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Kootenai County, ID Probate Information
Quick facts
| Topic | Local detail |
|---|---|
| Court | Kootenai County District Court, magistrate division, for probate matters assigned under Idaho Code § 1-2208. |
| Courthouse address | Kootenai County Courthouse, Kootenai County Justice Building, 324 West Garden Avenue, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814. Estate filings go to the clerk of the district court on the lower level. |
| Mailing address | PO Box 9000, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816-9000. Confirm the mailing address with the clerk before sending an original will or time-sensitive paper. |
| Phone | Civil department: (208) 446-1160. General courthouse line: (208) 446-1000. The civil line is the closest published line for probate filings, but it is not labelled as a probate-only desk. |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time, excluding legal holidays. |
| Filing fee | $166.00 to open a probate in the magistrate division, whether by petition for formal probate or application for informal probate, on the Idaho Supreme Court filing fee schedule effective July 12, 2024. The figure includes the $120 magistrate-division 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). |
| Local forms | Kootenai County publishes no county probate form of its own. The Court Assistance Office form library at courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Forms has no browsable probate section. |
| E-filing | Attorneys file electronically through iCourt File and Serve. A self-represented personal representative may use File and Serve or file on paper with the clerk, and an electronic filing election continues for the life of the case unless the court allows withdrawal (Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service Rule 4). |
| Original will | If a will is filed electronically, the original will and any pleading it is attached to must also be filed on paper within seven business days, excluding legal holidays (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a)). |
| Case lookup | Idaho publishes the iCourt Portal at mycourts.idaho.gov. Kootenai County also publishes daily, weekly and Monday-through-Friday court calendars on its own court schedule page. Access to court records is governed by Idaho Court Administrative Rule 32. |
| Remote appearance | The court may allow a hearing by telephone or video teleconference under Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2 and the First Judicial District's remote-appearance order. Ask the clerk what is expected in your case. |
| Websites | First Judicial District: https://isc.idaho.gov/district-1. Kootenai County District Court: https://www.kcgov.us/252/District-Court. Court calendars: https://www.kcgov.us/263/Court-Schedule. |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Coeur d'Alene, identify the accounts, property, debts and possible creditors. Kootenai County does not publish a county probate packet for you to choose from, so the application or petition has to be drafted from Idaho Code Title 15, chapter 3 and matched to the actual estate. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 financial institutions to help families build that asset picture before estate settlement work begins.
That preparation also affects the trip to court. The clerk's counter is on the lower level of the Kootenai County Justice Building, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time, and the Court Assistance Office serving this district says it does not help with probate, wills or estates. Bring the asset and liability picture, the filing fee information, and the original will if one exists.
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 Kootenai County Courthouse.
Probate for Kootenai County is filed in Coeur d'Alene. Kootenai County is one of the five counties in Idaho's First Judicial District, along with Boundary, Bonner, Shoshone and Benewah, and that judicial district is the structure for judges, local rules and district administration (Idaho Code § 1-802). The case itself is filed at the Kootenai County courthouse complex, not in another county.
The first estate proceeding is filed in the county where the decedent was domiciled at death, or, if the decedent was not domiciled in Idaho, a county where the decedent's property was located at death (Idaho Code § 15-3-201). Kootenai County communities served by the Coeur d'Alene filing counter include Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, Hayden Lake, Rathdrum, Athol, Spirit Lake, Worley, Harrison, Bayview, Cataldo, Dalton Gardens and Rose Lake.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm the estate picture before choosing a filing path. List the decedent's assets, debts, possible creditors, real property and nonprobate transfers so the Kootenai County filing describes the estate accurately.
- Draft the opening paper. Use an application for informal probate or informal appointment, or a petition for formal probate, from Idaho Code Title 15, chapter 3 (Idaho Code § 15-3-301, § 15-3-402). Attach the original will if there is one.
- File with the clerk of the district court in Kootenai County. The filing counter is on the lower level of the Kootenai County Justice Building at 324 West Garden Avenue in Coeur d'Alene, and the counter is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time, excluding legal holidays. Venue depends on the decedent's domicile or Idaho property location (Idaho Code § 15-3-201).
- Pay the opening fee. The filing fee is $166.00 on the Idaho Supreme Court schedule effective July 12, 2024, and the amount is built from Idaho Code § 31-3201A, § 1-2003, § 73-213 and § 31-3201. Ask the clerk what the filing counter accepts before you go.
- Choose the filing method. Attorneys file electronically through iCourt File and Serve. A self-represented personal representative may file through File and Serve or on paper with the clerk, and an 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 filed electronically, the original will and the pleading it is attached to must also reach the clerk on paper within seven business days, excluding legal holidays (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a)).
- Wait for the proper Idaho decision-maker. In an informal proceeding, the registrar, a magistrate judge or district judge, makes the statutory findings and issues the written statement of informal probate or the order appointing the personal representative (Idaho Code § 15-1-307, § 15-3-302, § 15-3-307). A formal proceeding is conducted before a judge with notice to interested persons, and Idaho has an express route for uncontested formal cases (Idaho Code § 15-1-201(20), § 15-3-405).
- Handle notice and scheduling when a hearing is needed. In the First Judicial District, a party seeking a hearing contacts the clerk to arrange a time certain, and the party who asks to move a hearing is responsible for notice to the other parties. Kootenai County publishes court calendars, so check the county calendar and the notice of hearing for the courtroom and building.
- Ask about telephone or video appearance if travel is difficult. Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2 allows the court to hold certain matters by telephone or video teleconference, and the First Judicial District has a remote-appearance order with conditions. The decision belongs to the court.
- Get the letters after appointment and qualification. A personal representative with a will receives letters testamentary, and one without a will receives letters of administration; administration begins with the issuance of letters (Idaho Code § 15-1-201(28), § 15-3-103).
- Administer and close the estate. Prepare the inventory within three months after appointment and send it to interested persons who request it; filing the original with the court is optional (Idaho Code § 15-3-706). Idaho lets a personal representative publish notice to creditors to start the four-month claim bar, and mailed or delivered notice has its own sixty-day tail (Idaho Code § 15-3-801). Then distribute and close under the applicable Idaho procedure.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Kootenai County
Kootenai County publishes no county probate form, cover sheet or checklist for opening an estate. The statewide Court Assistance Office form library at courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Forms publishes forms for areas such as divorce, custody, guardianship, conservatorship, name change, protection orders and small claims, but its browsable categories do not include a probate section.
The Court Assistance Office serving Idaho's First Judicial District also says it cannot help with probate, wills or estates. A personal representative or attorney filing in Kootenai County should draft the application for informal probate or the petition for formal probate from Idaho Code Title 15, chapter 3, and file it with the clerk of the district court.
The Idaho Court Assistance Office also publishes a probate publication titled "Most Frequently Asked Questions About Probate in Idaho" at https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/docs/publications/WP-1.pdf. Because the publication is an image scan, use it as a linked court resource rather than as a form set.
Fees
The local court fee to open a probate remains the statewide $166.00 filing fee on the Idaho Supreme Court schedule effective July 12, 2024, built from Idaho Code § 31-3201A, § 1-2003, § 73-213 and § 31-3201. Kootenai County does not publish a separate probate surcharge.
Two additional filing-cost issues are practical for Kootenai County filers. First, the electronic filing system's vendor charges a $5.00 electronic filing fee as of December 15, 2023, separate from the court's filing fee. Second, a self-represented filer who stays on paper and needs paper or mail service from the court must pay designated mail service fees to the clerk at filing under the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service Rule 4(b); Kootenai County does not publish the current mail-service amounts, so ask the clerk before filing.
Timeline
- Plan around the counter hours. The Kootenai County clerk's counter for civil filings is on the lower level of the Kootenai County Justice Building and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time, excluding legal holidays.
- File the opening application or petition in Coeur d'Alene, or mail it to the court's post office box. If the case is filed electronically and there is a will, the original will and any pleading it is attached to must also be filed on paper within seven business days, excluding legal holidays (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a)).
- For informal probate, the registrar may issue the written statement of informal probate once five days have elapsed since death (Idaho Code § 15-3-302). For informal appointment, the registrar may appoint the applicant once 120 hours have elapsed since death, with a 30-day delay for a nonresident decedent unless the statute's exception applies (Idaho Code § 15-3-307).
- When a hearing is needed, the moving party contacts the court's clerk to arrange a time certain. If a hearing is rescheduled at a party's request, that party is responsible for notice to the other parties unless the court orders otherwise.
- Use Kootenai County's court calendars to confirm the setting. The county publishes daily, weekly and Monday-through-Friday court calendars, and the daily schedule is updated by 4:30 p.m.; estate matters appear there under the estate caption.
- Watch local motion practice. Under the First Judicial District's local rules, if a moving party does not set a motion for hearing or ask for a decision without hearing within fourteen days after filing, the court may treat the motion as withdrawn. Contested-motion argument is generally limited to fifteen minutes per side unless the court changes the time.
- After appointment, prepare the inventory within three months and send a copy to interested persons who request it; filing the original with the court is optional (Idaho Code § 15-3-706). If the personal representative publishes notice to creditors, creditor claims are tied to the four-month period and the sixty-day mailed-notice rule in Idaho Code § 15-3-801.
- The court controls the calendar. No fixed Kootenai County probate hearing day, courtroom or filing-to-hearing interval is published, so confirm the current setting, building and courtroom with the clerk before travelling.
Local nuance
Kootenai County-specific considerations
| Local point | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Four court buildings, one filing counter | Kootenai County's courts sit in a courthouse complex at Government Way and Garden Avenue. Estate papers go to the clerk on the lower level of the Kootenai County Justice Building at 324 West Garden Avenue. Hearings may be noticed for a courtroom in another building, so check the notice of hearing. |
| Nine-to-five counter hours | The First Judicial District's order under Idaho Court Administrative Rule 41.1 sets the clerk's public hours at 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Kootenai County publishes the same hours. Do not assume an 8 a.m. opening. |
| Pacific time | Kootenai County operates on Pacific time. A caller from Boise or eastern Idaho should account for the time difference before calling the civil department or planning a filing trip. |
| First District remote-appearance order | The court may allow appearance by telephone or videoconference under Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2 and the district's order. The order also lets the court require in-person appearance if the connection is not clear, requires assurance of identity, and treats a failure to reconnect seriously. |
| Court Assistance Office limit | The Court Assistance Office serving Kootenai County states that it cannot help with probate, wills or estates. It can be useful for other court self-help resources at courtselfhelp.idaho.gov, but not as a probate document-review path. |
| Published calendars | Kootenai County publishes daily, weekly and Monday-through-Friday court calendars, and estate matters appear on them. Use the calendar as a local check on hearing time and courtroom, not as a rule for when probate hearings always occur. |
Recent updates
| Date | Local update |
|---|---|
| August 11, 2026 | Idaho's First Judicial District launched a new public website for court information, and Kootenai County also posted notice of the new district site. Old bookmarks may need to be replaced with https://isc.idaho.gov/district-1. |
| April 2025 | The First Judicial District issued an order on remote appearance for court hearings. It says the court may allow use of telephone or videoconference technology, subject to Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2 and the district's conditions. |
| July 1, 2025 | Amended local rules for the First Judicial District took effect for Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, including rules on calendaring, setting and vacating hearings, motion practice and courtroom conduct. |
| July 12, 2024 | The Idaho Supreme Court's civil filing schedule took effect, listing the magistrate-division petition for formal probate and application for informal probate at $166.00 under Idaho Code § 31-3201A, § 1-2003, § 73-213 and § 31-3201. |
Page last reviewed: August 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely Kootenai County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with a co-owned home | Start with the asset and title picture, then file any needed papers with the clerk of the district court at the Kootenai County Justice Building in Coeur d'Alene. Idaho is a community property state under Idaho Code Title 15, and the state page explains how that affects estate settlement. If the surviving spouse is the sole beneficiary, Idaho has a summary administration route under Idaho Code § 15-3-1205, but the spouse who uses it assumes liability for indebtedness that might be a claim against the estate and there will be no administration of the estate. | Sunset helps identify accounts, debts and title issues before the spouse chooses a route, then assembles a local filing packet. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a small estate | Venue is Kootenai County if the parent was domiciled here at death (Idaho Code § 15-3-201). If the estate is small because it involves personal property that may be collected outside a court case, review Idaho Code § 15-3-1201 on the Idaho state page before filing. If a Kootenai County probate is needed, account for Pacific time, the 9 a.m. counter opening, the File and Serve election rules, and the paper original-will requirement. | Sunset helps find accounts across institutions and states so the child can decide whether a court filing is needed and prepare for one trip or a mailed filing. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Open the estate in Coeur d'Alene, obtain appointment from the registrar under Idaho Code § 15-1-307, and get letters. Title companies and real estate professionals commonly look for letters testamentary or letters of administration as the authority document (Idaho Code § 15-1-201(28), § 15-3-103). After appointment, prepare the inventory within three months and decide whether to publish notice to creditors under Idaho Code § 15-3-706 and § 15-3-801. | Sunset helps build the asset and liability picture before sale decisions are made, generates the probate packet, and can connect the family with a local probate attorney. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
| Court Assistance Office, First Judicial District | Serves Kootenai County through the Kootenai County Justice Building at 324 West Garden Avenue in Coeur d'Alene, by in-person appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Message phone: 208-446-1225. Email: [email protected]. County page: https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Local/Kootenai. | The office states that it cannot help with probate, wills or estates. It also states that legal advice cannot be provided. |
| Idaho Legal Aid Services | Statewide civil legal aid intake. Legal Advice Line: 208-746-7541. Online intake: https://www.idaholegalaid.org/apply-for-help. | Idaho Legal Aid Services does not list probate among its listed service areas, so do not assume it will take an estate matter. |
| Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program | Free civil legal assistance through volunteer attorneys, with financial qualification and an application process. Website: https://ilf.idaho.gov/ivlp/legal-assistance/. | Its clinics are advice and counsel, and its wills clinic is estate planning rather than estate administration. |
| Kootenai County District Court pages | The county posts court contact information, building locations, hours and calendars at https://www.kcgov.us/252/District-Court and https://www.kcgov.us/263/Court-Schedule. | Calendars are scheduling tools, not a promise of a fixed probate hearing day. |
| First Judicial District rules and orders | The district posts local rules and administrative orders at https://isc.idaho.gov/district-1/rules-orders/administrative-orders, including the hours order and remote-appearance order. | Orders and rules explain procedure, but they do not replace advice from a licensed Idaho attorney about a specific estate. |
When to hire an attorney
Idaho does not require a personal representative to hire a lawyer, and self-represented parties may file under the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service. In Kootenai County, counsel often makes sense when the will may be contested, a creditor issue is expected, real property must be sold, a business or out-of-state asset is involved, or a formal proceeding with notice to interested persons is needed. Counsel is especially practical here because the Court Assistance Office serving the First Judicial District states that it cannot help with probate, wills or estates. Sunset connects families with a vetted probate attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 financial institutions to help identify accounts, balances and assets before a Kootenai County filing is drafted. That asset picture is the foundation for estate settlement and for choosing the right Idaho path.
Generate the probate packet. Kootenai County does not publish a county probate form of its own, and the browsable Court Assistance Office library at courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Forms has no probate section. Sunset helps turn the estate information into a packet for the clerk of the district court in Coeur d'Alene.
Find a local probate attorney. When a Kootenai County estate involves a home sale, creditor dispute, formal probate under Idaho Code § 15-3-402, or family disagreement, Sunset can 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 in Kootenai County, Idaho?
File with the clerk of the district court on the lower level of the Kootenai County Justice Building, 324 West Garden Avenue, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814, or mail to PO Box 9000, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816-9000. Probate is assigned to the magistrate division of the district court, and a magistrate judge hears it (Idaho Code § 1-2201, § 1-2208). Venue depends on the decedent's domicile or Idaho property location (Idaho Code § 15-3-201).
What are the Kootenai County courthouse hours?
The clerk's public counter is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time, excluding legal holidays. Those hours are set for First Judicial District counties under Idaho Court Administrative Rule 41.1 and published by Kootenai County. Confirm the current hours before travelling.
How much does it cost to open a probate in Kootenai County?
The opening filing fee is $166.00 on the Idaho Supreme Court filing fee schedule effective July 12, 2024. The total includes the $120 magistrate-division 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). An electronic filing vendor fee of $5.00 applies as of December 15, 2023, separate from the court fee.
Do I have to file electronically, and what happens to the original will?
An attorney files electronically through iCourt File and Serve. A self-represented personal representative may file through File and Serve or on paper with the clerk, and a self-represented filer who elects electronic filing must keep using it for the life of the case unless the court allows withdrawal (Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service Rule 4). If a will is filed electronically, the original will and any pleading it is attached to must also be filed on paper within seven business days, excluding legal holidays (I.R.E.F.S. Rule 5(a)).
Can a Kootenai County probate hearing be handled by phone or video?
Idaho courts may hold certain matters by telephone or video teleconference, and the decision is the court's (Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2). The First Judicial District's order says the court may allow remote technology and sets conditions, including identity assurance and a clear connection. Ask the clerk of the district court what the judge expects in your case. A separate surviving-spouse summary administration route allows a motion to appear telephonically or affidavits in place of appearance (Idaho Code § 15-3-1205).
Is there a probate hearing day in Kootenai County?
No fixed Kootenai County probate hearing day is published. The court sets the calendar, and a party who needs a hearing contacts the clerk to arrange a time certain. Kootenai County publishes daily, weekly and Monday-through-Friday calendars, updated each afternoon, and estate matters appear on those calendars.
Are there Kootenai County probate forms?
Kootenai County publishes no county probate form of its own. The statewide Court Assistance Office form library at courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/Forms has no browsable probate section, although it publishes many other court forms. The Court Assistance Office serving Kootenai County says it cannot help with probate, wills or estates, so a personal representative or attorney drafts the application or petition from Idaho Code Title 15, chapter 3.
Can I look up a Kootenai County probate case online?
Idaho publishes the iCourt Portal at mycourts.idaho.gov, and Kootenai County directs the public there for court calendars, case information and payments. Access to court records is governed by Idaho Court Administrative Rule 32, so call the clerk of the district court to confirm what is visible for a specific estate.
Do I have to travel to Coeur d'Alene for estate settlement in Kootenai County?
The filing belongs at Kootenai County's courthouse complex in Coeur d'Alene. A self-represented filer may file on paper by mail or may elect electronic filing under the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service, but an original will filed electronically still has to reach the clerk on paper within seven business days. If a hearing is set, ask the clerk whether the court will allow appearance by telephone or video teleconference under Idaho R. Civ. P. 7.2.
Who decides an informal probate in Kootenai County?
The registrar decides the informal matter, and in Idaho the registrar is a magistrate judge or a district judge, not the clerk (Idaho Code § 15-1-307, § 15-1-201(42)). The registrar issues the written statement of informal probate after the statutory findings and timing rules are met (Idaho Code § 15-3-302, § 15-3-307). The clerk of the district court receives the filing, collects the fee and keeps the court file.
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.