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Bonneville County, ID Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Bonneville County information |
|---|---|
| Court | Bonneville County District Court, magistrate division. Probate is assigned to the magistrate division under Idaho Code § 1-2208, and the Seventh Judicial District local rules assign all proceedings under Title 15 of the Idaho Code to magistrate judges. |
| Courthouse address | Bonneville County Courthouse, 605 North Capital Avenue, Idaho Falls, ID 83402. |
| Mailing address | Same as the street address: 605 North Capital Avenue, Idaho Falls, ID 83402. |
| Phone | (208) 529-1350, extension 1379, for the courthouse and clerk's office line published by the Idaho courts. Bonneville County does not publish a separate probate desk number. |
| Fax | (208) 529-1311, published for the county clerk's office. Use it as a contact number only, not as a filing instruction. |
| Hours | The county clerk's office publishes Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain time, excepting holidays. The Court Assistance Office in the same courthouse is open 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays. |
| Filing fee | $166.00 to open a probate in the magistrate division, whether by petition for formal probate or application for informal probate, under the Idaho Supreme Court Appendix A schedule effective July 12, 2024. The figure includes the $120 magistrate division filing fee, a $26 judges' retirement fund fee, a $10 Idaho Code fund fee and a $10 civil administrative surcharge (Idaho Code § 31-3201A, § 1-2003, § 73-213, § 31-3201). Confirm the current amount before filing. |
| Local forms | No Bonneville County probate form or probate packet is published on the county site, the Seventh Judicial District site, or the Bonneville County page for the Court Assistance Office. See courtselfhelp.idaho.gov and ask the Court Assistance Office what current Court Assistance Office probate material, if any, fits your step. |
| E-filing | Idaho uses iCourt File and Serve. Attorneys must file electronically under the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service Rule 4(a). A self-represented individual may use File and Serve or file on paper under I.R.E.F.S. Rule 4(b), and an original will filed electronically must also reach the clerk on paper within seven business days under Rule 5(a). |
| Case search | Use the iCourt Portal at mycourts.idaho.gov. The Seventh Judicial District states that the portal provides the status of trial court cases and that sealed or exempt information will not appear. Access to court records is governed by Idaho Court Administrative Rule 32. |
| Remote appearance | Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2 allows the court to hold certain hearings by telephone or video teleconference, and the decision is the court's. Ask the clerk what the Seventh Judicial District requires for your hearing. |
| Website | Seventh Judicial District: https://isc.idaho.gov/district-7. Bonneville County website courts page: https://www.bonnevillecountyidaho.gov/courts. |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before going to the clerk of the district court in Idaho Falls, identify what the estate owns, what it owes, and what is titled in the decedent's sole name. If the decedent's probate property is only personal property and its fair market value less liens and encumbrances does not exceed $100,000, the affidavit under Idaho Code § 15-3-1201 is presented to whoever holds the property 30 days after death, and that route is not filed with the court.
Sunset's asset discovery searches more than 2,300 financial institutions, so a Bonneville County family can see the accounts, balances and debts before choosing an estate settlement path or drafting a filing for the Idaho Falls courthouse.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Idaho has no separate court for decedents' estates: probate is a case class assigned to the magistrate division of the district court, which sits in every one of Idaho's 44 counties, and a magistrate judge hears it (Idaho Const. art. V, § 20; Idaho Code § 1-2201, § 1-2208). The papers are filed with the clerk of the district court at the Bonneville County Courthouse.
Probate for Bonneville County is filed at the county courthouse in Idaho Falls. Bonneville County is one of the ten counties in Idaho's Seventh Judicial District, which organizes judges, local rules and district administration; the case itself is filed at this county's own courthouse when venue is proper (Idaho Code § 1-808, § 15-3-201).
Venue for the first informal or formal testacy or appointment proceeding is the county where the decedent had domicile at death, or, if the decedent was not domiciled in Idaho, any county where the decedent's property was located at death (Idaho Code § 15-3-201(a), § 15-3-401).
The jurisdiction process
- List the assets, debts and title facts before filing. If the decedent's probate property is only personal property with fair market value less liens and encumbrances of no more than $100,000, the affidavit under Idaho Code § 15-3-1201 is presented to the property holder 30 days after death instead of being filed with the court.
- Prepare the opening papers. No Bonneville County probate form or probate packet is published for this county, so the application for informal probate or the petition for formal probate is drafted from Idaho Code Title 15, chapter 3. Use an application for the informal route and a petition for the formal route (Idaho Code § 15-3-301, § 15-3-402).
- File with the clerk of the district court at the Bonneville County Courthouse, 605 North Capital Avenue, Idaho Falls, ID 83402. Venue belongs in Bonneville County if the decedent was domiciled here at death, or if the decedent was domiciled outside Idaho and left property here (Idaho Code § 15-3-201).
- Choose the filing method. Attorneys must file electronically through iCourt File and Serve under the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service Rule 4(a). A self-represented personal representative may file through File and Serve or file on paper with the clerk under I.R.E.F.S. Rule 4(b); once a self-represented filer elects electronic filing, that filer must keep using it for the life of the case unless the court allows withdrawal.
- If there is a will and it is filed electronically, deliver the original will on paper to the clerk no more than seven business days, excluding legal holidays, after the electronic filing (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a)). For a Bonneville County estate, that means the original will must reach 605 North Capital Avenue in Idaho Falls.
- Pay the filing fee. Opening a probate in the magistrate division costs $166.00 under the Idaho Supreme Court Appendix A schedule effective July 12, 2024, and the total includes the components required by Idaho Code § 31-3201A, § 1-2003, § 73-213 and § 31-3201. The electronic filing system vendor charges a separate $5.00 electronic filing fee in effect since December 15, 2023.
- For informal probate, the registrar, a magistrate judge or district judge and not the clerk, makes the statutory findings and issues the written statement of informal probate, or in intestacy an informal statement of intestacy, without a hearing (Idaho Code § 15-1-307, § 15-1-201(24), § 15-3-302). At least five days must have elapsed before the statement may issue, and at least 120 hours must have elapsed before an informal appointment may issue, with a 30 days delay for a nonresident decedent unless the statutory exceptions apply (Idaho Code § 15-3-307).
- For formal probate, the proceeding is before a judge with notice to interested persons (Idaho Code § 15-1-201(20)), and Idaho has an express route for uncontested formal cases (Idaho Code § 15-3-405). In the Seventh Judicial District, a hearing is arranged by contacting the clerk of the presiding judge for a time certain, and the local rule sets a fifteen minute hearing unless a special request is made.
- Ask about remote attendance before the hearing. Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2 allows the court to hold certain hearings by telephone or video teleconference, but the decision is the court's. A surviving spouse using the summary administration route where the spouse is the sole beneficiary may move to appear telephonically or file affidavits instead of appearing, with the liability rule in Idaho Code § 15-3-1205.
- After appointment, the personal representative receives letters testamentary if there is a will, or letters of administration if there is not, and administration begins with the issuance of letters (Idaho Code § 15-1-201(28), § 15-3-103).
- Administer the estate. The personal representative may publish notice to creditors once a week for three successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in Bonneville County, which starts a four months bar from first publication; an actual notice creditor has four months after the published notice or 60 days after mailing or delivery, whichever is later (Idaho Code § 15-3-801).
- Prepare the inventory within three months after appointment, send a copy to interested persons who request it, and file the original with the court if you choose to (Idaho Code § 15-3-706).
- Close the estate according to the route used and confirm current filing, scheduling and paper original will requirements with the clerk of the district court in Bonneville County before relying on a deadline.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Bonneville County
No Bonneville County probate form or probate packet is published on the county's court pages, the Seventh Judicial District pages, or the Bonneville County page for the Court Assistance Office. Idaho's Court Assistance Office form library at courtselfhelp.idaho.gov has many statewide form categories, but the browsable library has no probate section for this county.
For a Bonneville County estate, a personal representative or attorney drafts the application for informal probate or the petition for formal probate from Idaho Code Title 15, chapter 3. The Court Assistance Office in the courthouse can explain process and review Idaho Supreme Court approved forms, but it does not choose the legal route for you.
The Idaho courts publish a scanned publication titled "Most Frequently Asked Questions About Probate in Idaho" at https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/docs/publications/WP-1.pdf. Because it is a scan, use it as a named court publication rather than assuming it supplies current forms.
Fees
Beyond the $166.00 opening filing fee shown above, effective under the Idaho Supreme Court Appendix A schedule dated July 12, 2024, a filer may encounter filing delivery costs depending on filing method. The electronic filing vendor charges a separate $5.00 electronic filing fee, effective December 15, 2023, and self-represented paper filers who need paper or mail service from the court pay the mail service fees required by the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service Rule 4(b).
The Seventh Judicial District Court Assistance Office states that forms can be downloaded, emailed, or printed at the courthouse for a charge, but no printed copy amount is published. Confirm current charges with the clerk of the district court or the Court Assistance Office before travelling.
Timeline
- Before filing, identify whether the estate needs a court case at all. The affidavit under Idaho Code § 15-3-1201 may be used only after 30 days have elapsed and only for qualifying probate personal property.
- File the application or petition at the Bonneville County Courthouse if venue is proper in Bonneville County under Idaho Code § 15-3-201.
- If filing electronically with a will attached, deliver the original will on paper to the clerk within seven business days, excluding legal holidays, under I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a).
- For informal probate, the statement may issue after at least five days have elapsed from death (Idaho Code § 15-3-302). Informal appointment may issue after at least 120 hours have elapsed, or after 30 days for a nonresident decedent unless a statutory exception applies (Idaho Code § 15-3-307).
- For a formal hearing, the Seventh Judicial District local rule says a hearing is arranged by contacting the clerk of the presiding judge for a time certain. In the absence of a special request, the matter is set for a fifteen minute hearing, and the party requesting the hearing promptly files a notice of hearing and copies all parties.
- If the personal representative publishes notice to creditors, the notice runs once a week for three successive weeks, and claims are barred four months from the first publication; a mailed or delivered actual notice creditor has four months after the published notice or 60 days after mailing or delivery, whichever is later (Idaho Code § 15-3-801).
- Prepare the inventory within three months after appointment, send a copy to interested persons who request it, and file the original with the court if you choose to (Idaho Code § 15-3-706).
- Confirm current scheduling and filing instructions with the clerk of the district court in Bonneville County at (208) 529-1350, extension 1379.
Local nuance
Bonneville County-specific considerations
| Local point | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Seventh Judicial District assignment rule | The district's local Rule B6 assigns all proceedings under Title 15 of the Idaho Code to magistrate judges, alongside the statewide assignment authority in Idaho Code § 1-2208 and Idaho Court Administrative Rule 5. |
| Hearing scheduling rule | Local Rule B1 says a hearing is arranged by contacting the clerk of the presiding judge for a time certain. Unless a special request is made, a matter is set for a fifteen minute hearing, and the requesting party files a notice of hearing and copies all parties. |
| District administration in Idaho Falls | The Seventh Judicial District administrative office and the district Court Assistance Office are both in the Bonneville County Courthouse, where a Bonneville County estate is filed. Four of the district's seven statutory resident district judge chambers are in Bonneville County (Idaho Code § 1-808). |
| Court Assistance Office hours | The Court Assistance Office in the courthouse serves the district and is open 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays. You can call and leave a message or send a text to 208-589-9872. |
| Switchboard extensions | Bonneville County uses (208) 529-1350 with extensions. The courthouse and clerk's office line published by the Idaho courts is extension 1379. The county clerk, auditor and recorder office publishes extension 1350 under Idaho Code § 31-2001, and the district administrative office publishes extension 1341. None is published as a probate desk. |
| Records and contact routes | The county publishes a clerk's office fax, (208) 529-1311, and a court records request email, [email protected]. They are contact routes, not filing instructions. Court records access is governed by Idaho Court Administrative Rule 32. |
Recent updates
| Change | Date |
|---|---|
| Idaho's seven judicial districts launched new public websites under Idaho Code § 1-801, including the Seventh Judicial District site that Bonneville County links for court information. | August 11, 2026 |
| The Idaho Supreme Court Appendix A filing fee schedule for the district court and magistrate division took effect, listing the probate filing fee structure used with Idaho Code § 31-3201A. | July 12, 2024 |
| The Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service Rule 5, including the probate and wills provision requiring a paper original will after electronic filing, was amended. | July 1, 2025 |
| The Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service Rule 4, including the self-represented filer's one way electronic filing election, was amended. | September 11, 2024 |
| The Seventh Judicial District local rules assigning Title 15 proceedings to magistrate judges and setting the hearing scheduling rule were entered by order of the Idaho Supreme Court. | March 13, 2019 |
Scenarios
| Situation | Local path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with co-owned home | A surviving spouse with a co-owned Idaho Falls home usually starts by separating the home from assets held only in the decedent's name. If an estate must be opened, the filing goes to the clerk of the district court at 605 North Capital Avenue, and the registrar, a magistrate judge or district judge, handles informal probate under Idaho Code § 15-1-307 and § 15-3-302. If the surviving spouse is the sole beneficiary, Idaho Code § 15-3-1205 may provide a summary administration route that can reach any property and allows a motion to appear telephonically, but the spouse assumes and is liable for estate indebtedness under that statute. Idaho is a community property state under Idaho Code. | Sunset identifies accounts and balances across more than 2,300 institutions, helping the spouse decide whether court involvement is needed for estate settlement. |
| Out-of-state adult child with small estate | If the parent was domiciled in Bonneville County, venue is here under Idaho Code § 15-3-201. If the parent's probate property is only personal property worth no more than $100,000 after liens and encumbrances, the affidavit under Idaho Code § 15-3-1201 is presented to whoever holds the property after 30 days, and no court filing is made. If a probate is opened, a self-represented filer may use iCourt File and Serve or file on paper under the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service Rule 4(b), but the electronic filing election is one way for the life of the case. An original will must still reach the clerk on paper under Rule 5(a). | Sunset assembles the asset picture remotely, so an adult child outside Idaho can decide whether to open a case in Idaho Falls or use the Idaho Code § 15-3-1201 affidavit path. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A parent who needs to sell a child's home needs authority over real property. The affidavit under Idaho Code § 15-3-1201 does not transfer land, so the parent generally opens probate with the clerk of the district court and acts under letters testamentary or letters of administration after appointment (Idaho Code § 15-1-201, § 15-3-103). If a hearing is needed, Seventh Judicial District local Rule B1 controls scheduling: contact the clerk of the presiding judge for a time certain, with a fifteen minute setting unless a special request is made. Notice to creditors may be published under Idaho Code § 15-3-801 to start the four months claim bar. | Sunset assembles the full asset and liability picture and generates the probate packet, so a grieving parent is not reconstructing a child's finances by hand while a sale waits. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Seventh Judicial District Court Assistance Office | Located in the Bonneville County Courthouse. It offers court forms, document review through courtselfhelp.idaho.gov, process information and form review on Idaho Supreme Court approved forms. It does not represent you or choose your legal strategy. | 605 North Capital Avenue, Idaho Falls, ID 83402. Phone or text: 208-589-9872. Email: [email protected]. Hours: 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays. |
| Clerk of the district court in Bonneville County | Filing counter for the estate case, fee payment, paper original will delivery and procedural questions. Court records requests use the county's records mailbox, and access to court records is governed by Idaho Court Administrative Rule 32. | Bonneville County Courthouse, 605 North Capital Avenue, Idaho Falls, ID 83402. Phone: (208) 529-1350, extension 1379. Records requests: [email protected]. |
| Idaho Legal Aid Services | Statewide civil legal aid intake. It does not list probate among its service areas, so use it as an intake resource and do not assume it will take an estate matter. | Statewide number for all offices and hotlines: 208-746-7541. Online intake: https://www.idaholegalaid.org/apply-for-help. |
| Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program | Volunteer attorney program for qualifying civil legal issues, with advice, consultation and limited assistance depending on the program and eligibility. | https://ilf.idaho.gov/ivlp/legal-assistance/. |
| Idaho courts self-help | Statewide Idaho Supreme Court self-help information and Court Assistance Office resources. The Bonneville County page is at courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Local/Bonneville. | https://isc.idaho.gov/self-help and https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Local/Bonneville. |
When to hire an attorney
Idaho does not require a personal representative to hire a lawyer, but a lawyer often makes sense in Bonneville County when there is real property to sell, a will dispute, creditor issues, a missing or original will problem, a formal petition, or a hearing that must be scheduled under the Seventh Judicial District's local rule. The Court Assistance Office can explain process and review approved forms, but it does not represent either side. Sunset connects families with a vetted local probate attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions to help a Bonneville County family identify accounts, balances and debts before choosing an estate settlement path.
Generate the probate packet. Once the asset picture is clear, Sunset helps assemble the information needed for the Bonneville County application or petition, including the courthouse, filing fee, original will and local scheduling details.
Find a local probate attorney. If the estate involves a home sale, a formal hearing, creditor issues or family conflict, Sunset can connect the family with a vetted Idaho probate attorney who understands filings at the Bonneville County Courthouse.
Sunset is free for families. Sunset is built to make estate settlement easier for families by organizing the work, identifying what is missing and helping the family move from uncertainty to the next filing step.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Bonneville County, Idaho?
File with the clerk of the district court at the Bonneville County Courthouse, 605 North Capital Avenue, Idaho Falls, ID 83402. Probate is assigned to the magistrate division under Idaho Code § 1-2208, and the Seventh Judicial District local rules assign all proceedings under Title 15 of the Idaho Code to magistrate judges. Venue is Bonneville County when the decedent was domiciled here at death (Idaho Code § 15-3-201).
How much does it cost to file probate in Bonneville County?
The opening filing fee is $166.00 under the Idaho Supreme Court Appendix A schedule effective July 12, 2024. The total includes the $120 magistrate division filing fee, the $26 judges' retirement fund fee, the $10 Idaho Code fund fee and the $10 civil administrative surcharge (Idaho Code § 31-3201A, § 1-2003, § 73-213, § 31-3201). A separate $5.00 electronic filing vendor fee has applied since December 15, 2023. Call (208) 529-1350, extension 1379, to confirm before filing.
Can I file probate electronically in Bonneville County?
Attorneys must file electronically under the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service Rule 4(a). A self-represented individual may file through iCourt File and Serve or may file on paper with the clerk under I.R.E.F.S. Rule 4(b). If a self-represented filer elects electronic filing, that election continues for the life of the case unless the court allows withdrawal.
Do I have to give the original will to the court in Bonneville County?
Yes, if a will is part of the filing. When a probate matter is filed electronically with a will, the original will and the pleading to which it is attached must also be filed conventionally on paper no more than seven business days, excluding legal holidays, after the electronic filing (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a)). The original goes to the clerk at 605 North Capital Avenue in Idaho Falls. Under Idaho Court Administrative Rule 32, original wills in probate files are never destroyed.
Is there a hearing, and how is one scheduled in Bonneville County?
Informal probate is handled without a hearing by the registrar, a magistrate judge or district judge, under Idaho Code § 15-1-307 and § 15-3-302. Formal proceedings are before a judge with notice to interested persons (Idaho Code § 15-1-201(20)), and Idaho has an uncontested formal route (Idaho Code § 15-3-405). In the Seventh Judicial District, a hearing is arranged by contacting the clerk of the presiding judge for a time certain, and the local rule sets a fifteen minute hearing unless a special request is made.
Can I attend a Bonneville County probate hearing by phone or video?
The court may hold certain hearings by telephone or video teleconference, and the decision belongs to the court (Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2). Ask the clerk of the district court in Bonneville County what the Seventh Judicial District requires for your hearing. For summary administration where a surviving spouse is the sole beneficiary, the petitioner may move to appear telephonically or file affidavits instead of appearing, with the liability rule in Idaho Code § 15-3-1205.
How do I look up a Bonneville County probate case?
Use the iCourt Portal at mycourts.idaho.gov. The Seventh Judicial District states that the portal provides the status of trial court cases and that sealed cases or information exempt from disclosure will not appear. For a court records request, Bonneville County publishes [email protected], and access is governed by Idaho Court Administrative Rule 32.
Are there Bonneville County probate forms?
No Bonneville County probate form or probate packet is published on the county site, the Seventh Judicial District site, or the Court Assistance Office county page. The Court Assistance Office form library at courtselfhelp.idaho.gov has no browsable probate section for this county. The application or petition is drafted from Idaho Code Title 15, chapter 3.
Who decides an informal probate in Bonneville County, the clerk or a judge?
A judge. In Idaho, the registrar is a magistrate judge or district judge, not the clerk (Idaho Code § 15-1-307, § 15-1-201(42)). The registrar makes the statutory findings and issues the written statement of informal probate and the letters. The clerk of the district court takes the filing, collects the fee and keeps the court record.
What are the clerk's office hours at the Bonneville County Courthouse?
The county clerk's office, which is also the county's auditor and recorder under Idaho Code § 31-2001, publishes Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain time, excepting holidays. The Court Assistance Office in the same courthouse has different hours: 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays. Confirm current hours and any filing cutoff before travelling.
Do I have to travel to Idaho Falls to settle a Bonneville County estate?
Filing is tied to the Bonneville County Courthouse in Idaho Falls, and an original will must reach the clerk on paper if it is part of an electronic filing. Informal probate does not require a hearing. Any remote hearing request depends on Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2 and the court's decision, except for the Idaho Code § 15-3-1205 surviving spouse route, which has its own appear telephonically provision and liability rule. The Court Assistance Office takes calls and texts at 208-589-9872.
Does Idaho charge an inheritance or estate tax on a Bonneville County estate?
No. Idaho has no inheritance tax, no estate tax and no gift tax; the Idaho State Tax Commission states at tax.idaho.gov that Idaho has no gift tax or inheritance tax and that its estate tax for deaths expired in 2004. An estate may still owe federal tax or may still need to file an income tax return for the estate.
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.