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Stamford Probate Court, CT Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Court | Stamford Probate Court, PD-53 |
| Courthouse address | Government Center, 888 Washington Boulevard, 8th Floor, Stamford, CT 06901 |
| Mailing address | P.O. Box 10152, Stamford, CT 06904-2152 |
| Phone | (203) 323-2149 |
| Fax | (203) 964-1830 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call before making a trip. |
| Filing cost | No filing fee is due when a decedent's estate is opened. The Probate Court invoices a statutory fee later, computed on the value of the estate under C.G.S. section 45a-107. |
| Forms | Connecticut probate forms are statewide. The Stamford Probate Court uses the numbered PC forms published by the Office of the Probate Court Administrator and does not publish forms of its own. |
| Electronic filing | The statewide eFiling system is powered by TurboCourt. Attorneys must register, registration is optional for everyone else, and the original will cannot be eFiled under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, sections 22.1 and 7.1a. |
| Case lookup | Use the statewide Case Lookup at ctprobate.gov/case-lookup and filter to PD53, Stamford Probate Court. Coverage for decedents' estates and trusts runs from January 5, 2011 to present. |
| Remote participation | Participation by electronic means may be allowed on request under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, section 66.1. It is a request the court decides, not a right. |
| Website | ctprobate.gov/courts/stamford-probate-court |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before filing in Stamford, identify what the person owned and what they owed. In Connecticut, that asset picture affects both the available route and the later probate fee under C.G.S. section 45a-107. The procedure under C.G.S. section 45a-273 is available only when the decedent had no solely owned Connecticut real estate and solely owned personal property does not exceed $40,000, a figure carried in the current statute as most recently amended effective July 1, 2024.
The Connecticut estate tax return is due at the Stamford Probate Court within six months of death whether or not any estate is opened, and the court computes the statutory probate fee from it under C.G.S. section 45a-107. Sunset's 2,300-institution asset discovery helps families begin estate settlement with a more complete account list.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Connecticut probate is handled by a separate statewide system of 54 probate districts established town by town in C.G.S. section 45a-2, not by the Superior Court and not by any local county system. The Stamford Probate Court is PD-53 and serves Stamford only. If the decedent was domiciled in Stamford at death and left a will, the filing belongs in the Probate Court for that district under C.G.S. section 45a-283(a). If the decedent was domiciled in Stamford and died intestate, the Probate Court in that district has jurisdiction to grant letters of administration under C.G.S. section 45a-303(a)(1). For a nonresident who owned Connecticut property, C.G.S. section 45a-287(a) lists alternative districts and the first court that assumes jurisdiction keeps it.
The courthouse is in the town it serves, so a Stamford resident files in Stamford rather than traveling to another town. Nearby towns are different districts: Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Wilton, Westport and Weston are served by other Connecticut Probate Courts. Use the statewide Court Locator at ctprobate.gov/court-locator to match a Connecticut town to its Probate Court.
The jurisdiction process
- Start with the assets, debts and domicile. If the decedent was domiciled in Stamford at death, use the Stamford Probate Court under C.G.S. section 45a-283(a) for a will or C.G.S. section 45a-303(a)(1) for an intestate estate. The C.G.S. section 45a-273 procedure applies only if the decedent had no solely owned Connecticut real estate and solely owned personal property does not exceed $40,000, a current statutory figure most recently touched by P.A. 24-81, effective July 1, 2024.
- Get the current Connecticut PC forms from ctprobate.gov or ask the Stamford Probate Court for paper copies. A full estate starts with PC-200 and PC-200CI, filed in the district where the decedent was domiciled under C.G.S. section 45a-283. The C.G.S. section 45a-273 procedure uses PC-212 and its companion confidential information form.
- File with the Stamford Probate Court. Hand delivery goes to Government Center, 888 Washington Boulevard, 8th Floor, Stamford, CT 06901. Mail goes to P.O. Box 10152, Stamford, CT 06904-2152. The court is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; call (203) 323-2149 before making a trip.
- Choose paper, mail or statewide eFiling. Connecticut Probate Courts use a statewide eFiling system powered by TurboCourt; attorneys must register and other filers may register under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, section 22.1. The original will, codicil or other testamentary document cannot be eFiled and must reach the court on paper under section 7.1a.
- Do not bring a filing-fee payment to open a decedent's estate. Connecticut does not charge a filing fee to open a decedent's estate. Under section 6.1 of the Probate Court Rules of Procedure, the statutory filing fee is due at filing in every kind of Probate Court matter except a decedent's estate and an accounting. Instead, the Stamford Probate Court bills the estate later. The fee is set by statute and is the same in all 54 Connecticut probate districts (C.G.S. section 45a-105). For a person who died on or after July 1, 2016, it is graduated on the greater of the inventory, the gross estate or the Connecticut taxable estate, running from $25 up to a cap of $40,000, with a minimum of $150 where a full estate is opened on a basis under $10,000, and with any portion passing to a surviving spouse counted at half (C.G.S. section 45a-107). The fee is owed on everything the decedent owned, including assets that pass outside probate, and it is owed whether or not an estate is opened at all. Interest of 0.5 per cent per month runs on a probate fee that is unpaid thirty days after the court's invoice, and separately on the fee of an estate whose Connecticut estate tax return is filed late (C.G.S. section 45a-107). ctprobate.gov publishes a fee calculator at ctprobate.gov/fees-expenses-calculators.
- Watch for notice from the court. The court sends notice of the opening petition. After the first fiduciary is appointed, the court, not the fiduciary, places the newspaper notice to creditors within fourteen days under C.G.S. section 45a-354(a). Creditors generally have 150 days from appointment of the first fiduciary to present claims under C.G.S. section 45a-356(a), and the return of claims is filed on PC-237 within sixty days after that period ends under C.G.S. section 45a-361.
- Follow the hearing notice. The Stamford Probate Court does not publish a hearing calendar. Connecticut practice allows the court to set a hearing, enter a decree without a formal hearing when proper waivers are filed, or use the streamline notice procedure under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, section 8.6, which gives parties a stated deadline to request a hearing.
- Ask about participation by electronic means if appearing is difficult. Connecticut Probate Courts may allow a party, witness or attorney to take part in a hearing, conference or deposition by electronic means. Section 66.1 of the Probate Court Rules of Procedure lets the court permit it on request or on its own motion, weighing factors that include the nature of the proceeding, the technology available, and whether remote participation would still allow full examination of witnesses. It is a request the court decides, not a right, and the rule names no platform. Ask the clerk of the Stamford Probate Court what that court expects.
- Use the appointment document correctly. When the Probate Court appoints you, the court's clerk issues a certificate of your appointment as fiduciary. Under C.G.S. section 45a-200 that certificate is sufficient evidence of your authority and identity for one year from the date it is issued, so a bank or transfer agent may ask for a recently issued copy. Ask the clerk of the Stamford Probate Court for as many certified copies as you expect to need, and expect to request fresh ones if the estate stays open past a year.
- File the early administration papers. If the decedent owned Connecticut real estate, ask the Stamford clerk for the land-records notice and record it with the town clerk in each Connecticut town where the real estate is located. File the inventory on PC-2407 within two months after acceptance of the bond under C.G.S. section 45a-289 or other qualification of the fiduciary, unless the court extends the inventory deadline for cause to not more than four months, under C.G.S. section 45a-341(b).
- Administer and close the estate. File the Connecticut estate tax return with the Stamford Probate Court within six months of death. Then file PC-237 under C.G.S. section 45a-361, file the financial report on PC-246 under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, section 30.19, distribute on the court's order, and file PC-213 within 30 days after completing distribution where the court directs it under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, section 36.12.
Forms and documents
Probate forms at the Stamford Probate Court
Connecticut probate forms are statewide. The Stamford Probate Court uses the same numbered PC forms as every other Connecticut Probate Court, published free by the Office of the Probate Court Administrator at ctprobate.gov. The court does not publish forms of its own.
| Form | Use |
|---|---|
| PC-200 and PC-200CI | Petition/Administration or Probate of Will and confidential information form. PC-200 is the opening form for a full estate in the district where the decedent was domiciled under C.G.S. section 45a-283. |
| PC-212, PC-212A and PC-212CI | Affidavit in Lieu of Probate of Will/Administration and companion forms for the C.G.S. section 45a-273 procedure. The $40,000 personal-property figure is the current statutory figure under C.G.S. section 45a-273, most recently amended effective July 1, 2024. |
| PC-2407 | Inventory/Decedents' Estates. The inventory is due within two months after acceptance of the bond under C.G.S. section 45a-289 or other qualification of the fiduciary, extendable for cause to not more than four months under C.G.S. section 45a-341(b). |
| PC-237 | Return of Claims and List of Notified Creditors. It is filed within sixty days after the 150-day claims period ends under C.G.S. section 45a-361. |
| PC-246 | Financial Report/Decedent's Estate, used in many estates under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, section 30.19. |
| PC-286 | Status Update/Decedent's Estate, due within three months after the first anniversary of appointment and annually after that if no interim or final report or account has been filed, under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, section 30.21. |
| PC-213 | Affidavit of Closing, filed where the court directs it under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, section 36.12. |
| PC-184 | Request/Order - Waiver of Fees (Petitioner), used when a petitioner seeks relief based on inability to pay under C.G.S. section 45a-111 and Probate Court Rules of Procedure, section 6.2. |
| PC-482 | Appointment of Probate Judge as Agent for Service by Non-Resident Fiduciary, used when the fiduciary lives outside Connecticut. |
If the estate includes Connecticut real estate, ask the Stamford Probate Court for the land-records notice form. It is obtained from the court and recorded with the town clerk in each Connecticut town where the real estate is located.
Local nuance
Stamford Probate Court district-specific considerations
| Local point | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Street address and mailing address are different | Hand delivery goes to Government Center, 888 Washington Boulevard, 8th Floor, Stamford, CT 06901. Mail goes to P.O. Box 10152, Stamford, CT 06904-2152. The different ZIP codes make this easy to misread. |
| The court is in a city office building | The Stamford Probate Court sits in the Stamford Government Center, not in the Judicial Branch courthouse on Hoyt Street. Use the Government Center address for probate filings. |
| Appeals use a different court | A decision of the Probate Court may be appealed to the Superior Court, generally within thirty days after the Probate Court sent the decree, under C.G.S. section 45a-186. For this Probate Court, the Superior Court is the Judicial District of Stamford-Norwalk at 123 Hoyt Street, Stamford. |
Recent updates
Scenarios
| Situation | Local path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with a co-owned home | A Stamford home held jointly with right of survivorship passes outside probate, but the Connecticut estate tax return is still due at the Stamford Probate Court within six months of death, and the statutory probate fee is computed under C.G.S. section 45a-107. Solely owned accounts may still require a fiduciary. If there was solely owned Connecticut real estate, the C.G.S. section 45a-273 procedure is not available. | Sunset helps identify accounts, beneficiary designations and debts so the spouse can see what is outside probate, what still needs the Stamford Probate Court, and what belongs in the estate settlement plan. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a modest Stamford estate | If the parent was domiciled in Stamford, had no solely owned Connecticut real estate, and had solely owned personal property not exceeding $40,000 under C.G.S. section 45a-273, the filing may use PC-212 at the Stamford Probate Court. Mail goes to P.O. Box 10152, Stamford, CT 06904-2152. Statewide eFiling may help, but the original will cannot be eFiled and must reach the court on paper under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, sections 22.1 and 7.1a. If a full estate is needed and the fiduciary lives outside Connecticut, PC-482 may be required. | Sunset organizes the asset list and can help generate the right probate packet, so a nonresident child knows what must be mailed, what may be filed electronically, and what questions to ask the Stamford clerk. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate where a Stamford home must be sold | Solely owned Connecticut real estate rules out the C.G.S. section 45a-273 procedure. Start a full administration at the Stamford Probate Court with PC-200 under C.G.S. section 45a-283. After appointment, record the land-records notice with the Stamford Town Clerk, file PC-2407 within two months after qualification, including acceptance of any bond under C.G.S. section 45a-289, under C.G.S. section 45a-341(b), and seek court authority to sell if the will does not authorize the sale. The certificate of appointment is effective for one year under C.G.S. section 45a-200. | Sunset helps track the home, liens, accounts, insurance and creditor issues, then connects the family with a Stamford-area probate attorney when a sale or court approval is involved. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Probate Court Locator | Matches any Connecticut town to its Probate Court under the statewide probate district map in C.G.S. section 45a-2. Stamford resolves to the Stamford Probate Court. | ctprobate.gov/court-locator |
| Connecticut Case Lookup | Searches decedents' estates and trusts by name, with a filter for PD53, Stamford Probate Court. Coverage runs from January 5, 2011 to present and shows index information and fiduciary contact information. | ctprobate.gov/case-lookup |
| Administration of Decedents' Estates user guide | Explains the Connecticut estate settlement process, including filing, notices, the estate tax return due within six months, inventory under C.G.S. section 45a-341 and closing steps. | ctprobate.gov Resource Library |
| Statewide PC forms | Provides Connecticut probate forms, including PC-200 under C.G.S. section 45a-283 and PC-212 under C.G.S. section 45a-273. | ctprobate.gov/forms-list |
| Fees and expenses calculators | Provides the statewide decedents' estates calculator for the statutory probate fee under C.G.S. section 45a-107. | ctprobate.gov/fees-expenses-calculators |
| Probate Court Rules of Procedure | Includes section 6.1 on fees, section 7.1a on documents that cannot be eFiled, section 8.6 on streamline notice, section 22.1 on eFiling and section 66.1 on participation by electronic means. | ctprobate.gov/rules-procedure |
| Assistance for individuals with disabilities | Provides accommodation information and form PC-2. Requests can be made at any time, with at least ten days' notice where possible. | ctprobate.gov/assistance-individuals-disabilities-ada |
| Connecticut Judicial Branch Law Library at Stamford | Public law library for legal research, with Judicial Branch law librarians. The Stamford location is at 123 Hoyt Street, Stamford, CT 06905, (203) 965-5250, and is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | jud.ct.gov/lawlib |
| Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut | Provides legal advice screening and referral for low-income Connecticut residents, with different limits for some people age 60 and over. | slsct.org or 1-800-453-3320 |
| Stamford Probate Court | The court can provide forms and limited procedural information. The clerk cannot give legal advice. | Government Center, 888 Washington Boulevard, 8th Floor, Stamford, CT 06901; mail to P.O. Box 10152, Stamford, CT 06904-2152; (203) 323-2149 |
When to hire an attorney
The Probate Court Administrator's own decedents' estates guide says legal help is often advisable when preparing tax returns, dealing with substantial or unusual assets, or facing a dispute. In Stamford, counsel is especially useful when a Connecticut estate tax return is uncertain, a solely owned Stamford home must be sold, the fiduciary lives outside Connecticut, beneficiaries disagree, or a Probate Court decision may be appealed to the Superior Court under C.G.S. section 45a-186. The clerk can provide forms and limited procedural help, but cannot give legal advice. Sunset connects families with a vetted probate attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset helps families identify bank accounts, investment accounts, insurance, retirement assets and debts before they file. That matters in Connecticut because the asset picture affects both the court path and the statutory probate fee under C.G.S. section 45a-107.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the information you gather into an organized estate settlement packet, including the forms and supporting details you need for the Stamford Probate Court, while keeping the original will separate because it must reach the court on paper under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, section 7.1a.
Find a local probate attorney. When a Stamford home must be sold, a fiduciary lives out of state, a beneficiary objects, or tax filings are unclear, Sunset can connect you with a Connecticut probate attorney who handles Stamford Probate Court matters.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to organize estate settlement, understand next steps and decide what to file in Stamford without paying Sunset.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Stamford, Connecticut?
File at the Stamford Probate Court, PD-53, if the decedent was domiciled in Stamford at death. A will is filed in the district of domicile under C.G.S. section 45a-283(a), and an intestate estate belongs in the district of domicile under C.G.S. section 45a-303(a)(1).
What is the mailing address for the Stamford Probate Court?
Mail goes to Stamford Probate Court, P.O. Box 10152, Stamford, CT 06904-2152. Hand delivery goes to the Government Center, 888 Washington Boulevard, 8th Floor, Stamford, CT 06901.
Which towns does the Stamford Probate Court serve?
The Stamford Probate Court serves Stamford only under C.G.S. section 45a-2. Darien, New Canaan, Greenwich, Norwalk, Wilton, Westport and Weston are served by other Connecticut Probate Courts. Use the Court Locator at ctprobate.gov/court-locator if the decedent lived outside Stamford.
What does it cost to open a decedent's estate at the Stamford Probate Court?
No filing fee is due when a decedent's estate is opened. The Stamford Probate Court invoices a statutory probate fee later, computed under C.G.S. section 45a-107. Interest of 0.5 per cent per month can run on an unpaid invoice or on a late Connecticut estate tax return under C.G.S. section 45a-107.
Can I use eFiling for a Stamford probate case?
The Connecticut Probate Courts use statewide eFiling powered by TurboCourt. Attorneys must register under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, section 22.1; registration is optional for other people. The original will cannot be eFiled and must reach the Stamford Probate Court on paper under section 7.1a.
Do I have to attend a hearing at the Stamford Probate Court?
Not in every estate. If everyone entitled to notice files the proper waivers and the court does not believe a hearing is needed, the court may issue a decree without a formal hearing. The court may also use the streamline notice procedure under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, section 8.6, which lets parties request a hearing by a stated date.
Can I take part in a Stamford Probate Court hearing by phone or video?
Connecticut Probate Courts may allow a party, witness or attorney to participate by electronic means under Probate Court Rules of Procedure, section 66.1. It is a request the court decides, not a right, and the rule names no platform. Ask the Stamford Probate Court what it expects for your hearing.
How do I look up a probate case in Stamford?
Use the statewide Case Lookup at ctprobate.gov/case-lookup and filter to PD53, Stamford Probate Court. It covers decedents' estates and trusts from January 5, 2011 to present, with incomplete coverage before that date, and shows case index information and fiduciary contact information.
Does the Stamford Probate Court have its own forms?
The Stamford Probate Court uses the statewide numbered PC forms and does not publish forms of its own. A full estate usually starts with PC-200 under C.G.S. section 45a-283, and the C.G.S. section 45a-273 procedure uses PC-212.
What document proves I have authority as executor or administrator in Connecticut?
When the Probate Court appoints you, the clerk issues a certificate of appointment. Under C.G.S. section 45a-200, that certificate is sufficient evidence of your authority and identity for one year from the date it is issued.
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.