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Oakland County, MI Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Oakland County detail |
|---|---|
| Court | Oakland County Probate Court, court code P63 |
| Courthouse address | 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Dept. 457, Pontiac, MI 48341 |
| Mailing address | 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Dept. 457, Pontiac, MI 48341. The court's information sheet uses ZIP+4 48341-0457. |
| Phone | (248) 858-0260 |
| Fax | Not listed as an ordinary decedent estate filing route after the June 12, 2025 MiFILE mandate. |
| [email protected] for deceased estate questions. [email protected] is the court's general probate mailbox. | |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For same-day counter processing on permitted paper items, the court asks people to arrive by 4:00 p.m. |
| Filing fee | $175.00 to open a decedent estate, current as of the court's January 6, 2026 fee sheet, made up of a $150.00 commencement fee under MCL 600.880 and a $25.00 electronic filing system fee under MCL 600.1986. The estate also owes the inventory fee, which Oakland calls the gross estate fee, under MCL 600.871. |
| Small-estate assignment fee | $25.00 for a Petition and Order for Assignment, current as of the court's January 6, 2026 fee sheet and set by MCL 600.880. The inventory fee still applies. |
| Local forms | Yes. Oakland uses statewide SCAO PC forms and publishes PEMH information sheets, a modified notice of hearing for formal matters and local instructions. |
| E-filing | In the Oakland County Probate Court, MiFILE submission is mandatory for attorneys and for people filing on their own behalf alike, effective June 12, 2025, with exceptions for emergency mental health transport petitions, Petitions and Orders for Assignment, deposit of original wills and payment of the inventory gross estate fee. |
| Case lookup | The court points users to MiCOURT to search Oakland County Probate Court files by name. Court Explorer is used to order certified letters of authority and probate copies by case number. |
| Remote appearance | Your notice of hearing controls. Oakland says a hearing may be in person or remote depending on the matter and the assigned judge. |
| Website | https://www.oakgov.com/government/courts/probate-court |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you open an Oakland County estate settlement, identify the assets, debts, known creditors, real estate, vehicles, account titles and whether an original will exists. Oakland checks venue at intake using the death certificate, and the court's e-filing process will hold a testate opening until the original will reaches the probate counter or arrives by mail.
Sunset's 2,300-institution asset discovery helps families find accounts before choosing between an assignment of property, transfer by affidavit, informal administration or formal administration. That asset picture also affects the gross estate fee, Oakland's term for the statewide inventory fee.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Oakland County Probate Court at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac serves all Oakland County communities, including Troy, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Rochester Hills, Waterford Township, West Bloomfield Township, Novi, Royal Oak, Pontiac, Bloomfield Township, Auburn Hills, Birmingham and Ferndale. Oakland is not part of a multi-county probate district.
Venue for the first probate filing is the county where the decedent was domiciled at death, or, if the decedent was not domiciled in Michigan, a county where the decedent had property at death (MCL 700.3201). Oakland's own checklist applies that rule by looking to the county of residence shown on the death certificate, with an out-of-state exception when the decedent owned property in Oakland County.
Decedent estates go to the Probate Court and the probate register, not to the county clerk or the county's district courts.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm Oakland venue. Use the death certificate first. If it lists another Michigan county as the decedent's residence, Oakland says a decedent estate cannot be opened there unless the residence issue is corrected or decided by petition. If the decedent lived outside Michigan, Oakland is available only when the decedent owned property in Oakland County (MCL 700.3201).
- Choose the local route. For an informal estate, Oakland's checklist uses PC 558, PC 565, PC 566 if needed, PC 557 or PC 567 when priority is an issue, PC 568, PC 571 and MC 97 or MC 97a. For a formal estate, Oakland uses PC 559, PC 565, PC 566 if needed, PC 561, local PEMH 1019, PEMH 1001 and the related SCAO orders and notices.
- Use MiFILE for ordinary probate documents. In the Oakland County Probate Court, MiFILE submission is mandatory for attorneys and people filing without a lawyer alike, effective June 12, 2025, under the court's rule notice citing MCR 1.109. The counter remains available for the four published exceptions: emergency mental health transport petitions, Petitions and Orders for Assignment, deposit of original wills and payment of the inventory gross estate fee. The courthouse also has a public E-Service room for people who cannot file from home.
- Pay the opening cost through the filing channel. Opening a decedent estate is $175.00, current as of the court's January 6, 2026 fee sheet, made up of $150.00 under MCL 600.880 plus $25.00 under MCL 600.1986. The estate later owes the inventory fee under MCL 600.871, which Oakland calls the gross estate fee.
- Deliver the original will when there is one. Oakland lets you e-file a copy with the opening documents, but the original will must reach the probate counter or arrive by mail within 14 days after filing. If the original does not arrive in time, the court says the submission is rejected. Filing the original will before the MiFILE submission can speed processing.
- Handle priority and notice. If the applicant does not have highest priority for appointment, Oakland's informal checklist calls for renunciations from people with equal or higher priority, or service of PC 557 with PC 564 proof of service. The court says to wait 14 days from service before filing those papers with the court, with publication when addresses are unknown.
- Watch the hearing notice. Informal, uncontested matters can be handled by the probate register. Formal matters, objections and matters assigned for hearing follow the notice of hearing. Oakland says the hearing may be in person or remote depending on the matter and assigned judge. Uncontested decedent estate hearings are presumptively eligible for videoconferencing under MCR 5.140, but MCR 2.407 lets the court require in-person attendance in a particular case.
- Qualify and buy letters of authority. After appointment, the appointed fiduciary e-files PC 571, Acceptance of Appointment, and MC 97a. Once those forms are accepted by the court, letters of authority are available for purchase through Court Explorer. Oakland says same-day letters of authority are no longer available and asks filers to allow 24 hours for processing.
- Administer the estate. Publish and mail creditor notices where required, serve PC 573 and other notices, prepare the inventory within 91 days of letters, and present or file the inventory so the court can compute the gross estate fee. In an unsupervised Oakland estate, the court views the inventory to calculate the fee and returns it unless the personal representative asks that it be filed.
- Close the estate. Use the appropriate SCAO closing path after administration is complete, such as PC 591 for an unsupervised estate, PC 590 for a summary proceeding or PC 593 when a court order of complete estate settlement is needed. The gross estate fee must be paid no later than the applicable closing filing or one year after appointment, whichever comes first.
Executor duties
Oakland's local duties mostly involve how the personal representative interacts with this court after appointment.
| Local duty | What Oakland expects |
|---|---|
| Original will | If a will is used, a copy may be submitted through MiFILE, but the original must reach the probate counter or arrive by mail within 14 days after the filing or the submission is rejected. |
| Letters of authority | After appointment, the fiduciary must submit PC 571 and MC 97a. Letters are then purchased through Court Explorer after acceptance, and Oakland asks filers to allow 24 hours. |
| Real estate sale authority | Oakland letters issued after a formally opened estate carry a restriction that the personal representative may not sell estate real estate without a further court order. The court says letters in an informally opened, unsupervised estate do not carry that restriction. |
| Inventory practice | Oakland calls the inventory fee the gross estate fee. In an unsupervised estate, the inventory is presented for fee calculation and returned unless the personal representative asks that it be filed. |
| Deficiency extensions | The court says the first 28-day extension after a deficiency notice is automatic. A second 28-day extension uses PEMH 1063 and may not be filed until 56 days after the notice of deficiency. |
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Oakland County
Oakland uses the statewide SCAO probate forms for decedent estates, including PC 556, PC 558, PC 559, PC 565, PC 571, PC 572, PC 577, PC 590 and PC 591. The court also publishes Oakland-specific PEMH information sheets and local administrative forms for its workflow.
| Form or sheet | Oakland use |
|---|---|
| Checklist for Opening a Decedent Estate by Informal Application | Oakland's two-page walkthrough for an informal opening. |
| PEMH 1024 | General information sheet for opening a decedent estate, with informal, formal and supervised routes. |
| PEMH 1025 | Instructions for filing a Petition and Order for Assignment. |
| PEMH 1027 | Petition and Order for Discovery, used with a small-estate petition when applicable. |
| PEMH 1019 | Oakland's modified notice of hearing for formal proceedings. |
| PEMH 1001 | Bond information form used in formal matters when bond may be required. |
| PEMH 1034 | Information sheet for procedure and responsibilities after a petition is filed. |
| PEMH 1063 | Request for Extension of Time for Compliance with MCR 5.203(C). |
| Important Notice for Personal Representatives / Closing a Decedent's Estate | Oakland's deadline and closing handout for administration and closing. |
MCR 5.307(E) limits what a Michigan probate court may require in informal, unsupervised estates. Treat Oakland's PEMH materials as court-published local instructions and workflow forms, not replacements for the required SCAO forms.
Fees
Michigan probate fees are statewide statutory amounts, but Oakland has several local payment details that matter because this court's ordinary filing channel is MiFILE.
| Local fee or payment item | Oakland County detail |
|---|---|
| MiFILE card transaction charge | The court's own MiFILE procedures state that statutory filing fees are subject to a 3% credit card transaction fee. If a submission is rejected, the filing fee is refunded but the 3% transaction fee is not. |
| Oakland County Legal News publication charge | $116.95 effective March 1, 2025, when a filer uses the court's arrangement to forward a notice to creditors to the Oakland County Legal News. This is a newspaper publication charge, not an added court filing fee. |
| Letters of authority, certified copy | For a two-sided letters of authority document, Oakland's January 6, 2026 fee sheet totals $12.00 under the $10.00 certification fee plus $1.00 per side formula in MCL 600.2546. |
| Payment methods | The court publishes cash, check or money order payable to Oakland County Probate Court, and Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover. The court says not to mail cash. |
| Gross estate fee payment | Payment of the inventory gross estate fee is one of Oakland's exceptions to the MiFILE rule. The court says it may be paid in person or by mail, or through MiFILE when the inventory is filed and the fee is paid with that submission. |
| Fee waiver requests | Use SCAO form MC 20. Oakland says fee waiver requests may be submitted by email to the corresponding probate unit. The inventory fee under MCL 600.871 is not waivable. |
Local nuance
Oakland County-specific considerations
| Local point | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| MiFILE is mandatory in this court | Oakland is one of only two Michigan probate courts that mandate MiFILE for filers who do not have a lawyer. Since June 12, 2025, the Oakland County Probate Court has required documents to be submitted through MiFILE by attorneys and people filing on their own behalf alike, except for the four listed categories. |
| Four paper exceptions remain | Emergency mental health transport petitions, Petitions and Orders for Assignment, deposit of original wills and payment of the inventory gross estate fee may still be handled at the counter or by mail. |
| Public E-Service room | The court runs a public e-filing room at 1200 N. Telegraph Road for filers who cannot submit from home or office. |
| Original will hold | A testate opening stays in a hold queue until the original will reaches the court within 14 days. Filing the original will first can speed processing. |
| No same-day letters | Oakland says same-day letters of authority are no longer available. After PC 571 and MC 97a are accepted, letters are purchased through Court Explorer and the court asks filers to allow 24 hours. |
| Formal letters restrict real estate sales | Letters issued in a formally opened Oakland estate say the personal representative may not sell estate real estate without a further court order. Informal, unsupervised letters do not carry that restriction. |
| Gross estate fee vocabulary | Oakland's term for the MCL 600.871 inventory fee is the gross estate fee. The same statewide fee applies, and the court uses the inventory to compute it. |
| Remote hearing practice is assigned-case specific | Oakland tells parties to check the notice of hearing. The hearing may be in person or remote depending on the matter and assigned judge. |
Small-estate Alternatives
Oakland has a local small-estate quirk because the assignment of property petition is one of the four paper exceptions to the court's MiFILE mandate. If the estate qualifies for assignment of property, the Petition and Order for Assignment, PC 556, may be brought to the probate counter or mailed to the Oakland County Probate Court. For a 2026 death, the statewide assignment figure is $53,000 under MCL 700.3982.
The court's small-estate page says to use PC 556, MC 97 and MC 97a, and to include all signatures and the appropriate fees. The small-estate filing charge is $25.00, current as of the court's January 6, 2026 fee sheet and set by MCL 600.880. Oakland also charges the gross estate fee, which is the inventory fee under MCL 600.871, based on the inventory value before funeral expenses.
Transfer by affidavit is separate. PC 598 is not filed with the court, including in Oakland.
Recent updates
| Date | Local update |
|---|---|
| April 10, 2025 | Local administrative order 2025-01 took effect, setting the probate register's authority to perform judicial acts in uncontested matters including decedent estates and small-estate assignments. |
| March 1, 2025 | The Oakland County Legal News publication charge that court staff forward for a notice to creditors became $116.95. |
| January 6, 2026 | The court republished its Probate Court Filing Fees sheet. |
Scenarios
| Situation | Oakland path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with co-owned home | Start with how the home was titled and the county of residence on the death certificate. If the home passed by survivorship and the remaining estate fits assignment of property, PC 556 is one of Oakland's paper exceptions. If full administration is needed and the matter is uncontested, informal administration avoids Oakland's formal-letter restriction on selling real estate. | Sunset helps identify accounts, confirm whether probate assets remain, prepare the local probate packet and flag when counsel should review real estate authority. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a small estate | Most Oakland probate documents go through MiFILE, which can be used from outside Michigan with a free account. The assignment petition itself may be mailed. Certified letters of authority are ordered online through Court Explorer after appointment and acceptance. | Sunset keeps the estate settlement organized remotely, helps choose the correct small-estate or administration route and generates the forms to review before filing. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Oakland's formal letters restrict a sale of estate real estate without a further order. If the estate can be opened informally and remains unsupervised, the court's FAQ says letters of authority are enough to proceed with a real estate sale. The inventory should value real estate at two times the state equalized value or by a date-of-death appraisal, with the legal description. | Sunset gathers asset details, helps assemble the opening packet, identifies the real estate issue early and can connect the family to a vetted probate attorney. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland County Probate Court | Court pages for estates, wills and trusts, fees, e-filing, forms, instructions and brochures. | https://www.oakgov.com/government/courts/probate-court |
| Oakland County Probate Court eFiling | MiFILE instructions, case initiation guidance, rejection information and Oakland rules for wills, inventories and letters of authority. | https://www.oakgov.com/government/courts/probate-court/online-services/probate-court-efiling |
| MiFILE | The e-filing system Oakland uses for ordinary probate submissions. Registration is free. | https://mifile.courts.michigan.gov/login |
| MiCOURT case search | Search Oakland County Probate Court files by name, as linked by the court. | https://micourt.courts.michigan.gov/case-search |
| Court Explorer | Order certified letters of authority and copies of Oakland probate documents by case number. | https://courtexplorer.oakgov.com/OaklandCounty |
| Oakland County Probate Court fees and waivers | Local fee page, payment methods and SCAO form MC 20 fee waiver information. | https://www.oakgov.com/government/courts/probate-court/about/fees-waivers |
| Michigan inventory fee calculator | State judiciary calculator for the inventory fee, which Oakland calls the gross estate fee. | https://www.courts.michigan.gov/courts/trial-courts/inventory-calculator/ |
| SCAO estates, trusts and miscellaneous probate forms | Statewide Michigan PC forms used in decedent estates. | https://www.courts.michigan.gov/SCAO-forms/Estates-Trusts/ |
| Michigan Legal Help | Plain-language Michigan probate articles, guided tools and a self-help center directory. | https://michiganlegalhelp.org/ |
| Legal Aid and Defender Association | Free civil legal help for eligible residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. The organization does not state on its site whether it handles decedent estate administration. | https://ladadetroit.org/ |
| Michigan Trial Court Directory | State judiciary directory entry for the Oakland County Probate Court. | https://www.courts.michigan.gov/trial-court-directory/ |
When to hire an attorney
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 institutions to help families identify accounts, insurance, investments and other assets before filing in Oakland County. That makes the estate settlement plan more accurate from the start.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the asset and family information into a probate packet for the correct Michigan path, with Oakland details such as MiFILE, original-will delivery and the gross estate fee in mind.
Find a local probate attorney. If the estate involves a house sale, a formal proceeding, contested heirs, creditor issues or a personal representative outside Michigan, Sunset can connect the family with a vetted probate attorney.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to organize the estate settlement, find assets, prepare paperwork and understand next steps without paying Sunset.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Oakland County?
File with the Oakland County Probate Court, 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Dept. 457, Pontiac, MI 48341. Venue usually depends on the decedent's domicile at death, and Oakland's checklist looks to the county of residence shown on the death certificate (MCL 700.3201).
Do I have to use MiFILE in Oakland County Probate Court?
For ordinary probate documents, yes. In this court, MiFILE submission has been mandatory since June 12, 2025 for attorneys and for people filing on their own behalf alike. Oakland is one of only two Michigan probate courts that mandate MiFILE for filers who do not have a lawyer. The four listed exceptions are emergency mental health transport petitions, Petitions and Orders for Assignment, deposit of original wills and payment of the inventory gross estate fee.
Can I still go to the Oakland probate counter?
Yes, for the published exceptions, for delivery or deposit of an original will, for gross estate fee payment and for using the public E-Service room. The court publishes hours of Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and asks people seeking same-day processing on permitted paper items to arrive by 4:00 p.m.
What happens to the original will if I start the estate through MiFILE?
Oakland lets you submit a copy of the will through MiFILE, but the original must be delivered to the probate counter or mailed to the court within 14 days after filing. If the original is not received in time, the court says the submission is rejected.
How much does it cost to open a decedent estate in Oakland County?
The opening cost is $175.00, current as of the court's January 6, 2026 fee sheet, made up of $150.00 under MCL 600.880 plus $25.00 under MCL 600.1986. The estate also owes the inventory fee under MCL 600.871, which Oakland calls the gross estate fee and which is calculated from the estate's value.
Can I file a small-estate assignment on paper in Oakland County?
Yes. A Petition and Order for Assignment is one of Oakland's exceptions to the MiFILE rule. The court says completed small-estate forms may be brought to the Oakland County Probate Court or mailed there. For a 2026 death, the statewide assignment figure is $53,000 under MCL 700.3982.
Will my Oakland probate hearing be remote?
Check the notice of hearing. Oakland says a hearing may be in person or remote depending on the matter and assigned judge. If the hearing is remote, the court provides the assigned judge's remote hearing information. Uncontested decedent-estate matters are presumptively eligible for videoconferencing under MCR 5.140, subject to MCR 2.407.
How do I look up an Oakland County probate case?
The court points users to MiCOURT to search Oakland County Probate Court files by name. Court Explorer is separate and is used to order documents, including certified letters of authority, by case number.
Do I get letters of authority the same day in Oakland County?
No. Oakland says same-day letters of authority are no longer available. After appointment, the fiduciary submits PC 571 and MC 97a. Once the court accepts those forms, letters are available for purchase through Court Explorer, and the court asks filers to allow 24 hours.
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.