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Murray County, MN Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Murray County detail |
|---|---|
| Court | Murray County District Court |
| Courthouse | Murray County Courthouse, 2500 28th Street, Slayton, MN 56172 |
| Judicial district | Fifth Judicial District |
| Mailing address | No separate mailing address is published. Use the courthouse address unless the court directs otherwise. |
| Court Administrator's office phone | (507) 873-7001 |
| Fax | None published |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Payments cannot be accepted at the service counter after 2:30 p.m. on the last working day of the month. |
| First-paper fee | $320, current as of August 2026, made up of the $310 filing fee plus Murray County's $10 law library fee (Minn. Stat. § 357.021, subd. 2(1); Minn. Stat. §§ 134A.09, 134A.10). |
| Local probate forms | None published locally. Use Minnesota's statewide PRO forms. |
| E-filing | eFile and eServe is mandatory for attorneys, government agencies and guardians ad litem. A self-represented filer may use eFile and eServe or may file on paper at the counter or by mail (Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 14.01). |
| Case search | Minnesota Court Records Online, with free public probate document access for public filings on or after July 1, 2015. |
| Remote appearance | Judicial Council Policy 525 sets probate hearings as remote by default, but the hearing notice controls. |
| Website | https://mncourts.gov/find-courts/murray |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you choose a form packet, list the assets, debts, real estate and beneficiary designations you know about. Minnesota informal applications require asset information, and the right filing path can change if there is a house to sell, a will dispute, a creditor problem or missing heirs.
Sunset's estate settlement tools help families search across more than 2,300 financial institutions, organize accounts and liabilities, and turn what you find into a cleaner Murray County filing plan. Starting with a complete asset picture can save a second filing later.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Murray County District Court serves probate matters filed in Murray County from the courthouse in Slayton. Venue for the first informal or formal probate proceeding is Murray County if the decedent was domiciled there at death. If the decedent was not domiciled in Minnesota, venue can be in any Minnesota county where the decedent had property at death (Minn. Stat. § 524.3-201).
Murray County is in the Fifth Judicial District with Blue Earth, Watonwan, Lyon, Redwood, Brown, Nicollet, Lincoln, Cottonwood, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock, Faribault, Martin and Jackson counties (Minn. Stat. § 2.722, subd. 1). Judges serve across the district, so the hearing notice is the place to check who will hear the matter and how to appear. For a determination of descent, venue can also be based on the county of residence or a county where the property is located (Minn. Stat. § 525.31).
The jurisdiction process
- Decide whether the estate fits an informal application to the probate registrar or a formal petition to a district court judge. Informal probate seeks an administrative determination without a prior hearing, while formal probate asks for a judicial determination with notice (Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 402).
- Select the statewide PRO packet. Common openers are PRO802 with PRO801 when there is a will, PRO702 with PRO701 when there is no will, PRO1202 for a formal will case, and PRO1102 for a formal intestacy case.
- Prepare the application or petition, the acceptance and oath, any nomination or renunciation, the proposed order documents and the required mailing or service papers. Use the Murray County courthouse address for local filing details.
- File with the Court Administrator's office at the Murray County Courthouse, 2500 28th Street, Slayton, MN 56172. Attorneys, government agencies and guardians ad litem use eFile and eServe. A self-represented filer may choose eFile and eServe or file on paper at the counter or by mail, but once a self-represented filer uses eFile and eServe in the case, later filings in that case must also be electronic (Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 14.01).
- Deposit the original will on paper if there is one. A copy of a will may be submitted electronically, but the original will cannot be e-filed and must be deposited with the court (Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 14.01(b)(2), 403(e)).
- Pay the first-paper fee. In Murray County, the amount is $320, current as of August 2026, which is the $310 filing fee plus Murray County's $10 law library fee (Minn. Stat. § 357.021, subd. 2(1); Minn. Stat. §§ 134A.09, 134A.10). The court does not take payments at the service counter after 2:30 p.m. on the last working day of the month.
- Complete notice. Formal matters require notice to interested persons, and creditor notice is published under the direction of the Court Administrator's office when required by Minnesota probate law.
- Watch for scheduling information. Minnesota's statewide policy sets probate hearings as remote by default, but the judicial officer may make a different case-specific decision and the hearing notice controls. If the notice directs a Zoom appearance, Murray County links Fifth Judicial District Zoom hearing information.
- After appointment, obtain letters testamentary or letters of administration, then collect assets, notify creditors, handle claims, account for distributions and manage any real estate sale through the estate.
- Close the estate using the appropriate statewide process. An unsupervised personal representative commonly closes with PRO914 and related closing papers, while a formal settlement uses a petition and court order.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Murray County
Murray County publishes no local probate forms, local packet or local probate cover sheet. Probate filings in Murray County use Minnesota's statewide PRO forms, available through the Minnesota Judicial Branch probate forms page.
The most common statewide starting points are PRO801 and PRO802 for informal probate with a will, PRO701 and PRO702 for informal appointment without a will, PRO1201 and PRO1202 for a formal will case, and PRO1101 and PRO1102 for a formal intestacy case. PRO902 is the acceptance and oath, and PRO914 is used to close many unsupervised estates.
The statewide form set is useful but not complete. If the estate needs supervised administration, a contested hearing, a real estate sale with title issues or a court order not covered by the PRO packets, get legal advice before filing.
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: August 2026.
Scenarios
| Scenario | Likely Murray County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with co-owned home | Start by checking how the home is titled and whether any estate administration is needed. If a filing is needed, file with the Court Administrator's office at the Murray County Courthouse in Slayton. If there is an original will, make sure it reaches the court on paper. | Sunset helps identify accounts, debts and real estate details before you choose a probate packet, which can make estate settlement smoother for the surviving spouse. |
| Out-of-state adult child with small estate | A nonresident may serve as personal representative (Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 407(b)). A self-represented filer may file on paper or choose eFile and eServe, and probate hearings default to remote under Judicial Council Policy 525, with the hearing notice controlling. | Sunset organizes assets and creates a task list so an out-of-state child can see what can be handled online, what must be mailed and what may require a Slayton filing. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Plan for a court file if the home must be sold through a personal representative. The first-paper fee shown above applies, creditor notice may be required, and the authority to act comes from letters testamentary or letters of administration after appointment. | Sunset helps gather account information, prepare the probate packet and connect the parent with a local probate attorney when a home sale or title issue needs counsel. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Murray County District Court | Filing address, hours, local contact options and court information for Murray County probate filings. | 2500 28th Street, Slayton, MN 56172. Phone: (507) 873-7001. Website: https://mncourts.gov/find-courts/murray |
| Self-Help Center workstation | The Murray County courthouse has a workstation with a computer, phone and printer for people representing themselves. Self-Help Center staff provide legal information, not legal advice. | Use the courthouse workstation or call the Statewide Self-Help Center at (651) 435-6535, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services | Civil legal aid provider serving Murray County. It is the right first call to ask whether help is available, but its published case types do not include settling a decedent's estate. | Intake: 1-877-696-6529. Existing cases: (651) 222-5863. Website: https://smrls.org/ |
| Minnesota Judicial Branch probate help | Statewide overview of probate, wills and estates, plus links to free statewide PRO forms. | Help topic: https://mncourts.gov/help-topics/probate-wills-and-estates. Forms: https://mncourts.gov/getforms/probate |
| Minnesota Court Records Online | Search a Murray County estate case by name or case number and view the register of actions. Public probate documents filed on or after July 1, 2015 are downloadable at no charge, unless confidential or sealed. | https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch |
When to hire an attorney
Many uncontested informal estates can start with statewide PRO forms, the Murray County courthouse filing counter and the Self-Help Center workstation, but the Court Administrator's office and the probate registrar cannot give legal advice (Minn. Stat. § 524.1-307). Counsel makes sense when real property must be sold, an heir or creditor objects, a will is disputed, the estate may be insolvent, or supervised administration is being considered. Sunset connects families with a vetted local probate attorney when legal help is the safer path.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 financial institutions and helps families build a clearer inventory before filing in Murray County.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the information you collect into an organized estate settlement packet based on Minnesota's statewide PRO forms and Murray County filing details.
Find a local probate attorney. If the estate involves a home sale, a dispute, insolvency or a formal hearing, Sunset can connect you with a vetted probate attorney for Murray County estate settlement.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to organize assets, tasks and probate next steps without paying Sunset a fee.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file to open an estate in Murray County?
File with the Court Administrator's office at the Murray County Courthouse, 2500 28th Street, Slayton, MN 56172. The phone number is (507) 873-7001.
What does it cost to open an estate in Murray County?
The first-paper fee is $320, current as of August 2026. That is the $310 filing fee plus Murray County's $10 law library fee (Minn. Stat. § 357.021, subd. 2(1); Minn. Stat. §§ 134A.09, 134A.10).
Can I file probate papers on paper in Murray County, or do I have to e-file?
Attorneys, government agencies and guardians ad litem must use eFile and eServe. A self-represented filer may use eFile and eServe or may file on paper at the counter or by mail. Once a self-represented filer uses eFile and eServe in the case, that filer must keep using it for later filings in that case (Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 14.01).
Can the original will be e-filed in Murray County?
No. A copy of the will may be submitted electronically, but the original will must be deposited with the court on paper (Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 14.01(b)(2), 403(e)).
Does Murray County have its own probate forms?
No local probate forms or cover sheet are published for Murray County. Use the statewide Minnesota PRO forms, and get legal advice if the statewide packet does not cover the order or procedure you need.
Can I appear remotely for a Murray County probate hearing?
Minnesota Judicial Council Policy 525 sets probate hearings as remote by default, but that is not a guarantee. The hearing notice controls, and a judicial officer can change the appearance format for a particular case.
Can I look up a Murray County estate case online?
Yes. Use Minnesota Court Records Online at https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch. Public probate documents filed on or after July 1, 2015 are downloadable at no charge, while older filings are limited and confidential documents are not shown.
Do I have to travel to Slayton for a Murray County probate case?
Not always. A self-represented filer may be able to use eFile and eServe or file by mail, and probate hearings default to remote under statewide policy. Still, the original will must be deposited on paper, and the hearing notice or court order controls whether anyone must appear in person.
Where can I find legal help in Murray County?
The courthouse Self-Help Center workstation and Statewide Self-Help Center can provide legal information. Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services is the civil legal aid provider for Murray County, with intake at 1-877-696-6529, but its published case types do not include settling a decedent's estate.
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.