§ 15-12-402. Formal testacy or appointment proceedings - petition - contents

CO Rev Stat § 15-12-402 (2018) (N/A)
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(1) Petitions for formal probate of a will, or for adjudication of intestacy with or without request for appointment of a personal representative, must be directed to the court, request a judicial order after notice and hearing, and contain further statements as indicated in this section. A petition for formal probate of a will shall:

(a) Request an order as to the testacy of the decedent in relation to a particular instrument which may or may not have been informally probated and determining the heirs;

(b) Contain the statements required for informal applications as stated in section 15-12-301 (2) and the statements required by section 15-12-301 (3); and

(c) State whether the original of the last will of the decedent is in the possession of the court or accompanies the petition.

(2) If the original will is neither in the possession of the court nor accompanies the petition and no authenticated copy of a will probated in another jurisdiction accompanies the petition, the petition also must state the contents of the will and indicate that it is lost, destroyed, or otherwise unavailable.

(3) If a will has been lost or destroyed, or for any other reason is unavailable, and the fact of the execution thereof is established, as herein provided, and the contents thereof are likewise established to the satisfaction of the court, and the court is satisfied that the will has not been revoked by the testator, the court may admit the same to probate and record, as in other cases. In every such case the order admitting such will to probate shall set forth the contents of the will at length, and the names of the witnesses by whom the same was proved, and such order shall be recorded in the recordof wills.

(4) A petition for adjudication of intestacy and appointment of an administrator in intestacy must request a judicial finding and order that the decedent left no will and determining the heirs, contain the statements required by section 15-12-301 (2) and (5), and indicate whether supervised administration is sought. A petition may request an order determining intestacy and heirs without requesting the appointment of an administrator, in which case the statements required by section 15-12-301 (5)(b) may be omitted.