Estate Planning & Probate in Lake County, Colorado
Lake County estate questions split two ways—planning so your family skips probate, or settling an estate that is already in it. Start with your situation below; both paths use Lake County's actual court and recording details.
Someone died — settling an estate
Filing probate at the Combined Court, what it costs, transferring property, and local attorneys.
What to do when someone dies in Lake County →Planning ahead as a property owner
Keep a Lake County home out of probate with a transfer-on-death deed or a living trust.
Estate planning in Lake County →The Probate Process in Lake County
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling someone's estate after they die — validating the will, paying debts and taxes, and transferring what's left to the heirs. In Lake County, probate runs through the Combined Court at 505 Harrison Avenue, Leadville. The court sits in the 5th Judicial District. Lake County shares the 5th Judicial District with Clear Creek, Eagle and Summit.
Full Lake County probate guide: cost, how to file & attorneys →Probate Court Record
Lake County Combined Court
Lake County · 5th Judicial District
Hours
Office
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Self-represented filing
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Lake County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Recording Office Record
County Clerk and Recorder
Lake County
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Recording fee
E-recording
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Local Procedures at the Combined Court
The 5th Judicial District's self-represented litigant coordinator gives information on court procedures, rules and forms to people without a lawyer and holds virtual office hours on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; the coordinator does not give legal advice.
A filer without a lawyer files probate papers on paper with the clerk.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Colorado
Free Colorado forms for planning an estate or settling one: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed, and the probate forms an executor files.
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.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Pour-Over Will
In Colorado, a pour-over will is signed before 2C.R.S. § 15-11-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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.
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.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Colorado
Free calculators and checklists for planning or settling an estate in Colorado: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay, and inheritance taxes.
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.
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Colorado happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeC.R.S. § 15-5-101 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysC.R.S. § 15-5-813Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
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.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Colorado, a surviving spouse takes the entire estateC.R.S. § 15-11-102Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita at each generationC.R.S. §§ 15-11-103(3), 15-11-106Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
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.
Colorado Estate Planning Articles
Articles about estate planning, probate, and trusts relevant to families in Lake County.
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