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Hancock County, IN Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Hancock County probate information |
|---|---|
| Court assignment | Estate cases are assigned to either Hancock Circuit Court or Hancock Superior Court No. 1 under LR30-AR00-2. The clerk assigns the case at random unless a related case calls for manual assignment. |
| Filing counter | Clerk of the Circuit Court, Hancock County Courthouse, 9 East Main Street, Room 213, Greenfield, IN 46140. |
| Courts that receive estate cases | Hancock Circuit Court, Room 302, phone (317) 477-1107. Hancock Superior Court No. 1, Room 303, phone (317) 477-1148. |
| Clerk phone | (317) 477-1109. |
| Fax | (317) 477-1163. Hancock County allows fax filing only within the limits of LR30-AR12-3. |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Mailing | Hancock County Clerk, 9 East Main Street, Room 213, Greenfield, IN 46140. The clerk also uses the same address for mailed filings. |
| Opening cost | The clerk's fee schedule effective July 1, 2023 lists $177 for an ES or EU estate served by certified mail under the statewide probate cost structure (IC 33-37-4-7 and IC 33-37-5), and $205 when service is by sheriff, including the $28 sheriff service-of-process fee (IC 33-37-5-15). The same schedule lists no fee for an EM will-only filing described as Estate, Spread Will of Record / Inheritance Tax Return (IC 33-37-4-7(c)(3)). |
| Payment caution | The clerk's office does not accept personal checks, debit cards or credit cards for filing fees. Call (317) 477-1109 to ask what the counter takes before making the trip. |
| Local forms | No local estate-opening packet or petition form is published. The clerk publishes a small estate affidavit page, a sample petition format, a how-to-petition guide, and a request form for copies of court documents. |
| E-filing | Attorneys file through the Indiana E-Filing System. Unrepresented litigants are not required to e-file but may do so (Ind. Trial Rule 87). |
| Case search | Search the decedent's name on MyCase at mycase.in.gov. Hancock County estate case types appear as ES, EU or EM. |
| Remote appearance | A request to appear by video or phone is made by verified motion. Hancock County's local rule asks for the motion at least seven days before the hearing when reasonably possible (LR30-TR00-10). |
| Website | Indiana Judicial Branch Hancock County page: https://www.in.gov/courts/local/hancock-county/. Hancock County clerk filing information: https://www.hancockin.gov/176/Filing-Information. |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before filing in Hancock County, identify the accounts, real estate, debts, beneficiaries and possible creditor issues. That asset picture determines whether estate settlement can stay simple, whether the will needs to be placed on file only, or whether a personal representative needs letters testamentary or letters of general administration.
Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions to help families find accounts and assets before they start drafting papers for the Greenfield courthouse. That preparation matters in Hancock County because the clerk assigns the estate to one of two courts only after the filing is opened, and every later filing must carry the cause number the clerk assigns.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Hancock County Courthouse at 9 East Main Street in the county seat of Greenfield houses the clerk's office, the Hancock Circuit Court, Hancock Superior Court No. 1 and Hancock Superior Court No. 2. Estate cases go to the Hancock Circuit Court or Hancock Superior Court No. 1 under LR30-AR00-2. Other Hancock County communities include Cumberland, Fortville, McCordsville, New Palestine, Shirley, Spring Lake and Wilkinson.
Indiana venue for probating a will and administering an estate is the county where the decedent was domiciled at death (IC 29-1-7-1). A Hancock County resident's estate is therefore filed with the Hancock County clerk in Greenfield. Indiana also has one elected Clerk of the Circuit Court per county who serves every court in that county, so the same Room 213 counter handles the filing even though the estate may be docketed in either of two courts (IC 33-32-2-1, IC 33-32-2-2).
Hancock County is the eighteenth judicial circuit. It also has two superior courts, and each Hancock superior court is a standard superior court under IC 33-33-30-2. The superior courts hold sessions in the Hancock County courthouse in Greenfield (IC 33-33-30-4).
The jurisdiction process
- Start by identifying the probate assets, debts, will, beneficiaries and creditor issues. That first estate settlement step tells you whether a full administration is needed or whether a simpler statewide route may fit.
- Get the certified death certificate from the Hancock County Health Department at 111 American Legion Place, Suite 150, Greenfield, not from the courthouse clerk. Also locate the original will if there is one.
- Prepare the petition and supporting papers. Hancock County does not publish an estate-opening packet, so the petition is drafted rather than filled in from a county form. Any paper you send to the court should follow the county judges' format requirements: letter-size white paper, legible text, a proper caption, the cause number for an existing case, a signature with the name typed or printed below it, and a certificate of service showing who received a copy.
- File with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Room 213 of the Hancock County Courthouse, 9 East Main Street, Greenfield. Attorneys file through the Indiana E-Filing System. A person filing without a lawyer may file in person, by mail to the same address, or by fax where the local fax rule applies. Email filings are not accepted.
- Pay the opening cost that applies to the filing. The clerk's fee schedule effective July 1, 2023 lists $177 for an ES or EU estate served by certified mail under the statewide probate cost structure (IC 33-37-4-7 and IC 33-37-5), and $205 when service is by sheriff, including the $28 sheriff service-of-process fee (IC 33-37-5-15). Personal checks, debit cards and credit cards are not accepted for filing fees, so call the clerk at (317) 477-1109 and ask what the counter takes before making the trip.
- The clerk opens the case, assigns the cause number and dockets the estate in either Hancock Circuit Court or Hancock Superior Court No. 1 under LR30-AR00-2. After that, every document filed onto the case must carry the cause number, and the clerk points filers to MyCase to look it up.
- Once letters testamentary or letters of general administration are issued, use certified copies to deal with banks, title companies and other holders of estate property. The clerk's fee schedule effective July 1, 2023 lists additional certified copies of letters at $2.
- Publish and serve the notice of administration required by Indiana law, and file proof of publication with the clerk. Indiana creditor claims rules are statewide, so follow the state notice deadlines and claims procedures.
- Prepare the inventory on the statewide schedule. Hancock County has no local probate rule requiring a filed inventory or changing the statewide inventory rule, so do not assume a local filing requirement exists.
- Attend any hearing the assigned court sets. A hearing may be before the judge of the assigned court or the magistrate who serves the county's courts. If you need to appear by video or phone, file a verified motion under LR30-TR00-10, preferably at least seven days before the hearing when reasonably possible.
- Administer the estate, pay allowed claims and expenses, distribute property, record any required deed with the Hancock County Recorder at the county Annex, and close the estate settlement with the proper closing statement or final settlement in the assigned court.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Hancock County
Indiana does not have a statewide court-approved probate petition packet, and Hancock County does not publish a local estate-opening packet, petition to open an estate, probate checklist or estate information sheet. The petition and supporting papers are drafted for filing with the Hancock County clerk, then the clerk assigns the case to the Hancock Circuit Court or Hancock Superior Court No. 1 under LR30-AR00-2.
The county does publish practical filing materials. Its sample petition and how-to-petition guide show the format the county judges require for papers filed by an individual in a civil case: a proper caption, legible text, signature, and certificate of service. Those materials are format guides, not estate forms.
The clerk also publishes a small estate affidavit page and says the affidavit is not required to be filed with the court. That matches the statewide rule that a small estate affidavit is presented to the bank or other holder of property, not filed at the courthouse. If administration is needed instead, the estate is opened through the clerk in Room 213.
For copies of court documents, the clerk publishes a Request for Information form and directs mailed requests to the Hancock County Clerk, Public Access Department, 9 E Main Street, Room 213, Greenfield, IN 46140, with a money order for the document charge and a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Fees
The Hancock County clerk publishes a one-page fee schedule effective July 1, 2023. The statewide probate cost for opening an ES or EU estate is $177 under IC 33-37-4-7 and IC 33-37-5, and the clerk's schedule also lists local copy, certification and certified-copy charges.
| Item | What the Hancock County clerk lists |
|---|---|
| ES or EU estate with certified-mail service | Lists $177 for a supervised or unsupervised estate served by certified mail (IC 33-37-4-7 and IC 33-37-5). |
| ES or EU estate with sheriff service | Lists $205 when service is by sheriff. The difference is the $28 sheriff service-of-process fee collected under IC 33-37-5-15. |
| EM will-only filing | Lists no fee for Estate, Spread Will of Record / Inheritance Tax Return. Offering a will for probate alone is exempted from court costs when no other proceeding is needed (IC 33-37-4-7(c)(3)). |
| Additional certified copies of letters | Lists $2 per additional certified copy of letters. |
| Court document copies | Lists $1 per page for copies of court case documents and $1 per page for copies from microfilm. |
| Certification | Lists an additional $3 per document for certification. |
| Plain copy | Lists $0.10 per page for an ordinary 8 1/2 by 11 copy under County Ordinance 34-23. |
The clerk's office does not accept personal checks, debit cards or credit cards for filing fees. Call the clerk at (317) 477-1109 and ask what the counter takes before making the trip.
Local nuance
Hancock County-specific considerations
| Local point | What it means in Hancock County |
|---|---|
| Two-court estate assignment | Estate case types EM, ES and EU are assigned to the Hancock Circuit Court or Hancock Superior Court No. 1 under LR30-AR00-2. The clerk assigns civil cases between those two courts at random, except when a related case calls for manual assignment. |
| No local probate rule family | Hancock County's current local rules do not include a PR00 probate rule family. The local rules that matter most to an estate filer are the caseload allocation plan, the fax filing rule and the remote appearance rule. |
| Fax is limited | LR30-AR12-3 allows fax filing only on existing cases, with the judge's permission. The faxed pleading is capped at nine pages, ten pages including the cover sheet, and a weekday fax produced in the clerk's office between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. is filed that day. |
| Remote appearance requests | LR30-TR00-10 asks for a verified motion to appear by video or phone at least seven days before the hearing when reasonably possible. The rule also says it does not change the statewide standard in Ind. Administrative Rule 14. |
| Cause number on later filings | After the estate is opened, every document filed onto the case must carry the cause number. The clerk directs filers to MyCase to look it up. |
| Death certificates and deeds | Death certificates are handled by the Hancock County Health Department in the county Annex. Deeds and other recorder filings are handled by the Hancock County Recorder at the Annex, not by the courthouse clerk. |
Recent updates
| Date | Local update |
|---|---|
| January 8, 2025 | Hancock County's caseload allocation plan, LR30-AR00-2, was amended and approved effective January 8, 2025. The plan assigns estate case types EM, ES and EU to the Hancock Circuit Court and Hancock Superior Court No. 1. |
| July 1, 2023 | The clerk's current one-page fee schedule is effective July 1, 2023 and lists estate opening costs, the no-fee EM will-only filing, copy charges, certification charges and additional certified copies of letters. |
Page last reviewed: August 2026.
Scenarios
| Scenario | Local path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with co-owned home | Start with the death certificate from the Hancock County Health Department, then file any needed estate papers with the clerk in Room 213 at the Greenfield courthouse. The clerk assigns the case to the Hancock Circuit Court or Hancock Superior Court No. 1 under LR30-AR00-2, so the spouse does not choose the court. The clerk's counter does not accept personal checks, debit cards or credit cards for filing fees. | Sunset identifies accounts and assets across more than 2,300 institutions, organizes what has to happen next, and assembles the probate packet for the Hancock County clerk. |
| Out-of-state adult child with small estate | A non-resident may serve as an Indiana personal representative by filing the required acceptance, resident-agent appointment and bond, with bond discretion if the estate is unsupervised (IC 29-1-10-1(d)). Hancock County gives distance filers several practical options: an unrepresented filer may use the statewide e-filing system, mail the papers to Room 213, or file later documents by fax within LR30-AR12-3 after a case exists. Email filings are not accepted. Remote appearance is requested by verified motion under LR30-TR00-10. | Sunset helps find the accounts from wherever the child lives, builds the packet, and connects the family to an Indiana attorney if a resident agent or bond question needs counsel. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | The estate opens with the clerk in Room 213 and is assigned to the Circuit Court or Superior Court No. 1. Hancock County adds no local probate rule requiring an appraisal or changing the statewide sale process. Watch the statewide real-estate timing rule: a personal representative may not sell Indiana real property to pay a non-record-lien debt or administration costs unless the petition for administration is filed within five months of death and letters issue within seven months (IC 29-1-7-15.1(b)). Deeds are recorded with the Hancock County Recorder at the county Annex. | Sunset moves quickly to find the asset picture, prepares the probate packet, and connects the parent to a local probate attorney for the sale steps. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps |
|---|---|
| Hancock County courts, Indiana Judicial Branch | Use this page for Hancock County's current local rules, including LR30-AR00-2, the rule that assigns estate cases, plus links to contact information, e-filing and case search. |
| Hancock County Clerk of Courts | Gives the clerk's Room 213 address, phone, fax and hours, and explains that the clerk is the record-keeper for the court system. |
| Hancock County filing information | Explains how attorneys and unrepresented filers submit papers, states that email filings are not accepted, links the fee schedule, and explains the cause-number rule for existing cases. |
| Hancock County court information and records | Lists copy and certification charges, payment limits for filing fees, and the clerk's reminder that the court, not the clerk, sets the calendar. |
| MyCase | Search for a Hancock County estate case by the decedent's name and find the cause number for later filings. Estate case identifiers include ES, EU and EM. |
| Indiana Legal Help, estates | Provides statewide Indiana estate self-help material, including probate and small-estate information from the Coalition for Court Access. |
| Indiana Judicial Branch e-filing | Explains the Indiana E-Filing System, certified provider choices, and the rule that attorneys e-file while unrepresented litigants are encouraged but not required to e-file (Ind. Trial Rule 87). |
| Legal Aid of East Central Indiana, District 6 Access to Justice | Provides free pro bono civil legal help for people who qualify in a service area that includes Hancock County. Its own examples include small estates, but referral can take two to three months, so it is not for urgent deadlines. |
| Indiana Legal Services, Indianapolis office | Provides free civil legal aid for eligible low-income Hoosiers. The Indianapolis office serves Hancock County and can decide through intake whether it can help with the problem presented. |
| Lawyers in the Library, Hancock County Public Library | A free civil legal advice clinic offered through the Greenfield branch schedule. Check the Hancock County Public Library for current dates before going. |
When to hire an attorney
Hancock County's local rules do not require every personal representative to have a lawyer, and the county publishes filing routes and a sample court-document format for people filing without counsel. Still, the clerk and court staff cannot give legal advice. A probate attorney is especially useful when the estate is supervised, real estate must be sold, an heir disputes the plan, a creditor issue is likely, or a non-resident personal representative needs a resident agent and a bond decision. Sunset connects families to a vetted local probate attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 financial institutions to help identify what the decedent owned before the family files in Hancock County. That asset picture shapes the estate settlement and helps avoid opening the wrong kind of case.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the family information, asset list and court requirements into a probate packet organized for the Hancock County clerk in Room 213, with the local two-court assignment rule in mind.
Find a local probate attorney. When the matter involves a home sale, a dispute, a non-resident personal representative, a bond issue or supervised administration, Sunset can connect the family with a probate attorney familiar with Indiana practice.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to organize the probate steps, understand what information is missing and get matched with legal help without paying Sunset a fee.
Frequently asked questions
Which court handles probate in Hancock County?
Hancock County estate cases are handled by either the Hancock Circuit Court or Hancock Superior Court No. 1. Under LR30-AR00-2, estate case types EM, ES and EU are assigned to those two courts, and the clerk assigns the case at random unless a related case calls for manual assignment. Hancock Superior Court No. 2 does not receive those estate case types.
Where do I file to probate a will in Hancock County?
File with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Room 213 on the second floor of the Hancock County Courthouse, 9 East Main Street, Greenfield, IN 46140. The clerk opens the case and assigns it to the Hancock Circuit Court or Hancock Superior Court No. 1 under LR30-AR00-2.
When is the Hancock County Clerk's Office in Greenfield open?
The clerk's office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The local fax rule also uses that same 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekday window for determining whether an allowed fax filing is filed that day (LR30-AR12-3).
Do I have to e-file an estate case in Hancock County?
Attorneys file through the Indiana E-Filing System. If you do not have a lawyer, Indiana encourages e-filing but does not require it (Ind. Trial Rule 87). Hancock County's filing page says a self-represented filer may file in person at the clerk's office, by mail to the same address, or by fax where the local fax rule applies. Email filings are not accepted.
What does it cost to open an estate in Hancock County?
The clerk's fee schedule effective July 1, 2023 lists $177 for an ES or EU estate served by certified mail under the statewide probate cost structure (IC 33-37-4-7 and IC 33-37-5). It lists $205 when service is by sheriff, including the $28 sheriff service-of-process fee (IC 33-37-5-15). The same schedule lists no fee for an EM will-only filing described as Estate, Spread Will of Record / Inheritance Tax Return, which aligns with the statutory exemption for offering a will for probate alone when no other proceeding is needed (IC 33-37-4-7(c)(3)).
How do I pay the filing fee at the Hancock County clerk's counter?
The Hancock County clerk's office does not accept personal checks, debit cards or credit cards for filing fees, so call the clerk at (317) 477-1109 and ask what the counter takes before making the trip.
Does Hancock County have its own probate forms?
Hancock County does not publish a local estate-opening packet, probate checklist or petition form. The clerk publishes a sample petition format, a how-to-petition guide, a small estate affidavit page, and a Request for Information form for copies of court documents. The small estate affidavit is not filed with the court.
Can I look up a Hancock County estate case online?
Yes. Search the decedent's name on MyCase at mycase.in.gov. Hancock County estate cases appear under ES, EU or EM, and the clerk uses MyCase as the place to look up the cause number that later filings must carry. Online information is not the official court record, so certified copies come from the clerk.
Can I attend a Hancock County probate hearing by video or phone?
You ask by filing a verified motion under LR30-TR00-10. The rule says to file the motion at least seven days before the hearing when reasonably possible, and it does not change the statewide standard in Ind. Administrative Rule 14. The assigned court decides whether the remote appearance is allowed.
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.