Colorado Personal Representative Duties

Colorado personal representative duties start with appointment, not with the will. Being named executor in a will gives you nothing to show a bank. Your authority begins when the court appoints you and issues letters, and the duties of the office begin at the same moment under C.R.S. 15-12-701. You file in the district court for the county where the person lived. Colorado runs probate through its 23 judicial districts, with one exception: in the City and County of Denver, the standalone Denver Probate Court handles every estate.

Colorado adopted the Uniform Probate Code, so most estates run informally and unsupervised. The court appoints you, hands you letters, and then steps back. Under C.R.S. 15-12-704 you settle and distribute the estate without court orders unless you or an interested person asks the court to step in. That freedom cuts both ways. Nobody reminds you of the 30 day notice or the 3 month inventory clock, and you carry fiduciary liability if you skip a step.

This guide walks the duties in deadline order. Use it with the Colorado probate guide for how the proceeding itself works, the Colorado probate timeline for the dated milestones, and the Colorado probate hub to find the district court for your county.

Letters Come First: Appointment Starts Your Authority

Under C.R.S. 15-12-701, the duties and powers of a personal representative commence upon appointment. The statute also lets your authority relate back, so acts you took before appointment that benefited the estate, like securing the house or paying for the funeral, count as if you were already appointed.

Before anyone is appointed, the will has to reach the court. Under C.R.S. 15-11-516, whoever holds the will must deliver it to the court with probate jurisdiction in the county where the person lived within ten days after the death, or as soon as the death becomes known to them. Lodging the will is a duty of the custodian, and it applies even if no probate ever opens.

You then apply for appointment in the proper court. Venue under C.R.S. 15-12-201 is the county where the person was domiciled at death. Most applicants use informal appointment, which the court registrar can grant without a hearing under C.R.S. 15-12-307. With a will you receive letters testamentary; without one you receive letters of administration. Colorado law calls both roles the personal representative, and every duty below applies the same way to each. (Source: C.R.S. 15-12-701, 15-11-516, 15-12-201, and 15-12-307, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 15, olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-15.pdf.)

What a Colorado Personal Representative Does

Once appointed, you are a fiduciary. C.R.S. 15-12-703 holds you to the standards of care that apply to trustees, and it directs you to settle and distribute the estate as expeditiously and efficiently as the best interests of the estate allow. You follow the will if there is one, the intestacy statutes if there is not, and you act for the benefit of creditors and beneficiaries rather than yourself.

The duty list runs in this order:

1. Send the information of appointment to heirs and devisees within 30 days
2. Prepare the inventory within three months
3. Publish notice to creditors and handle claims
4. Take possession of, protect, and manage the property
5. Distribute the estate and close it, usually by sworn statement

Check whether full administration is even needed before you start. Assets with a named beneficiary, joint tenancy property, and accounts with payable-on-death terms pass outside probate. An estate with no real estate and personal property under the statutory limit may qualify for the Colorado small estate affidavit instead of a court appointment.

Duty 1: Send the Information of Appointment Within 30 Days

Your first deadline lands fast. Under C.R.S. 15-12-705, not later than 30 days after appointment you must give information of your appointment to the heirs and the devisees. You deliver it or send it by ordinary mail to each person whose address you can reasonably find.

The statute spells out the contents. The notice states your name, address, and date of appointment, the date of death, whether the person died testate or intestate, whether a bond was filed, and whether administration is supervised. It also tells recipients that estate papers, including the inventory, are on file with the court or available from you, that interested persons may request an accounting, that a surviving spouse, minor children, and dependent children may be entitled to exempt property and a family allowance, and that the court will not review the estate on its own, so each person must protect their own interests by filing with the court.

Two follow-through points matter. You must file a copy of the information with the court along with a statement of when and to whom you sent it, under C.R.S. 15-12-705(3). And failing to send it is a breach of your duty to the people involved, even though it does not invalidate your appointment or powers. Keep the mailing list and dates with your estate records. (Source: C.R.S. 15-12-705, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 15, olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-15.pdf.)

Duty 2: Prepare the Inventory Within Three Months

Under C.R.S. 15-12-706, you must prepare an inventory of the property the person owned at death within three months after your appointment. Each item gets reasonable detail, its fair market value as of the date of death, and the type and amount of any lien or encumbrance against it. You sign the inventory under oath or affirmation that it is complete and accurate so far as you know.

Colorado gives you a choice on where it goes. You may send a copy to interested persons who request it, or you may file the original with the court. If the heirs are unknown, you also mail a copy to the attorney general within the same three months. You may hire disinterested appraisers for hard-to-value assets under C.R.S. 15-12-707, and you list their names on the inventory. If property turns up later, or a value proves wrong, C.R.S. 15-12-708 requires a supplementary inventory.

Build the worksheet early. For each asset capture the title or account number, the date of death value, the source document, and any beneficiary or joint owner. The Colorado probate timeline shows how the three month inventory clock fits against the other deadlines. (Source: C.R.S. 15-12-706 to 15-12-708, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 15, olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-15.pdf.)

Duty 3: Publish Notice to Creditors and Handle Claims

Unless a year or more has passed since the death, C.R.S. 15-12-801 directs you to publish a notice to creditors in a newspaper in the county where the estate is being administered. The notice runs at least three times, once in each of three successive calendar weeks. It sets a claim deadline no earlier than four months after the date of first publication, or one year after the death, whichever comes first.

You may also mail or deliver written notice to a known creditor. A creditor who receives written notice must present the claim by the later of the published deadline or 60 days after the mailing, and never later than one year after the death. The one year mark is the backstop: under C.R.S. 15-12-803, claims that arose before death are barred one year after the death even if no notice was ever given.

Handling claims well protects you personally. If you distribute the estate and a valid, timely claim surfaces afterward, the shortfall can land on you. Wait out the claim period, resolve or formally disallow disputed claims, and document the dates. The Colorado creditor claims guide covers presentment, disallowance, and priority step by step. (Source: C.R.S. 15-12-801 and 15-12-803, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 15, olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-15.pdf.)

Duty 4: Take Possession of, Protect, and Manage the Property

C.R.S. 15-12-709 gives you the right and the duty to take possession or control of the estate property. You may leave real estate or tangible items with the person presumptively entitled to them, unless you judge that you need possession to administer the estate. You pay the taxes on the property and take the steps reasonably necessary to manage, protect, and preserve it. That means securing the house, keeping insurance in force, and moving estate cash into an estate account, never your own.

Your powers match the responsibility. Under C.R.S. 15-12-711 you hold the same power over title that an absolute owner would have, in trust for creditors and beneficiaries, and you may exercise it without a court order. The flip side sits in C.R.S. 15-12-712: improper exercise of power makes you liable to interested persons for resulting damage or loss, to the same extent as a trustee. Self-dealing draws extra scrutiny, because C.R.S. 15-12-713 makes sales or encumbrances to yourself, your spouse, your agent, or your attorney voidable unless the will allows it, everyone affected consents, or the court approves. (Source: C.R.S. 15-12-709 to 15-12-713, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 15, olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-15.pdf.)

Duty 5: Distribute the Estate and Close It

Distribution comes last. Before you hand anything over, walk this checklist:

1. Has the 30 day information gone out and been filed with the court?
2. Is the inventory done and sent or filed?
3. Has the creditor claim period run, with claims paid, settled, or disallowed?
4. Are exempt property and family allowance claims for the spouse, minor children, or dependent children handled?
5. Are final income tax returns filed or planned?
6. Do you have receipts ready for each distributee?

When the estate is ready, you distribute under the will or, with no will, under the Colorado intestate succession statutes. Then you close. Most personal representatives use the sworn closing statement under C.R.S. 15-12-1003. You may file it no earlier than six months after your original appointment or one year after the death, whichever comes first. In it you verify that you fully administered the estate, paid or arranged for claims and taxes, distributed the assets, sent a copy to the distributees and to unbarred creditors, and gave a full written account to the distributees affected. If no proceeding involving you is pending one year after you file it, your appointment terminates on its own. A formal court-ordered closing under C.R.S. 15-12-1001 is available when you want a binding order instead. (Source: C.R.S. 15-12-1001 and 15-12-1003, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 15, olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-15.pdf.)

How a Colorado Personal Representative Gets Paid

Colorado sets no percentage fee and no fee schedule. The old compensation section, C.R.S. 15-12-719, was repealed in 2011, so any site quoting it is out of date. Compensation now runs through C.R.S. 15-10-602, which entitles a fiduciary to reasonable compensation for services to the estate, paid from estate funds without a court order unless the court restricts it.

What counts as reasonable comes from C.R.S. 15-10-603. The court weighs the time and labor required, the skill involved, the compensation customarily charged in the community for similar work, the nature and size of the estate, the results obtained, and your prior experience, among other listed factors. One procedural duty hides here: your application for appointment must disclose the basis on which you and your lawyer will charge the estate, under C.R.S. 15-10-602(9), and you must update that disclosure if the basis changes. Keep time records from day one. The Colorado probate costs guide covers paying yourself as personal representative alongside the filing fees. (Source: C.R.S. 15-10-602 and 15-10-603, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 15, olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-15.pdf.)

Common Questions

Is an executor the same as a personal representative in Colorado?

Yes. Colorado statute uses one term, personal representative, whether you were named in a will and hold letters testamentary or were appointed without a will and hold letters of administration. The duties are identical.

Which court appoints the personal representative?

The district court for the county where the person lived, in one of Colorado's 23 judicial districts. The exception is the City and County of Denver, where the standalone Denver Probate Court handles probate.

What are the first deadlines after appointment?

Send the information of appointment to heirs and devisees within 30 days under C.R.S. 15-12-705, then finish the inventory within three months under C.R.S. 15-12-706.

Do I have to file the inventory with the court?

Not always. C.R.S. 15-12-706 lets you either file the original with the court or send copies to interested persons who request one. Many unsupervised estates keep the inventory out of the court file.

How much does a Colorado personal representative get paid?

Reasonable compensation under C.R.S. 15-10-602, judged by the factors in C.R.S. 15-10-603. There is no statutory percentage, and the appointment application must disclose how fees will be charged.

When can I close the estate?

You may file the sworn closing statement under C.R.S. 15-12-1003 no earlier than six months after your appointment or one year after the death, whichever comes first, and only after claims, taxes, and distributions are handled.

This guide is general information about Colorado estates. It is not legal advice. Confirm anything that affects your situation with the district court or Denver Probate Court handling the estate, the current statutes, or a licensed Colorado attorney.

Sources

Sources:

• Title: Colorado Revised Statutes, official public access page. Publisher: Colorado General Assembly. Publication Date: Current official code, accessed 2026-06-10. URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/colorado-revised-statutes
• Title: Colorado Revised Statutes 2025, Title 15, Probate, Trusts, and Fiduciaries, including C.R.S. 15-12-701 to 15-12-718 (personal representative duties), 15-12-705 (information to heirs and devisees), and 15-12-706 (inventory). Publisher: Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services. Publication Date: 2025 edition, accessed 2026-06-10. URL: https://olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-15.pdf
• Title: C.R.S. 15-12-801 and 15-12-803, notice to creditors and limitations on presentation of claims, Colorado Revised Statutes 2025 Title 15. Publisher: Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services. Publication Date: 2025 edition, accessed 2026-06-10. URL: https://olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-15.pdf
• Title: C.R.S. 15-10-602 and 15-10-603, recovery of reasonable compensation and reasonableness factors, Colorado Revised Statutes 2025 Title 15. Publisher: Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services. Publication Date: 2025 edition, accessed 2026-06-10. URL: https://olls.info/crs/crs2025-title-15.pdf
• Title: Open an Estate. Publisher: Colorado Judicial Branch. Publication Date: Current official self-help resource, accessed 2026-06-10. URL: https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/self-help/open-estate