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Boundary County, ID Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Boundary County details |
|---|---|
| Court | The magistrate division of the district court at the Boundary County Courthouse, 6452 Kootenai Street, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805 (Idaho Code § 1-2208). |
| Mailing address | PO Box 419, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805. |
| Clerk phone | (208) 267-2242 for the clerk of the district court. |
| District court office phone | (208) 267-5504. |
| Fax | (208) 267-7814. Call before using it for case papers. |
| Court office email | [email protected]. Call before using it for case papers. |
| Hours | 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, Pacific time. No midday closure or filing cutoff is posted, so call before traveling. |
| Filing fee | $166.00, effective July 12, 2024 under Idaho Supreme Court Appendix A, to open a probate in the magistrate division by petition for formal probate or application for informal probate. The total includes statutory components under Idaho Code § 31-3201A, § 1-2003, § 73-213 and § 31-3201. |
| Probate forms | No Boundary County probate packet is posted. See the forms section for the Court Assistance Office site at courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Forms. |
| Electronic filing | Attorneys must use electronic filing. A self-represented personal representative may use iCourt File and Serve or file on paper, and the self-represented electronic filing choice continues for the life of the case unless the court allows withdrawal (Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service Rule 4). If a will is involved, the original will and the pleading attached to it must also be filed conventionally within seven business days (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a)). A vendor electronic filing charge is listed as $5.00 as of December 15, 2023. |
| Case search | Use the iCourt Portal at https://mycourts.idaho.gov/odysseyportal/. Access to court records is governed by Idaho Court Administrative Rule 32. |
| Remote appearance | The First Judicial District does not post a Boundary County probate video hearing schedule. Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2 allows the court to hold certain matters by telephone or video teleconference, and the court decides whether that is allowed. |
| Court website | Boundary County District Court: https://boundarycountyid.org/departments/district-court/ |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file in Bonners Ferry, list the assets, debts, account holders, title documents and likely heirs. Boundary County can take the filing at the courthouse, but the court papers still need enough asset and liability detail for the registrar, who is a magistrate judge or district judge, to act under Idaho Code § 15-1-307.
Sunset's estate settlement tools help families search across more than 2,300 institutions for accounts and assets before a probate filing is prepared. That asset discovery step can prevent a second trip to the clerk of the district court and helps you decide whether the estate settlement needs informal probate, formal probate, or a non-court transfer route.
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 Boundary County Courthouse.
Boundary County is one of five counties in Idaho's First Judicial District, along with Bonner, Kootenai, Shoshone and Benewah (Idaho Code § 1-802). The First Judicial District's district judge resident chambers are in Bonner, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties under Idaho Code § 1-802; that organizes judges and local rules, not the filing counter. File a Boundary County estate at the courthouse in Bonners Ferry.
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, a county where the decedent's property was located (Idaho Code § 15-3-201).
The jurisdiction process
- Decide whether you are asking for informal probate by application or formal probate by petition. Informal probate uses an application and is acted on by the registrar, who is a magistrate judge or district judge, not the clerk (Idaho Code § 15-1-307, § 15-3-301, § 15-3-302). Formal probate starts by petition before a judge with notice to interested persons (Idaho Code § 15-1-201, § 15-3-401, § 15-3-402).
- Prepare the opening papers for the Boundary County estate. If there is a will, plan for the original will: when a testate case is filed electronically, the original will and the pleading it is attached to must also be filed conventionally within seven business days (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a)).
- File with the clerk of the district court at the Boundary County Courthouse, 6452 Kootenai Street, Bonners Ferry, or by the method required by the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service. Attorneys must file electronically; a self-represented personal representative may use iCourt File and Serve or file on paper, but a self-represented filer who chooses electronic filing must continue for the life of the case unless the court permits withdrawal (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 4).
- Pay the opening filing fee. The Idaho Supreme Court Appendix A amount is $166.00, effective July 12, 2024, for a petition for formal probate or an application for informal probate in the magistrate division, with statutory components under Idaho Code § 31-3201A, § 1-2003, § 73-213 and § 31-3201.
- For an informal case, the registrar may issue a written statement of informal probate after at least five days have elapsed since death, and may appoint a personal representative after 120 hours have elapsed since death, subject to the nonresident decedent rule (Idaho Code § 15-3-302, § 15-3-307). If the matter is formal, follow the notice and hearing process set by the court for the petition (Idaho Code § 15-1-201, § 15-3-401).
- Ask the court office before assuming a telephone or video teleconference appearance will be allowed. Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2 lets the court hold certain matters by telephone or video teleconference, but the decision belongs to the court. A surviving-spouse summary administration has its own rule allowing a motion to appear telephonically or affidavits in place of appearance, with the debt-liability rule in Idaho Code § 15-3-1205.
- Once appointed, use the letters testamentary or letters of administration to collect estate property and deal with institutions (Idaho Code § 15-1-201, § 15-3-103). The clerk keeps the file and collects fees; the registrar or court acts on appointment and probate authority.
- Administer the estate. Idaho lets the personal representative publish notice to creditors once a week for three successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county to start a four-month claims period, and written notice carries a 60 days rule for creditors who receive actual notice (Idaho Code § 15-3-801). Within three months after appointment, prepare an inventory, send it to interested persons who request it, and the personal representative may file the original with the court (Idaho Code § 15-3-706).
- Close the estate by the appropriate Idaho procedure after administration is complete. If the estate uses the summary administration procedure, the closing statement rule is in Idaho Code § 15-3-1204; otherwise follow the closing path that matches the case and any court order.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Boundary County
Idaho's Court Assistance Office site at courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Forms lists statewide form categories such as divorce, custody, guardianship, conservatorship, name change, protection orders and small claims. The statewide menu does not list a probate category, and no Boundary County probate form, cover sheet or checklist is posted on Boundary County's own court pages reviewed for this page.
A CAO Pb probate form series exists in Idaho, but Boundary County did not post a local probate packet. A personal representative or attorney should draft the application for informal probate or petition for formal probate from Idaho Code Title 15, chapter 3, and should call the clerk of the district court before filing to ask whether any local cover sheet or judge-specific requirement applies.
The Idaho Court Assistance Office also publishes a pamphlet titled Most Frequently Asked Questions About Probate in Idaho at https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/docs/publications/WP-1.pdf.
Fees
The statewide probate filing fee is $166.00, effective July 12, 2024, for an application for informal probate or a petition for formal probate in the magistrate division. The amount is tied to Idaho Code § 31-3201A, with the additional statutory components in Idaho Code § 1-2003, § 73-213 and § 31-3201.
Boundary County's District Court page adds local payment instructions: checks or money orders should be payable to Boundary County Clerk, and card payments by phone carry a 3.5 percent fee. Ask the clerk whether a phone or online payment option applies to a new probate filing before you rely on it.
Recent updates
Scenarios
| Archetype | Likely Boundary County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| surviving spouse w/ co-owned home | Start by confirming title to the home and whether a court order is needed. If the surviving spouse is the sole beneficiary, Idaho Code § 15-3-1205 may allow summary administration, including a motion to appear telephonically or affidavits instead of appearance, but the spouse assumes liability for estate indebtedness under Idaho Code § 15-3-1205. | Sunset helps identify accounts, debts and title questions before the spouse chooses the estate settlement path. |
| out-of-state adult child w/ small estate | For personal property held by an institution, Idaho Code § 15-3-1201 allows the collection of personal property by affidavit after 30 days if the probate estate value and other statutory conditions are met. If court authority is needed, file in Bonners Ferry because Boundary County venue turns on the decedent's domicile under Idaho Code § 15-3-201. | Sunset helps locate accounts and prepare a probate packet or attorney handoff so the child can limit unnecessary travel. |
| parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A sale of a titled home usually means the family needs court authority through appointment of a personal representative and letters testamentary or letters of administration, depending on whether there is a will (Idaho Code § 15-1-201, § 15-3-103). File the opening application or petition with the clerk of the district court in Boundary County if venue belongs there under Idaho Code § 15-3-201. | Sunset organizes the asset list, generates filing-ready information and connects the parent with Idaho probate counsel for real-property and sale questions. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Court Assistance Office for Boundary County | Provides court forms, document review and legal information for self-represented people through courtselfhelp.idaho.gov. Open office hours are the third Friday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Boundary County Annex Building, 6566 Main Street, Bonners Ferry. The listed courthouse address is 6452 Kootenai Street, Bonners Ferry. | Phone: (208) 446-1225. Local page: https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Local/Boundary |
| Idaho Legal Aid Services | Statewide civil legal aid intake. It does not list probate administration among its service areas, so ask about eligibility and scope before relying on it for an estate. | Legal Advice Line: 208-746-7541. Apply online: https://www.idaholegalaid.org/apply-for-help |
| Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program | Offers civil legal assistance through volunteer attorneys and advice-and-counsel clinics by appointment; it is not an emergency program. | https://ilf.idaho.gov/ivlp/legal-assistance/ |
| Idaho State Bar Lawyer Referral Service | Connects callers with Idaho State Bar members. The Idaho State Bar page reviewed in August 2026 lists a $35 referral fee and an initial consultation of up to one half hour at no fee. | (208) 334-4500. https://isb.idaho.gov/lawyer-referral-service/ |
When to hire an attorney
A lawyer is most useful when the estate includes real property, a sale, a dispute, missing heirs, creditor problems, tax filings, questions about Idaho community property, or uncertainty about whether the registrar can act informally under Idaho Code § 15-1-307 and § 15-3-302. Boundary County self-represented filers can ask the Court Assistance Office for legal information, but legal advice about a specific estate should come from an Idaho attorney. 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 build the asset picture before filing in Boundary County. A cleaner inventory makes estate settlement faster and reduces surprises after letters testamentary or letters of administration are issued under Idaho Code § 15-1-201 and § 15-3-103.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the family intake into an organized probate packet for the application, petition and supporting information that an attorney or self-represented filer can use with the clerk of the district court in Bonners Ferry.
Find a local probate attorney. When a Boundary County estate has a home, business, dispute, creditor issue or tax question, Sunset can connect the family with Idaho counsel who understands the magistrate division process under Idaho Code § 1-2208.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to organize estate settlement, track next steps and decide whether they need court authority, an affidavit under Idaho Code § 15-3-1201, or attorney help.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate for a Boundary County resident?
File with the clerk of the district court at the Boundary County Courthouse, 6452 Kootenai Street, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805. Venue belongs in the county of the decedent's domicile at death, or, for a non-Idaho decedent, a county where the decedent's property was located (Idaho Code § 15-3-201).
Does Boundary County have a separate office just for estates?
No separate estate-only office is used. Idaho assigns probate to the magistrate division of the district court, and a magistrate judge hears these matters (Idaho Code § 1-2201, § 1-2208). The clerk of the district court takes the filing and keeps the case file.
What is the Boundary County probate filing fee?
The opening filing fee is $166.00, effective July 12, 2024 under Idaho Supreme Court Appendix A, for a petition for formal probate or application for informal probate in the magistrate division. The statutory fee structure includes Idaho Code § 31-3201A, § 1-2003, § 73-213 and § 31-3201. Confirm the current amount with the clerk before filing.
Can I e-file a Boundary County probate case?
Attorneys must file electronically under the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service. A self-represented personal representative may use iCourt File and Serve or file on paper with the clerk, but choosing electronic filing continues for the life of the case unless the court allows withdrawal (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 4). If a will is involved, the original will and the pleading attached to it must also be filed conventionally within seven business days (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a)).
Are Boundary County probate cases searchable online?
Idaho uses the iCourt Portal at https://mycourts.idaho.gov/odysseyportal/ for online records and payments. Access to court records is governed by Idaho Court Administrative Rule 32, so call the clerk of the district court to ask what is visible for a Boundary County probate file.
Does Boundary County publish probate forms?
No Boundary County probate packet is posted on the county's court pages. The Court Assistance Office site at courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Forms has statewide form categories, but its menu does not list a probate category; ask the clerk whether any local cover sheet is required before filing.
Will Boundary County set a probate hearing?
It depends on the filing. Informal probate may be acted on by the registrar without a hearing after the statutory timing rules are met (Idaho Code § 15-1-307, § 15-3-302, § 15-3-307). Formal proceedings are before a judge with notice to interested persons (Idaho Code § 15-1-201, § 15-3-401).
Can I attend a Boundary County probate matter by phone or video?
Ask the court office before the hearing. Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2 allows the court to hold certain matters by telephone or video teleconference, but the court decides. A surviving-spouse summary administration has a specific statute allowing a motion to appear telephonically or affidavits in place of appearance, with the debt-liability rule in Idaho Code § 15-3-1205.
Do I have to travel to Bonners Ferry?
Paper filings and original wills may require mailing or delivery to the clerk of the district court in Boundary County. If you are self-represented, call the clerk before traveling to confirm hours, paper filing needs and whether the matter can be handled by mail or through electronic filing under the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service.
Does Idaho collect inheritance tax for a Boundary County estate?
Idaho has no inheritance tax and no estate tax. The Idaho State Tax Commission states that Idaho has no gift tax or inheritance tax and that its estate tax for deaths expired in 2004 at tax.idaho.gov/taxes/estates-and-taxes/. An estate may still have federal tax duties or income tax filing duties.
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.