Serves Chaffee County from Salida and the Denver area from a Blake Street office. Attorney David K. Johns, a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, handles estate administration and probate cases alongside wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. Initial consultations are free.
Buena Vista is in Chaffee County.
More Probate Firms in Chaffee County
Serves Salida and Chaffee County from an office on West 2nd Street. Guides executors, administrators, and beneficiaries through probate, from asset inventory and debt settlement to final distribution, and drafts wills, revocable living trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives. Attorney Dustin Hughes also prepares deeds and structures property for trusts.
Serves central Colorado from Salida. Handles estate administration and probate, and prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance directives, alongside business, employment, and real estate work. Attorneys Michael and Lacey Scott both previously served as Assistant Attorneys General.
Serves Chaffee County from Salida. Guides families and personal representatives through probate administration, court filings, and asset distribution, administers trusts, and drafts wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, and advance healthcare directives, alongside real estate, business, and health care law.
Estate planning firm in Salida. Handles probate and prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives (living wills), and beneficiary deeds.
Probate in Chaffee County
Probate Court Record
Chaffee County Combined Court
Chaffee County · 11th Judicial District
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 7:30 AM-noon and 12:30 PM-4:30 PM
Office
142 Crestone Avenue, Salida, CO 81201
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Chaffee County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Chaffee County? →Settling an estate in Chaffee County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Colorado
Free Colorado forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Colorado.
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Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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Last Will and Testament
In Colorado, a will is signed before 2C.R.S. § 15-11-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyC.R.S. § 15-11-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Colorado
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Colorado: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Colorado.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Colorado costs an estimated $26,082C.R.S. § 15-10-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2%Modeled estimate under C.R.S. § 15-10-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under C.R.S. § 15-10-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Colorado: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysC.R.S. § 15-12-706Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsC.R.S. §§ 15-12-801, 15-12-803, 15-12-805, 15-12-806Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months.
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How Much Can an Executor Charge?
Colorado pays executors reasonable compensationC.R.S. § 15-10-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, typically 2.2%Estimated from the 16 state statutes that set an executor fee schedule (median and interquartile range at this estate value)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.8%Estimated from the 16 state statutes that set an executor fee schedule (median and interquartile range at this estate value)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate.
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Do I Need Probate?
In Colorado, estates with personal property of $88,000C.R.S. § 15-12-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Collection of Personal Property by AffidavitC.R.S. § 15-12-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 10 daysC.R.S. § 15-12-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death.
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What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
In Colorado, creditors have 4 monthsC.R.S. § 15-12-801(1) (4 months from first publication); § 15-12-803(1)(a)(III) (one-year-from-death outer bar)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source from first publication of the creditor notice to present claims; late claims are barred.
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Can I Self-File Probate?
In Colorado, informal probate is availableC.R.S. § 15-12-301Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.
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