Colorado editionIn your inbox within a minute30-day money-back promise
The End of Life Plannerby Valoren

General information · not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

Free · general informationColorado

What to do when someone dies in Colorado

The first things Colorado’s own law asks for after a death, quoted word for word, then the pages for everything that follows, in the order it usually comes. Nothing here decides what a particular family must do. That belongs to the office named, the court, or an attorney in Colorado.

  • Every fact dated, in the official words
  • Each state’s own law

Every quotation checked October 24, 2026

Your planner for Colorado is ready. US$39 once, printed at home.

Order the planner · US$39

The free first-week checklist

Pages taken from the planner, by email: who to phone first, and a blank records sheet.

We use your email address to send the checklist and those emails, and for nothing else. We do not sell it. We first send one email asking you to confirm your address. Privacy notice

Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.

How soon the death certificate must be filed, and before what

Registering the death comes first. These are Colorado’s own words on who files the record, and how soon.

A certificate of death for each death, including a stillborn death, that occurs in Colorado must be filed with the state registrar or as otherwise directed by the state registrar, within

SEVENTY-TWO HOURS OF ASSUMING CUSTODY OF A DEAD BODY, STILLBORN FETUS, OR DEAD FETUS and prior to final disposition

Colorado · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · C.R.S. §25-2-110(1)(a), as amended by SB23-020

Who files the death certificate, and where its personal details come from

The funeral director or person acting as such who first assumes custody of a dead body, stillborn fetus, or dead fetus

THE FUNERAL DIRECTOR shall obtain the personal data required by the certificate from the next of kin or the best qualified person or source available.

Colorado · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · C.R.S. §25-2-110(3)(a), as amended by SB23-020

Whether the original will must be filed with the court

The will has its own rules. These are Colorado’s own words on who brings it to the court after a death, and what the court does with it.

The original Will must be filed with the Court.

Colorado · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · JDF 906 (R: June 8, 2026)

Depositing a will with a court, and one district that does not accept them

[a] will may be deposited by the testator or the testator's agent with any court for safekeeping, under rules of the court

The 4th Judicial District does not accept the deposit of any will or codicil for safekeeping under C.R.S. § 15-11-515.

Colorado · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · 4th Jud. Dist. CJO 2026-01; C.R.S. §15-11-515

The same page for other states

Friends on a desert patio at sunset, with a saguaro in the distance
A family on a boat dock in Florida: a grandfather fishing, a girl pointing at a heron
Friends sharing breakfast at a sunny patio table among citrus trees
FAQ

Common questions

A certificate of death for each death, including a stillborn death, that occurs in Colorado must be filed with the state registrar or as otherwise directed by the state registrar, within

SEVENTY-TWO HOURS OF ASSUMING CUSTODY OF A DEAD BODY, STILLBORN FETUS, OR DEAD FETUS and prior to final disposition

The funeral director or person acting as such who first assumes custody of a dead body, stillborn fetus, or dead fetus

THE FUNERAL DIRECTOR shall obtain the personal data required by the certificate from the next of kin or the best qualified person or source available.

Colorado · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · C.R.S. §25-2-110(3)(a), as amended by SB23-020

The original Will must be filed with the Court.

Colorado · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · JDF 906 (R: June 8, 2026)

[a] will may be deposited by the testator or the testator's agent with any court for safekeeping, under rules of the court

The 4th Judicial District does not accept the deposit of any will or codicil for safekeeping under C.R.S. § 15-11-515.

Colorado · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · 4th Jud. Dist. CJO 2026-01; C.R.S. §15-11-515

For anyone who would rather their family found it all in one place than went looking.

A couple. A parent. An adult child and a parent, doing it together. One sitting starts it; keep it current, and tell someone where it is.

A man on the telephone with the planner's pages open on the table