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Colorado gives you three separate ways to make a valid will — more than almost any other state. Sign before two witnesses, skip the witnesses entirely and acknowledge the will before a notary, or handwrite it with no witnesses and no notary at all. Colorado has also allowed fully electronic wills since 2021. Online services prepare a Colorado-specific will for $199–$299. Every rule below cites the Colorado Probate Code.
Colorado makes wills easy to sign. That’s not the same as easy to get right.
Flexible execution rules don’t decide who raises your children or who inherits the house — your document does. An online service like Trust & Will prepares a Colorado-specific will with the witness pages ready to sign.
Disclosure: we earn a commission if you buy through the Trust & Will links here, at no extra cost to you. Complex situations belong with an attorney and we say so below.
Colorado Will Requirements (2026)
C.R.S. § 15-11-502 sets the execution rules, and it offers a genuine choice:
| Requirement | Colorado rule | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| In writing | A written record — or a compliant electronic will (below) | § 15-11-502(1)(a) |
| Signed | By you, or in your name by another in your conscious presence and at your direction | § 15-11-502(1)(b) |
| Then either — witnesses | Two individuals signing within a reasonable time after witnessing your signing or acknowledgment. Unusually, they may sign before or after your death | § 15-11-502(1)(c)(I) |
| — or a notary | The will is simply acknowledged by you before a notary public. No witnesses required at all | § 15-11-502(1)(c)(II) |
The notary option is rare and worth knowing. Most states require two witnesses with no alternative. Colorado lets a notarized acknowledgment stand in for the entire witnessing ceremony — useful if you live alone, are in a care facility, or simply can’t assemble two disinterested adults. And the witness route contains its own oddity: a witness may sign after you die, which rescues wills where someone watched the signing but never got around to signing themselves.
Handwritten (Holographic) Wills Are Valid in Colorado
A will that satisfies none of the above is still valid as a holographic will, witnessed or not, if the signature and the material portions are in your handwriting (§ 15-11-502(2)). No date is required. Between witnesses, notaries, handwriting, and the harmless-error rule below, Colorado is about as forgiving on form as American will law gets — North Dakota offers the same notary-instead-of-witnesses choice, and extends it to electronic wills — with Utah close behind, where even the printed portions of a form can help prove you meant a handwritten document as your will.
Forgiving on form is not forgiving on outcome. Handwritten wills remain the most-contested format in probate court — ambiguous wording, no one to testify about your capacity, and arguments over which page controls. Treat it as the emergency option, not the plan.
The harmless-error rule
If a document fails every route above, a Colorado court may still treat it as your will on clear and convincing evidence that you intended it as one (§ 15-11-503). As everywhere, that rescue happens in litigation your family pays for.
Electronic Wills: Legal in Colorado Since 2021
Colorado enacted the Colorado Uniform Electronic Wills Act (C.R.S. §§ 15-11-1301 to 15-11-1311), signed January 21, 2021 and effective immediately. An electronic will must be a record readable as text at the time of signing, and it can be executed two ways: signed or acknowledged in the physical or electronic presence of two witnesses — who must be state residents physically located in the United States at signing — or acknowledged before a Colorado notary who is physically located in Colorado. Anyone may later create a certified paper copy by affirming under penalty of perjury that it is complete and accurate (§ 15-11-1309).
Colorado is one of a small group of states where remote, fully digital execution is settled statutory law rather than a pending bill. Most Coloradans still execute on paper, and most online services still produce a paper will — simpler, and every probate registrar knows what to do with it.
Dying Without a Will in Colorado
Colorado’s intestacy statute (§ 15-11-102) is generous to spouses until a stepchild appears — in either direction:
| Your situation | What your spouse receives (statutory base — see note) |
|---|---|
| No descendants or parents survive you | Everything (§ 15-11-102(1)(a)) |
| All your descendants are your spouse’s, and your spouse has no others | Everything (§ 15-11-102(1)(b)) |
| No descendants — but a parent of yours survives | First $300,000 + three-quarters of the balance; your parent takes the rest (§ 15-11-102(2)) |
| Your spouse has a child from another relationship | First $225,000 + one-half of the balance (§ 15-11-102(3)) |
| You have a child who isn’t your spouse’s | First $150,000 + one-half of the balance (§ 15-11-102(4)) |
Note the fourth row. Every child you have may be your spouse’s — but if your spouse has a child from a previous relationship, their share drops from the whole estate to $225,000 plus half. Colorado penalizes the blended family on both sides, and the two thresholds aren’t even the same. The dollar figures shown are the statutory bases; § 15-11-102(6) adjusts them annually for cost of living, so the operative numbers run higher each year — another moving target a will makes irrelevant.
What a Will Costs in Colorado
| Route | Typical cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Handwritten (holographic) | $0 | Valid with no witnesses and no notary — and the most-contested format |
| Online service | $199 individual / $299 couple | Colorado-specific will with witness pages, done in about an hour |
| Colorado attorney | Flat fees vary — Denver and Boulder run above the rest of the state | Custom drafting and counsel, including conservation easements and ranch or mineral interests |
Online pricing verified against Trust & Will’s published rates (August 2026). Colorado’s bar publishes no fee survey, so we quote no attorney figures we can’t source. See how Colorado compares with the rest of the country for national cost ranges and a state-by-state table of will requirements.
What a Colorado Will Does Not Do
1. A will does not avoid probate. Colorado probate is among the more manageable in the country — informal administration handles most estates — but it’s still a court process on the public record. Colorado also offers beneficiary deeds for real estate, which pass a home outside probate entirely and pair well with a simple will. For the full comparison, see what a living trust costs in Colorado.
2. A will does not cover incapacity. It operates only at death. Pair it with a durable power of attorney and medical directives — see the five documents every family needs.
3. A will does not override beneficiary designations. Life insurance, retirement accounts, beneficiary deeds, and payable-on-death accounts pass to the named beneficiary no matter what the will says.
Will vs. Trust for Colorado Families
Every Colorado adult needs a will — the blended-family thresholds above are nobody’s actual wishes, and no default rule names a guardian for your children. The trust question is softer here than in high-fee states: Colorado’s informal probate plus the beneficiary deed covers a lot of ground, so trusts earn their keep for privacy, blended families, property in more than one state, and incapacity planning. Start with Trust vs. Will: Which Does Your Family Need? and the numbers in our Colorado living trust cost guide.
If the will is what you need today, Trust & Will’s Colorado package includes the witness pages, guardianship nominations, and healthcare documents — build your Colorado will here.
FAQ
Does a will have to be notarized in Colorado?
No — but it may be, instead of using witnesses. Colorado accepts either two witnesses or your acknowledgment before a notary public (§ 15-11-502(1)(c)). Most states offer no such alternative.
Are handwritten wills legal in Colorado?
Yes. A holographic will is valid with no witnesses and no date, as long as the signature and material portions are in your handwriting (§ 15-11-502(2)).
Can I make an electronic will in Colorado?
Yes — since 2021, under the Colorado Uniform Electronic Wills Act (§§ 15-11-1301 to 15-11-1311). Witnesses may appear in electronic presence, or a Colorado notary located in Colorado can take your acknowledgment.
Can a witness sign my Colorado will after I die?
Yes — unusually, § 15-11-502(1)(c)(I) allows a witness to sign either before or after the testator’s death, provided they sign within a reasonable time of witnessing.
What happens if I die without a will in Colorado?
Your spouse takes everything only if all descendants are shared and neither of you has children elsewhere. A stepchild on either side reduces the share to a setaside plus half; dying childless with a surviving parent gives your spouse $300,000 plus three-quarters (§ 15-11-102). All dollar figures adjust annually for inflation.
Does a will avoid probate in Colorado?
No — a will goes through probate. Living trusts, Colorado beneficiary deeds, and beneficiary designations are the tools that pass property outside the court process.
Colorado Law Cited on This Page
- C.R.S. § 15-11-502 — execution; witnessed or notarized wills; holographic wills
- C.R.S. § 15-11-503 — harmless error
- C.R.S. §§ 15-11-1301 to 15-11-1311 — Colorado Uniform Electronic Wills Act
- C.R.S. § 15-11-102 — intestate share of spouse
Update log — August 2026: page created; execution, electronic-will, and intestacy rules verified against the Colorado Probate Code. Intestacy figures are statutory bases and adjust annually for inflation. Reviewed when Colorado law changes.