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Reviewed by Owen Hathaway, AttorneyUpdated June 1, 2026The person appointed to settle a deceased person's estate such as gathering assets, paying debts, and distributing the rest. Older terms are executor (with a will) and administrator (without).
A personal representative is the individual or entity appointed to administer a decedent's probate estate. The personal representative gathers and protects assets, gives required notices, pays valid debts and taxes, and distributes what remains under the will or, if none, under intestacy law.
Colorado and the Uniform Probate Code use the single term personal representative for what older law and other states call an executor (when named in a will) or administrator (when appointed without a will).
Colorado uses personal representative throughout the Colorado Probate Code (C.R.S. Title 15, Article 12). Wyoming statutes still use executor and administrator. The role carries fiduciary duties in both states and can expose the representative to personal liability for mistakes.
Related terms
- probateThe court-supervised process of proving a will, paying a deceased person's debts, and transferring what's left to the heirs or beneficiaries.
- fiduciaryA person legally required to act in someone else's best interest, with duties of loyalty and care. It is the highest standard the law imposes.
- letters testamentaryThe court document that proves a personal representative has authority to act for an estate, and banks and others rely on it.
- notice to creditorsThe formal notice that opens a limited window for creditors to file claims against an estate; claims filed late are generally barred.