✓ Verified June 2026
This guide covers Colorado estate planning in plain English — the exact age, witness, and notarization rules, whether a handwritten will is valid, and how to make your will self-proving. All figures are from Colorado law, verified as of June 2026.
In This Colorado Guide:
Colorado Will Requirements at a Glance
Here are the exact rules for making a valid will in Colorado:
| Minimum age to make a will | 18 |
| Witnesses required | 2 |
| Notarization required | NO — notarization is not required to make a valid will in Colorado, but under CRS 15-11-502 a will acknowledged before a notary public is valid even without witnesses; notarization is an alternative to witnessing, not a requirement |
| Handwritten (holographic) will allowed | YES — under CRS 15-11-502(2), a will that does not comply with witness or notarization requirements is valid as a holographic will if the signature and material portions of the document are in the testator’s handwriting; no witnesses or notarization are required for a holographic will |
| Self-proving affidavit available | YES — under CRS 15-11-504, a will executed with attesting witnesses may be made self-proving at the time of execution or any time afterward by the testator’s acknowledgment and the witnesses’ affidavits, each made before an officer authorized to administer oaths, with the officer’s certificate under official seal; a self-proving affidavit lets the probate court accept the will without locating or contacting the witnesses |
| Statutory will form | NO — Colorado does not offer an official statutory fill-in-the-blank will form; the Colorado Judicial Branch provides probate forms for administering an estate after death but does not publish a statutory will template |
What a Colorado Will Does (and Doesn’t Do)
A Colorado will allows you to name a personal representative (executor) to manage your estate, name a guardian for minor children, direct how your probate assets are distributed, make specific bequests of property, and create a testamentary trust; under CRS 15-11-513 a separate written statement may identify recipients of tangible personal property
What a Colorado will does NOT control: A Colorado will does not control assets that pass outside probate — these include life insurance proceeds with a named beneficiary, retirement accounts (401k, IRA) with a named beneficiary, payable-on-death (POD) and transfer-on-death (TOD) accounts, property held in joint tenancy with right of survivorship, and assets held in a living trust
Oral wills in Colorado: NO — Colorado does not recognize oral (nuncupative) wills
How to Update or Revoke a Colorado Will
A Colorado will may be amended by executing a codicil, which must meet the same execution requirements as the original will (signed by the testator plus 2 witnesses, or notarized, or holographic); under CRS 15-11-507 a will may be revoked in whole or in part by executing a subsequent will that revokes the previous will expressly or by inconsistency, or by performing a revocatory act on the will (burning, tearing,
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canceling, obliterating, or destroying) with the intent to revoke
Other Colorado will-making rules: Colorado is one of the few states that allows a notarized will as a full alternative to a witnessed will under CRS 15-11-502 — a testator may choose either 2 witnesses or notarization, not both required; Colorado adopted the Uniform Probate Code and also enacted the Colorado Uniform Electronic Wills Act (CRS 15-11-1301 et seq., effective 2021), which allows wills to be created, signed,
and witnessed electronically; electronic wills may use remote online notarization (RON), though traditional paper wills may not be notarized remotely; intent that a holographic document constitutes a will can be established by extrinsic evidence, including portions not in the testator’s handwriting
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Understanding Colorado Estate Planning
Getting started with Colorado estate planning is the single best gift you can give your family. A valid Colorado will lets you decide who inherits, name an executor, and name a guardian for your children — instead of leaving it to a default state formula.
When people look into Colorado estate planning, the real answer comes down to the state’s execution rules: your age, the number of witnesses, and whether you make it self-proving. If any part of Colorado estate planning is unclear, your state court’s self-help center can point you to the official forms and resources.
Official Colorado Sources & Resources
- Colorado Court Self-Help: https://www.courts.state.co.us/Self_Help/Index.cfm
- Colorado Wills Statute: https://leg.colorado.gov/colorado-revised-statutes (Title 15, Article 11, Part 5 — Wills and Will Contracts)
- Internal Revenue Service — Estate Tax: irs.gov
- Cornell Legal Information Institute: law.cornell.edu/wex
This Colorado will guide was last verified against official sources in June 2026. Laws change — verify with your state court or a licensed attorney.
More Colorado Wills & Probate Guides
- Colorado Probate Process
- Dying Without a Will in Colorado
- Colorado Estate & Inheritance Tax
- Colorado Small Estate Affidavit
- Colorado Living Trust
- Probate Cost Calculator
- All 51 States
Disclaimer: This guide is informational only and is not legal or tax advice. Estate, probate, and tax laws change and vary by state and county. Verify current rules and dollar figures with your state’s court, statute, or a licensed attorney or tax professional before acting. For urgent matters like an active probate or a tax deadline, consult a licensed professional in your state right away.