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Greene County, IN Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Greene County detail |
|---|---|
| Court for estate cases | Greene Circuit Court. Estate cases are assigned to the Circuit Court under the Greene County caseload allocation plan (LR28-AR01-01). |
| Filing office | Clerk of the Circuit Court, Greene County Courthouse, 1 East Main Street, Bloomfield, IN 47424. |
| Mailing address | Clerk of the Circuit Court, P.O. Box 229, Bloomfield, IN 47424. |
| Phone | Clerk's office: (812) 384-8532. Greene Circuit Court: (812) 384-4325. |
| Fax | (812) 384-8458. |
| [email protected]. | |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. No lunch closure is published on the clerk's page. |
| Court costs | A petition for letters testamentary or letters of general administration carries $177 under IC 33-37, current through the 2026 Legislative Session. Offering a will for probate alone carries no court costs under IC 33-37-4-7(c)(3). Sheriff service, if requested, adds $28 under IC 33-37-5-15, current through the 2026 Legislative Session. |
| Local forms | No Greene County probate packet, estate cover sheet or probate checklist is published on the clerk's page. The clerk's page publishes forms for protective orders only. |
| E-filing | Attorneys file through the Indiana E-Filing System. Unrepresented litigants are encouraged, but not required, to use the IEFS (Ind. Trial Rule 87). |
| Case search | Search public estate cases on MyCase at https://public.courts.in.gov/mycase/. Estate case types include EU, ES and EM. |
| Remote appearance | Indiana courts may allow remote non-testimonial hearings and may allow remote testimony for good cause or by agreement (Ind. Administrative Rule 14). Call the clerk before assuming a Greene County probate hearing will be remote. |
| Website | Greene County Clerk page on co.greene.in.us. Indiana Judicial Branch local page: https://www.in.gov/courts/local/greene-county/. |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file in Greene County, list the decedent's probate assets, nonprobate transfers, debts, taxes, funeral expenses and known creditors. Indiana procedure depends on what property is actually in the probate estate, so asset discovery comes before choosing a filing path.
Sunset's estate settlement tools search across more than 2,300 financial institutions to help families identify accounts and debts before a petition is prepared. That inventory work helps you decide what belongs in the Greene Circuit Court filing and what may pass outside the court process.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Greene County estate cases are filed at the Greene County Courthouse in Bloomfield with the Clerk of the Circuit Court and are assigned to the Greene Circuit Court under LR28-AR01-01. Greene County is in the Sixty-third judicial circuit (IC 33-33-28-1) and Judicial District 20 with Greene, Lawrence, Monroe and Owen Counties, but the judicial district is an administrative grouping and does not control venue.
Indiana venue for probate of a will and administration of an estate is the county where the decedent was domiciled at death. If the decedent was not domiciled in Indiana, venue may be in an Indiana county where the decedent left property or where estate property later came (IC 29-1-7-1).
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm that Greene County is the proper venue. Use the county of the decedent's domicile at death, or the Indiana county connected to the decedent's property if the decedent was not domiciled in Indiana (IC 29-1-7-1).
- Choose the correct estate filing. Indiana uses supervised administration, unsupervised administration and other statewide procedures, but the local filing destination in Greene County is the Greene Circuit Court under LR28-AR01-01.
- Prepare the petition and supporting papers. If a Last Will and Testament is being e-filed, Trial Rule 87(E) requires an accurate copy of the will and a perjury affidavit about possession or deposit of the original will, with the original retained unless the court or statute directs otherwise.
- File with the Greene County Clerk of the Circuit Court at the Greene County Courthouse, 1 East Main Street, Bloomfield. Attorneys use the IEFS. Unrepresented litigants may use the IEFS or contact the clerk about conventional filing. The clerk's general instruction is to submit court forms as one original, in black ink, printed on one side only.
- Pay the required court costs for the filing you are making. A petition for letters testamentary or letters of general administration carries $177 under IC 33-37, current through the 2026 Legislative Session. Offering a will for probate alone carries no court costs under IC 33-37-4-7(c)(3). If sheriff service is requested, the service fee is $28 under IC 33-37-5-15, current through the 2026 Legislative Session.
- Serve and publish required notices after letters issue. Indiana requires notice of administration to be published once each week for two consecutive weeks, with proof filed with the clerk, and known or reasonably ascertainable creditors receive notice under IC 29-1-7-7.
- Coordinate any hearing with the Greene Circuit Court. No Greene County hearing day or filing-to-hearing interval is published, so call the clerk before planning travel. Remote participation depends on the court's order and Ind. Administrative Rule 14.
- Obtain the authority document after the court appoints the personal representative. Indiana issues letters testamentary or letters of general administration, and letters attested by the clerk and under the court seal are evidence of the personal representative's authority (IC 29-1-10-1, IC 29-1-10-4).
- Administer and close the estate. The personal representative gathers assets, prepares the required inventory, handles claims, pays expenses and distributes property. In an unsupervised estate, the closing statement is part of the estate settlement process and may be filed no earlier than three months after the first published notice to creditors (IC 29-1-7.5-4).
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Greene County
Greene County does not publish a local probate packet, estate cover sheet or probate checklist on the clerk's page. The clerk's page lists protective order forms, but not estate forms.
Indiana also does not have a statewide court-approved probate form set. The statewide estate form published through Indiana Legal Help is the small estate affidavit, CCA-EM-0722-5000, for transfer of assets without administration. That affidavit is given to the bank or holder of property and is not filed with the Greene Circuit Court.
If you are filing a will electronically, follow Ind. Trial Rule 87(E): file an accurate copy of the will and the required affidavit about the original will. For other estate filings, ask the Greene County Clerk what the court expects for the petition, proposed order, notices and proposed letters.
Fees
| Local charge | Amount | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Copies from the clerk's office | $1.00 per page, as published by the Greene County Clerk on August 20, 2026 | Useful when you need copies of pleadings, orders or estate documents from the clerk's file. Clerks keep a fee table under IC 33-32-2-7. |
| Certifications | $3.00 each, as published by the Greene County Clerk on August 20, 2026 | Useful when a bank, title company or other institution asks for a certified court document. This local charge is separate from court costs for opening an estate. |
Local nuance
Greene County-specific considerations
| Local point | What Greene County does | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Estate case assignment | Greene County's caseload allocation plan sends estates to the Greene Circuit Court (LR28-AR01-01). | Do not look for a separate Greene County Probate Division. The filing counter is the Clerk of the Circuit Court. |
| No PR00 probate rule set | The Greene County local rules do not add a separate PR00 probate family, inventory filing rule, fiduciary bond default or counsel-required rule. | The statewide Indiana probate rules control unless the Greene Circuit Court gives a case-specific order. |
| Clerk filing instruction | The clerk's page asks filers to submit court forms as a single original, completed in black ink and printed on one side only. | Treat this as a general clerk instruction and call the clerk before mailing or bringing a probate petition. |
| Local copy charges | The clerk charges $1.00 per page for copies and $3.00 for each certification, as published on August 20, 2026. | Budget for certified copies when an institution asks for certified proof of authority or a certified order. |
Recent updates
Scenarios
| Scenario | Likely Greene County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with co-owned home | Start by separating jointly owned or beneficiary-designated property from probate property. If a court case is needed, file with the Greene County Clerk for assignment to the Greene Circuit Court. The surviving spouse allowance is $25,000 under IC 29-1-4-1, in place since 2009. | Sunset helps identify accounts, debts and title issues so the spouse can see whether a court filing is needed and what belongs in the estate settlement plan. |
| Out-of-state adult child with small estate | If the estate fits Indiana's small estate affidavit route, the statewide ceiling is $100,000 for deaths after June 30, 2022, under IC 29-1-8, and the affidavit is presented to the holder of property rather than filed with the Greene Circuit Court. If appointment is needed, an out-of-state personal representative may need an Indiana resident agent and bond unless the court waives bond in an unsupervised estate (IC 29-1-10-1). | Sunset helps collect account information, generate a probate packet when court appointment is needed and connect the family with local counsel when distance makes filing harder. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | File in Greene County if the child was domiciled there at death. If real estate may need to be sold to pay debts or administration costs, Indiana's five-month and seven-month timing rule can matter (IC 29-1-7-15.1). The local filing destination is the Greene Circuit Court. | Sunset helps organize the property, debts, notices and closing steps so the parent can move from opening the case to final estate settlement with fewer missing pieces. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Link or contact |
|---|---|---|
| Greene County Indiana Judicial Branch page | Local court rules, local court links, case search and e-filing links for Greene County. | https://www.in.gov/courts/local/greene-county/ |
| Greene County Clerk | Filing counter, office hours, clerk contact information, copy charges and certification charges. | Greene County Clerk page on co.greene.in.us, (812) 384-8532 |
| Indiana Legal Help, Estate | Small estate affidavit CCA-EM-0722-5000, probate FAQ, small estate FAQ and legal-help finder. | https://indianalegalhelp.org/legal-topic-category/estate-2/ |
| Indiana Judicial Branch Self-Service Legal Center | General self-representation guidance. It does not publish a probate section. | https://www.in.gov/courts/selfservice/ |
| MyCase | Public case search for Indiana estate cases, including EU, ES and EM case types. | https://public.courts.in.gov/mycase/ |
| Indiana e-filing | IEFS information, certified provider list and e-filing guidance. | https://www.in.gov/courts/efiling/ |
| Indiana Legal Services, Bloomington office | Free civil legal aid intake for eligible low-income Hoosiers in Greene County. | 100 S. College Avenue, Suite 232, Bloomington, IN 47404, (812) 339-7668 |
| Indiana Free Legal Answers | Online confidential answers from volunteer Indiana attorneys for eligible users. | https://indiana.freelegalanswers.org/ |
When to hire an attorney
Probate counsel makes sense in Greene County when the estate includes real estate, disputed heirs, creditor problems, a nonresident personal representative, a request for unsupervised administration or any need to sell property before deadlines become an issue. Greene County's local rules do not add a county-specific counsel requirement, but the court can still require proper pleadings, notices and orders. Sunset connects to a vetted attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset helps families identify bank, brokerage, insurance and retirement accounts before a Greene County filing is prepared. Better asset discovery makes the estate settlement path clearer.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the family's information into an organized packet for the Greene Circuit Court filing, including the details a personal representative and attorney need for notices, letters and administration.
Find a local probate attorney. When a filing needs legal help, Sunset connects families with an Indiana probate attorney who can handle Greene County procedure, e-filing and court communication.
Sunset is free for families. Sunset does not charge families to use its estate settlement platform. Families can organize the estate, understand the next step and decide when attorney help is needed.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Greene County, Indiana?
File with the Greene County Clerk of the Circuit Court at the Greene County Courthouse, 1 East Main Street, Bloomfield, IN 47424. Greene County's caseload allocation plan assigns estate cases to the Greene Circuit Court (LR28-AR01-01).
Does Greene County have a probate division?
No separate Greene County probate division is identified in the local rules. Estate cases are assigned to the Greene Circuit Court under LR28-AR01-01.
Can I e-file a Greene County estate case?
Yes. Indiana estate case types can be filed through the IEFS. Attorneys file electronically, and unrepresented litigants are encouraged, but not required, to use the IEFS (Ind. Trial Rule 87).
What happens to the original will if I e-file in Greene County?
Ind. Trial Rule 87(E) requires an accurate copy of the will and a perjury affidavit stating that the filer has the original will or that it has been deposited with the clerk. Unless the will has been deposited with the clerk, the filer keeps the original until the estate is closed and the personal representative is released from liability, or the time to contest the will has expired, whichever is later.
How much does it cost to open an estate in Greene County?
A petition for letters testamentary or letters of general administration carries $177 under IC 33-37, current through the 2026 Legislative Session. Offering a will for probate alone carries no court costs under IC 33-37-4-7(c)(3). Sheriff service, if requested, adds $28 under IC 33-37-5-15, current through the 2026 Legislative Session.
Does Greene County publish local probate forms?
No Greene County probate packet, estate cover sheet or probate checklist is published on the clerk's page. Indiana Legal Help publishes the statewide small estate affidavit CCA-EM-0722-5000, but that affidavit is presented to the property holder and is not filed with the court.
Can I look up a Greene County estate case online?
Yes. Search the decedent's name on MyCase at https://public.courts.in.gov/mycase/. Public estate case types include EU, ES and EM.
Do I have to travel to Bloomfield for a Greene County probate hearing?
Maybe. Indiana courts may conduct non-testimonial hearings remotely and may allow remote testimony for good cause or by agreement (Ind. Administrative Rule 14). Greene County does not publish a probate-specific remote hearing rule, so call the clerk before making travel plans.
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.