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Tippecanoe County, IN Probate Information
Quick facts
| Topic | Tippecanoe County information |
|---|---|
| Court for estates | Tippecanoe Circuit Court |
| Filing office | Clerk of the Tippecanoe Circuit Court |
| Courthouse address | 301 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Lafayette, IN 47901 |
| Mailing address | PO Box 1665, Lafayette, IN 47902 |
| Clerk phone | (765) 423-9326 |
| Circuit Court phone | (765) 423-9343 |
| Fax | Clerk fax: (765) 423-9194 |
| Clerk email | [email protected]; records requests: [email protected] |
| Clerk hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; first Tuesday of each month until 6:30 p.m.; new case filings stop one half hour before closing |
| Court hours caveat | Tippecanoe Circuit Court is closed weekdays from noon to 1:00 p.m. for lunch |
| Filing fee to open an estate | $177 in effect in August 2026 (IC 33-37-4-7); add $28 if sheriff service is requested (IC 33-37-5-15) |
| Local forms | No local probate form set; local rules require an affidavit of qualifications and signed Instructions (LR79-PR-1) |
| E-filing | Attorneys file through the Indiana E-Filing System; unrepresented litigants may e-file but are not required to do so (Ind. Trial Rule 87) |
| Case search | MyCase at mycase.in.gov; estate cases appear as EU, ES or EM |
| Remote appearance | Non-testimonial matters may be remote at the court's discretion; Tippecanoe County rules allow a telephone or video request within five days after notice of a motion hearing (Ind. Administrative Rule 14, LR79-TR73-7) |
| Website | https://www.tippecanoe.in.gov/250/Circuit-Court |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Lafayette, identify the decedent's accounts, debts, real estate, beneficiary designations and jointly held property. Estate settlement depends on what actually belongs to the probate estate, not just on what the family believes the decedent owned. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 financial institutions so the opening papers and notice list start from a cleaner asset picture.
Tippecanoe County also puts important notice work on the attorney of record. The local rules say the attorney prepares and proves required notices, sends petitions with hearing notices, and mails notice of the opening of the estate to reasonably ascertainable creditors (LR79-PR-2). Knowing liabilities before filing helps the personal representative avoid missed creditor notice and unnecessary delays.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Tippecanoe County probate belongs at the Tippecanoe County Courthouse in Lafayette when the decedent was domiciled in Tippecanoe County at death (IC 29-1-7-1). That covers Lafayette, West Lafayette, Battle Ground, Clarks Hill, Dayton and the unincorporated areas of the county.
Indiana gives circuit and superior courts original and concurrent civil jurisdiction, but Tippecanoe County's local probate rules and county court pages route decedents' estates to the Tippecanoe Circuit Court. The filing counter is the Clerk of the Tippecanoe Circuit Court on the second floor at 301 Main Street, and one elected clerk serves every court in the county (IC 33-32-2-1).
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue. Open the estate in Tippecanoe County if the decedent was domiciled there at death, including Lafayette or West Lafayette (IC 29-1-7-1).
- Line up counsel first. Tippecanoe County local rules say fiduciaries, including personal representatives, must proceed with counsel unless the court approves otherwise (LR79-PR-1).
- Prepare the opening papers. The packet usually includes the petition for probate of the will and issuance of letters, or the petition for letters of general administration if there is no will, plus the original will if there is one, the death certificate, the list of heirs, devisees and known creditors, the affidavit of qualifications, and signed Instructions (LR79-PR-1).
- File with the Clerk of the Tippecanoe Circuit Court at 301 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Lafayette. Attorneys file through the Indiana E-Filing System (Ind. Trial Rule 87). The clerk also accepts new cases in person, but new case filings stop one half hour before the office closes.
- Pay the estate opening cost. The clerk's published list shows $177 in effect in August 2026 (IC 33-37-4-7), plus $28 if sheriff service is requested (IC 33-37-5-15). Offering a will for probate by itself carries no court costs fee in effect in August 2026 (IC 33-37-4-7(c)(3)).
- Wait for court assignment and letters. The estate is heard in the Tippecanoe Circuit Court. Letters testamentary or letters of general administration do not issue until the signed Instructions are filed (LR79-PR-1).
- Address bond. Bond is discretionary in Tippecanoe County, and the court may consider alternatives such as requiring the attorney to keep access to the estate checking account or to maintain the estate checkbook (LR79-PR-3).
- Give notice. The attorney prepares and proves required notices, sends petitions with hearing notices, and sends notice of the opening of the estate by first class mail to all reasonably ascertainable creditors, with certified mail and return receipt recommended (LR79-PR-2). The clerk's published fee list shows $4.00 for certified mail as of August 2026, or you may provide prepaid certified mail.
- Use motion hour for routine matters. Tippecanoe Circuit Court conducts probate motion hour on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 8:30 a.m., and attorneys coordinate scheduling with the Probate Commissioner (LR79-PR-1). A telephone or video request for a motion hearing can be made within five days after the hearing notice is received (LR79-TR73-7).
- Administer the estate. Prepare the verified inventory within two months after appointment, pay allowed claims, manage or sell assets as needed, and keep distributees informed (IC 29-1-12-1, IC 29-1-7.5-3.2).
- Close the estate. In an unsupervised Tippecanoe County estate, the closing statement is sufficient to close the estate and the court does not routinely issue an order approving it (LR79-PR-5). If the estate cannot be closed within one year, the personal representative must report the reasons and request the additional time needed (LR79-PR-5).
Executor duties
Tippecanoe County adds several local duties to the statewide responsibilities of a personal representative:
- Proceed with counsel unless the court approves otherwise (LR79-PR-1).
- File an affidavit of qualifications describing education, employment, felony convictions, misdemeanor convictions related to health or safety, and any involvement with Department of Child Services or Adult Protective Services investigations (LR79-PR-1).
- File signed Instructions after appointment. Letters do not issue until those Instructions are filed (LR79-PR-1).
- Prepare proposed orders for the court unless the court directs otherwise (LR79-PR-1).
- Make sure notices are prepared, served and proved, with copies of petitions sent with hearing notices and creditor notice mailed as the local rule requires (LR79-PR-2).
- If the estate cannot be closed within one year, report the reasons to the court and ask for the additional time needed (LR79-PR-5).
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Tippecanoe County
Tippecanoe County does not publish a local probate form set, cover sheet or checklist. Instead, the local probate rules name two required documents that are prepared for the case: an affidavit of qualifications and signed Instructions (LR79-PR-1).
Indiana does not have a statewide court-approved probate packet. Indiana Legal Help publishes the statewide small estate affidavit, CCA-EM-0722-5000, but that affidavit is given to the bank or other holder of property and is not filed with the court.
Fees
| Item | Amount | How it applies in Tippecanoe County |
|---|---|---|
| Open an estate | $177 in effect in August 2026 (IC 33-37-4-7) | The clerk's published fee list has an estates line for this amount, matching the statewide probate costs fee and statutory add-ons. |
| Sheriff service | $28 in effect in August 2026 (IC 33-37-5-15) | Collected when sheriff service is requested. |
| Certified mail | $4.00 on the clerk's published fee list as of August 2026 | Relevant because Tippecanoe County recommends certified mail with return receipt for creditor notice (LR79-PR-2). You may also provide prepaid certified mail. |
| Will-only filing | No court costs fee in effect in August 2026 (IC 33-37-4-7(c)(3)) | This applies when a will is offered for probate under IC 29-1-7 and no further estate proceeding is needed. |
Tippecanoe County also has a local attorney fee guideline for estate work. LR79-PR-9, effective January 1, 2026, describes hourly and percentage methods, with percentage maximums stepping down from 6 percent to 1 percent as the gross estate grows. Real estate sale work has a separate minimum of $500 under LR79-PR-9, effective January 1, 2026, or no more than 2.5 percent of the gross sales price when no real estate professional receives a commission. These are attorney fee guidelines, not court costs.
Timeline
- Probate motion hour is held in Tippecanoe Circuit Court on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 8:30 a.m. for routine estate and guardianship matters (LR79-PR-1).
- A request for telephone or video participation in a motion hearing is due within five days after the hearing notice is received (LR79-TR73-7).
- The verified inventory is prepared within two months after appointment (IC 29-1-12-1, IC 29-1-7.5-3.2).
- Creditors generally have three months from the first published notice, with nine months after death as the outside limit (IC 29-1-14-1).
- An unsupervised estate cannot close before three months have passed after the first published notice to creditors (IC 29-1-7.5-4).
- If the estate is still open at one year, the personal representative reports the reasons to the court and asks for the additional time needed to close it (LR79-PR-5).
Local nuance
Tippecanoe County-specific considerations
- Estates are heard in the Tippecanoe Circuit Court, which holds probate motion hour on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 8:30 a.m. (LR79-PR-1).
- Fiduciaries, including personal representatives, must proceed with counsel unless the court approves otherwise (LR79-PR-1).
- Letters testamentary or letters of general administration do not issue until signed Instructions are filed (LR79-PR-1).
- The proposed personal representative must file an affidavit of qualifications with background information listed in the local rule (LR79-PR-1).
- Bond is discretionary, and the court may use alternatives such as requiring the attorney to keep the estate checkbook or account access (LR79-PR-3).
- Notice practice is local and detailed: the attorney prepares and proves notices, petitions travel with hearing notices, and creditor notice goes by first class mail with certified mail recommended (LR79-PR-2).
- An estate opened solely to pursue a wrongful death claim proceeds under supervised administration because court approval is needed for attorney fees and any compromise of the claim (LR79-PR-5).
- In an unsupervised estate, the closing statement itself completes estate settlement in Tippecanoe County, and the court does not routinely issue an approving order (LR79-PR-5).
- Estate files are public, subject to confidential-information rules, and the court asks filers to leave out birth dates, Social Security numbers and other details the probate filing does not need (LR79-PR-4).
- The clerk stops accepting new case filings one half hour before closing, while the Circuit Court itself closes weekdays from noon to 1:00 p.m. for lunch.
Recent updates
| Change | What it means |
|---|---|
| Tippecanoe County local rules amended effective January 1, 2026 | The current rules include the LR79-PR probate rules on counsel, motion hour, notices, bond, closing and attorney fee guidelines, plus the amended caseload allocation plan. |
| Statewide e-filing rule effective August 1, 2026 | Ind. Trial Rule 87 keeps e-filing mandatory for attorneys, optional for unrepresented litigants, and adds a probate-specific will filing rule. |
Page last reviewed: August 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely Tippecanoe County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with a co-owned home | Start by separating jointly held property and beneficiary assets from anything that needs probate. If an estate is needed, local counsel files in the Tippecanoe Circuit Court, includes the affidavit of qualifications and signed Instructions, and usually closes an unsupervised estate by closing statement (LR79-PR-1, LR79-PR-5). | Sunset identifies accounts, flags title and beneficiary questions, and assembles an estate settlement packet for the attorney. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a small estate | Venue is still Tippecanoe County if the parent was domiciled there at death (IC 29-1-7-1). A non-resident personal representative uses the Indiana resident-agent route and bond rules (IC 29-1-10-1(d), IC 29-1-7.5-2.5(c)). Because Tippecanoe County expects counsel, the attorney usually handles filing and routine scheduling. | Sunset helps locate assets, organize debts, and connect the family with a local probate attorney so travel to Lafayette is limited where the court allows. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Move quickly if the house may need to be sold to pay debts or administration costs, because Indiana's real-property sale timing rule can matter (IC 29-1-7-15.1(b)). Tippecanoe County's attorney fee guideline treats real estate sale work separately, and an estate still open at one year needs a report and request for more time (LR79-PR-5, LR79-PR-9). | Sunset gathers account information, helps organize property and debt details, and prepares the family for attorney review before the sale process begins. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it helps with |
|---|---|
| Tippecanoe County courts on the Indiana Judicial Branch site | Judicial District 10, current local rules, e-filing, case search and court statistics. |
| Tippecanoe County local rules of court | The LR79-PR rules that govern counsel, probate motion hour, notices, bond, closing and attorney fees. |
| Tippecanoe Circuit Court | The court that hears estates in Tippecanoe County, with the court phone, staff mailbox and lunch closure. |
| Clerk of the Tippecanoe Circuit Court | The filing office at 301 Main Street, 2nd Floor, with hours, mailing address and the half-hour-before-closing cutoff for new cases. |
| Filing fees and case types | The clerk's published estate, sheriff service and certified mail charges. |
| Tippecanoe County court files | Local court file access and the clerk's search tip to use the last name and first initial. |
| MyCase | Indiana's statewide public case search. Estate cases appear as EU, ES or EM. |
| Indiana Legal Services, Lafayette office | Free civil legal aid for eligible low-income Hoosiers. The Lafayette office serves Tippecanoe County and is closed over the noon hour. |
| Indiana Legal Help, estate topic | Indiana estate information and the small estate affidavit CCA-EM-0722-5000, which is given to the asset holder and not filed with the court. |
| Indiana Free Legal Answers | Free, confidential answers to civil legal questions from volunteer Indiana attorneys. |
When to hire an attorney
In Tippecanoe County, counsel is often the first practical step because LR79-PR-1 says fiduciaries, including personal representatives, must proceed with counsel unless the court approves otherwise. The attorney prepares and proves notice under LR79-PR-2, coordinates routine probate motion hour with the Probate Commissioner, and can compare the work to the county's attorney fee guideline in LR79-PR-9 before the family commits. 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 accounts, balances and debts before an estate is opened. That makes estate settlement in Tippecanoe County easier because the attorney can prepare the petition, notice list and inventory from better information.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the family's information into an organized packet for the Tippecanoe County attorney, including asset details, debt information, family contacts and questions about title or beneficiary designations.
Find a local probate attorney. Tippecanoe County expects a personal representative to proceed with counsel unless the court approves otherwise. Sunset helps match the family with a vetted probate attorney who can file in the Tippecanoe Circuit Court and handle motion hour scheduling.
Sunset is free for families. Sunset is paid by partner attorneys, not by the family. Families can use Sunset to organize the estate, understand the next local step and decide whether a referred attorney is the right fit.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Tippecanoe County?
File with the Clerk of the Tippecanoe Circuit Court at 301 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Lafayette, IN 47901. The mailing address is PO Box 1665, Lafayette, IN 47902. The estate is heard in the Tippecanoe Circuit Court.
Which court hears estates in Tippecanoe County?
The Tippecanoe Circuit Court hears estates. Its local probate rules provide a probate motion hour on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings for estates and guardianships (LR79-PR-1). One elected clerk serves every court in the county, so filings still go through the same clerk's office (IC 33-32-2-1).
Do I need a lawyer for a Tippecanoe County estate?
Yes, unless the court approves otherwise. Tippecanoe County local rules say fiduciaries, including personal representatives, must proceed with counsel unless otherwise approved by the court (LR79-PR-1).
Can I e-file a probate case in Tippecanoe County?
Attorneys file through Indiana's e-filing system. Unrepresented litigants may e-file but are not required to do so (Ind. Trial Rule 87). Because Tippecanoe County expects a personal representative to have counsel unless the court approves otherwise, most estate filings are handled electronically by the attorney of record.
What does it cost to open an estate in Tippecanoe County?
The clerk's published fee list shows $177 in effect in August 2026 to open an estate (IC 33-37-4-7). Add $28 if sheriff service is requested (IC 33-37-5-15). The clerk's published fee list also shows $4.00 for certified mail as of August 2026, unless prepaid certified mail is supplied. Offering a will for probate by itself carries no court costs fee in effect in August 2026 (IC 33-37-4-7(c)(3)).
When are probate hearings held in Tippecanoe County?
Tippecanoe Circuit Court conducts probate motion hour on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 8:30 a.m. for estates and guardianships (LR79-PR-1). No local rule gives a filing-to-hearing wait, so ask the court about the calendar when the matter is set.
Can I appear remotely for a Tippecanoe County probate hearing?
Possibly for routine, non-testimonial matters. Indiana allows non-testimonial hearings to be remote at the court's discretion, while testimony is presumptively in person unless there is good cause or agreement (Ind. Administrative Rule 14). Tippecanoe County rules encourage telephone and video for motion hearings and status conferences, and allow a request within five days after notice of the hearing (LR79-TR73-7).
How do I look up a Tippecanoe County estate case?
Search MyCase at mycase.in.gov. The clerk's local search tip is to enter the last name and first initial. Estate cases appear as EU, ES or EM.
Are there Tippecanoe County probate forms?
Tippecanoe County does not publish a local probate form set. The local probate rules require an affidavit of qualifications and signed Instructions, and letters do not issue until the Instructions are filed (LR79-PR-1). Indiana's statewide small estate affidavit, CCA-EM-0722-5000, is given to the bank or other holder and is not filed with the court.
Do I have to travel to Lafayette for estate settlement?
Not usually for routine filings if an attorney is handling the case. Attorney filings are electronic, MyCase can be used to follow the case, and the local rules allow telephone or video requests for routine motion hearings. Plan on appearing in Lafayette if the court sets a matter where testimony will be taken.
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.