How to Find Probate Records in Every State (2026)
How to search probate cases and wills in each state: the court that handles probate and its official case search or records office.
| State | The rule |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Each Alabama county has its own Judge of Probate. The Alabama Secretary of State keeps a directory of every county's probate judge with office address and phone number; contact the probate office in the county where the person lived about wills and estate files. Alabama Secretary of State, County Official Lookup: Probate Judges |
| Alaska | Probate cases are generally handled by the Superior Court, filed in the judicial district where the person lived when they died. Once an original will is filed it becomes a permanent part of the court file. The Alaska Court System's public case search (CourtView, records.courts.alaska.gov) lets the public search trial court cases; some case records are not shown online or are removed after a period set by law or court rule. Alaska Court System, Probate Self-Help: Getting Started; Search Cases |
| Arizona | Probate (estates of decedents) is handled by the superior court in each county. The Arizona Judicial Branch's free Public Access Case Lookup covers 177 of Arizona's 184 courts but excludes mental health and probate cases, so probate records must be requested from the court (Clerk of Superior Court) in the county where the case was filed. A.R.S. 14-1201(11), 14-1302; Arizona Judicial Branch, Public Access Case Lookup |
| Arkansas | Probate is handled by the probate division of the circuit court (Arkansas circuit courts have five subject-matter divisions: criminal, civil, probate, domestic relations and juvenile). The Arkansas courts' public case portal, Search ARCourts (caseinfonew.arcourts.gov), shows parties, judges, filings, future events and judgments for courts using the Contexte case management system; coverage varies by court, some information is not public under Administrative Order 19, and questions about a specific case go to the court where it was filed. Arkansas Judiciary, Circuit Courts; Search ARCourts |
| California | Probate is handled by the probate division of the superior court. Anyone who finds an original will must deliver it to the court (called lodging the will). California Courts Self-Help Guide, Probate |
| Colorado | Probate is handled by the district court in the county where the person who died lived; in Denver County, estates are filed in the Denver Probate Court. If the person lived in another state, you can file in any Colorado county where they owned property. Colorado Judicial Branch, Self-Help: Open an Estate |
| Connecticut | Wills and estates are handled by Connecticut's Probate Courts, organized by probate district (the Probate Court's case lookup lists districts such as Hartford Probate Court, plus regional children's probate courts). The Probate Court's online Case Lookup covers decedent estate and trust matters from January 5, 2011 to the present; earlier records may be incomplete. Connecticut Probate Courts, Case Lookup |
| Delaware | Estates are handled by the Register of Wills in each county (New Castle, Kent and Sussex), which records wills after death and other estate documents, oversees the appointment of personal representatives, and keeps estate matters as permanent records. Kent County offers an online Estate Search for its Register of Wills records. Kent County Levy Court, Wills & Estates (Register of Wills) |
| District of Columbia | Wills and estates are handled by the Probate Division of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. D.C. Code 20-101(b) |
| Florida | Probate (settlement of decedents' estates and granting of letters testamentary) is handled by the circuit court in each county. Images or copies of court files governed by the Florida Probate Rules may not be placed on a publicly available website for general public display, so probate files are obtained from the county where the case was filed. Fla. Stat. 26.012(2)(b); 28.2221(5)(a) |
| Georgia | Wills, estates and related matters are handled by the Probate Court in each county; the statewide Probate Court Information System is the case-management system covering licenses, wills, guardianships and other estate responsibilities of the Probate Court. Judicial Council of Georgia / Administrative Office of the Courts, Probate Court Information System (PCIS) |
| Hawaii | Estate and probate cases are Circuit Court cases. The Judiciary's eCourt Kokua system provides public case information for Circuit Court civil and other case types; probate and estate case numbers use prefixes such as EQ, LG, LP, SE and TS in the 12-character eCourt case ID. Confidential, juvenile and sealed cases are not shown. Hawaii State Judiciary, Accessing Cases on eCourt Kokua (FAQ); Search Court Records |
| Idaho | Probate of wills and administration of estates may be assigned to magistrates of the district court (Idaho Code 1-2208). Every county courthouse has at least one public computer kiosk with publicly available case information, which can search cases and hearings without a party name or case number. Idaho Code 1-2208; Idaho Supreme Court, New Tool for Searching Court Records |
| Indiana | The Indiana Judicial Branch's free public case search, MyCase (mycase.in.gov), covers courts that use the state's Odyssey case management system (most courts in the state) and shows all public cases that are not confidential, sealed or expunged. Indiana Judicial Branch, Searching MyCase |
| Iowa | Probate (wills, appointment of personal representatives, and settlement of estates) is handled by the district court sitting in probate (Iowa Code 633.10). On Iowa Courts Online (Trial Court "Case Search"), non-parties can view general public case information but not documents; parties access documents through the electronic document management system, and others can view public records and documents at the clerk of court office where the case was filed. Iowa Code 633.10; Iowa Judicial Branch, FAQ: Court Forms and Records |
| Kentucky | District Court handles probate of wills; contested probate matters are heard in Circuit Court. The Administrative Office of the Courts does not keep court case records: requests for copies of district or circuit court records go to the Office of Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the case was handled. Online public access is offered only for Court of Appeals and Supreme Court cases (C-Track Public Access). Kentucky Court of Justice, About the Courts; Request Court Records |
| Louisiana | Louisiana uses "successions" instead of probate. A succession is opened in the district court of the parish where the deceased was domiciled at death (for a non-resident, a parish where the deceased's immovable property, or if none, movable property, is located). Each parish clerk of court serves as clerk of the district court and as parish recorder of conveyances, mortgages and other acts. La. Code of Civil Procedure art. 2811; Louisiana Legislative Auditor, Louisiana Governmental Audit Guide 200-1040 Clerks of Court |
| Maine | Maine Probate Courts are located in every county and are administered at the county-government level; each Probate Court manages its own records, so contact the Probate Court in the county where the estate was opened. State of Maine Judicial Branch, Court Records |
| Maryland | Estates are opened with the Register of Wills in the county (or Baltimore City) where the decedent was domiciled at death. The Register appoints personal representatives, keeps the permanent record of proceedings, and serves as clerk to the Orphans' Court, which handles probate judicially when necessary. The statewide Estate Search shows the decedent's name, estate number and status, date of death, filing date, personal representative, attorney and docket history for all estates filed with the Registers of Wills from 1998 to present, updated daily; for more information, visit or write to the Register of Wills office where the estate was filed. Maryland Register of Wills; Estate Search FAQ |
| Michigan | The probate court (or, when applicable, the family division of circuit court) has exclusive jurisdiction over settling a deceased person's estate, with or without a will, including interpreting wills (MCL 700.1302, 700.1103). MCL 700.1302; 700.1103(k) |
| Minnesota | The district court has jurisdiction over all subject matter relating to estates of decedents, including interpreting wills and determining heirs (Minn. Stat. 524.1-302, 524.1-201). Minn. Stat. 524.1-302; 524.1-201(9) |
| Mississippi | Mississippi's twenty chancery courts have jurisdiction over probate, along with equity, divorce, alimony, guardianship and sanity matters. Mississippi Secretary of State, Mississippi Judicial Branch and Legal Resources (2020) |
| Missouri | Probate matters, including granting letters testamentary and of administration, settling personal representatives' accounts, construing wills during administration and determining heirship, are heard by the probate division of the circuit court (RSMo 472.020). RSMo 472.020 |
| Montana | Probate cases are heard by the district court. By statute, the clerk of the district court in each county keeps a "Record of Probate Proceedings," indexed by the name of the deceased person or ward, and a "Register of Probate and Guardianship Proceedings" listing every paper filed and order made in each estate. To look up a probate case or will, contact the clerk of the district court in the county where the estate was opened. Mont. Code Ann. § 3-5-513 |
| Nebraska | Probate cases (along with guardianships, conservatorships and adoptions) are filed in the county court. Statewide trial-court records, from the county and district courts in all 93 counties, can be searched online through JUSTICE, the Judicial Branch's case search: a one-time search costs $17 and returns up to 30 records, viewing a case found in a general search costs $2, and subscriber accounts cost $100 a year. Case information is free at any courthouse kiosk or law library, including the Nebraska State Library. Nebraska Judicial Branch, County Court; Case Information eServices |
| Nevada | Probate petitions are filed in the district court in the county where the case is heard. The Nevada Self-Help Center says a will, or anything that might be a will, should be submitted to the court when the person who wrote it dies, and the judge decides whether it is valid. Copies of filed documents are available from the clerk's office where they were filed. State of Nevada Self-Help Center, Probate Basics; Petition to Set Aside |
| New Hampshire | Probate of wills and the administration and settlement of estates are handled by the Probate Division of the New Hampshire Circuit Court, which took over the jurisdiction of the former probate courts. RSA 490-F:3; RSA 547:3 |
| New Jersey | Uncontested probate and estate matters are handled by the Surrogate's Court in each county, headed by the elected County Surrogate, who also serves as deputy clerk to the Superior Court's Probate Part. The Surrogate's Court is the filing court for Probate Part actions. For wills and estate records, contact the Surrogate's office in the county where the estate was opened; the Judiciary publishes a roster of county surrogates. New Jersey Courts, Glossary: County Surrogate; Surrogate's Court |
| New Mexico | New Mexico has 33 county probate courts, one per county. They are courts of limited jurisdiction with no jury trials and hear informal probate and uncontested estate cases; contested estate cases go to district court. The Judiciary's free Case Lookup shows current electronic court records from New Mexico courts, and re:Search NM gives registered users access to Odyssey case information and documents. Probate forms are on the New Mexico Courts probate forms page. New Mexico Courts, Public Records; Probate forms |
| New York | Estates and the affairs of deceased persons are handled by the Surrogate's Court in each county, which has full general jurisdiction over all matters relating to estates and decedents' affairs. Contact the Surrogate's Court in the county where the estate was handled. N.Y. Surr. Ct. Proc. Act § 201 |
| North Carolina | The clerk of superior court in each county serves as ex officio judge of probate and has jurisdiction over the administration, settlement and distribution of decedents' estates. Estate files are handled by the clerk of superior court in the county where the estate is opened. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 28A-2-1 |
| North Dakota | Probate cases are filed in the district court. The North Dakota Court System's public case search (ND Court Records) covers civil, family and probate case records statewide or by county; you can search by case number, party name, attorney or date filed. North Dakota Court System, Civil, Family and Probate Case Records Searches |
| Ohio | Probate is handled by the county probate court, which has exclusive jurisdiction, except as otherwise provided by law, to take proof of wills, grant and revoke letters testamentary and of administration, and direct and control executors and administrators, settle their accounts and order the distribution of estates (Ohio Rev. Code 2101.24). Ohio Rev. Code 2101.24 |
| Oregon | Probate matters are handled by the circuit court in each county, except in Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Sherman and Wheeler counties, where the county court has probate jurisdiction (ORS 111.075). The Oregon Judicial Department's free online Records and Calendar Search gives basic case information for circuit courts; the paid OJCIN OnLine subscription offers more extensive access to all courts. Copies of court records can be requested through the court's Request Court Records form. ORS 111.075; Oregon Judicial Department, OJD Records and Calendar Search |
| Pennsylvania | Wills are probated, and letters granted to personal representatives, by the Register of Wills of each county (20 Pa.C.S. 901). The Unified Judicial System publishes a county-by-county directory of Orphans' Court clerks with mailing addresses and phone numbers, and the Department of Health notes that wills are among the records held at county courthouses. 20 Pa.C.S. 901; Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, Orphans' Court Clerks |
| Rhode Island | Probate cases in Rhode Island are heard locally by each city or town's probate court, and all probate appeals are heard in the Superior Court. Requests for probate records must be directed to the appropriate city or town clerk. Rhode Island Judiciary, Judicial Records Center |
| South Carolina | The probate court has exclusive original jurisdiction over estates of decedents, including will contests and construction of wills, with some matters (such as formal probate and will construction) removable to circuit court on timely motion (S.C. Code 62-1-302). The South Carolina Judicial Branch's Case Records Search links to each county's Public Index for trial court records; the page does not list probate court records among them. S.C. Code 62-1-302; South Carolina Judicial Branch, Case Records Search |
| South Dakota | Probate is handled by the circuit court ("Court" means the circuit court under the South Dakota Uniform Probate Code, SDCL 29A-1-201). People interested in a decedent's estate may apply to the clerk of court for determinations in informal proceedings or petition the court in formal proceedings (SDCL 29A-3-105). The Unified Judicial System's eCourts service shows a summary of public cases by party name or case number after free registration, and open court records can be viewed electronically on public access terminals at any courthouse in the state. SDCL 29A-1-201, 29A-3-105; South Dakota Unified Judicial System, Cases and Records |
| Texas | Probate jurisdiction depends on the county: in a county with a statutory probate court, that court has exclusive jurisdiction of all probate proceedings; otherwise the constitutional county court (and any county court at law exercising probate jurisdiction) hears them (Tex. Est. Code 32.002, 32.005). The county clerk keeps the "Judge's Probate Docket" recording each estate, its executor or administrator, filing dates and every order, plus a claim docket for each estate (Tex. Est. Code 52.001, 52.002). To find a probate case or will, contact the county clerk in the county where the estate was filed. Tex. Est. Code 32.002, 32.005, 52.001, 52.002 |
| Utah | Probate cases are filed in the district court of the county where the person lived at death or owned property (Utah Code 75-3-201); if there is a will, the original must be filed with the court. Xchange, the Utah courts' case-information database for district and justice courts, shows case summaries (parties, attorneys, documents filed, hearings, judgments); it requires a login and fees, and images of public district court documents can be purchased. Public terminals are available at most district court locations. Utah Courts, Informal Probate; Utah Courts, Xchange: Public Case Search |
| Vermont | Estates and wills are handled by the Probate Division of the Superior Court in the county where the person lived at death. A person may file their will with the probate division for safekeeping; it stays confidential during their life, and after death anyone who provides a certified death certificate can learn whether a will is on file. On the Vermont Judiciary Public Portal, anonymous users cannot view probate cases or documents remotely; only parties can request elevated online access, and publicly accessible probate information is available at courthouse public access terminals. Vermont Judiciary, Estates and Wills; Vermont Judiciary Public Portal |
| Virginia | Virginia has no separate probate court. A will is probated in the circuit court of the county or city where the person lived at death, and usually the Clerk of the Circuit Court or a deputy clerk handles probate without a judge; anyone interested can appeal the clerk's order to the judge within six months. There is no statewide probate search: the Judicial System's Circuit Court Case Information covers civil and criminal cases in select circuit courts, and Secure Remote Access to circuit court land records (including wills) is available for select courts after registering with the local Circuit Court Clerk. For estate matters, contact the local circuit court. Virginia Court Clerks' Association, Probate in Virginia (published on vacourts.gov); Virginia Judicial System, Online Services |
| Washington | The superior court of every county has original jurisdiction over the probate of wills and the administration of estates (RCW 11.96A.040). The Washington Courts' Search Case Records site lets the public search cases in municipal, district, superior and appellate courts by court level or by person name; case status may be inaccurate, outcomes are not shown, and some superior courts (including King and Pierce counties) are searched through their own court-run systems. Verify any information against the local court record. RCW 11.96A.040; Washington Courts, Search Case Records |
| West Virginia | Under W. Va. Code chapter 41, article 5, a will is probated on motion to the county court having jurisdiction, or by its clerk when the court is not in session (41-5-10). Once admitted to probate, the will is recorded by the clerk and indexed in a general index of wills, and it stays in the clerk's office unless removed by court order or subpoena (41-5-17). To find a probated will or estate, contact the clerk in the county where it was probated. W. Va. Code 41-5-10, 41-5-17 |
| Wisconsin | Probate court actions are governed by Wis. Stat. chapters 851 through 882, and each county has a Register in Probate; the Wisconsin Court System's probate self-help page directs people to their county Register in Probate (some counties also use county-specific forms) and links to a directory of probate offices. Circuit court cases can be looked up on Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA). Wisconsin Court System, Self-Help Law Center: Probate |
| Wyoming | District courts generally hear probate cases in Wyoming, and new probate filings carry a filing fee plus variable fees such as probate inventory fees. District and circuit court records can be viewed in person at the public access terminal in the clerk of court's office; the Judicial Branch's online public docket covers Supreme Court cases. Wyoming Judicial Branch, Frequently Asked Questions |
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.