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Larimer County, CO Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Larimer County details |
|---|---|
| Court and courthouse | Larimer County Justice Center, serving the Larimer County District Court |
| Judicial district | 8th Judicial District, Larimer and Jackson counties (C.R.S. § 13-5-109) |
| Courthouse address | 201 LaPorte Ave, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80521 |
| Mailing address | Same as the courthouse address: 201 LaPorte Ave, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80521 |
| Probate phone | Larimer County probate registrar direct line: (970) 494-3506 |
| Clerk customer service | 970-494-3500; fax 970-494-3580; records requests: [email protected] |
| Clerk counter hours | In person, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed on Colorado state court holidays |
| First-filing amount | $229 for a first filing in a decedent's estate as posted in August 2026 (C.R.S. § 13-32-102(1)(b), (7)); $113 for a small estate eligible for summary administrative procedures with no real property as posted in August 2026 (C.R.S. § 13-32-102(1)(a), (7)) |
| Local forms | None. Larimer County uses Colorado's statewide JDF probate forms. |
| E-filing status | Attorneys file through Colorado Courts E-Filing, and the 8th Judicial District's standing order requires attorney e-filing in probate. A personal representative without a lawyer files on paper at the clerk counter or by mail, and the Clerk of Court scans and uploads the documents. |
| Case search | Colorado Docket Search at https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/dockets covers scheduled hearings and includes probate case class PR. It is a docket search, not a document search. |
| Remote appearance | Uncontested informal probate proceedings are presumptively flexible under Chief Justice Directive 23-03, effective August 1, 2023, but Larimer County's virtual courtroom page still says prior approval is required, and phone-only appearance requires a motion in advance. |
| Website | https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/courts/trial-courts/larimer-county |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you choose forms in Larimer County, build a clear picture of the assets, debts, title, beneficiaries and possible disputes. That determines whether an application to the probate registrar is enough or whether a petition before a district judge is needed. Sunset's 2,300-institution asset discovery helps families start estate settlement with the financial picture instead of guessing at the courthouse counter.
The local logistics matter too. A personal representative without a lawyer files on paper at the Larimer County Justice Center or by mail, the clerk counter closes at 4:30 p.m., security screening can take up to thirty minutes, and the Court Resource Center has shorter hours than the clerk. A complete packet is the best way to avoid a second trip to Fort Collins.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Larimer County District Court sits at the Larimer County Justice Center, 201 LaPorte Ave, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80521. That is the filing location for a Larimer County estate. The Loveland County Court at 810 E 10th Street, Suite 110, Loveland, CO 80537 is a county court facility, and it is not where an estate is opened.
Larimer County is in the 8th Judicial District with Jackson County (C.R.S. § 13-5-109). District judges serve both counties, but a Larimer County estate stays in Fort Collins, and Jackson County has its own courthouse and probate registrar. Fort Collins is the county seat, and the district court serves estates from Loveland, Estes Park, Berthoud, Wellington, Timnath and the unincorporated county.
Venue for the first informal or formal testacy or appointment proceeding is generally the county where the decedent was domiciled at death, and for a decedent who was neither domiciled nor resident in Colorado, a county where the decedent's property was located at death (C.R.S. § 15-12-201). Colorado also requires at least one term of court each calendar year in each county within a judicial district, at the county seat (C.R.S. § 13-5-101).
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm that Larimer County is the right county. Colorado venue turns on the decedent's domicile at death, or, for a nonresident with no Colorado domicile, the county where property was located (C.R.S. § 15-12-201).
- Identify the assets and debts before filing. The court route, notices, inventory and closing steps depend on what the estate contains and who may object.
- If there is a will, get it to the court. The person holding the will must deliver it within ten days after death, or as soon after as the death is known, to the court with probate jurisdiction in the county where the decedent resided or was domiciled (C.R.S. § 15-11-516(1)). In Larimer County, that is the district court at the Larimer County Justice Center. JDF 919 is the statewide form for lodging a will without opening an estate.
- Choose the Colorado route. An informal application goes to the probate registrar and is conducted without notice to interested persons, while a formal petition goes before a judge with notice (C.R.S. § 15-10-201(21), (26); C.R.S. § 15-12-301(1)).
- Prepare the statewide JDF forms. Use JDF 705 Probate Case Information Sheet, then JDF 910 Application for Informal Probate of a Will or JDF 916 Application for Informal Appointment of Personal Representative for informal matters, or JDF 920 Petition for Formal Probate of Will and Formal Appointment of Personal Representative or JDF 922 Petition for Adjudication of Intestacy and Formal Appointment of Personal Representative for formal matters. Add JDF 911 Acceptance of Appointment. Larimer County adds no local probate form or cover sheet.
- File at the Larimer County Justice Center, 201 LaPorte Ave, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80521. Attorneys file through Colorado Courts E-Filing, and the 8th Judicial District's standing order requires attorney e-filing in probate. A personal representative without a lawyer brings the packet to the Clerk of Court counter or mails it to the same address, and the Clerk of Court scans and uploads the paper documents.
- Pay the amount due or request a waiver. A first filing in a decedent's estate is $229 as posted in August 2026 (C.R.S. § 13-32-102(1)(b), (7)). JDF 205 with JDF 206 is the route to ask to file without payment.
- Allow registrar review for an informal application. The Larimer County probate registrar reviews informal applications, may ask for more information to correct deficiencies, and can give procedural information but not legal advice. The registrar's direct line is (970) 494-3506.
- Receive the authority document after appointment. JDF 915 Letters Testamentary/of Administration is the document institutions usually ask for. Certified copies cost $20 each as posted in August 2026 (C.R.S. § 13-32-104(1)(f)).
- Give required notices. Use JDF 940 Information of Appointment for interested persons, JDF 943 Notice to Creditors for publication and JDF 944 Notice to Creditors by mail.
- If a hearing is needed, follow the 8th Judicial District's setting procedure for the assigned division. Statewide probate setting forms include JDF 709, JDF 710 and JDF 711. The division that carries probate says a party requesting a hearing may file a motion with that request or email the division clerk, copying everyone on the case.
- Confirm the appearance method before the hearing. An uncontested informal probate proceeding is presumptively flexible under Chief Justice Directive 23-03, effective August 1, 2023, but Larimer County's virtual courtroom page still says prior approval from the court is required, and phone-only appearance requires a motion in advance.
- Administer the estate. Inventory the estate on JDF 941, manage claims, keep records, and handle any real estate title or recording step through the proper county clerk and recorder rather than through the district court.
- Close the estate. Informal closing uses JDF 959 and JDF 965. A small estate that is in a court case closes with JDF 958 and JDF 966.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Larimer County
Colorado uses statewide, court-approved JDF probate forms for opening, administering and closing a decedent's estate. Larimer County publishes no local probate forms, local probate packets or local cover sheets of its own.
| Stage | Common statewide forms |
|---|---|
| Choose the route | JDF 906 Instructions for Probate with a Will; JDF 907 Instructions for Probate without a Will |
| Cover sheet | JDF 705 Probate Case Information Sheet |
| Lodge a will | JDF 919 Submission of a Will for Lodging; JDF 703 Petition for Transfer of Lodged Will; JDF 704 Order for Transfer of Lodged Will |
| Open informally | JDF 910 Application for Informal Probate of a Will; JDF 916 Application for Informal Appointment of Personal Representative; JDF 913 or JDF 917 for the order |
| Open formally | JDF 920 Petition for Formal Probate of Will and Formal Appointment of Personal Representative; JDF 922 Petition for Adjudication of Intestacy and Formal Appointment of Personal Representative; JDF 921 or JDF 923 for the order |
| Qualify and get authority | JDF 911 Acceptance of Appointment; JDF 915 Letters Testamentary/of Administration |
| Notice and creditors | JDF 940 Information of Appointment; JDF 943 Notice to Creditors; JDF 944 Notice to Creditors by mail |
| Hearings | JDF 709 Instructions to Set a Hearing; JDF 710 Notice to Set Hearing; JDF 711 Notice of Hearing |
| Inventory and closing | JDF 941 Decedent's Estate Inventory; JDF 959 Instructions for Closing an Estate Informally; JDF 965 Statement of Personal Representative Closing Administration; JDF 958 and JDF 966 for a small estate in a court case |
| Fee waiver | JDF 205 Motion to File Without Payment; JDF 206 |
The Colorado Judicial Branch probate form category is at https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/taxonomy/term/1047?form_category=1047, with the searchable form page at https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/self-help-forms and the probate self-help hub at https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/self-help-and-court-forms/probate?resource_type=1047.
Timeline
- An informal application is reviewed by the Larimer County probate registrar, so many informal estate matters do not need a hearing.
- If a hearing is needed, use the statewide probate hearing forms, including JDF 709 Instructions to Set a Hearing, JDF 710 Notice to Set Hearing and JDF 711 Notice of Hearing.
- The 8th Judicial District publishes written setting procedures by division, revised in April 2026. Those procedures are not identical from division to division, so check the procedure for the division assigned to the case.
- The division that carries probate says no Notice to Set is required for its hearing requests. A party asking for a hearing files a motion with that request or emails the division clerk, copying all counsel and self-represented parties on the case.
- The Court Resource Center is available for procedural help on its own schedule: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Local nuance
Larimer County-specific considerations
| Local point | What it means for a Larimer County estate |
|---|---|
| Two court buildings | The Larimer County Justice Center in Fort Collins is where probate is filed. The Loveland County Court handles county court matters, and the district's standing order gives a Fort Collins or Loveland choice only for county court civil filings. |
| Mixed district court docket | Larimer County does not publish a standing probate-only docket. Probate is carried on a district court division together with mental health, adoptions and relinquishments, and Larimer County magistrates are not assigned probate. |
| Designated probate registrar | The 8th Judicial District has a designated probate registrar and, by Administrative Order 2024-04 signed May 7, 2024, designated alternates who may act under C.R.S. § 15-10-307. |
| Local e-filing order | Administrative Order 2019-16 applies to 8th Judicial District civil, probate, domestic relations and criminal filings. It requires documents filed by attorneys to be filed electronically and says self-represented parties continue to file in paper format while the Clerk of Court scans and uploads those documents. |
| Separate self-help office | The Court Resource Center is next to the Clerk of Court office on the first floor, but it is a separate office. It helps with forms and procedure, including probate estates, and cannot give legal advice. |
| Different counter hours | The Clerk of Court customer service counter is open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Court Resource Center is open shorter hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. |
| Security and entrance | The Justice Center asks visitors to allow up to thirty minutes for security screening. The only entrance is on the southwest corner of the building at Civic Center Park. |
| Probate records requests | Probate records may require a United States government-issued photo ID, and the Judicial Branch record request form gives three business days as the usual response time unless circumstances require more time. |
Recent updates
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| September 16, 2026 | The Court Resource Center at the Larimer County Justice Center will be closed on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, and will reopen Thursday, September 17, 2026. Other offices are not affected. |
| April 16, 2026; June 1, 2026; July 10, 2026 | The 8th Judicial District's setting procedures by division were revised in April 2026. District court case assignments were reissued June 1, 2026, and magistrate assignments were reissued July 10, 2026. |
| May 7, 2024 | Administrative Order 2024-04 designated alternate probate registrars for the 8th Judicial District under C.R.S. § 15-10-307. |
| January 1, 2025 | Colorado probate amounts changed when the legislature added the equal justice fee under C.R.S. § 13-32-102. As posted in August 2026, a first filing in a decedent's estate is $229 (C.R.S. § 13-32-102(1)(b), (7)) and a small estate is $113 (C.R.S. § 13-32-102(1)(a), (7)). |
Page last reviewed: August 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Local path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with co-owned home | The estate opens at the Clerk of the District Court at the Larimer County Justice Center in Fort Collins, usually informally: JDF 705 with JDF 910 if there is a will or JDF 916 if there is not, plus JDF 911, and the $229 first-filing amount as posted in August 2026 (C.R.S. § 13-32-102(1)(b), (7)). The probate registrar reviews the application and, once appointed, the spouse receives JDF 915 Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. Certified copies cost $20 each as posted in August 2026 (C.R.S. § 13-32-104(1)(f)), because banks and title companies usually want a certified copy rather than a photocopy. A co-owned home may pass outside the estate depending on title, so the title check comes before any court step. | Sunset traces the accounts and the titles first, so the spouse knows what actually sits in the estate before anything is filed and does not open a case that was never needed. |
| Out-of-state adult child with small estate | Very little may require a trip to Fort Collins. Colorado Courts E-Filing is not open to a personal representative without a lawyer for probate, so the packet is brought to the Larimer County Justice Center or mailed to 201 LaPorte Ave, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80521. Questions go to the Court Resource Center at 970-494-3581 or [email protected], and procedural questions about an application go to the probate registrar at (970) 494-3506. If a hearing is set, an uncontested informal probate proceeding is presumptively flexible under Chief Justice Directive 23-03, effective August 1, 2023, although Larimer County still directs parties to get prior approval for virtual appearance. If the decedent was not a Colorado resident, the registrar delays an informal appointment until thirty days after death unless the applicant is already the personal representative at the decedent's domicile or the will directs Colorado law (C.R.S. § 15-12-307(1)). | Sunset builds the asset picture and the packet remotely, so an out-of-state child is not flying to Colorado to find out what the estate contains. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Open the estate at the Larimer County Justice Center and expect JDF 915 to be the document every institution asks for. A sale needs certified letters, a clean inventory on JDF 941, creditor notice on JDF 943 and JDF 944, and attention to the mortgage and liens. Because a house is involved, the estate is not eligible for the $113 small-estate amount as posted in August 2026, which applies to estates eligible for summary administrative procedures with no real property (C.R.S. § 13-32-102(1)(a), (7)). If anyone contests the appointment or asks for supervised administration, the file moves in front of a district judge and the case goes onto the division that carries probate. Recording anything against the property happens with the clerk and recorder of the county where the property sits, not at the courthouse. | Sunset's asset discovery surfaces the mortgage, liens and accounts nobody knew about, which is what determines whether the house can be sold cleanly. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| 8th Judicial District Court Resource Center | Located on the first floor of the Larimer County Justice Center next to the Clerk of Court office. Staffed by Self-Represented Litigant Coordinators, known in Colorado courts as Sherlocks. The center gives free procedural information, helps complete forms, has public access computers and expressly includes probate estates in its non-criminal case help. It cannot give legal advice. | 970-494-3581; [email protected]. Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. |
| Ask-A-Lawyer clinic | Free monthly clinic at the Court Resource Center with fifteen-minute consultations and no income or asset limit. Probate appears on the clinic's published topic list, but the attorneys typically available are civil and family law attorneys, so ask when checking in. | Second Tuesday of the month. Check-in 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.; consultations 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Contact the Court Resource Center first. |
| Ask-A-Lawyer Day | Annual event on the last Friday of October at the Larimer County Justice Center for one-on-one advice appointments on civil legal issues, generally including probate among other topics. | Register through the Court Resource Center at 970-494-3581. |
| Larimer County Pro Bono Program | County civil legal help matching service run by the Larimer County Bar Association. Help depends on eligibility, case type and capacity. It does not publish a promise that it handles estates. | Recorded information line: (970) 402-2075. In-person intake at the Larimer County Justice Center on Wednesdays at noon, and in Loveland on the last Tuesday of the month at 10:00 a.m. |
| Modest means attorney list | Larimer County Access to Justice Committee list of attorneys willing to consider reduced-rate matters for people who do not qualify for free help but cannot pay customary rates. Qualification and rate are decided by the individual attorney. | Through the Larimer County Bar Association access-to-justice page: https://www.larimerbar.org/access-to-justice-self-help-center |
| Colorado Legal Services, Fort Collins office | Statewide civil legal aid provider for Larimer, Logan, Phillips and Sedgwick counties. Its published program areas do not include probate, so use it as a first call to ask whether help is available rather than assuming it will handle an estate. | 215 West Oak Street, Suite 800, Fort Collins, CO 80521; 970-493-2891; 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday; online intake at https://www.applyonlinecls.org |
| Colorado Judicial Branch probate forms and hub | Statewide probate forms, instructions and probate self-help information. | Forms: https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/taxonomy/term/1047?form_category=1047; hub: https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/self-help-and-court-forms/probate?resource_type=1047 |
| Colorado Bar Association public brochures | Free public brochures, including Probate in Colorado and So Now You Are A Personal Representative. | https://www.cobar.org/For-the-Public/Legal-Brochures |
When to hire an attorney
Colorado does not impose a lawyer requirement on every personal representative, and Larimer County has a strong Court Resource Center for forms and procedure. Counsel becomes more important when the appointment is contested, supervised administration is requested, real estate must be sold, a creditor claim must be litigated, or the family needs legal advice rather than procedure. Supervised administration carries a $198 amount as posted in August 2026 (C.R.S. § 13-32-102(1)(c)). Larimer County also has local low-cost and pro bono routes to ask about help, including the Modest Means Attorney List, the Larimer County Pro Bono Program and the Ask-A-Lawyer clinic. Sunset connects families to a vetted local probate attorney at no cost.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 institutions to help identify accounts, insurance, retirement assets, debts and property before the Larimer County estate is filed. That asset picture drives the estate settlement route, the JDF forms and whether a court case is needed at all.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset helps organize the information needed for Colorado's statewide JDF forms, so a self-represented personal representative can bring a more complete packet to the Larimer County Justice Center or prepare it for mail to Fort Collins.
Find a local probate attorney. When a Larimer County estate involves a dispute, a home sale, creditor litigation or supervised administration, Sunset can connect the family with a vetted Colorado probate attorney who understands local practice in the 8th Judicial District.
Sunset is free for families. Sunset's estate settlement tools are free for families, including asset discovery, task organization and attorney matching when legal help makes sense.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Larimer County?
File with the Clerk of the District Court at the Larimer County Justice Center, 201 LaPorte Ave, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80521. Attorneys file through Colorado Courts E-Filing. A personal representative without a lawyer brings the paperwork to the clerk counter or sends it by mail to the same address. Do not take an estate filing to the Loveland County Court.
What is the phone number for probate in Larimer County?
The Larimer County probate registrar's direct line is (970) 494-3506. The Clerk of Court customer service line for the Justice Center is 970-494-3500. The Court Resource Center, which helps people without a lawyer with court forms and procedure, is 970-494-3581.
What are the clerk's hours at the Larimer County Justice Center?
Clerk of Court customer service is open in person Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed on Colorado state court holidays. Allow up to thirty minutes for security screening. The only entrance to the Justice Center is on the southwest corner at Civic Center Park.
Can I e-file a probate case in Larimer County?
An attorney can, and in this district must. The 8th Judicial District's standing order on mandatory electronic filing covers probate and requires every document filed by an attorney appearing in any capacity to be filed electronically. A personal representative without a lawyer cannot use Colorado Courts E-Filing for probate, because the Judicial Branch's system for people without a lawyer is open only in domestic relations and eviction cases. The district order says self-represented parties file in paper format and the Clerk of Court scans and uploads those documents.
How much does it cost to file probate in Larimer County?
A first filing in a decedent's estate is $229 as posted in August 2026 (C.R.S. § 13-32-102(1)(b), (7)). A small estate eligible for summary administrative procedures with no real property is $113 as posted in August 2026 (C.R.S. § 13-32-102(1)(a), (7)). These amounts are set by Colorado statute for every county, so Larimer County adds no local surcharge. JDF 205 with JDF 206 is how to ask to file without payment.
Does Larimer County have its own probate forms?
No. Colorado uses one statewide, court-approved JDF form set, and Larimer County publishes no local probate forms or cover sheets. Start with JDF 906 if there is a will or JDF 907 if there is not, and use JDF 705 as the cover sheet.
Do I have to go to a hearing to open an estate in Larimer County?
Often no. An informal application is decided by the probate registrar without notice to interested persons and without a hearing. A formal petition goes before a district judge with notice. Where a hearing is needed, the district publishes setting procedures by division, and the division that carries probate says a party requesting a hearing files a motion with that request or emails the division clerk, copying everyone on the case.
Can I appear remotely for a probate hearing in Larimer County?
Sometimes, and ask early. Colorado's statewide Virtual Proceedings Policy makes an uncontested informal probate proceeding a presumptively flexible appearance, meaning parties may elect virtual participation unless the court finds good cause otherwise (Chief Justice Directive 23-03, effective August 1, 2023). Larimer County's virtual courtroom page still says prior approval from the court is required, and the division that carries probate requires a motion filed in advance for phone-only appearance.
How do I look up a Larimer County probate case?
The Judicial Branch's Docket Search at https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/dockets covers scheduled hearings and includes probate case class PR. It is a calendar search, not a document search. Trial court case documents and files are not available directly through the Judicial Branch website, so copies come from the court that holds the file. Records requests for a Larimer County case go to the Clerk of Court at the Justice Center, and probate records may require a United States government-issued photo ID.
Is there free help with probate paperwork in Larimer County?
Yes. The Court Resource Center on the first floor of the Larimer County Justice Center is staffed by Self-Represented Litigant Coordinators who give free procedural information and help completing forms. The district's own description includes probate estates. The center is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at 970-494-3581 or [email protected]. It cannot give legal advice.
Do I have to travel to Fort Collins to settle a Larimer County estate?
If you do not have a lawyer, you should plan around the Fort Collins filing location, but mail is also available to 201 LaPorte Ave, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80521. The Court Resource Center can be reached by phone, email or its virtual meeting room, and an uncontested informal appointment does not usually require a hearing.
Shaped by the families we've helped
Thank you to the thousands of families who have trusted Sunset to help settle their loved ones' estates. This page is shaped by the questions they actually asked and the obstacles they actually hit — and that hard-won experience is what keeps it accurate, current, and genuinely useful to the families who come next.