Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Grand County OEM – (970) 725-3347 | co.grand.co.us
Alert System: CO-WARN; CodeRED; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Grand County Fairgrounds (Hot Sulphur Springs); school facilities; Granby and Winter Park community centers; contact OEM
FEMA Region: Region 8
Notes: North-central Colorado mountain county; Hot Sulphur Springs is county seat; wildfire risk (EXTREME – 2020 East Troublesome Fire was the second-largest wildfire in Colorado history – 193,812 acres; spread with terrifying speed driven by strong winds; the fire threatened Grand Lake and briefly threatened Estes Park across Rocky Mountain NP; one of the most dramatic and destructive fires in Colorado history; the Granby Bulldozer Rampage (2004 – Marvin Heemeyer drove an armored bulldozer through 13 buildings in Granby in a dispute with local government; one of the most bizarre events in Colorado history); avalanche risk; flooding (Colorado River headwaters; Lake Granby; Shadow Mountain Reservoir); I-70 access via Eisenhower Tunnel)
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Roads: Grand County Roads – (970) 725-3347
Transit: Lift (Winter Park transit – (970) 726-4163); limited county transit; auto-dependent; ski shuttle services
Airport: Denver International (accessible via I-70 and US-40 – about 90 minutes)
Notes: US-40 (the Moffat Road route – connects Denver via Berthoud Pass (11,307 ft) to Granby, Kremmling, and on to Steamboat Springs and US-40 west; spectacular but challenging in winter); I-70 via Eisenhower Tunnel to US-40 connection near Silverthorne is the faster Denver route; Winter Park Resort is accessible on the “Ski Train” from Denver Union Station (the Winter Park Express – Amtrak/RTD partnership operating Friday-Sunday in ski season; goes through the Moffat Tunnel – the longest railroad tunnel in the US at 6.2 miles – under the Continental Divide); Grand Lake is the terminus of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain NP; the Grand County community is isolated in winter when passes close
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Grand County Planning – (970) 725-3347
Services: County permits; Granby, Grand Lake, Winter Park, Fraser, Hot Sulphur Springs, Kremmling have separate permits
Notes: Resort development (Winter Park, Grand Lake); workforce housing is a significant challenge; post-East Troublesome Fire rebuilding in the Grand Lake area; vacation home and cabin construction throughout; Fraser Valley development driven by Winter Park resort proximity; agricultural and ranching structures in Kremmling area
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Grand County Veterans Services – (970) 725-3347
VA Medical: VA Denver (accessible via US-40/I-70 – about 90 minutes); telehealth important
Services: Benefits claims; Denver VA accessible via I-70
Notes: Remote mountain county; Denver VA accessible but the drive is significant in winter conditions; small veteran community; resort and recreation industry employs some veterans
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Grand County Library District – (970) 887-2149 | grandcountylibrary.org
Branches: Granby, Grand Lake, Hot Sulphur Springs, Kremmling, Fraser/Winter Park
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs; Colorado River and Rocky Mountain heritage; East Troublesome Fire recovery resources
Notes: Library system serves a dispersed mountain community; Fraser/Winter Park branch serves the resort community; East Troublesome Fire recovery resources have been a significant library priority; Rocky Mountain NP and wilderness heritage in collections
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Rocky Mountain National Park (Grand County’s eastern boundary – the park’s west side (Grand Lake entrance) is less crowded than the east side but equally spectacular; Trail Ridge Road crosses from Estes Park into Grand County – the highest continuous paved road in the US at 12,183 ft above tree line for 11 miles; bighorn sheep visible from the road; tundra ecosystem; extraordinary alpine scenery); Grand Lake (the largest natural lake in Colorado – beautiful mountain lake at 8,369 ft elevation; sailing; kayaking; paddleboarding; swimming in summer; the Grand Lake Yacht Club is the highest yacht club in the world; Victorian-era resort community with a charming wooden boardwalk Main Street); Lake Granby (the second-largest reservoir in Colorado – water sports; fishing; boating; camping); Winter Park Resort (US-40 corridor – major Front Range ski resort; Mary Jane terrain is known for Colorado’s finest mogul skiing; the Winter Park Express ski train from Denver’s Union Station is a beloved Colorado experience); Arapaho National Recreation Area (surrounding Granby, Shadow Mountain, and Lake Granby – Bureau of Reclamation lands; water recreation); Colorado River headwaters (fishing; the Colorado River’s headwaters are in Rocky Mountain NP and Grand County – the river that supplies water to 7 states begins here)
Notes: Grand County contains the headwaters of the Colorado River – the river begins in Rocky Mountain NP and flows through Grand Lake and Lake Granby before heading west through Horseshoe Park and the Kawuneeche Valley; the Colorado River Compact’s allocated 15 million acre-feet annually begins here; Trail Ridge Road’s 11 miles above tree line is extraordinary – it is the most accessible alpine tundra in the US; Grand Lake’s Victorian wooden boardwalk Main Street is one of Colorado’s most charming resort community downtowns; the Winter Park Express ski train (through the 6.2-mile Moffat Tunnel under the Continental Divide) is one of Colorado’s finest recreational transportation experiences; the East Troublesome Fire’s dramatic speed (it burned 100,000 acres in a single day – October 21, 2020) is a sobering reminder of the potential for catastrophic fire behavior under wind-driven conditions
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Grand County GIS – co.grand.co.us; Rocky Mountain NP maps; USFS Arapaho NF and Routt NF maps; East Troublesome Fire maps; Colorado River headwaters mapping; avalanche hazard maps
Notes: County GIS; East Troublesome Fire perimeter and damage mapping; Rocky Mountain NP trail and Trail Ridge Road maps; Colorado River headwaters hydrological mapping; avalanche hazard zone maps
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Grand County Animal Control – (970) 725-3347; Grand County Humane Society
Services: Stray intake, adoptions, animal control; wildlife management (Rocky Mountain NP wildlife – elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, moose – Grand County has one of Colorado’s finest moose populations; mountain lions; black bears)
Notes: Moose are one of Grand County’s wildlife highlights – they were reintroduced to Colorado in 1978-79 and have thrived; the Kawuneeche Valley in RMNP and the Arapaho NRA area are excellent moose habitat; elk herds are large; Rocky Mountain NP wildlife management through NPS; East Troublesome Fire displaced significant wildlife populations; black bear management in Grand Lake and Granby as bears forage in fire-recovered areas
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Grand County – (970) 725-3347; resort waste management
Environmental: Colorado DPHE; Colorado River Water Conservation District; Bureau of Reclamation (Colorado-Big Thompson Project – Granby Pump Plant pumps Colorado River water under the Continental Divide to the Front Range via the Adams Tunnel; Lake Granby is the primary storage for this extraordinary inter-basin water transfer); NPS (Rocky Mountain NP); USFS (Arapaho and Routt NFs)
Notes: Grand County is at the center of Colorado’s most important water transfer project; the Colorado-Big Thompson Project (C-BT) diverts Colorado River water from Grand County’s Granby Reservoir under the Continental Divide via the 13.1-mile Adams Tunnel (the longest water tunnel in the world when built in 1947) to supply Front Range communities from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs; Grand County water users have long been in conflict with Front Range water diverters over environmental flows in the Colorado River and its tributaries; the Grand County community has fought for decades to maintain minimum flows in the Fraser River and upper Colorado River; the East Troublesome Fire created enormous watershed damage – post-fire sediment delivery to Lake Granby (a key C-BT storage reservoir) is a major water quality concern for both local users and the tens of thousands of Front Range water customers who depend on the reservoir; Rocky Mountain NP’s ecology includes important climate change research programs – the park is one of the most intensively studied mountain ecosystems in the US; warming temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and the pine beetle epidemic (which killed millions of lodgepole pines in Grand County) are dramatically affecting the ecosystem
About Grand County County
Grand County is where the Colorado River begins and Winter Park skis – the headwaters of the river that waters seven states and the beloved ski resort that has served Denver’s mountain recreation needs for over 80 years define a county whose natural significance and recreational identity make it one of the most important mountain counties along Colorado’s Front Range.
Hot Sulphur Springs (the county seat, population ~650) is Grand County’s small governmental hub while Granby, Fraser, and Winter Park serve as the county’s primary residential and resort communities along US 40.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Grand County Assessor at 308 Byers Avenue, Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 80451, phone 970-725-3347. CO assessed at percentage of actual value.
Courts & Legal
Grand County District Court at 307 Moffat Avenue, Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 80451, phone 970-725-3357, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK & RECORDER (Deeds, Marriage Licenses, Elections)
308 Byers Ave., Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 80451
(970) 725-3347
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Grand County District Court (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
No dedicated Grand County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Grand County Judicial Center – District Court (Probate Division) 307 Moffat Avenue, P.O. Box 192, Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 80451 (970) 725-3357 Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Colorado follows the Uniform Probate Code, one of the more streamlined, less court-intensive systems in the country.
Small Estate Affidavit (personal property) – for estates where personal property totals less than roughly $86,000 (twice the “exempt property” amount under C.R.S. § 15-11-403, which adjusts annually for inflation – always confirm the current year’s figure with the court). Available starting 10 days after the death. No court filing required; present the affidavit (Form JDF 999) directly to whoever holds the property.
Summary Administration for small real property – a separate, roughly parallel threshold applies to real property equity. This route does require a court filing.
Informal Probate – the standard path for most estates with a will or clear heirs and no disputes. Handled largely by the court Registrar with minimal hearings.
Formal Probate – required for contested wills, disputed appointments, or complicated estates.
If using the small estate affidavit (personal property)
Wait at least 10 days after the death.
Confirm the fair market value of the decedent’s property (less liens) doesn’t exceed the current statutory threshold, and that no probate has already been opened.
Complete Form JDF 999, Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit.
Present it, along with a certified death certificate, to the bank or institution holding the property – no court filing needed.
If filing for informal or formal probate
File the appropriate application with the Grand County District Court: Form JDF 910 (with a will) or JDF 908 (without one). For formal probate, file JDF 920 or the intestate equivalent. Filing fee is $199.
The court (or Registrar, for informal cases) appoints a personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
In informal probate, the personal representative then manages the estate largely independently.
Creditors have 4 months from first publication of notice to file claims.
The estate closes once debts are paid and assets are distributed.
What it costs
Small estate affidavit: no court filing fee.
Informal or formal probate filing fee: $199.
Personal representative compensation: “reasonable compensation” – no fixed statutory percentage.
No Colorado state estate tax or inheritance tax.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 80451
(970) 725-3343
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK & RECORDER (Deeds, Marriage Licenses, Elections)
308 Byers Ave., Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 80451
(970) 725-3347
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Dept
(970) 887-2732
Human Services
(970) 725-3768
CO Benefits / PEAK
(800) 536-5298
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Middle Park Health (Grand County) – (970) 724-3421
Services: Immunizations, WIC, STI testing, environmental health, vital records; behavioral health; East Troublesome Fire trauma recovery; altitude illness education
Hospital: Middle Park Health Medical Center (Granby – (970) 887-1035); Kremmling Memorial Hospital (Kremmling – (970) 724-3442); very small critical access hospitals; Denver for major care
Notes: Two very small critical access hospitals; Denver for specialty care; East Troublesome Fire mental health trauma has been a significant community health priority; resort community behavioral health (seasonal worker substance use); altitude illness at high elevations; helicopter evacuation important for serious emergencies
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Hot Sulphur Springs
Population: 16,500
Area: 1,846 sq mi
Established: 1874
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Grand County County residents.
