Estate Planning for Clear Creek County, Colorado Property Owners

For most Clear Creek County homeowners, the house is what drags an estate into probate. A transfer-on-death deed or a living trust keeps it out—here is how to set up either one and record it locally.

For a Clear Creek County property owner, the biggest probate risk is the home itself. Real estate is what forces most families into the Combined Court. The two tools that keep a Clear Creek County home out of probate are a transfer-on-death deed recorded with the County Clerk and Recorder, and a revocable living trust that holds title to the property.

Skipping this planning step means the Combined Court decides who receives the property: a simple Colorado probate takes 4+ months and opens with $229 in court filing fees. Colorado also lets owners name a transfer-on-death beneficiary on vehicle titles, which keeps cars out of the same process.

Record a Transfer-on-Death Deed in Clear Creek County

A beneficiary deed names a beneficiary who receives Clear Creek County property automatically at the owner's death, without probate. It is recorded with the County Clerk and Recorder during the owner's lifetime and can be revoked at any time.

Before recording, a Colorado beneficiary deed is signed with notary acknowledgmentC.R.S. 15-15-401 to 15-15-415Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. The deed takes effect only if it is recorded before the owner's deathC.R.S. 15-15-401 to 15-15-415Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

Where to Record Property Documents

Deeds and other real property documents for Clear Creek County are recorded with the County Clerk and Recorder at 405 Argentine Street, Georgetown, CO 80444. Phone: 1-303-679-2339. Hours: Monday-Thursday 7:30 AM-4:00 PM.

Documents submitted by mail go to P.O. Box 2000, Georgetown, CO 80444.

The County Clerk and Recorder charges $43 flat, regardless of page count. A 2-page beneficiary deed costs $43 to record in Clear Creek County. A beneficiary deed is exempt from transfer tax.

Clear Creek County accepts electronic recording through CSC.

Recording Office Record

County Clerk and Recorder

Clear Creek County

Hours

Monday-Thursday 7:30 AM-4:00 PM

Office

405 Argentine Street, Georgetown, CO 80444

Mail

P.O. Box 2000 Georgetown, CO 80444

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

Estate Planning Attorneys Serving Clear Creek County

Solo PracticeIdaho Springs, CO

Law Office of Sara Russell, LLC

Serves 5 counties

Serves the mountain communities west of Denver from Idaho Springs, from Evergreen and Georgetown to Leadville, Breckenridge, and the Vail Valley. Prepares estate plan packages and updates existing plans when circumstances change, alongside family-law, criminal, and property matters. Sara Russell is a former Deputy District Attorney for the Fifth Judicial District.

PracticesEstate PlanningCriminal DefenseFamily LawReal Estate

Office
PO Box 22Idaho Springs, CO 80452
Virtual consultations

Solo PracticeMinturn, CO

Law for Locals, LLC

Since 2010 · Serves 4 counties

Serves Eagle, Summit, Lake, and Clear Creek counties from Minturn. Attorney Melissa Decker handles probate paperwork and accounting for personal representatives, and prepares wills, trusts, durable medical powers of attorney, and living wills. Posts hourly rates of $175 to $225 for legal services.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateBankruptcyBusiness Lawand 2 more

Office
291 Main St., 2nd FloorMinturn, CO 81645

FirmSalida, CO

Anderson Law Group

Serves 2 counties

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.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateCivil LitigationCriminal Defenseand 2 more

Office
7385 W US Highway 50Salida, CO 81201
Free consultation

Solo PracticePueblo, CO

Chapman Law, PLLC

Serves 2 counties

Serves clients from offices in Pueblo and the Denver Tech Center. Attorney Daniel Chapman guides personal representatives through informal and formal Colorado probate, including court filings, creditor issues, and distribution of assets, and handles trust administration. Meetings are also available by phone or video.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateCivil Litigation

Office
310 S. Victoria Ave., Suite GPueblo, CO 81003
Virtual consultations

FirmDurango, CO

Maynes, Bradford, Shipps & Sheftel LLP

Serves 2 counties

Serves La Plata and Denver counties from offices in Durango and Denver, with more than fifty years of practice in Colorado and the Four Corners region. Handles probate and trust administration, estate and trust litigation, guardianships and conservatorships, and estate, gift, and income tax advice. Also prepares Indian wills.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 9 more

Office
835 East 2nd Ave.Durango, CO 81301

FirmGreeley, CO

Peek Goldstone, LLC

Since 1989 · Serves 4 counties

Serves Weld, Boulder, Larimer, and Adams counties from offices in Greeley and Erie. Represents personal representatives, heirs, beneficiaries, and interested parties in probate administration and probate disputes, and drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and asset protection plans, alongside family law and criminal defense.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationGuardianshipand 3 more

Office
8211 W 20th Street, Suite BGreeley, CO 80634
See all 26 firms serving Clear Creek County →

Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.

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Legal Sources

Data sourced from Colorado statutes and official state code. How we research.

Forms for Planning Your Estate in Colorado

Free forms for planning your estate in Colorado: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.

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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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Codicil to a Will

In Colorado, a codicil is signed before 2C.R.S. § 15-11-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, like a will, and the self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyC.R.S. §§ 15-10-201(59), 15-11-504Verified Oct 25, 2026View source.

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Healthcare Power of Attorney

Colorado allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2C.R.S. § 15-18-106 (no separate statutory form; execution requirements only)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.

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Free

HIPAA Release

In Colorado, a HIPAA release names who may receive your records; the state regulates mental health recordsColo. Rev. Stat. § 27-65-123(1)(b) (L. 2022: HB 22-1256, ch. 451, p. 3198, § 1)Verified Jun 20, 2026View source above the federal rule, and the document carries each rule.

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Financial Power of Attorney

Colorado treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultC.R.S. § 15-14-705 (execution); § 15-14-704 (durability); § 15-14-706 (validity/choice of law); § 15-14-707 (choice of law); § 15-14-709 (springing); § 15-14-713 (agent acceptance); § 15-14-719-720 (third-party protections); § 15-14-724 (hot powers); § 15-14-741 (statutory form); § 15-14-742 (agent certification); § 38-30-123 (mandatory recording of POA used to convey real property); § 38-30-124 (acknowledgment of real-property POA, permissive); § 38-35-109(1) (race-notice recording); § 13-22-101 (age of majority 18)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementC.R.S. § 15-14-705 (execution); § 15-14-704 (durability); § 15-14-706 (validity/choice of law); § 15-14-707 (choice of law); § 15-14-709 (springing); § 15-14-713 (agent acceptance); § 15-14-719-720 (third-party protections); § 15-14-724 (hot powers); § 15-14-741 (statutory form); § 15-14-742 (agent certification); § 38-30-123 (mandatory recording of POA used to convey real property); § 38-30-124 (acknowledgment of real-property POA, permissive); § 38-35-109(1) (race-notice recording); § 13-22-101 (age of majority 18)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.

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Transfer on Death Deed

In Colorado, a beneficiary deed is signed before a notaryC.R.S. 15-15-401 to 15-15-415Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathC.R.S. 15-15-401 to 15-15-415Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. Colorado does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.

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Vehicle Transfer on Death

Colorado allows a transfer-on-death beneficiary designation on a vehicle titleColo. Rev. Stat. 42-6-110.5Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, filed through the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, Department of Revenue (title transfers are processed through county motor vehicle offices) using Form DR 2009.

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Free

Living Will

In Colorado, the living will is the Declaration as to Medical TreatmentC.R.S. Title 15, Article 18 (§§ 15-18-101 to 15-18-113), Colorado Medical Treatment Decision ActVerified Sep 27, 2026View source, a document of its own, apart from the healthcare power of attorney.

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Tools for Planning Your Estate in Colorado

Free tools for planning your estate in Colorado: what a will or trust costs, whether you need a trust or TOD deed, and how documents are signed.

How Do I Sign Estate Documents?

In Colorado, a will is signed before 2C.R.S. § 15-11-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and notarization is not requiredC.R.S. § 15-11-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

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Will My Estate Documents Transfer?

Colorado recognizes a will signed under the law of the place where it was signedC.R.S. § 15-11-506Verified Oct 18, 2026View source; a will signed in Colorado itself needs 2C.R.S. § 15-11-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and notarization is not requiredC.R.S. § 15-11-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

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Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In Colorado, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 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; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.

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How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Colorado runs $3,390Estimate: 10 hours at $339, Clio's Colorado Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,085Estimate: 15 hours at $339, Clio's Colorado Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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How Much Does a Will Cost?

An attorney-prepared will in Colorado runs $1,044Estimate: 3 hours at $348, Clio's Colorado Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,088Estimate: 6 hours at $348, Clio's Colorado Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $26,082C.R.S. § 15-10-602 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.

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Compare what it costs to make a trust official across SimplyTrust, LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Rocket Lawyer, and Quicken WillMaker.

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How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?

In Colorado, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writingColo. Rev. Stat. §§ 15-14-202, 15-14-203, 15-14-204, 15-14-206; § 15-14-413 (conservator priority, estate side)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18Colo. Rev. Stat. § 15-10-201(32) ("Minor" means a person who is under eighteen years of age)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Probate in Colorado takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 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; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

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