Colorado Administrator & Executor Bond

Probate Bonds From $100 – Set by the Court

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A Colorado executor bond or Colorado administrator bond — together known as a probate bond or personal representative bond — is required in certain Colorado estates before the personal representative can serve. Colorado follows the Uniform Probate Code: under C.R.S. § 15-12-603, no bond is required in informal probate unless a special administrator is appointed, the will expressly requires bond, or an interested person or creditor with more than $5,000 at stake demands one — and the court may order bond in formal proceedings. Premiums start at $100 and are paid from estate funds.

Colorado Probate Bond Pricing

Premiums are a small percentage of the required bond amount and are paid from estate funds. Sample pricing for qualified applicants:

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Executor, Administrator, or Trustee — Which Colorado Probate Bond You Need

All three cover a fiduciary who manages estate or trust assets. Colorado adopted the UPC as the Colorado Probate Code, so both executors and administrators are the “personal representative.” Which bond applies depends on how you were appointed:

When Do Colorado Courts Require a Bond?

Probate in Colorado is governed by the Colorado Probate Code (Title 15) and filed in the District Court of each of the 64 counties — except the City and County of Denver, whose constitutionally established Denver Probate Court handles probate exclusively. Estates open through informal probate via the court registrar, with no hearing, or formal probate before a judge. Under § 15-12-603, bond in informal proceedings arises only from a special administrator's appointment, an express requirement in the will, or a demand — and in formal proceedings the court may order bond, but not over a will's waiver unless an interested person requests it and the court finds bond desirable.

The demand right is the lever: under § 15-12-605, any person with an interest exceeding $5,000 — or a creditor with a claim over $5,000 — may file a written demand with the registrar. The court then requires bond in an amount it determines, and the representative has 30 days to file it or faces removal. Representatives who have deposited cash or collateral with a state agency are exempt. If the representative causes a loss, valid claims are paid from the bond, and the representative must reimburse the surety. The bond protects the estate, not the representative.

How Your Bond Amount Is Set — and How to Reduce It

Colorado uses the UPC's sworn-statement approach: under § 15-12-604, the personal representative files a sworn statement with the registrar estimating the value of the decedent's personal estate plus the income expected during the next year — and gives bond in an amount not less than that estimate.

The registrar may reduce the required bond by the value of estate assets on deposit with an insured domestic financial institution under a restricted arrangement preventing unauthorized disposition — the standard premium-saver for larger estates. And on petition, the court may excuse the requirement, increase or reduce the amount, release sureties, or permit substitution of another bond.

Which Colorado Court Handles Your Probate

Probate is filed in the District Court of the county where the decedent was domiciled — one for each of Colorado's 64 counties — except in the City and County of Denver, where the dedicated Denver Probate Court (1437 Bannock Street) hears all probate matters under the Colorado Constitution. Informal applications go through the court's registrar; formal petitions go before a judge. The directory below lists every county with its coloradojudicial.gov page, phone, and mailing address.

How To Get Your Colorado Probate Bond

1. Get appointed and confirm whether bond is required. Determine under § 15-12-603 whether the will, a demand, or the court requires bond. If it does, your amount comes from your sworn estimate of the personal estate plus one year's income filed with the registrar under § 15-12-604.
2. Request your quote. Apply online or call with your court documentation. For most standard estates we can quote from the bond amount alone; larger or more complex estates may involve a review of the will and the applicant's credit.
3. Complete the short application. Provide the personal representative's information and the estate details.
4. File your bond and receive your letters. We execute the bond with the surety's Power of Attorney attached so you can file it with the court. The court then issues your letters testamentary or letters of administration, and you can begin settling the estate.

Bond Details at a Glance

• Bond Name: Colorado Executor Bond / Colorado Administrator Bond (Personal Representative Bond)
• Also Known As: Probate bond, fiduciary bond, estate bond
• Bond Amount: Not less than the sworn estimate of the personal estate plus one year's expected income; reducible by restricted deposits with an insured institution (C.R.S. § 15-12-604)
• Starting Premium: $100 for a $10,000 bond; paid from estate funds
• Obligee: Filed with the court for the protection of interested persons
• Governing Law: C.R.S. § 15-12-603 (when bond is required), § 15-12-604 (amount, security, reduction), § 15-12-605 (demand by $5,000+ interested persons or creditors)
• Waiver: No bond in informal probate by default; will's waiver controls in formal proceedings unless the court finds bond desirable on request; state-agency deposits exempt
• Court: District Court in each of Colorado's 64 counties — except Denver, served by the dedicated Denver Probate Court
• Attorney Required: No

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Colorado administrator or executor bond?
A probate bond required under C.R.S. § 15-12-603 before certain personal representatives can serve. It guarantees faithful performance and protects the estate's heirs, devisees, and creditors.

Can the bond be waived?
Usually it never arises: informal probates carry no bond unless the will requires it, a special administrator serves, or a demand is filed. In formal proceedings the court won't order bond over a will's waiver unless an interested person requests it and the court finds bond desirable.

Do administrators need a bond in Colorado?
Only when triggered — but any heir or creditor with more than $5,000 at stake can trigger it by written demand under § 15-12-605, with 30 days to comply or face removal, and courts may order bond at appointment in formal proceedings. Special administrators always give bond in informal appointments.

How much does a Colorado probate bond cost?
Premiums start at $100 for a $10,000 bond and scale with the bond amount — $135 at $25,000, $260 at $50,000, $460 at $100,000, and up. The premium is paid from estate funds.

How is the bond amount determined?
You file a sworn statement with the registrar estimating the personal estate's value plus one year's expected income, and the bond must be at least that amount (§ 15-12-604).

Can the amount be reduced?
Yes. The registrar may reduce the bond by the value of estate assets held in restricted deposits with an insured financial institution, and the court may otherwise reduce, excuse, or permit substitution of the bond on petition.

Which Colorado court handles probate?
The District Court of the county where the decedent was domiciled — except in Denver, where the constitutionally established Denver Probate Court hears all probate matters.

What happens if a claim is filed against the bond?
The surety pays valid claims — from mismanagement, fraud, or failure to follow the will or Colorado law — up to the bond amount, and the personal representative must reimburse the surety in full. The bond protects the estate, not the representative.

Colorado Probate Court Directory

Probate in Colorado is filed in the District Court of each of the state's 64 counties — with Denver served by the dedicated Denver Probate Court. Find your county below for the court's website, phone number, and mailing address.

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