Everything specific to Colorado in one place: what a death certificate costs and how to get one, who has the legal right to arrange the funeral, and where to find official help. Each section links to a full guide with its sources.
Colorado at a glance
| Certified death certificate (state fee) | $25 first copy, $20 each additional |
|---|---|
| Decides the funeral if nobody was named in advance | The decedent, via a declaration of disposition |
| Can you name someone in advance? | Yes |
| The law | Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 15-19-104 to 15-19-106 |
Funeral cost calculator for Colorado
Pick the kind of arrangement and what it includes, and the estimate updates line by line, using Colorado funeral homes’ own prices where we have them. Every line shows its source.
Funeral costs in Colorado
These are medians from 12 Colorado funeral homes’ own published General Price Lists (9 cities, dated 2025-01 to 2026-09), collected in September 2026. Each figure counts only the price lists that show that item. Direct cremation and immediate burial are the lowest option each home lists; some include a basic container or the crematory fee and some do not. Your funeral home’s own price list is the only figure that counts for your bill.
| Item | Median | Price lists |
|---|---|---|
| Direct cremation (lowest listed option) | $1,857.50 | 12 |
| Immediate burial (lowest listed option) | $4,105 | 11 |
| Basic services fee | $1,652.50 | 12 |
| Embalming | $765 | 12 |
| Transfer of remains to the funeral home | $450 | 12 |
| Viewing (facilities and staff) | $350 | 12 |
| Funeral ceremony (facilities and staff) | $597.50 | 12 |
| Hearse | $495 | 12 |
The 12 price lists behind these figures
- Newcomer Funeral Home (West Metro and East Metro Chapels), Lakewood, 2026-09-14
- Goes Funeral Care, Fort Collins, 2026-08-31
- Legacy Funeral Home, Grand Junction, 2025-01-01
- Latina Funerals & Cremation, Denver, 2026-07-22
- Shalom Funeral Services, Denver, 2026-07-22
- 5280 Cremation and Funeral Service, Aurora, 2026-01-01
- Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services – Aurora, Aurora, 2026-05-11
- Chapel of Memories, Colorado Springs, 2026-02-26
- Shrine of Remembrance, Colorado Springs, 2026-03-19
- Greenwood & Myers Mortuary, Boulder, 2026-04-29
- Maltbie Funeral Services, Springfield, 2025-10-01
- Hood Mortuary, Durango, 2026-01-11
Under the FTC Funeral Rule every funeral home must give you its prices over the phone, so calling two or three is the fastest way to a real number. How much a funeral costs, line by line.
Death certificates in Colorado
Certified copies come from Vital Records Section (Office of the State Registrar of Vital Statistics), Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. CDPHE: "Normal processing time for online orders is thirty business days from the date received." The order page posts a live queue date; on 2026-09-24 it showed online orders received by 09/10/2026 and mail orders by 09/15/2026 being processed. Full guide: getting a death certificate in Colorado.
Who decides the funeral in Colorado
Colorado law sets the order. The first people in line are: The decedent, via a declaration of disposition; Appointed personal representative or special administrator (or will nominee if none appointed); Surviving spouse (if not legally separated); Person named in a designated beneficiary agreement. The full order, ties, deadlines and disputes.
Help paying for a funeral in Colorado
Federal help is the same in every state: Social Security’s one-time $255 payment to an eligible spouse or child, VA burial benefits for eligible veterans, and FEMA help only after a declared disaster. What each pays and how to apply.
Some Colorado counties and cities also help low-income families with burial or cremation costs. Ask the social services office in the county where the person died.
More official links for every state: funeral resources · all states.