Estate Planning & Probate in Moffat County, Colorado
There are two reasons people look up Moffat County probate: to keep a family out of it, or to get a loved one's estate through it. Pick the path that fits, then work from the local Combined Court 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 Moffat County →Planning ahead as a property owner
Keep a Moffat County home out of probate with a transfer-on-death deed or a living trust.
Estate planning in Moffat County →The Probate Process in Moffat 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 Moffat County, probate runs through the Combined Court at 1198 West Victory Way, Suite 200/201, Craig. The court sits in the 14th Judicial District. Moffat County shares the 14th Judicial District with Grand and Routt.
Full Moffat County probate guide: cost, how to file & attorneys →Probate Court Record
Moffat County Combined Court
Moffat County · 14th Judicial District
Hours
Office
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Self-represented filing
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Moffat County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Recording Office Record
County Clerk and Recorder
Moffat County
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Recording fee
E-recording
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Local Procedures at the Combined Court
The free self-help program meets people without a lawyer by appointment, in person or by Webex; call the court's extension 7 to book. It does not give legal advice.
A filer without a lawyer files probate papers on paper with the clerk. A party not required to e-file may file over the counter or by email to moffatclerk@judicial.state.co.us. The document must be legible, complete and signed, carry the case number when it goes into an existing case, and include ID where required; it is not filed until the clerk accepts it.
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 Moffat County.
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