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Aroostook County, ME Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Aroostook County Probate Court, a county court funded and administered by county government. Maine's probate courts are county courts and are not part of the State of Maine Judicial Branch (which runs the District, Superior, and Supreme Judicial Courts). The judge is an elected, part-time Judge of Probate |
| Filing office | The Register of Probate (the Registry of Probate) in Aroostook County, the elected officer whose office takes applications and petitions and keeps the county's probate records. The Houlton office is the county's only probate filing office; the courthouses in Caribou, Presque Isle, and Fort Kent do not take probate filings, although the Probate Court holds scheduled court days in Caribou and Fort Kent as well as Houlton |
| Courthouse | 26 Court Street, Suite 103, Houlton, ME 04730 |
| Phone | (207) 532-1502, the Aroostook County Register of Probate office in Houlton. This is the county's own probate line, not a statewide call center |
| Fax | (207) 532-1507 |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Confirm the counter and filing cutoff before making a trip to Houlton, especially from the north of the county |
| Filing fee | Set by statute and uniform statewide under the Maine Probate Code: the estate filing fee runs from $40 for an estate of $10,000 or less up to $1,200 for an estate over $2,000,000, on the estate-value scale in 18-C M.R.S. §1-602 (verified July 2026). There is no separate Aroostook County filing-fee schedule |
| Local forms | None. Maine uses a single statewide set of standard probate forms, published on the forms page on MaineProbate.net and used by every county Register of Probate; there are no Aroostook County local probate forms |
| E-filing | Available statewide through MaineProbate.net's EZ-File system, which accepts electronic filings for the county Probate Courts with a $7 e-file fee (effective September 1, 2021). Paper filing in person or by mail with the Register of Probate is also accepted. The county Probate Courts are not on the state Judicial Branch's eCourts system |
| Case search | The statewide MaineProbate.net docket search (maineprobate.net/search) indexes the dockets of all 16 county Probate Courts, including Aroostook. The docket search is free, and document images on cases filed since 2008 can be viewed online at no charge; there is a charge for printed or certified copies |
| Remote appearance | Ask the Register of Probate whether a given hearing can be handled remotely. Most uncontested estates are decided by the Register on the papers, so an in-person appearance is often not required, and when a hearing is needed the annual Probate Court calendar rotates the court's sitting days among Houlton, Caribou, and Fort Kent, which matters in a county this large |
| Website | https://aroostook.me.us/departments/probate/ |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Aroostook County, know exactly what is in the estate. The route you take depends on whether there is a will, on who inherits, and on whether the estate is uncontested, because Maine's default path is informal probate handled by the Register of Probate on an application, while contested matters go to formal probate before the Judge of Probate. Those paths and the statewide thresholds that go with them are explained on the Maine state page; identify the estate first so you, and if needed your attorney, file the right papers once.
Identify every bank and credit-union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life-insurance policy, vehicle, and parcel of real property, along with every debt, before you file. In Aroostook County this matters for real estate in particular, because a decedent's home, farm, or woodland, often the largest asset in this agricultural county, can be well over a hundred miles from the courthouse in Houlton, and conveying it requires a personal representative whose authority is on record at the appropriate Aroostook County Registry of Deeds. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Aroostook County Register of Probate in Houlton is the single probate office for all of Aroostook County, Maine's largest county by area. It serves the entire county, including Houlton (the shire town), Presque Isle, Caribou, Fort Kent, Madawaska, Van Buren, Fort Fairfield, Mars Hill, Ashland, Limestone, and Island Falls, along with the county's extensive unorganized territory. Estates from every one of these communities are filed with the Register of Probate at 26 Court Street, Suite 103, in Houlton; the courthouses in Caribou, Presque Isle, and Fort Kent do not take probate filings. The Probate Court itself does sit outside Houlton: under the annual Probate Court calendar the Judge of Probate orders each year, the court holds return days in rotation at the Houlton Superior Courthouse, the Caribou Superior Courthouse, and the Fort Kent District Court, so an in-person hearing may be scheduled in the north of the county. Because Aroostook is so large, a filer in the north near the Canadian border may be more than a hundred miles from Houlton; because probate papers can be e-filed through MaineProbate.net's EZ-File system or filed by mail, most filing can be done without traveling to Houlton.
Venue for a decedent's estate is the county where the decedent was domiciled at the time of death (18-C M.R.S. §3-201). If the decedent lived in Aroostook County, file with the Aroostook County Register of Probate. If the decedent was not domiciled in Maine but owned property in the county, venue is also proper here. Subsequent proceedings in the estate stay in the county of the first proceeding. The judge is the county's elected, part-time Judge of Probate, and the Register of Probate maintains the county's estate records.
The jurisdiction process
- Gather the documents. Collect the original signed will (if any), a certified copy of the death certificate, the proposed personal representative's contact information and identification, the names and addresses of the heirs, devisees, and other interested persons, and a list of the assets and debts with values. A person named in a will to settle the estate is an executor; a person appointed where there is no will, or where the will names none, is an administrator. Maine's umbrella term for either is personal representative.
- Choose the path. For an uncontested estate the default is informal probate: the applicant files an application and the Register of Probate, if the papers are in order and enough time has passed, informally admits the will and appoints the personal representative without a hearing (18-C M.R.S. §3-301). Contested wills, questions of heirship, or matters needing court supervision go to formal probate before the Judge of Probate (18-C M.R.S. §3-401). These statewide paths are explained on the Maine state page; identify the right one before you file.
- Prepare the Maine forms. Maine uses one statewide set of standard probate forms, published on the forms page on MaineProbate.net and used by every county Register of Probate, including the informal probate application, the formal probate petition, and the small-estate affidavit. There is no separate Aroostook County form set. Confirm the current form and its number on the forms page on MaineProbate.net before you file.
- File with the Aroostook County Register of Probate. You can file electronically statewide through MaineProbate.net's EZ-File system, which carries a $7 e-file fee (effective September 1, 2021), or deliver or mail the completed forms and the original will to the Register of Probate at 26 Court Street, Suite 103, Houlton, ME 04730. E-filing and filing by mail mean a filer in Fort Kent, Madawaska, or the north of the county does not have to drive to Houlton to open the estate. Do not take probate filings to the courthouses in Caribou, Presque Isle, or Fort Kent; those locations do not accept probate filings, and the county's probate records are kept only at the Houlton office.
- Pay the filing fee. The estate filing fee is set by statute and uniform statewide, running from $40 for an estate of $10,000 or less up to $1,200 for an estate over $2,000,000 on the estate-value scale in 18-C M.R.S. §1-602 (verified July 2026). Other fees on the same statutory schedule include a certificate of appointment ($10 single, $20 double) and copies at $1 per page. There is no county-specific filing fee in Aroostook County.
- Give notice. The personal representative gives notice to the heirs, devisees, and other interested persons as the Maine Probate Code requires, and publishes notice to creditors so that claims can be presented within the statutory period. The Register of Probate can tell you which notices your particular filing requires.
- Attend a hearing only if one is scheduled. Most uncontested Aroostook County estates are handled by the Register of Probate on the papers, without an in-person hearing. Where a matter is formal or contested, it is set before the Judge of Probate on the court days the judge orders each year in the annual Probate Court calendar, held in rotation at the Houlton Superior Courthouse, the Caribou Superior Courthouse, and the Fort Kent District Court; ask the Register of Probate whether your hearing can be handled remotely or set at the location nearest you.
- Receive the letters. On appointment the Register of Probate issues letters (letters testamentary where there is a will, or letters of administration where there is not) and, on request, a certificate of appointment. These documents prove the personal representative's authority to open the estate account, collect assets, and act for the estate.
- Administer and close. Inventory the assets, pay valid claims in the order set by law, account as the estate's path requires, distribute the remaining assets, and close the estate. If the estate includes Aroostook County real estate that must be sold, the personal representative records the authority and the deed at the appropriate Aroostook County Registry of Deeds.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Aroostook County
Maine has a single statewide set of standard probate forms, used at every county Register of Probate, and the Aroostook County Register of Probate uses the same forms as the rest of the state; there is no separate Aroostook County form set. The forms are published centrally on the forms page on MaineProbate.net and cover the common filings: the application for informal probate and informal appointment, the petition for formal probate, the small-estate collection-by-affidavit form, the inventory, and the accounting and closing documents. Confirm the current form and its number on the forms page on MaineProbate.net before you file, because a form's name or number can change.
In Aroostook County the completed forms can be filed electronically through MaineProbate.net's EZ-File system, which carries a $7 e-file fee (effective September 1, 2021), or on paper with the Register of Probate at 26 Court Street, Suite 103, in Houlton, either in person or by mail. E-filing or mailing is worth considering from the north of this large county. For questions about what the Register needs on intake, the office can be reached at (207) 532-1502 during business hours.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Maine standard probate forms (the forms page on MaineProbate.net) | The statewide set of standard Maine probate forms, including the informal probate application, the formal probate petition, and the small-estate affidavit, used by every county Register of Probate |
| MaineProbate.net docket search (maineprobate.net/search) | The statewide docket search that indexes the case lists of all 16 county Probate Courts, including Aroostook; the docket search is free, document images on cases filed since 2008 are free to view online, and there is a charge for printed copies |
| Aroostook County Register of Probate (aroostook.me.us/departments/probate) | The county Register of Probate page for the Houlton office address, phone, fax, and the annual Probate Court calendar of court days in Houlton, Caribou, and Fort Kent |
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Aroostook County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Houlton or Presque Isle area home was held in joint tenancy with right of survivorship, it passes to the surviving spouse outside probate once a death certificate is recorded at the appropriate Aroostook County Registry of Deeds. If the home was in the decedent's sole name and there is a will, the spouse files an application for informal probate with the Register of Probate in Houlton and, once appointed, receives letters proving authority to act. | Asset discovery to confirm how title is held and what else is in the estate. Packet generation for the informal probate application. Guidance on recording the survivorship documents at the Aroostook County Registry of Deeds. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | Where the estate is modest, personal property only, and no real estate is involved, a successor may be able to use Maine's collection of personal property by affidavit ($52,500 for deaths in 2026 (18-C M.R.S. §3-1201, adjusted per §1-108, 2026)) instead of opening an estate. Otherwise the child files an application for informal probate with the Register of Probate, through MaineProbate.net's EZ-File system or by mail, so a child living out of state can proceed without repeated trips to Houlton. | Asset discovery to confirm what is in the estate and locate accounts from out of state. Packet generation for the affidavit or the informal probate application, prepared so an out-of-state filer can proceed by e-filing or by mail. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because the estate holds real property that must be sold, it generally proceeds through a full appointment: the parent files with the Register of Probate in Houlton, is appointed administrator, and receives letters of administration. With that authority the parent can sell the Aroostook County home and distribute the proceeds, recording the authority and the deed at the appropriate Aroostook County Registry of Deeds. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts and property. Packet generation for the appointment filing. Attorney referral if the sale or a dispute among heirs turns contested. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Aroostook County Register of Probate (aroostook.me.us/departments/probate) | The county Register of Probate page: the Houlton office address, phone, and fax, plus the annual Probate Court calendar of court days in Houlton, Caribou, and Fort Kent |
| MaineProbate.net docket search (maineprobate.net/search) | The statewide docket index for all 16 county Probate Courts, including Aroostook; the docket search is free, document images on cases filed since 2008 are free to view online, and there is a charge for printed or certified copies |
| Maine standard probate forms (the forms page on MaineProbate.net) | The statewide set of standard Maine probate forms used by every county Register of Probate, with instructions; the same site's EZ-File system accepts electronic filings with a $7 e-file fee |
| Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Maine probate courts guide (ptla.org/maine-probate-courts) | Free plain-language guidance on Maine probate and, for eligible low-income Mainers, free civil legal services |
| Maine State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (mainebar.org) | Referrals to Maine probate attorneys; confirm the current referral phone and hours on the association's site |
When to hire an attorney
Many Aroostook County estates are uncontested and can be handled without an attorney, especially where informal probate applies and the Register of Probate can act on the papers, or where a modest personal-property estate qualifies for collection by affidavit. Consider counsel when the estate holds real estate that must be sold and the will grants no clear authority, when a will contest or a dispute among heirs is likely, when the estate is insolvent or a creditor is pressing a claim, or when the estate includes a farm, woodland, business interest, or out-of-state or cross-border property. The Register of Probate can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Maine probate attorney serving Aroostook County.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and public records to surface bank and credit-union accounts, retirement plans, brokerage holdings, life insurance, Aroostook County real estate, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Maine estate settlement path fits before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the Maine probate forms for your path, including the informal probate application and its companions, ready to file with the Aroostook County Register of Probate, through MaineProbate.net's EZ-File system or on paper.
Find a local probate attorney. When a matter is contested or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Maine probate attorney serving Aroostook County.
Sunset is free for families. Revenue comes from bank partners that pay Sunset while estate funds sit in an FDIC-insured estate account ($3M coverage).
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file for probate in Aroostook County?
With the Aroostook County Register of Probate at 26 Court Street, Suite 103, Houlton, ME 04730. It is the single probate office for the whole county. Applications and petitions can be filed electronically through MaineProbate.net's EZ-File system or on paper, in person or by mail.
Can I file probate at the Caribou, Presque Isle, or Fort Kent courthouse?
No. Probate applications and petitions are filed only with the Register of Probate in Houlton, in person, by mail, or through MaineProbate.net's EZ-File system; the courthouses in Caribou, Presque Isle, and Fort Kent do not accept probate filings, and the county's probate records are kept in Houlton. The Probate Court does, however, hold scheduled court days at the Caribou Superior Courthouse and the Fort Kent District Court as well as in Houlton, so a hearing in your matter may be set at one of those locations.
Can I file probate electronically in Aroostook County?
Yes. E-filing is available statewide through MaineProbate.net's EZ-File system, which accepts electronic filings with the Maine county Probate Courts, including Aroostook, for a $7 e-file fee (effective September 1, 2021). Paper filing with the Register of Probate, in person or by mail, is also accepted. Note that the county Probate Courts are not on the state Judicial Branch's eCourts system, so do not look for probate e-filing there.
Do I have to travel to Houlton to settle an estate in Aroostook County?
Usually not. Because probate papers can be e-filed through MaineProbate.net's EZ-File system or filed by mail, a filer in Presque Isle, Caribou, Fort Kent, or Madawaska can open and run an uncontested estate without driving to Houlton, which from the north of this large county can be a hundred miles or more. And when a formal or contested matter does need an in-person hearing, the court's annual calendar rotates its sitting days among Houlton, Caribou, and Fort Kent, so the hearing may be set closer to home; ask the Register of Probate.
What forms do I need for probate in Aroostook County?
Maine uses one statewide set of standard probate forms; there is no separate Aroostook County form set. The common forms are the application for informal probate and appointment, the petition for formal probate, and the small-estate collection-by-affidavit form, all published on the forms page on MaineProbate.net. Confirm the current form and number there before you file.
How much does it cost to file probate in Aroostook County?
The estate filing fee is set by statute and uniform statewide, running from $40 for an estate of $10,000 or less up to $1,200 for an estate over $2,000,000 on the estate-value scale in 18-C M.R.S. §1-602 (verified July 2026). A certificate of appointment is $10 (single) or $20 (double) and copies are $1 per page on the same schedule. There is no separate Aroostook County filing fee.
Can I look up an Aroostook County probate case online?
Yes, through the statewide MaineProbate.net docket search at maineprobate.net/search, which indexes the dockets of all 16 county Probate Courts, including Aroostook. The docket search is free, and document images on cases filed since 2008 can be viewed online at no charge in every county. There is a charge for printed or certified copies.
Who issues the authority document in an Aroostook County estate?
The Register of Probate issues letters, meaning letters testamentary where there is a will or letters of administration where there is not, and, on request, a certificate of appointment. These documents prove the personal representative's authority to act for the estate, open the estate account, and collect assets.
What days does the Aroostook County Probate Court hold hearings?
The Judge of Probate orders an annual Probate Court calendar of return days, posted on the county's Register of Probate page. The court sits roughly once a month, rotating among the Houlton Superior Courthouse, the Caribou Superior Courthouse, and the Fort Kent District Court; the 2026 calendar sets five court days in Houlton, five in Caribou, and two in Fort Kent (May and August). Most uncontested estates are still handled by the Register of Probate on the papers, without a hearing, so ask the office at (207) 532-1502 whether your matter needs a hearing and where it will be set.
What is the phone number for probate in Aroostook County?
(207) 532-1502, the Aroostook County Register of Probate office in Houlton, open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. This is the county's own probate line; Maine has no statewide probate call center.
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.