Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: In Colorado, colorado (a UPC state) requires no bond for a personal representative appointed in informal proceedings, except for a special administrator, a will with an express bond requirement, or when an interested person or creditor with more than $5,000 at stake demands bond under section 15-12-605 and the court finds bond desirable; in formal (supervised-type) proceedings, bond may be ordered by the court at appointment.
Colorado executor bond: what the statute says
Each line is a short extract quoted from the statute cited; the section has the exceptions.
- When a bond is required. C.R.S. § 15-12-603(1): “No bond is required of a personal representative appointed in informal proceedings, except: (a) Upon the appointment of a special administrator; (b) When an executor or other personal representative is appointed to administer an estate under a will containing an express requirement of bond; or (c) When bond is required under section 15-12-605.”
- Waiver. C.R.S. § 15-12-603(2): “…bond is not required of a personal representative appointed in formal proceedings if the will relieves the personal representative of bond, unless bond has been requested by an interested party and the court is satisfied that it is desirable.”
- Amount. C.R.S. § 15-12-604: “If bond is required and the provisions of the will or order do not specify the amount…” “…or give other suitable security, in an amount not less than the estimate.”
- Surety and cost. C.R.S. § 15-12-604: “…duly executed by a corporate surety, or one or more individual sureties whose performance is secured by pledge of personal property, mortgage on real property, or other adequate security.”
For the rest of the process and its fees, see Colorado probate cost.
Does Colorado require an executor to post a bond?
Colorado (a UPC state) requires no bond for a personal representative appointed in informal proceedings, except for a special administrator, a will with an express bond requirement, or when an interested person or creditor with more than $5,000 at stake demands bond under section 15-12-605 and the court finds bond desirable; in formal (supervised-type) proceedings, bond may be ordered by the court at appointment.
“No bond is required of a personal representative appointed in informal proceedings, except: (a) Upon the appointment of a special administrator; (b) When an executor or other personal representative is appointed to administer an estate under a will containing an express requirement of bond; or (c) When bond is required under section 15-12-605.”
Source: Colo. Rev. Stat. § 15-12-603
Can the will waive it in Colorado?
Yes. In formal proceedings, bond is not required if the will relieves the representative of bond, unless an interested party requested bond and the court is satisfied it is desirable; a will-required bond can also be dispensed with if the court finds it unnecessary.
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Can the heirs or beneficiaries waive it in Colorado?
Sometimes. The statute does not give heirs an affirmative waiver filing (as Alaska/Arizona do); instead, in formal proceedings an interested party can request that bond be imposed despite a will’s waiver.
If a bond is required, how much?
When a bond is required, Colorado sizes it at 100% of the estimated value of the personal estate plus expected annual income, per its own bond-amount statute.
“his best estimate of the value of the personal estate of the decedent and of the income expected from the personal and real estate during the next year…in an amount not less than the estimate”
Source: Colo. Rev. Stat. § 15-12-604
What makes Colorado different
Colorado is the clearest textbook illustration of the UPC informal/formal split described in the research brief: bond is off by default for informal (unsupervised) administration and only becomes a live question; subject to court discretion; once a case proceeds formally.
| Bond-requirement source | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 15-12-603 |
| Colorado courts (general reference) | Colorado judicial branch |
| Colorado Secretary of State / legislature | Colorado state government |
| Confidence | High |
Every statute quoted on this page was read directly from the state’s own legislature/code site this session, or, where that site blocked automated access, from a reputable legal-citation mirror quoting the same official text with its official citation (disclosed below). General information, not legal advice; a probate court has final discretion over bond in every state; confirm your own case with the court or a local attorney before relying on the default described here.
Related: how long creditors have to file a claim against an estate in Colorado.