Back to Alaska
Petersburg, AK Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Petersburg details |
|---|---|
| Court | Alaska Superior Court at the Petersburg court (AS 22.10.020) |
| Courthouse address | 17 North Nordic Drive, Petersburg, AK 99833 |
| Mailing address | PO Box 1009, Petersburg, AK 99833 |
| Phone | (907) 772-3824, customer service and all departments. No separate probate line is published. |
| Fax | (907) 772-3018. The court publishes this as an unlabeled fax number, not as a specific filing channel. |
| [email protected], published for record requests. | |
| Hours | Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm; Friday, 8:00 am to 12 noon. Call before visiting. |
| Filing fee | $250 to open a probate of estates case, set by Administrative Rule 9 and published by the Alaska Court System as effective May 1, 2023. |
| Local forms | No local Petersburg probate forms or local cover sheet are published. Use the Alaska Court System statewide P series forms. |
| E-filing status | Alaska uses TrueFiling statewide, but estates, trusts and wills are not on TrueFiling. The Alaska Court System says probate is planned to transition by the end of 2026, so check courts.alaska.gov/eFile/index.htm before filing. |
| Case search | CourtView Public Access at records.courts.alaska.gov. Petersburg estate case numbers begin with 1PE and end with PR. |
| Remote appearance | Hearings in probate cases are presumptively remote except for listed matters that include contested estate hearings, and the judge can change the format. Telephonic, video or internet participation is governed by Civil Rule 99. Petersburg's toll-free conference line is 1-888-788-0099, and the published Petersburg meeting ID is 893 972 7518. |
| Website | https://courts.alaska.gov/courtdir/1pe.htm |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file in Petersburg, make a practical list of accounts, real estate, vehicles, debts, beneficiary designations and co-owned property. Estate settlement is easier when you know which assets actually need court authority and which pass outside the case.
Sunset's 2,300-institution asset discovery helps families identify accounts and obligations before choosing a filing path. For a Petersburg estate, that preparation also helps you decide whether to go to the counter during the court's short Friday hours, mail the packet, or call the clerk of court before attempting any electronic-mail or fax delivery under Civil Rule 5.1.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Probate for people who lived in and around Petersburg is filed with the Alaska Superior Court at the Petersburg court, one of the Alaska Court System's trial-court locations in the First Judicial District. Venue for the first probate proceeding lies in the judicial district where the person who died was domiciled (AS 13.16.055(a)(1); AS 22.10.020).
Petersburg sits in Petersburg Borough, and the Petersburg court is the Alaska Court System location that serves it. Alaska has no separate court for decedents' estates: estate settlement is a case class of the superior court, the state's trial court of general jurisdiction, whose jurisdiction extends over the whole of the state and which sits at court locations grouped into four judicial districts (AS 22.10.010; AS 22.10.020). Papers are filed with the clerk of court at the Petersburg court, and venue for the first proceeding lies in the judicial district where the person who died was domiciled (AS 13.16.055). Alaska's other trial court, the district court, is a court of limited jurisdiction and does not hear estates (AS 22.15.010). Alaska's civil subdivisions are boroughs, unified municipalities and census areas, and more than half the state lies in the Unorganized Borough; probate venue follows none of them, it follows the judicial district.
The jurisdiction process
- Choose the correct statewide Alaska Court System forms. With a will, the usual informal probate packet uses P-315, P-316 and P-335 under AS 13.16.080, with letters testamentary issued under AS 13.16.015. Without a will, the comparable packet uses P-325, P-326 and P-336 under AS 13.16.080, with letters of administration issued under AS 13.16.015.
- Gather the certified death certificate, the original will if there is one, the signed request, the proposed statement, the acceptance of duties and any needed priority or bond-waiver paperwork. Expect the original will to travel on paper.
- File with the clerk of court at the Petersburg court, 17 North Nordic Drive, Petersburg, AK 99833, during Monday through Thursday hours or the shorter Friday morning schedule. You may also mail the packet to PO Box 1009, Petersburg, AK 99833.
- Pay the $250 filing fee to open a probate of estates case, set by Administrative Rule 9 and published as effective May 1, 2023, or submit TF-920 if you are asking for a fee waiver.
- Do not assume opening papers can be sent electronically. Petersburg publishes an email address for record requests and an unlabeled fax number; Civil Rule 5.1 allows electronic mail or fax filing only as a presiding judge's order permits or as the assigned judge consents in writing, and the First Judicial District order excludes documents that require a filing fee.
- The court reviews the request. If a hearing is set, ask the Petersburg court which meeting ID applies; telephonic, video or internet participation is governed by Civil Rule 99, and Supreme Court Order No. 2012 makes probate hearings presumptively remote except for listed matters that include contested estate hearings.
- Once the court issues the statement and letters, the personal representative uses the letters testamentary or letters of administration as proof of authority under AS 13.16.015.
- Administer the estate, make required notices and distributions, keep careful records and close the case using the Alaska Court System form that fits the case path.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Petersburg
The Alaska Court System publishes a statewide set of probate forms, the P series, and the Petersburg court does not publish local probate forms of its own. Use the statewide forms for Petersburg filings.
| Need | Forms to review |
|---|---|
| Start informal probate with a will | P-315, P-316 and P-335 under AS 13.16.080; P-335 is the acceptance of duties and letters testamentary form under AS 13.16.015. |
| Start informal probate without a will | P-325, P-326 and P-336 under AS 13.16.080; P-336 is the acceptance of duties and letters of administration form under AS 13.16.015. |
| Start formal probate | P-320 or P-330 under AS 13.16.145, depending on whether there is a will. |
| Ask to proceed without paying now | TF-920, Request for Exemption from Payment of Fees, for a fee waiver request. |
| Request records | TF-311 for court record requests outside Anchorage, Fairbanks and Palmer. |
Local nuance
Petersburg-specific considerations
The Petersburg court is an Alaska Court System location in the First Judicial District. A magistrate judge presides locally; the superior court judges who handle estate settlement in this judicial district sit at Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka, and the superior court's jurisdiction runs over the whole of the state (AS 22.10.020). Venue for a first probate proceeding is the judicial district where the person who died was domiciled, so a Petersburg estate is a First Judicial District case (AS 13.16.055). Papers and questions go to the Petersburg court at the address and number above, and hearings are commonly held by telephone under Civil Rule 99.
Plan around the Petersburg counter schedule: Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, and Friday, 8:00 am to 12 noon. The court's email address is published for record requests, and its fax number is not labeled as a filing channel. Call (907) 772-3824 before sending anything other than a mailed filing packet, especially because Civil Rule 5.1 and the First Judicial District email-filing order limit electronic-mail filings that require a filing fee.
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: August 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely Petersburg path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with co-owned home | Start by separating property that passes by title or beneficiary designation from assets that need a personal representative. If a case is needed, file at 17 North Nordic Drive or mail the packet to PO Box 1009, Petersburg, AK 99833. Plan any counter visit around the court's short Friday schedule. | Sunset helps identify accounts, title patterns and debts before you spend time preparing a filing packet. |
| Out-of-state adult child with small estate under AS 13.16.690 | Review the statewide Alaska options before opening a case. If court authority is still needed for someone domiciled in and around Petersburg, the case is a First Judicial District matter under AS 13.16.055, and papers can be mailed to the Petersburg court. If a hearing is set, ask about telephonic participation under Civil Rule 99. | Sunset helps organize asset information, generate the packet and coordinate next steps without requiring you to start from Petersburg. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A sale commonly requires an appointed personal representative with letters testamentary or letters of administration under AS 13.16.015. File with the clerk of court at the Petersburg court, budget the $250 filing fee set by Administrative Rule 9 and published as effective May 1, 2023, or submit TF-920 for a fee waiver request. | Sunset helps assemble the filing information, identify when a local attorney is useful and prepare for certified copies of the letters after appointment. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Petersburg court | Filing counter, local hours, record requests and questions about what the court will accept. | 17 North Nordic Drive; (907) 772-3824; https://courts.alaska.gov/courtdir/1pe.htm |
| Alaska Court System probate self-help hub | Statewide probate explanations, forms, flowcharts and AVA probate virtual assistant links. | https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/probate/index.htm |
| Alaska Court System probate forms | Statewide P series probate forms used in Petersburg. | https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/probate/forms.htm |
| CourtView Public Access | Free docket lookup for public estate cases and deposited wills; Petersburg estate case numbers begin with 1PE and end with PR. | records.courts.alaska.gov |
| Alaska Court System law libraries | Research help from the state court law library system. Do not assume a staffed law library is located at the Petersburg courthouse. | 1-888-282-2082; [email protected] |
| Alaska Lawyer Referral Service | Names of lawyers who practice in the needed area, including probate. | https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/probate/resources.htm |
| Fee waiver form | Use TF-920 to ask for a fee waiver when filing. | https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/tf-920.pdf |
When to hire an attorney
Consider a probate attorney if the will is disputed, heirs disagree about who should serve, real estate must be sold, the estate has business or tax issues, or you are trying to manage a Petersburg filing from outside Alaska. Sunset connects families with a vetted attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 institutions to help families locate accounts, policies and property information that can shape the Petersburg estate settlement plan.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset helps turn the family's information into a court-ready probate packet using the Alaska Court System forms that fit the situation.
Find a local probate attorney. When a Petersburg estate needs legal help, Sunset can connect the family with a vetted probate attorney who understands Alaska filings and remote hearing practice.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to organize the estate settlement process, understand next steps and decide when professional help is needed.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Petersburg?
File with the clerk of court at the Petersburg court, 17 North Nordic Drive, Petersburg, AK 99833, or mail the packet to PO Box 1009, Petersburg, AK 99833. A Petersburg estate is a First Judicial District case because venue for the first probate proceeding follows the judicial district where the person who died was domiciled (AS 13.16.055).
What are the Petersburg court's hours?
The Petersburg court is open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, and Friday, 8:00 am to 12 noon. Call (907) 772-3824 before visiting, especially if you are traveling to the court.
Can I file probate electronically in Petersburg?
Not through TrueFiling. Alaska uses TrueFiling statewide, but the Alaska Court System lists estates, trusts and wills among the case types that still have paper case files and cannot be submitted through TrueFiling. The court system says probate is planned to transition by the end of 2026, so check courts.alaska.gov/eFile/index.htm before filing.
Can I send Petersburg probate papers electronically or by fax?
Ask the court before doing that. Petersburg publishes [email protected] for record requests and lists (907) 772-3018 as a fax number without a filing label. Civil Rule 5.1 allows electronic mail or fax filing only as a presiding judge's order permits or as the assigned judge consents in writing, and the First Judicial District order excludes documents that require a filing fee.
Is there a judge in Petersburg for a probate case?
The Petersburg court is a court location in the First Judicial District, and a magistrate judge presides locally. The superior court judges who handle estate settlement in the First Judicial District sit at Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka, and the superior court's jurisdiction extends over the whole state (AS 22.10.020; AS 13.16.055).
Can I take part in a Petersburg probate hearing by telephone?
Often, but the court controls the format. Telephonic, video or internet participation is governed by Civil Rule 99. Under Supreme Court Order No. 2012, probate hearings are presumptively remote except for listed matters that include contested estate hearings, and the judge can change the format for a particular hearing. The Petersburg toll-free conference line is 1-888-788-0099, and the published Petersburg meeting ID is 893 972 7518.
How much does it cost to open a probate case in Petersburg?
The fee is $250 to open a probate of estates case, set by Administrative Rule 9 and published by the Alaska Court System as effective May 1, 2023. If you cannot pay when filing, submit TF-920 to ask for a fee waiver.
Are there Petersburg probate forms?
Petersburg does not publish local probate forms of its own. Use the Alaska Court System statewide P series forms. With a will, informal probate uses P-315, P-316 and P-335 under AS 13.16.080, with letters testamentary under AS 13.16.015; without a will, review P-325, P-326 and P-336.
How do I look up a Petersburg probate case?
Use CourtView Public Access at records.courts.alaska.gov. It is free and does not require an account. Petersburg estate case numbers begin with 1PE and end with PR. CourtView is a docket index, not a document library.
Do I have to travel to Juneau to settle an estate for someone from Petersburg?
Not just to start the case. Papers and questions go to the Petersburg court, and a Petersburg estate remains a First Judicial District case under AS 13.16.055. If a hearing is set, ask the court about telephonic participation under Civil Rule 99.
Shaped by the families we've helped
Thank you to the thousands of families who have trusted Sunset to help settle their loved ones' estates. This page is shaped by the questions they actually asked and the obstacles they actually hit — and that hard-won experience is what keeps it accurate, current, and genuinely useful to the families who come next.