · Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 · Verified August 9, 2026

(I) As to creditors barred by publication, within the time set in the published notice to creditors; (II) As to creditors barred by written notice, within the time set in the written notice; (III) As to all creditors, within one year after the decedent's death.

What this means: Three separate triggers: publication-notice time, written-notice time, and a one-year-from-death outer nonclaim limit. Post-death claims are barred four months after they arise.

What was published from this source

  • CO C.R.S. 15-12-803

Conditions checked against the live text

Each condition below must be found in the page as the publisher currently serves it. If any one of them stops matching, the build fails and the figure is withheld rather than published from memory.

  • publication trigger
  • written notice trigger
  • one year outer limit
  • section identity
  • section identity

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Colorado source decision map

How the Colorado records fit together

The source record is most useful when each citation has a job. This map links the Colorado procedure, cost, compensation, and deadline records to the decision each one can and cannot answer.

QuestionRecorded Colorado answerCarry into the case
What route is being screened?Collection of personal property by affidavit (C.R.S. 15-12-1201)Confirm that the will, prior appointment, family facts, and asset titles fit this route.
What property and basis count?personal probate property only; net of enforceable liens and encumbrances.Keep real property, liens, beneficiary transfers, and survivorship transfers classified separately.
What is the amount screen?$88,000 for deaths from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026Use the counted property, not a bank-balance shortcut.
What is the time or deadline record?10 days after death; Colorado runs multiple independent, separately-triggered deadlines that cannot be reduced to one honest day count. C.R.S. 15-12-801 requires published notice (at least once during each of three successive weeks) fixing a bar date not earlier than four months from first publication or one year from death, whichever occurs first. C.R.S. 15-12-803(1)(a) bars pre-death claims: (I) creditors barred by publication within the time set in the published notice; (II) creditors barred by written notice within the time set in the written notice; (III) as to all creditors within one year after the decedent's death (outer nonclaim limit). Post-death claims are barred four months after they arise / after PR performance is due (15-12-803(2)).Keep the event that starts each clock with the date; do not combine separate periods into one number.
What does the cost record establish?$229 is the recorded statewide amount.Ask the District Court (Denver Probate Court in the City and County of Denver) about local surcharges, copies, publication, bond, and later filings.
What does compensation use?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. The relevant base is the estate accounting.Keep the will, task log, receipts, and accounting base together; extraordinary work is separate.

Decision boundary

What the Colorado source set does not silently decide

The Colorado records establish the rules listed above, but they do not turn a source citation into advice about title, family priority, tax filing, contested proceedings, or the exact clerk practice in every county. Those questions stay with the official court or a qualified adviser. The useful next step is to match the question to the citation rather than treating the longest quote as the answer to every estate problem.

Arithmetic illustration

See the Colorado amount screen without mistaking it for a result

The recorded Colorado ceiling is $88,000 for deaths from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, and it is tested against personal probate property only, on a basis this site records as net of enforceable liens and encumbrances. Counted that way, $66,000 sits below the Colorado figure and $110,000 sits above it. Both are comparisons to a published number rather than legal outcomes: two estates holding the same total can land on opposite sides of this line, because what Colorado counts and how it values it are decided before the comparison is made.

Illustrative counted amountComparison to the Colorado ceilingWhat it does not decide
$66,000Below $88,000 for deaths from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026Title, liens, waiting period, appointment, or creditor duties
$110,000Above $88,000 for deaths from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026Whether another statutory route or court process applies

Next evidence to collect

Open the quoted record for the row you rely on and check the publisher's current text before filing.

  1. Record the date of death, the county, and the exact proceeding or affidavit being considered.
  2. Classify each asset by title, beneficiary, trust, real-property status, and the value basis shown above.
  3. Open the official court material below and keep its form or schedule with the estate record.
  4. Do not distribute property until the route, creditor position, and required approvals are resolved.

Official 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.

Source trail

Records used by this Colorado map

What Colorado courts publish

The statutes on this page state the rule. These are the documents the court itself publishes. Every link is probed before release, and any link that stops resolving fails the build rather than staying on the page.

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.

Checking these Colorado records against the publishers

Every citation above links to the body that publishes it, and every quoted sentence is reproduced exactly, so a text search on the publisher’s own page should land on it. Where the publisher’s current wording differs from what is recorded here, the publisher governs and this page is wrong; naming the citation and the language you see maps the difference onto a specific condition rather than a general complaint. The full procedure, including how a source qualifies in the first place and what disqualifies one, is set out once on the methodology page instead of being restated on each of the254 state records.

These records cover the cost and route questions this site answers for Colorado. They do not cover intestate succession shares, spousal and family allowances, creditor priority, tax filing obligations, real-property transfer mechanics, or contested proceedings. Where an answer would require one of those, the site says so rather than estimating.

Return to the Colorado estate guide ·All 254 records ·Dataset overview and citation ·How sources are selected