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Gooding County, ID Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Gooding County information |
|---|---|
| Court | The magistrate division of the district court at the Gooding County Courthouse. Probate is assigned to the magistrate division and heard by a magistrate judge (Idaho Code § 1-2208). |
| Courthouse address | 624 Main Street, Gooding, ID 83330. |
| Mailing address | Clerk of the district court: PO Box 417, Gooding, ID 83330. District Court office: PO Box 27, Gooding, ID 83330. |
| Filing office phone | Clerk of the district court, listed locally as the Clerk, Auditor and Recorder: (208) 934-4841. The clerk of the district court is also the county's auditor and recorder (Idaho Code § 31-2001). |
| Probate-facing phone | Magistrate Court office: (208) 934-4261. |
| Fax | Clerk filing office fax: (208) 934-5019. Magistrate Court fax: (208) 934-4408. |
| Hours | Clerk filing office: Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closed for lunch on Thursday and Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Magistrate Court office: Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
| Filing fee | $166.00 to open a probate in the magistrate division, whether by petition for formal probate or application for informal probate, as shown on 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, a $10 Idaho Code fund fee and a $10 civil administrative surcharge (Idaho Code § 31-3201A, § 1-2003, § 73-213, § 31-3201). |
| Local forms | Gooding County does not publish a county-specific probate packet on its clerk or Magistrate Court pages. Check the Court Assistance Office form library at https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Forms and the Court Assistance Office page for Gooding County at https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Local/Gooding. |
| E-filing | Attorneys must file electronically under the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service. Self-represented parties may choose iCourt File and Serve, but if they choose electronic filing they must keep using it unless the court permits withdrawal (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 4). If there is an original will, it must also be filed on paper within seven business days (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a)). |
| 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 | Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2 lets the court hold certain matters by telephone or video teleconference. For Gooding County, ask the clerk what the Fifth Judicial District requires. |
| Websites | Gooding County clerk: https://goodingcounty.org/151/Clerk-Auditor-Recorder. Magistrate Court: https://www.goodingcounty.org/155/Magistrate-Court. Fifth Judicial District: https://isc.idaho.gov/district-5. |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before filing in Gooding County, list the decedent's accounts, real estate, vehicles, debts, tax issues and known heirs or devisees. Venue for the first informal or formal testacy or appointment proceeding is based on the decedent's domicile, or, for a person not domiciled in Idaho, a county where the decedent had property (Idaho Code § 15-3-201).
Sunset can support estate settlement before the court packet is drafted by searching more than 2,300 financial institutions for accounts and assets, organizing what belongs in the probate estate and helping you decide what to ask the Gooding County clerk of the district court before you file.
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 Gooding County Courthouse.
Gooding County is one of eight counties in Idaho's Fifth Judicial District with Blaine, Camas, Lincoln, Jerome, Minidoka, Cassia and Twin Falls counties (Idaho Code § 1-806). The judicial district organizes judges and local rules, but a Gooding County estate is filed at the Gooding County Courthouse in the City of Gooding.
The county seat and courthouse city is the City of Gooding. The county also includes Wendell and Hagerman.
The jurisdiction process
- Decide whether you are using an informal application, a formal petition or a non-court collection route. An application opens informal probate (Idaho Code § 15-3-302); a petition opens formal probate or a formal testacy matter (Idaho Code § 15-3-401, § 15-3-402). If the estate involves $100,000 or less of probate personal property and at least 30 days have passed, the Idaho Code § 15-3-1201 collection affidavit is presented to the person or institution holding the property, not filed with the court.
- Prepare the Gooding County filing packet. The personal representative or attorney drafts the application or petition from Idaho Code Title 15, chapter 3, and should check the Court Assistance Office at https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Forms for any current Pb probate forms before filing.
- File with the clerk of the district court at 624 Main Street in the City of Gooding. Use the clerk filing office phone, (208) 934-4841, or the Magistrate Court line, (208) 934-4261, if you need to confirm where to bring papers inside the courthouse.
- Pay the opening filing fee. The fee is $166.00 under the Idaho Supreme Court Appendix A schedule effective July 12, 2024, and the amount is tied to Idaho Code § 31-3201A, § 1-2003, § 73-213 and § 31-3201.
- Use the correct filing method. Attorneys file through the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service system. A self-represented personal representative may use iCourt File and Serve or may file on paper; choosing electronic filing commits the filer to keep using it unless the court permits withdrawal (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 4). If there is an original will, file the original on paper within seven business days even when the case is e-filed (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a)).
- Let the registrar or judge act on the request. In an informal proceeding the registrar, meaning a magistrate judge or a district judge, makes the statutory findings and issues the written statement of informal probate or the informal appointment order (Idaho Code § 15-1-307, § 15-3-302, § 15-3-307). Formal proceedings are conducted before a judge with notice to interested persons (Idaho Code § 15-1-201(20), § 15-3-401).
- Handle notice and any hearing. Formal matters require the court to set and hear the petition under the formal-probate statutes. Idaho allows, but does not require in every case, a personal representative to publish notice to creditors once a week for three successive weeks, starting a 4 months period from first publication, and written notice can create a 60 days period if later (Idaho Code § 15-3-801). Ask the Gooding County clerk what the Fifth Judicial District requires for scheduling and any telephone or video teleconference request under Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2.
- Obtain authority and administer the estate. A personal representative receives letters testamentary when there is a will or letters of administration when there is no will (Idaho Code § 15-1-201, § 15-3-103). Within 3 months after appointment, the personal representative prepares an inventory, sends it to interested persons who request it and may file it with the court (Idaho Code § 15-3-706).
- Close the estate when administration is complete. The route depends on the case. Some estates may use a closing statement under Idaho Code § 15-3-1204 if the statutory summary administration requirements apply under Idaho Code § 15-3-1203, while other estates close through the applicable formal or informal administration steps.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Gooding County
Gooding County does not publish a county-specific probate packet on its clerk or Magistrate Court pages. Start with the Court Assistance Office form library at https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Forms and the Court Assistance Office page for Gooding County at https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Local/Gooding, then confirm with the Gooding County clerk of the district court what the local filing counter wants with your application or petition.
Use the correct Idaho terms in the packet. The informal route uses an application, the formal route uses a petition, and the registrar in an informal proceeding is a magistrate judge or district judge, not a clerk (Idaho Code § 15-1-307, § 15-3-302, § 15-3-307).
Local nuance
Gooding County-specific considerations
Gooding County publishes three different courthouse office patterns for 624 Main Street. The clerk filing office is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with a lunch closure on Thursday and Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Magistrate Court office publishes Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The District Court office publishes Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
For a probate filing, lead with the clerk of the district court, locally listed as the Clerk, Auditor and Recorder, at (208) 934-4841, or the Magistrate Court at (208) 934-4261. The courthouse general switchboard number is not the filing office's own line.
Recent updates
Gooding County publishes local filing-office hours that differ from the old statewide courthouse-hours pattern often repeated in directories. The clerk filing office opens at 7:30 a.m., closes at 5:30 p.m. and has a Thursday and Friday lunch closure from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Page last reviewed: August 2026.
Scenarios
| Scenario | Likely Gooding County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse w/ co-owned home | If the surviving spouse is the sole devisee or heir, Idaho's summary administration route may apply, including real property and a $130.00 filing category on the Idaho Supreme Court Appendix A schedule effective July 12, 2024. The spouse must also account for the liability rule in Idaho Code § 15-3-1205(c): the surviving spouse assumes and is liable for the decedent's debts, and there is no administration of the estate (Idaho Code § 15-3-1205; Idaho Code § 31-3201A). | Sunset identifies accounts, home-related debts and title facts so the spouse and attorney can decide whether a Gooding County filing under Idaho Code § 15-3-1205 fits the estate settlement. |
| Out-of-state adult child w/ small estate | If the estate has $100,000 or less of probate personal property, and 30 days have passed, the Idaho Code § 15-3-1201 collection affidavit may be presented to the holder of the property instead of opening a court case in Gooding County. If a court case is needed, call the clerk filing office at (208) 934-4841 before mailing or traveling. | Sunset searches for accounts and helps separate probate personal property from nonprobate assets so the adult child can evaluate the Idaho Code § 15-3-1201 route. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A home sale usually requires court authority unless another verified nonprobate transfer controls. File the informal application or formal petition with the clerk of the district court at the Gooding County Courthouse and plan for letters testamentary or letters of administration before dealing with title companies or buyers (Idaho Code § 15-1-201, § 15-3-103). | Sunset organizes assets, debts and interested-person information, then helps generate a draft probate packet and connect the parent with a local probate attorney when a home sale is part of estate settlement. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Court Assistance Office for Gooding County | The page for Gooding County is marked Limited Services. The Court Assistance Office provides legal information, court forms and document review for people representing themselves, but it does not provide legal advice (courtselfhelp.idaho.gov). | 624 Main Street, PO Box 27, Gooding, ID 83330. Phone: (208) 934-4261. Alternate Fifth Judicial District CAO contact: (208) 736-4136. https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Local/Gooding |
| Idaho Legal Aid Services | Statewide civil legal aid intake. Probate is not listed among the service areas it publishes, so ask intake whether your issue fits. | Legal Advice Line: 208-746-7541. Online intake: https://www.idaholegalaid.org/apply-for-help |
| Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program | Volunteer civil legal assistance and advice clinics for financially qualified applicants. It is not an emergency program and does not have attorneys on staff. | https://ilf.idaho.gov/ivlp/legal-assistance/ |
| Idaho State Law Library | Legal research resource managed with the Idaho Supreme Court and the University of Idaho College of Law. | 501 W. Front Street, Boise, ID 83702-7232. Phone: (208) 364-4555. https://isll.idaho.gov |
When to hire an attorney
A lawyer makes sense in Gooding County when the will is disputed, heirs disagree, the estate includes a home that must be sold, creditor issues are unclear, a nonresident decedent is involved or the personal representative is unsure whether informal probate, formal probate or summary administration applies (Idaho Code § 15-3-302, § 15-3-401, § 15-3-1205). Sunset connects families to a vetted attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions to help identify accounts, policies and assets that may belong in the estate settlement.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset organizes the information needed for a Gooding County application or petition, including assets, debts, interested persons and the documents a personal representative can review with an attorney.
Find a local probate attorney. When a Gooding County estate needs legal judgment, Sunset helps connect the family with a vetted Idaho probate attorney.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to organize estate settlement tasks, find assets and understand the next filing step without paying Sunset.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate for someone who lived in Gooding County?
File with the clerk of the district court at the Gooding County Courthouse, 624 Main Street, Gooding, ID 83330. Venue is based on the decedent's domicile, or, for a non-Idaho domiciliary, a county where the decedent had property (Idaho Code § 15-3-201).
What phone number should I call for a Gooding County probate filing?
For the filing office, call the clerk of the district court at (208) 934-4841. For the Magistrate Court office, call (208) 934-4261. Probate is assigned to the magistrate division and heard by a magistrate judge (Idaho Code § 1-2208).
How much is the Gooding County probate filing fee?
The opening filing fee is $166.00 under the Idaho Supreme Court Appendix A schedule effective July 12, 2024. The total includes amounts set by Idaho Code § 31-3201A, § 1-2003, § 73-213 and § 31-3201. Confirm the current total with the Gooding County clerk before filing.
Can I e-file a Gooding County probate case myself?
A self-represented personal representative may choose iCourt File and Serve under the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service, but is not required to choose that method (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 4). If a self-represented filer chooses electronic filing, that filer must keep using it unless the court permits withdrawal. If there is an original will, the original must also be filed on paper within seven business days (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a)).
Does Gooding County publish probate forms?
Gooding County does not publish a county-specific probate packet on its clerk or Magistrate Court pages. Check the Court Assistance Office form library at https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Forms and ask the Gooding County clerk what to include with your application or petition.
Can I attend a Gooding County probate hearing by phone or video?
The court may hold certain hearings by telephone or video teleconference under Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2. A surviving-spouse summary administration under Idaho Code § 15-3-1205 has a specific telephone or affidavit option if the statutory route applies. For any other Gooding County hearing, ask the clerk what the Fifth Judicial District requires.
How do I look up a Gooding County probate case?
Use the iCourt Portal at https://mycourts.idaho.gov/odysseyportal/. The portal is Idaho's statewide online records and payments portal, and access to court records is governed by Idaho Court Administrative Rule 32.
Do I have to travel to the City of Gooding to start the case?
If you are represented, your attorney files through the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service. If you are self-represented, ask the Gooding County clerk whether paper filing by mail is acceptable for your packet and whether anything must be filed on paper, such as an original will under I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a).
Does Idaho collect inheritance tax in a Gooding County estate?
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 need 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.