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Henry County, IL Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Henry County probate information |
|---|---|
| Court | Circuit Court of the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, Henry County |
| Filing office | Henry County Circuit Clerk, the Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Courthouse address | Henry County Courthouse, Judicial wing, 307 West Center Street, Cambridge, IL 61238 |
| Mailing address | Henry County Circuit Clerk, 307 West Center Street, Cambridge, IL 61238 |
| Phone | (309) 937-3572. No separate probate desk line is published by the Circuit Clerk. |
| Fax | (309) 937-3990 |
| [email protected] | |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Circuit Clerk also lists a civil walk-in window of 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. |
| Filing fee | The Henry County Civil Fee Schedule lists administration of a decedent's estate at $384.00, as currently published with no effective date printed. Confirm the current amount with the Circuit Clerk before filing. |
| Local forms | Henry County does not publish a decedent-estate packet on its own forms page. The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit requires its approved probate forms, numbered p-1A to p-145, so ask the Henry County Circuit Clerk which forms the office can provide. |
| E-filing | E-filing is required in Illinois civil cases, including probate, for filers with and without a lawyer. A self-represented filer who cannot e-file may use the Certification for Exemption From E-filing. An original will can never be e-filed and must be delivered or mailed to the Circuit Clerk. |
| Case search | Henry County uses judici.com. Start at https://www.judici.com/courts/index.jsp?court=IL037015J. Public access to decedent-estate case detail should be confirmed with the Circuit Clerk. |
| Remote appearance | The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit has a remote-appearance order. Contact the Circuit Clerk at (309) 937-3572 for current probate instructions and do not use the Kewanee traffic location for estate filings. |
| Website | https://www.henrycty.com/175/Clerk-of-the-Circuit-Court |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file in Henry County, list the assets, debts, title ownership and beneficiary designations. A co-owned home, a payable-on-death account and a vehicle title may call for different estate settlement steps than a solely owned bank account or a house that must be sold through probate.
Sunset's 2,300-institution asset discovery helps families look for accounts and benefits before choosing the probate path. That matters locally because a Henry County estate that stays open also has to track the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit's annual report or account requirement.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Henry County probate filings go to the Henry County Circuit Clerk at the Henry County Courthouse, Judicial wing, 307 West Center Street, Cambridge, IL 61238. Cambridge is the county seat, and Henry County communities include Kewanee, Geneseo, Colona and Annawan.
Henry County is in the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit with Rock Island, Mercer and Whiteside Counties. The circuit shares a chief judge and local rules, including the Part 8 probate reporting rule, but it does not share a filing counter. File a Henry County resident's estate with the Henry County Circuit Clerk in Cambridge, not with another county in the circuit.
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 decedent's personal estate is located (755 ILCS 5/5-1).
The jurisdiction process
- File the original will with the Henry County Circuit Clerk in Cambridge immediately after death if you have it (755 ILCS 5/6-1). The original will cannot be e-filed under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9(c)(1), so deliver it or mail it to 307 West Center Street, Cambridge, IL 61238.
- E-file the petition to admit the will, if there is one, and to issue letters of office under 755 ILCS 5. Henry County links civil e-filing through Odyssey eFileIL. If you cannot e-file, use the statewide Certification for Exemption From E-filing under Rule 9(d).
- Pay the Henry County filing fee. The Civil Fee Schedule lists administration of a decedent's estate at $384.00, as currently published with no effective date printed, and lists letters of office under 755 ILCS 5 at $10.00 each, as currently published with no effective date printed. Confirm the current total with the Circuit Clerk before filing.
- Prove heirship and present the information the court needs to appoint the executor or administrator. Illinois uses independent administration under Article XXVIII unless the will forbids it, supervision is required, or an interested person objects (755 ILCS 5/28-2).
- Complete the oath and bond steps the court requires before the representative acts (755 ILCS 5/12-2). After appointment, the clerk issues letters of office under 755 ILCS 5, which are the Illinois authority document used with banks, buyers, title companies and other holders of estate property.
- Give notice to heirs and legatees within 14 days after the order, with publication if an address is not stated (755 ILCS 5/6-10). Publish the creditor notice once each week for three successive weeks in a newspaper published in the county, then file proof of publication with the clerk. The claims date must be at least six months from the first publication or three months from mailing or delivery, whichever is later (755 ILCS 5/18-3).
- Schedule and attend any hearing the judge requires. For remote appearance, contact the Henry County Circuit Clerk for current instructions under the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit remote-appearance order. If the judge requires you in person, probate is handled at the Cambridge courthouse, not the Kewanee traffic location.
- Inventory, collect and manage estate property, pay allowed claims, sell property only with the authority required for the estate, and keep enough detail to prepare the annual report or account required by Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Part 8(j).
- File the annual report or account required in every Henry County estate by Part 8(j), unless the court orders otherwise. Continue reporting each year until the estate is ready to close.
- Close the estate by accounting for receipts, payments and distributions, resolving remaining claims, obtaining any needed receipts or approvals, and filing the closing papers required for the estate's administration path.
Executor duties
The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit adds a local reporting duty that matters in Henry County estate settlement. Part 8(j) requires all legal representatives of estates in the circuit to file an annual report or account in every estate.
Unless the court orders otherwise, the first annual report or account is due by the first Monday of the month following one year from the issuance of letters of office under 755 ILCS 5. After that, an annual report or account is due on each anniversary until the estate is closed.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Henry County
Henry County does not publish a decedent-estate probate packet on its own forms page. That page lists Board of Review property-tax documents, not probate petitions, inventories, claims or estate-closing forms.
The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit local probate rules require the circuit's approved probate forms, numbered p-1A to p-145, to be used throughout the circuit, including Henry County. Ask the Henry County Circuit Clerk which approved circuit forms the office can provide for a petition to admit a will, a petition for letters of office under 755 ILCS 5, heirship, inventories, accounts and closing documents.
Illinois also has no statewide standardized decedent-estate probate form set. The statewide court forms that may still matter in a Henry County estate are the Certification for Exemption From E-filing, the Fee Waiver for Civil Cases application and the Appearance.
Fees
Henry County publishes its own Civil Fee Schedule. No effective or revision date is printed on the fee page, so treat each amount below as the amount currently published by the Circuit Clerk and confirm it before filing. Illinois circuit clerk fees are set under 705 ILCS 105/27.1b by county board ordinance or resolution, which is why there is no single statewide probate filing fee.
| Fee item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Administration of decedent's estate | $384.00, as currently published with no effective date printed |
| Entry of appearance PR | $209.00, as currently published with no effective date printed |
| Letters of office under 755 ILCS 5, each | $10.00, as currently published with no effective date printed |
| Administration of estate of disabled adult | $284.00, as currently published with no effective date printed |
| Administration of estate of minor | $284.00, as currently published with no effective date printed |
| Guardianship minor | $0, as currently published with no effective date printed |
| Claim up to $149.00 | $25.00, as currently published with no effective date printed |
| Claim of $150.00 to $500.00 | $40.00, as currently published with no effective date printed |
| Claim of $501.00 to $10,000.00 | $60.00, as currently published with no effective date printed |
| Claim over $10,000.00 | $15.00, as currently published with no effective date printed |
| Will contest | $60.00, as currently published with no effective date printed |
The claim-fee order above follows Henry County's own published page. Because one upper-tier claim amount appears lower than the preceding tiers, call the Circuit Clerk before relying on that line.
Local nuance
Henry County-specific considerations
Henry County has two local details that change how an estate is managed. First, Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Part 8(j) requires an annual report or account in every estate filed in the circuit. That requirement applies even when an Illinois estate otherwise proceeds under independent administration pursuant to Article XXVIII.
Second, Henry County has a second court location in Kewanee at 401 East Third Street, but that location handles traffic citations, ordinance violations and conservation tickets, with court held Fridays at 9:00 a.m. Decedent's-estate probate filings and probate questions go to the Circuit Clerk at the Cambridge courthouse.
Recent updates
Scenarios
| Scenario | Local path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| surviving spouse w/ co-owned home | If the home was held in joint tenancy or had a beneficiary designation, that asset may pass outside the probate estate. For assets in the decedent's sole name, the spouse e-files the petition, delivers or mails the original will to the Henry County Circuit Clerk in Cambridge because an original will cannot be e-filed, and confirms the $384.00 decedent-estate filing fee as currently published with no effective date printed. | Sunset helps sort title, beneficiary designations and account ownership before the spouse spends money on a filing. If court authority is needed, Sunset can organize the estate settlement packet and connect the spouse with a Henry County probate attorney. |
| out-of-state adult child w/ small estate | Many steps can be handled from out of state because eligible papers are e-filed and some appearances may be remote under the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit order. The original will still must reach the Circuit Clerk in Cambridge, and any estate that opens in Henry County must track the annual report or account required by Part 8(j). | Sunset helps the child identify accounts, decide what needs court authority, prepare information for the filing, and coordinate with local counsel if a hearing, real estate issue or annual report is involved. |
| parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A solely owned home that must be sold usually requires letters of office under 755 ILCS 5. Henry County's schedule lists letters of office at $10.00 each, as currently published with no effective date printed. The representative also publishes the creditor notice once a week for three weeks, opening the six-month claims window under 755 ILCS 5/18-3, and files the Part 8(j) annual report or account while the estate remains open. | Sunset helps gather asset and debt information, create an organized estate settlement checklist, and connect the parent with a local probate attorney for the sale, creditor issues and court reporting. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Henry County Circuit Clerk | Filing office for estates, e-filing questions, original wills, local fee questions and probate counter instructions. | 307 West Center Street, Cambridge, IL 61238. (309) 937-3572. [email protected]. https://www.henrycty.com/175/Clerk-of-the-Circuit-Court |
| Henry County Civil Fee Schedule | County fee page with the Probate (PR) and Guardianship (GR) section. | https://www.henrycty.com/184/Civil-Fee-Schedule |
| Henry County Courthouse self-help resources | Law library and Self-Help Center on the main floor of the Judicial wing, e-filing kiosk and disability coordinator information. | https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/courts-directory/18/Henry-County-Courthouse/court/ |
| Prairie State Legal Services, Moline office | Free civil legal help for eligible low-income, elderly and vulnerable people in Henry County. Ask whether the office can assist with the specific estate issue. | 1515 5th Avenue, Suite 200, Moline, IL. (309) 794-1328. Toll free (800) 322-9804. https://pslegal.org/our-offices |
| Illinois Legal Aid Online | Plain-language statewide guide to settling an estate after someone dies. | https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/legal-information/how-do-i-settle-estate-after-someone-dies |
| Illinois Courts approved statewide standardized forms | Statewide forms every Illinois court must accept, including Certification for Exemption From E-filing, Fee Waiver for Civil Cases and Appearance. | https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/documents-and-forms/approved-forms/ |
| eFileIL | Statewide electronic filing system for eligible probate documents. | https://efile.illinoiscourts.gov/ |
| Fourteenth Judicial Circuit local court rules | Local rules for Henry, Rock Island, Mercer and Whiteside Counties, including Part 8, Rules Relating to Probate. | https://rockislandcountyil.gov/165/Local-Court-Rules-Forms |
When to hire an attorney
A Henry County probate lawyer is especially useful when the estate includes a house or farmland to sell, heirs disagree, a creditor files a claim, or the representative must prepare the annual report or account required by Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Part 8(j). Nothing in the local rules listed here bars a self-represented petition for letters of office under 755 ILCS 5, but a representative cannot use probate as a way to represent someone else's legal interests in contested litigation. Sunset connects families to a vetted Illinois probate attorney serving Henry County.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset helps families organize estate settlement by identifying financial institutions, insurance policies, retirement accounts, real estate leads and other assets that may need attention before a probate filing is prepared.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the information you provide into an organized probate packet for Henry County, including the facts an Illinois representative and attorney need to prepare the petition, notices and next filing steps.
Find a local probate attorney. When the estate needs court authority, a real estate sale, creditor handling or annual reporting under Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Part 8(j), Sunset can connect the family with a vetted Illinois probate attorney serving Henry County.
Sunset is free for families. Sunset does not charge families for estate settlement support. If legal help is needed, the attorney explains the scope and fee directly before representation begins.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file for probate in Henry County?
File with the Henry County Circuit Clerk at the Henry County Courthouse, Judicial wing, 307 West Center Street, Cambridge, IL 61238. 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 real estate, then to the county with the greater part of the personal estate (755 ILCS 5/5-1).
How much does it cost to open an estate in Henry County?
The Henry County Civil Fee Schedule lists administration of a decedent's estate at $384.00, as currently published with no effective date printed. Confirm the current filing amount with the Circuit Clerk before submitting the petition.
Do I have to e-file probate papers in Henry County?
Yes. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9 requires e-filing in civil cases, including probate, and Henry County links to Odyssey eFileIL for civil e-filing. A self-represented filer who cannot e-file may file the Certification for Exemption From E-filing under Rule 9(d).
Can I e-file the original will in Henry County?
No. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9(c)(1) says original wills may not be e-filed. Deliver or mail the original will to the Henry County Circuit Clerk in Cambridge, while the petition and other eligible papers are e-filed.
Do I have to file anything every year in a Henry County estate?
Yes. Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Part 8(j) requires an annual report or account in every estate. Unless the court orders otherwise, the first report or account is due by the first Monday of the month following one year after letters of office issue under 755 ILCS 5, and then each anniversary until the estate is closed.
Can I appear remotely in a Henry County probate matter?
Many proceedings may use remote appearance under the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit's remote-appearance order. For current probate instructions, email or call the Circuit Clerk before the hearing. If the judge requires an in-person appearance, plan to appear at the Cambridge courthouse.
Are there local probate forms in Henry County?
Henry County does not publish a local decedent-estate packet on its own forms page. The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit requires approved probate forms for the circuit, so ask the Henry County Circuit Clerk which forms the office can provide.
How do I look up a Henry County probate case?
Henry County uses judici.com. Start with the Henry County court page at https://www.judici.com/courts/index.jsp?court=IL037015J. Public access to probate case detail can vary, so call the Circuit Clerk if the estate case does not appear.
Do I have to travel to Cambridge for probate?
Not for every step. Eligible papers can be e-filed, and some hearings may allow remote appearance. The original will must still reach the Circuit Clerk in Cambridge, and any in-person probate hearing is handled at the Cambridge courthouse. Henry County's Kewanee location handles traffic, ordinance and conservation matters, not decedent's estates.
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.