2020 Colorado Revised Statutes
Title 15 - Probate, Trusts, And Fiduciaries
Article 12. Probate of Wills and Administration

• Section 15-12-101. Devolution of estate at death; restrictions.
• Section 15-12-102. Necessity of order of probate for will.
• Section 15-12-103. Necessity of appointment for administration.
• Section 15-12-104. Claims against decedent.
• Section 15-12-105. Proceedings affecting devolution and administration - jurisdiction of subject matter.
• Section 15-12-106. Proceedings within the exclusive jurisdiction of court - service jurisdiction over persons.
• Section 15-12-107. Scope of proceedings - proceedings independent - exception.
• Section 15-12-108. Probate, testacy, and appointment proceedings - ultimate time limit.
• Section 15-12-109. Statutes of limitations on decedent's cause of action.

• Section 15-12-201. Venue for first and subsequent estate proceedings - location of property.
• Section 15-12-202. (Reserved)
• Section 15-12-203. Priority among persons seeking appointment as personal representative.
• Section 15-12-204. Demand for notice of order or filing concerning decedent's estate.

• Section 15-12-301. Informal probate or appointment proceedings - application - contents.
• Section 15-12-302. Informal probate - duty of registrar - effect of informal probate.
• Section 15-12-303. Informal probate - proof and findings required.
• Section 15-12-304. Informal probate - unavailable in certain cases.
• Section 15-12-304. Informal probate - unavailable in certain cases.
• Section 15-12-305. Informal probate - registrar not satisfied.
• Section 15-12-306. Informal probate - notice and information requirements.
• Section 15-12-307. Informal appointment proceedings - delay in order - duty of registrar effect of appointment.
• Section 15-12-308. Informal appointment proceedings - proof and findings required.
• Section 15-12-309. Informal appointment proceedings - registrar not satisfied.
• Section 15-12-310. Informal appointment proceedings - notice requirements.
• Section 15-12-311. Informal appointment unavailable in certain cases.

Law reviews: For article, "Will Contests -- Some Procedural Aspects", see 15 Colo. Law. 787 (1986).

• Section 15-12-401. Formal testacy proceedings - nature - when commenced.
• Section 15-12-402. Formal testacy or appointment proceedings - petition - contents.
• Section 15-12-403. Formal testacy proceedings - notice of hearing on petition.
• Section 15-12-404. Formal testacy proceedings - written objections to probate.
• Section 15-12-405. Formal testacy proceedings - uncontested cases - hearings and proof.
• Section 15-12-406. Formal testacy proceedings - contested cases.
• Section 15-12-407. Formal testacy proceedings - burdens in contested cases.
• Section 15-12-408. Formal testacy proceedings - will construction - effect of final order in another jurisdiction.
• Section 15-12-409. Formal testacy proceedings - order - foreign will.
• Section 15-12-410. Formal testacy proceedings - probate of more than one instrument.
• Section 15-12-411. Formal testacy proceedings - partial intestacy.
• Section 15-12-412. Formal testacy proceedings - effect of order - vacation.
• Section 15-12-413. Formal testacy proceedings - vacation of order for other cause.
• Section 15-12-414. Formal proceedings concerning appointment of personal representative.

• Section 15-12-501. Supervised administration - nature of proceedings.
• Section 15-12-502. Supervised administration - petition - order.
• Section 15-12-503. Supervised administration - effect on other proceedings.
• Section 15-12-504. Supervised administration - powers of personal representative.
• Section 15-12-505. Supervised administration - interim orders - distribution and closing orders.

• Section 15-12-601. Qualification.
• Section 15-12-602. Acceptance of appointment - consent to jurisdiction.
• Section 15-12-603. Bond not required without court order - exceptions.
• Section 15-12-604. Bond amount - security - procedure - reduction.
• Section 15-12-605. Demand for bond by interested person.
• Section 15-12-606. Terms and conditions of bonds.
• Section 15-12-607. Order restraining personal representative.
• Section 15-12-608. Termination of appointment - general.
• Section 15-12-609. Termination of appointment - death or disability.
• Section 15-12-610. Termination of appointment - voluntary.
• Section 15-12-611. Termination of appointment by removal - cause - procedure.
• Section 15-12-612. Termination of appointment - change of testacy status.
• Section 15-12-613. Successor personal representative.
• Section 15-12-614. Special administrator - appointment.
• Section 15-12-615. Special administrator - who may be appointed.
• Section 15-12-616. Special administrator - appointed informally - powers and duties.
• Section 15-12-617. Special administrator - formal proceedings - power and duties.
• Section 15-12-618. Termination of appointment - special administrator.
• Section 15-12-619. Public administrator - appointment - oath - bond - deputy.
• Section 15-12-620. Public administrator - responsibility for protecting decedent's estate duty of persons holding property.
• Section 15-12-621. Public administrator - decedents' estates - areas of responsibility.
• Section 15-12-622. Public administrator - acting as conservator or trustee.
• Section 15-12-623. Public administrator - administration - reports - fees.

Law reviews: For article, "Choosing a Fiduciary", see 15 Colo. Law. 203 (1986); for article, "Ethical Problem Areas for Probate Lawyers", see 19 Colo. Law. 1069 (1990); for article, "Who's on First - The Client in Estate Administration", see 22 Colo. Law. 2393 (1993); for article, "A Personal Representative's Right to Participate in a Will Contest", see 33 Colo. Law. 57 (April 2004).

• Section 15-12-701. Time of accrual of duties and powers.
• Section 15-12-702. Priority among different letters.
• Section 15-12-703. General duties - relation and liability to persons interested in estate duty to search for a designated beneficiary agreement - standing to sue.
• Section 15-12-704. Personal representative to proceed without court order - exception.
• Section 15-12-705. Duty of personal representative - information to heirs and devisees.
• Section 15-12-706. Duty of personal representative - inventory and appraisement.
• Section 15-12-707. Employment of appraisers.
• Section 15-12-708. Duty of personal representative - supplementary inventory.
• Section 15-12-709. Duty of personal representative - possession of estate.
• Section 15-12-710. Power to avoid transfers.
• Section 15-12-711. Powers of personal representatives - in general.
• Section 15-12-712. Improper exercise of power - breach of fiduciary duty.
• Section 15-12-713. Sale, encumbrance, or transaction involving conflict of interest voidable - exceptions.
• Section 15-12-714. Persons dealing with personal representative - protection.
• Section 15-12-715. Transactions authorized for personal representatives - exceptions.
• Section 15-12-716. Powers and duties of successor personal representative.
• Section 15-12-717. Corepresentatives - when joint action required.
• Section 15-12-718. Powers of surviving personal representative.
• Section 15-12-719. Compensation of personal representative. (Repealed)
• Section 15-12-720. Expenses in estate litigation. (Repealed)
• Section 15-12-721. Proceedings for review of employment of agents and compensation of personal representatives and employees of estate. (Repealed)
• Section 15-12-722. Failure to comply with court orders - penalty. (Repealed)
• Section 15-12-723. Assets concealed or embezzled.

Law reviews: For article, "Creditors' Claims", see 13 Colo. Law. 1399 (1984); for article, "The Colorado Non-Claim Statute", see 21 Colo. Law. 45 (1992); for article, "Claims Against Decedents' Estates", see 27 Colo. Law. 45 (May 1998); for article, "Probate Jurisdiction for Creditors' Claims", see 29 Colo. Law. 57 (May 2000); for article, "Pre-Death Creditors' Claims Under the Colorado Probate Code: Part I", see 30 Colo. Law. 81 (Aug. 2001); for article, "Pre-Death Creditors' Claims Under the Colorado Probate Code: Part II", see 30 Colo. Law. 77 (Sept. 2001); for article, "New Developments in Creditor Claims Provisions of the Colorado Probate Code", see 35 Colo. Law. 67 (Dec. 2006); for article, "JDF 999 Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit Pursuant to CRS §§ 15-12-1201 and -1202", see 42 Colo. Law. 49 (June 2013).

• Section 15-12-801. Notice to creditors.
• Section 15-12-802. Statutes of limitations.
• Section 15-12-803. Limitations on presentation of claims.
• Section 15-12-804. Manner of presentation of claims.
• Section 15-12-805. Classification of claims.
• Section 15-12-806. Allowance of claims.
• Section 15-12-807. Payment of claims.
• Section 15-12-808. Individual liability of personal representative.
• Section 15-12-809. Secured claims.
• Section 15-12-810. Claims not due and contingent or unliquidated claims.
• Section 15-12-811. Counterclaims.
• Section 15-12-812. Execution and levies prohibited.
• Section 15-12-813. Compromise of claims.
• Section 15-12-814. Encumbered assets.
• Section 15-12-815. Administration in more than one state - duty of personal representative.
• Section 15-12-816. Final distribution to domiciliary representative.

• Section 15-12-901. Successors' rights if no administration.
• Section 15-12-902. Distribution - order in which assets appropriated - abatement.
• Section 15-12-903. Right of retainer.
• Section 15-12-904. Interest on general pecuniary devise.
• Section 15-12-905. Penalty clause for contest.
• Section 15-12-906. Distribution in kind - valuation - method.
• Section 15-12-907. Distribution in kind - evidence.
• Section 15-12-908. Distribution - right or title of distributee.
• Section 15-12-909. Improper distribution - liability of distributee.
• Section 15-12-910. Purchasers from distributees protected.
• Section 15-12-911. Partition for purpose of distribution.
• Section 15-12-912. Private agreements among successors to decedent binding on personal representative.
• Section 15-12-913. Distributions to trustee.
• Section 15-12-914. Disposition of unclaimed assets.
• Section 15-12-915. Distribution to person under disability.
• Section 15-12-916. Apportionment of estate taxes.

• Section 15-12-1001. Formal proceedings terminating administration - testate or intestate order of general protection.
• Section 15-12-1002. Formal proceedings terminating testate administration - order construing will without adjudicating testacy.
• Section 15-12-1003. Closing estates - by sworn statement of personal representative.
• Section 15-12-1004. Liability of distributees to claimants.
• Section 15-12-1005. Limitations on proceedings against personal representative.
• Section 15-12-1006. Limitations on actions and proceedings against distributees.
• Section 15-12-1007. Certificate discharging liens securing fiduciary performance.
• Section 15-12-1008. Subsequent administration.
• Section 15-12-1009. Estates not closed after three years or more.

• Section 15-12-1101. Effect of approval of agreements involving trusts, inalienable interests, or interests of third persons.
• Section 15-12-1102. Procedure for securing court approval of compromise.

Law reviews: For article, "Streamlining the Public Administrators' Operations: Changes Resulting from the 2017 OSA Audit", see 48 Colo. Law. 49 (May 2019).

• Section 15-12-1201. Collection of personal property by affidavit.
• Section 15-12-1202. Effect of affidavit.
• Section 15-12-1203. Small estates - summary administrative procedure.
• Section 15-12-1204. Small estates - closing by sworn statement of personal representative.
• Section 15-12-1205. Time of taking effect - provisions for transition.

Editor's note: Articles 10 to 17 of this title were repealed and reenacted in 1973, and this part 13 was subsequently repealed and reenacted in 1993, resulting in the addition, relocation, and elimination of sections as well as subject matter. For amendments to this part 13 prior to 1993, consult the Colorado statutory research explanatory note and the table itemizing the replacement volumes and supplements to the original volume of C.R.S. 1973 beginning on page vii in the front of this volume and the editor's note following this article heading. Former C.R.S. section numbers prior to 1993 are shown in editor's notes following those sections that were relocated.

• Section 15-12-1301. Definitions.
• Section 15-12-1302. Petition to determine heirship - devisees - interests in property.
• Section 15-12-1303. Hearing - notice - service.
• Section 15-12-1304. Appearance - hearing.
• Section 15-12-1305. Judgment.
• Section 15-12-1306. Decree - conclusive and when - reopening.
• Section 15-12-1307. Title of proceedings.
• Section 15-12-1308. Proceedings under the rules of civil procedure.
• Section 15-12-1309. Effective date - applicability.

• Section 15-12-1401. Short title.
• Section 15-12-1402. Definitions.
• Section 15-12-1403. Apportionment by will or other dispositive instrument.
• Section 15-12-1404. Statutory apportionment of estate taxes.
• Section 15-12-1405. Credits and deferrals.
• Section 15-12-1406. Insulated property, advancement of tax - definitions.
• Section 15-12-1407. Apportionment and recapture of special elective benefits.
• Section 15-12-1408. Securing payment of estate tax from property in possession of fiduciary.
• Section 15-12-1409. Collection of estate tax by fiduciary.
• Section 15-12-1410. Right of reimbursement.
• Section 15-12-1411. Action to determine or enforce part.
• Section 15-12-1412. Uniformity of application and construction.
• Section 15-12-1413. Severability.
• Section 15-12-1414. Delayed application.