Back to Alaska
Valdez, AK Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Valdez court information |
|---|---|
| Court | Alaska Superior Court at the Valdez court (AS 22.10.020(a)) |
| Courthouse address | 213 Meals Avenue, Valdez, AK 99686 |
| Mailing address | PO Box 127, Valdez, AK 99686 |
| Phone | (907) 835-2266, customer service. No separate probate line is published. |
| Fax | (907) 835-3764, published by the court under a filings and record requests heading. Fax filing is governed by Civil Rule 5.1. |
| [email protected], published by the court under a filings and record requests heading. Sending papers by email is governed by Civil Rule 5.1. | |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. The clerk of court closes daily from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm and also closes Wednesdays from 8:00 am to 9:00 am. |
| Filing fee | $250 to open a probate of estates case, set by Administrative Rule 9 and published as effective May 1, 2023. |
| Local forms | The Valdez court does not publish Valdez-specific probate forms of its own. Use the Alaska Court System statewide P-series forms. |
| TrueFiling status | Alaska uses TrueFiling statewide, but estates, trusts and wills remain paper-file case types and cannot be submitted through TrueFiling; the court system says probate is planned to transition by the end of 2026. Check courts.alaska.gov/eFile/index.htm before filing. |
| Case search | CourtView Public Access at https://records.courts.alaska.gov/. Valdez estate case numbers begin with 3VA and probate cases end with PR. |
| Hearing format | Every court location publishes conference-line information. Telephonic, video or internet participation is controlled by Civil Rule 99, and most probate hearings are presumptively remote under Supreme Court Order No. 2012 unless the judge changes the format. |
| Website | https://courts.alaska.gov/courtdir/3va.htm |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you choose forms or call the Valdez court, make a working list of the person's assets, debts, title documents, beneficiary designations and the original will if one exists. Estate settlement moves faster when you know whether an asset already transfers outside a court case or whether a personal representative needs letters to collect, sell or retitle it.
Sunset can help organize that first pass by searching across more than 2,300 institutions for accounts and assets, then turning the results into a clearer estate settlement plan for the Valdez filing.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Probate for people who lived in and around Valdez is filed with the Alaska Superior Court at the Valdez court, one of the Alaska Court System's trial-court locations in the Third 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(a)).
Valdez sits in the Chugach Census Area, and the Valdez court is the Alaska Court System location that serves it. The Alaska Court System does not publish a court-location boundary map for Valdez, and Cordova has its own separate court location in the same census area.
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(a)). Papers are filed with the clerk of court at the Valdez 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
- Identify the assets, debts, title paperwork and the original will. If you are starting informal probate, the Alaska Court System forms use a request, a statement and an acceptance form, not a petition (AS 13.16.080).
- Prepare the opening packet for Valdez. With a will, the core statewide forms are P-315, P-316 and P-335, plus the certified death certificate and original will (AS 13.16.080). Without a will, the core statewide forms are P-325, P-326 and P-336 (AS 13.16.080).
- File with the clerk of court at 213 Meals Avenue during published hours, or mail the packet to PO Box 127, Valdez, AK 99686. The clerk closes daily from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm and also closes Wednesdays from 8:00 am to 9:00 am, so call (907) 835-2266 before you go.
- If you plan to use the Valdez court's published fax number or email address for a filing or record request, ask the court first. Filing by fax or electronic mail is allowed only as the presiding judge's administrative order permits or as the assigned judge consents in writing, and the filer must keep the original document unless the court orders otherwise (Civil Rule 5.1).
- Pay the $250 filing fee for 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.
- For an informal case, the court reviews the request and, if requirements are met, issues the statement starting the informal probate (AS 13.16.080). For a formal case, the court sets a hearing after notice under the formal probate statutes (AS 13.16.145).
- If a hearing is set, ask the Valdez court which meeting ID applies. The published toll-free conference line is 1-888-788-0099, and telephonic, video or internet participation is governed by Civil Rule 99. Supreme Court Order No. 2012 makes most probate hearings presumptively remote, while contested estate hearings are presumptively in person unless the judge changes the format.
- Once appointed, the personal representative receives letters testamentary or letters of administration, which are the authority documents for administering the estate (AS 13.16.015).
- Use the letters to collect assets, deal with creditors after appointment under AS 13.16.450, distribute property and close the estate through the statewide Alaska Court System forms that match the case type.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Valdez
The Alaska Court System publishes a statewide set of probate forms, the P-series, and the Valdez court does not publish local probate forms of its own; the statewide forms are the ones to use.
| Need | Common statewide forms |
|---|---|
| Start informal probate with a will | P-315, P-316 and P-335 (AS 13.16.080) |
| Start informal probate without a will | P-325, P-326 and P-336 (AS 13.16.080) |
| Start formal probate | Use the statewide formal-probate forms that match whether there is a will (AS 13.16.145) |
| Ask for a fee waiver | TF-920 |
| Request copies | TF-311 for locations other than Anchorage, Fairbanks and Palmer |
Notary services are free at Alaska state court offices. If the packet includes an original will, expect that document to travel on paper.
Local nuance
Valdez-specific considerations
| Local point | What it means for a Valdez filing |
|---|---|
| Two clerk closures | The Valdez clerk of court closes daily from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm and also closes Wednesdays from 8:00 am to 9:00 am. Call (907) 835-2266 before traveling to the courthouse. |
| Published fax and email channels | The court publishes (907) 835-3764 and [email protected] under a filings and record requests heading. Civil Rule 5.1 controls filing by fax or electronic mail, so ask the court what it wants before sending a probate opening packet. |
| Resident Superior Court judge | The Valdez court has a resident Superior Court judge, and it remains a Third Judicial District probate venue under AS 13.16.055 and AS 22.10.020(a). Do not assume the judge personally reviews every informal request, because Alaska law allows registrar functions to be performed as AS 13.06.090 provides. |
| Separate hearing IDs | The Alaska Court System publishes separate Valdez meeting IDs depending on which judicial officer is hearing the matter. Ask the Valdez court which one applies to your hearing, and follow Civil Rule 99 for telephonic, video or internet participation. |
Recent updates
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely Valdez path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with co-owned home | Start by identifying what passes by title or beneficiary designation. If a probate case is still needed, file at the Valdez court at 213 Meals Avenue or mail the packet to PO Box 127, and call (907) 835-2266 because the clerk closes at noon and on Wednesday mornings. | Sunset identifies accounts, debts and title clues so the spouse can see what belongs in the estate settlement packet and what may pass outside the case. |
| Out-of-state adult child with small estate | Review the statewide routes before opening a case, including the procedure addressed in AS 13.16.690. If a Valdez case is needed, it is a Third Judicial District matter under AS 13.16.055; papers may be mailed, and the court's published fax and email channels should be discussed with the clerk under Civil Rule 5.1. | Sunset helps the child locate assets, organize institutions, and decide whether a local attorney should review the estate settlement plan before papers are sent. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A sale usually requires an appointed personal representative with letters testamentary or letters of administration (AS 13.16.015). Budget for the $250 opening fee under Administrative Rule 9, published as effective May 1, 2023, or prepare TF-920 for a fee waiver request. | Sunset helps gather account information, prepare the probate packet and connect the parent with a local probate attorney if a sale, title issue or dispute makes the case harder. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Link or phone |
|---|---|---|
| Valdez court directory page | Use this for current address, hours, phone, fax, email and local hearing information. | https://courts.alaska.gov/courtdir/3va.htm |
| Alaska Court System probate self-help hub | Plain-language statewide probate guidance from the court system. | https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/probate/index.htm |
| Statewide probate forms | P-series probate forms and related trial-court forms. | https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/probate/forms.htm |
| CourtView Public Access | Free docket search with no registration; Valdez estate cases begin with 3VA and end with PR. | https://records.courts.alaska.gov/ |
| Alaska Court System law libraries | Research help from the court system law libraries. | 1-888-282-2082 |
| Alaska Lawyer Referral Service | Referral to lawyers who practice in probate. | https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/probate/resources.htm |
| Fee waiver form | TF-920 is the form to submit with the case if you are asking the court to waive the filing fee. | https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/tf-920.pdf |
When to hire an attorney
Consider talking with a probate attorney if the original will is missing, heirs disagree, a home must be sold, a creditor issue is likely, a business or remote asset is involved, or you are unsure whether a Valdez filing is the right estate settlement path. Sunset connects to a vetted attorney
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 institutions to help families identify bank accounts, investments, insurance, debts and other assets that may affect estate settlement.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the information you provide into a clearer probate packet using the Alaska statewide forms and the Valdez filing details, including the court address, mailing address, hours and $250 Administrative Rule 9 filing fee effective May 1, 2023.
Find a local probate attorney. When the estate needs legal judgment, Sunset can connect the family with a vetted probate attorney who understands Alaska Superior Court practice under AS 22.10.020(a).
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to organize the work, understand the next step and move through estate settlement without paying Sunset for access.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Valdez?
File with the clerk of court at the Valdez court, 213 Meals Avenue, Valdez, AK 99686, or mail the packet to PO Box 127, Valdez, AK 99686. A Valdez estate is a Third Judicial District case under AS 13.16.055, and the superior court handles probate under AS 22.10.020(a).
What are the Valdez court's hours?
The Valdez court is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, but the clerk of court closes daily from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm and also closes Wednesdays from 8:00 am to 9:00 am. Call (907) 835-2266 before traveling to the courthouse.
Can I submit probate through TrueFiling in Valdez?
Alaska's court system uses TrueFiling, but estates, trusts and wills are still listed as paper-file case types that cannot be submitted through 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.
Can I send probate papers to the Valdez court by email or fax?
The Valdez court publishes [email protected] and fax (907) 835-3764 under a filings and record requests heading. Filing by fax or electronic mail is controlled by Civil Rule 5.1, so call (907) 835-2266 before sending an opening packet, and expect any original will to travel on paper.
Is there a Superior Court judge in Valdez for probate?
Yes. The Valdez court has a resident Superior Court judge, and Valdez probate remains a Third Judicial District matter under AS 13.16.055 and AS 22.10.020(a). The page does not name individual judicial officers.
Can I take part in a Valdez probate hearing by telephone?
The published toll-free conference line is 1-888-788-0099, and the court publishes separate Valdez meeting IDs depending on which judicial officer is hearing the matter. Telephonic, video or internet participation is governed by Civil Rule 99, and Supreme Court Order No. 2012 makes most probate hearings presumptively remote unless the judge changes the format.
How much does it cost to open a probate case in Valdez?
The filing fee to open a probate of estates case is $250 under Administrative Rule 9, published as effective May 1, 2023. If you cannot afford the filing fee, submit TF-920 with the case as a fee waiver request.
Are there Valdez probate forms?
The Valdez court does not publish Valdez-specific probate forms of its own. Use the Alaska Court System statewide P-series forms, including P-315, P-316 and P-335 for an informal probate with a will, or P-325, P-326 and P-336 for an informal probate without a will (AS 13.16.080).
How do I look up a Valdez probate case?
Use CourtView Public Access at https://records.courts.alaska.gov/. It is free and does not require registration. Valdez estate case numbers begin with 3VA and probate case numbers end with PR.
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.