Estate Planning for Jefferson County, Colorado Property Owners

For most Jefferson 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.

Record a TOD deedWhere to recordLocal attorneys

For a Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.

Without a recorded beneficiary designation or a trust, Jefferson County property passes through the Combined Court — even simple Colorado probates run 4+ months and start with $229 in 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 Jefferson County

A beneficiary deed names a beneficiary who receives Jefferson 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.

Create a Colorado TOD deed →Jefferson County signing requirements →

Where to Record Property Documents

Deeds and other real property documents for Jefferson County are recorded with the County Clerk and Recorder at 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 2560, Golden, CO 80419. Phone: 1-303-271-8168. Hours: Monday-Thursday 7:30 AM-5:00 PM.

The County Clerk and Recorder charges $43 flat, regardless of page count. Recording a 2-page beneficiary deed in Jefferson County comes to $43. A beneficiary deed is exempt from transfer tax.

Jefferson County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile and CSC.

Recording Office Record

County Clerk and Recorder

Jefferson County

Hours

Monday-Thursday 7:30 AM-5:00 PM

Office

100 Jefferson County Parkway, Suite 2560, Golden, CO 80419

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Fees

Recording fees

Flat fee (any length)$43
Transfer tax on a TOD deedTOD deeds are exempt from transfer tax

CRS 30-1-103(1) (recording fee, $40 flat); CRS 30-10-421(1)(b) (filing surcharge, $1); CRS 24-21-403(2) (electronic recording technology board surcharge, up to $2); CRS 39-13-102 (documentary fee); HB24-1269 (flat fee amendment)

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

Estate Planning Attorneys Serving Jefferson County

Solo PracticeWestminster, CO

Charles E. Longtine P.C.

Serves 3 counties

Serves Broomfield, Arvada, and Denver from a Westminster office. Attorney Charles E. Longtine handles probate and trust administration, including managing financial accounts, paying bills, preparing tax returns, and distributing the estate, plus guardianships and conservatorships. Offers a free consultation.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateConservatorshipand 3 more

Office
9035 Wadsworth Parkway, Suite 2500Westminster, CO 80021
Free consultation

Solo PracticeDenver, CO

Don A. McCullough, Attorney at Law

Serves 9 counties

Serves the Denver metropolitan area and other Colorado cities from an office on South Cherry Street in Denver. Attorney Don A. McCullough handles wills, trusts, and probate alongside business, contract, and real estate matters. He has practiced law for more than 35 years and is an inactive Certified Public Accountant.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateBusiness LawReal Estate

Office
950 S. Cherry Street, Suite 418Denver, CO 80246

FirmCastle Rock, CO

Ellmann & Ellmann, P.C.

Serves 7 counties

Serves Douglas, Elbert, Arapahoe, Denver, Adams, Lincoln, and Jefferson counties from Castle Rock. Attorney Martina Ellmann focuses on probate matters, and the firm drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and living wills and handles guardianships and conservatorships, alongside criminal defense and family law.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipand 2 more

Office
3740 Dacoro Lane, Suite 200Castle Rock, CO 80109
Free consultation

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 PracticeLoveland, CO

Stone Law, LLC

Since 2010 · Serves 2 counties

Serves the Front Range from offices in Loveland and Lakewood. Handles adult conservatorship and guardianship proceedings, Medicaid and long-term care planning, and wills, revocable, special needs, and irrevocable Medicaid trusts. Andrew Stone established the firm in 2010 and has practiced elder law in Colorado since 2003.

PracticesEstate PlanningElder LawTax PlanningConservatorshipand 4 more

Office
430 E 6th StLoveland, CO 80537

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
See all 28 firms serving Jefferson 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.

Free

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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Free

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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Free

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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How Does SimplyTrust Compare to LegalZoom, Trust & Will, and Other Services?

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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