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Grundy County, IL Probate Information
Quick facts
| Topic | Grundy County information |
|---|---|
| Court | Circuit Court of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Grundy County |
| Filing office | Grundy County Circuit Clerk, 111 East Washington Street, Room 30, Morris, IL 60450 |
| Mailing | Call the Circuit Clerk before mailing a filing to confirm the current mailing address. |
| Phone | (815) 941-3256 |
| Fax | (815) 941-3265 |
| [email protected] | |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Filing fee | The Grundy County Circuit Clerk fee schedule, effective January 1, 2022, lists probate at three hundred sixty-two dollars plus a $100.00 fee added to decedent's estates. Confirm the current amount with the Circuit Clerk before filing. |
| Local forms | The Circuit Clerk publishes a Small Estate Affidavit form and guardianship forms, but no local decedent's-estate petition, order, oath or inventory form was found. |
| E-filing | Required in Illinois civil cases, including probate, for filers with and without a lawyer. Grundy County names Odyssey and i2File as providers. A self-represented filer who cannot e-file may use the Certification for Exemption From E-filing under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9(d). Original wills cannot be e-filed and must be delivered or mailed to the Circuit Clerk under Rule 9(c)(1). |
| Case search | Grundy County uses Judici at https://www.judici.com/courts/index.jsp?court=IL032015J. If an estate does not appear there, call the Circuit Clerk. |
| Remote appearance | Virtual court appearances are suspended in Grundy County. As of March 24, 2025, all parties must appear in person only until further notice. |
| Website | https://www.grundycountyil.gov/services/circuit_court_clerk/ |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before opening a Grundy County probate case, identify the assets, debts, beneficiary designations and any real estate. The filing fee, notice work and need for court authority depend on what is actually in the estate and what passes outside probate.
Sunset's estate settlement process starts with asset discovery across more than 2,300 institutions, then organizes what you need for the Grundy County filing, the original will delivery, creditor notice and closing steps.
Which court handles jurisdiction
One courthouse serves Grundy County probate filings: the Grundy County Courthouse at 111 East Washington Street in Morris. The court serves Grundy County communities, including Morris and Coal City, and the rest of the county.
Grundy County is in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit with Bureau and LaSalle Counties. That shared circuit structure does not move a Grundy County estate to another county. File a Grundy County estate with the Grundy County Circuit Clerk in Morris.
Illinois venue is set by the Illinois Probate Act of 1975. Probate or administration belongs first in the county where the decedent had a known place of residence, then in the county where the greater part of the decedent's real estate is located, and then in the county where the greater part of the personal estate is located (755 ILCS 5/5-1).
The jurisdiction process
- Find and safeguard the original will. Anyone holding the will must file it with the proper Circuit Clerk immediately after death (755 ILCS 5/6-1). A person named as executor has 30 days after learning of that role to open a case or decline to act (755 ILCS 5/6-3).
- Prepare the petition and supporting papers for the Grundy County Circuit Clerk. If there is a will, ask the court to admit the will and issue letters of office under the Illinois Probate Act of 1975 (755 ILCS 5/6-2 and 755 ILCS 5/6-8). If there is no will, the administrator seeks the appropriate letters of office under Article IX of the Probate Act (755 ILCS 5).
- E-file the petition and filings through eFileIL using a provider such as Odyssey or i2File, unless you file a Certification for Exemption From E-filing under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9(d). Do not e-file the original will. Deliver or mail it to the Grundy County Circuit Clerk because original wills may not be e-filed under Rule 9(c)(1).
- Pay the Grundy County filing fee. The Circuit Clerk fee schedule, effective January 1, 2022, lists probate at three hundred sixty-two dollars plus a $100.00 fee added to decedent's estates. Confirm the current total with the Circuit Clerk before filing.
- Prove heirship and ask the court for the appropriate order. Illinois requires the court to determine heirship in probate proceedings (755 ILCS 5/5-3).
- Expect independent administration under Article XXVIII unless the will forbids it, supervised administration is required after an objection or other Probate Act reason, or the court orders otherwise. Independent administration is the Article XXVIII track (755 ILCS 5/28-1 and 755 ILCS 5/28-2). Supervised administration is administration under the Probate Act other than Article XXVIII (755 ILCS 5/1-2.16). If an interested person seeks to end independent administration, the conversion mechanism is termination of independent administration (755 ILCS 5/28-4).
- Take the oath, address any bond requirement and obtain the court authority document. An Illinois representative takes an oath and gives bond unless the Probate Act or the court provides otherwise (755 ILCS 5/12-2).
- Give required notice to heirs and legatees. After the order admitting the will or appointing a representative, Illinois notice duties include mailing or delivery within 14 days, with publication if an address is not stated (755 ILCS 5/6-10).
- Publish the creditor notice once each week for 3 successive weeks in a newspaper published in the county where the estate is being administered, then file proof of publication with the clerk. The claim date must be not less than six months from the first publication or 3 months from mailing or delivery, whichever is later (755 ILCS 5/18-3).
- Administer the estate, including inventory, claims, payments, any real estate sale request and final accounting or closing. For a real estate sale, the Grundy County schedule lists a Petition to Sell Real Estate at $50.00, effective January 1, 2022. Confirm the current amount with the Circuit Clerk.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Grundy County
Grundy County publishes a Small Estate Affidavit form and several guardianship forms through the Circuit Clerk. The small estate affidavit is presented to the asset holder, not filed as a probate case with the court.
No Grundy County decedent's-estate petition, order, oath or inventory form was found on the Circuit Clerk's forms page. Illinois also does not publish a statewide standardized decedent's-estate form set. The statewide forms most likely to matter in a Grundy County probate filing are the Appearance, the civil fee waiver application and the Certification for Exemption From E-filing.
Fees
The Grundy County Circuit Clerk publishes a county fee schedule for probate filings. The amounts below come from that schedule, effective January 1, 2022. Confirm the current total with the Circuit Clerk before you file.
| Fee item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Probate filing | Three hundred sixty-two dollars, effective January 1, 2022, plus the decedent's-estate add-on below |
| Decedent's-estate add-on | $100.00, effective January 1, 2022. The Grundy County schedule attributes this add-on to 705 ILCS 105/27.3f. |
| Appearance | One hundred eighty-seven dollars, effective January 1, 2022, unless the schedule's no-appearance-fee exception applies |
| Appearance for the purpose of consent or for an executor, administrator, guardian, guardian ad litem or special administrator | $0.00, effective January 1, 2022 |
| Filing of a will under the Illinois Probate Act of 1975 | $0.00, effective January 1, 2022 |
| Claim of $150 to $500 | $25.00, effective January 1, 2022 |
| Claim of $500.01 to $10,000 | $40.00, effective January 1, 2022 |
| Claim of $10,000.01 and over, or claim seeking equitable relief | $60.00, effective January 1, 2022 |
| Each account other than one final account | $25.00, effective January 1, 2022 |
| Petition to sell real estate | $50.00, effective January 1, 2022 |
| Authority document copies | $2.00 per page, effective January 1, 2022 |
| Certification or authentication | $6.00 each, effective January 1, 2022 |
Local nuance
Grundy County-specific considerations
Grundy County's current remote-appearance rule is unusually direct: virtual court appearances are suspended. The county states that, as of March 24, 2025, all parties are to appear in person only until further notice.
Build your filing plan around that local rule. E-filing remains required for civil filings, and original wills still must be delivered or mailed because they cannot be e-filed under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9(c)(1), but a required court appearance should be treated as an in-person appearance unless the court gives different instructions.
Recent updates
| Update | What changed |
|---|---|
| Grundy County fee schedule effective January 1, 2022 | The Circuit Clerk schedule lists probate at three hundred sixty-two dollars plus a $100.00 fee added to decedent's estates, appearance at one hundred eighty-seven dollars unless an exception applies, and claim tiers of $25.00, $40.00 and $60.00, all effective January 1, 2022. Confirm current amounts with the Circuit Clerk. |
| Virtual court suspended as of March 24, 2025 | Grundy County states that virtual court appearances are suspended and all parties must appear in person only until further notice. |
Scenarios
| Scenario | Likely Grundy County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with a co-owned home | Property passing by joint tenancy or beneficiary designation may not need court transfer. Assets in the decedent's sole name may require a Grundy County petition, e-filed through eFileIL, with the original will delivered or mailed to the Circuit Clerk in Morris. The county schedule, effective January 1, 2022, lists probate at three hundred sixty-two dollars plus a $100.00 decedent's-estate add-on. | Sunset identifies accounts and ownership details, organizes the estate settlement documents and helps decide whether a Grundy County filing is needed. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a small estate | Some work can be handled by phone, mail and e-filing, but the original will still must be delivered or mailed to Morris. Because virtual court appearances are suspended as of March 24, 2025, plan for any required court date to be in person unless the court gives different instructions. | Sunset helps gather asset information, prepare questions for the Circuit Clerk and connect the family with local counsel if travel or in-person court is difficult. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A sale of real estate usually requires court authority through a Grundy County estate. The county schedule lists a Petition to Sell Real Estate at $50.00, effective January 1, 2022, and authority document copies at $2.00 per page, effective January 1, 2022. | Sunset helps assemble the asset picture, prepare for the court filing and connect the parent with a vetted Illinois probate attorney serving Grundy County. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps |
|---|---|
| Grundy County Circuit Clerk | Filing office for Grundy County estates. The office is at 111 East Washington Street, Room 30, Morris, IL 60450, phone (815) 941-3256, fax (815) 941-3265, email [email protected], Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Grundy County Legal Self-Help Center | Illinois Legal Aid Online lists two library locations: Coal City Public Library District, 85 North Garfield St., Coal City, IL 60416, (815) 634-4552, and Morris Area Public Library, 604 Liberty St., Morris, IL 60450, (815) 942-6880. They offer computers, internet, online court forms, legal information and referrals, but not legal advice. |
| Prairie State Legal Services, Ottawa Office | Serves Bureau, Grundy, LaSalle and Putnam Counties from 1021 Clinton Street, Ottawa, IL 61350, (815) 434-5903. |
| Illinois Legal Aid Online estate guide | Plain-language statewide guide on settling an estate after someone dies. |
| Illinois Courts approved statewide standardized forms | Includes the Certification for Exemption From E-filing, the civil fee waiver application and the Appearance. Illinois courts must accept these statewide forms. |
| eFileIL | Statewide electronic filing system for Illinois civil cases. Grundy County names Odyssey and i2File as filing providers. |
When to hire an attorney
A lawyer is often useful in a Grundy County estate settlement when the estate includes a house or farmland to sell, heirs disagree, a creditor files a claim, or a will contest is possible. A non-lawyer may not represent another person's legal interests in Illinois, and an estate representative should get legal advice before filing papers that affect the estate or other interested persons. Sunset connects families to a vetted Illinois probate attorney serving Grundy County.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 financial institutions to help families identify accounts, benefits and property that may affect a Grundy County estate settlement.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset organizes the information families need for the Grundy County filing, including asset details, heirs, interested persons and the documents that support a request for letters of office under the Illinois Probate Act of 1975 (755 ILCS 5/6-2 and 755 ILCS 5/6-8).
Find a local probate attorney. When the estate includes real estate, creditor issues, disputes or an in-person Grundy County court date, Sunset can connect the family with a vetted Illinois probate attorney serving Grundy County.
Sunset is free for families. Sunset helps families understand the estate settlement path, organize the work and decide when a court filing or attorney is needed.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file for probate in Grundy County?
File with the Grundy County Circuit Clerk at 111 East Washington Street, Room 30, Morris, IL 60450. Illinois venue starts in the county where the decedent had a known place of residence, then moves to the county with the greater part of the decedent's real estate, then to the county with the greater part of the personal estate (755 ILCS 5/5-1).
Do I have to e-file a Grundy County probate case?
Yes. E-filing is required in Illinois civil cases, including probate, for filers with and without a lawyer under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9(a). The circuit-court e-filing date is January 1, 2018 under Rule 9(i). Grundy County names Odyssey and i2File as filing providers, and a self-represented filer who cannot e-file may use the Certification for Exemption From E-filing under Rule 9(d).
Can I e-file the original will in Grundy County?
No. Original wills cannot be e-filed under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9(c)(1). Deliver or mail the original will to the Grundy County Circuit Clerk, even if the petition and other papers are e-filed.
How much does probate cost in Grundy County?
The Grundy County Circuit Clerk fee schedule, effective January 1, 2022, lists probate at three hundred sixty-two dollars plus a $100.00 fee added to decedent's estates. Confirm the current total with the Circuit Clerk before filing.
Can I appear remotely in a Grundy County probate matter?
No, not currently. As of March 24, 2025, virtual court appearances in Grundy County are suspended and all parties must appear in person only until further notice.
Are there local probate forms in Grundy County?
The Circuit Clerk publishes a Small Estate Affidavit form and guardianship forms. No local decedent's-estate petition, order, oath or inventory form was found, and Illinois has no statewide standardized decedent's-estate form set.
How do I look up a Grundy County probate case?
Use Grundy County's Judici page at https://www.judici.com/courts/index.jsp?court=IL032015J. If the estate does not appear there, call the Grundy County Circuit Clerk at (815) 941-3256.
Do I have to travel to Morris for a Grundy County probate case?
You may be able to e-file many papers, and you can call the Circuit Clerk before mailing the original will or other paper documents. But because virtual court appearances are suspended as of March 24, 2025, plan for any required court appearance to be in person in Grundy County unless the court gives different instructions.
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.