Do I Need a TOD Deed in Saguache County, Colorado?
Colorado authorizes transfer on death deedsC.R.S. 15-15-401 to 15-15-415Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; in Saguache County the County Clerk and Recorder records one for $43 flat, regardless of page count.
The County Clerk and Recorder charges $43 flat, regardless of page count. Most beneficiary deeds run two to four pages. Beneficiary deeds are exempt from transfer tax in Saguache County.
Record the beneficiary deed at the County Clerk and Recorder, 501 4th Street, Main Floor, Saguache, CO 81149. Office hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM.
Yes. Saguache County accepts e-recording through Simplifile. The office's e-recording portal carries the details.
A beneficiary deed in Colorado requires notary acknowledgmentC.R.S. 15-15-401 to 15-15-415Verified Oct 18, 2026View source before it can be recorded in Saguache County.
No. A beneficiary deed transfers only the property described in it. Bank accounts, vehicles and other real estate pass through a will (probate) or a trust. When a single deed is not enough, SimplyTrust sets up a revocable trust online that covers every property and account in one document.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
New Baby or Adoption
Your family is growing. Your protection should too. Guardian nominations, trusts for minors, beneficiary updates, and the documents new parents need in place.
Learn more
Marriage
What married couples need in place: one joint trust or two, wills, beneficiary updates, and the spousal rights your state grants you automatically.
Learn more
New Home
How to put your house in a revocable trust: the deed you record, what it does to your mortgage and property taxes, and when a TOD deed is simpler.
Learn more
Retirement
Retirement changes your financial picture. Healthcare directives, beneficiary reviews, long-term care planning, and protecting what you've built.
Learn moreForms 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Do I Need a Vehicle TOD?
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.
How Much Is the Federal Gift Tax?
Whether a gift owes federal gift tax, how much of the annual exclusion and lifetime exemption it uses, and whether Form 709 is due.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable 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 and a simple will $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 $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Colorado, four years at a public university cost about $95,372NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is near the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo Colorado estate or inheritance tax is payable. The Colorado Estate Tax Law (C.R.S. § 39-23.5-103) imposes a tax equal to the federal credit for state death taxes under IRC § 2011 (C.R.S. § 39-23.5-102(6)); that federal credit was eliminated, so the tax computes to $0 and no Colorado estate tax filing is required for deaths after December 31, 2004 — and independently, C.R.S. § 39-23.5-107(3) provides that "[n]o Colorado return need be filed if the gross estate or generation-skipping transfer does not require the filing of a federal return." The statute remains on the books rather than repealed — a "pick-up" tax that would revive if Congress restored the federal credit. Colorado replaced its 1927 inheritance tax with the estate tax in 1980 and has no inheritance tax.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Colorado automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceC.R.S. § 15-11-804Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
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.
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.
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.
When you're ready, we're here.
Colorado Estate Planning Resources
In-depth guides covering Colorado probate laws, trust requirements, and estate planning strategies.