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City of St. Louis, MO Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | City of St. Louis probate detail |
|---|---|
| Court | Probate Division of the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, 22nd Judicial Circuit |
| Courthouse address | 10 North Tucker Boulevard, 10th floor, St. Louis, Missouri 63101, Clyde S. Cahill Courts Building, formerly and still sometimes called the Civil Courts Building |
| Mailing address | 10 North Tucker Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63101 |
| Probate phone | (314) 622-4238 |
| Probate fax | (314) 622-4498 |
| Probate email | [email protected], but the court says this mailbox is not for filing cases or documents |
| Published office hours | 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Court holidays close the building. Call before you go because the Probate Division does not publish a separate same-day cutoff. |
| Published case costs | Letters testamentary $230.50, letters of administration $195.50, refusal of letters $100.50, small estate without a will $100.50, determination of heirship $100.50, probate of will $100.50, all from the Probate Division schedule revised July 2024. |
| Local forms | Yes. The circuit has a document center with 58 decedent-estate documents organized into five local packets. |
| Electronic filing | Attorneys file electronically under Local Rule 4.4. Self-represented filers file with the Clerk of the Probate Division on the 10th floor and may also use the circuit's registered secure-email route described on the Represent Myself page. |
| Original will | Deliver the original will to the Probate Division on paper. The July 2024 schedule lists filing a decedent's will only as no charge and depositing a will during the testator's lifetime as $3.00. |
| Case search | Case.net, https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/ |
| Remote appearance | The Probate Division's current notice says hearings are in person except mental health matters. The court still publishes a Webex address and a video-hearing waiver form, so ask the division before relying on any remote appearance. |
| Website | https://www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com/courts_services/probate_court/index.php |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you choose a filing route in the City of St. Louis, list the assets, debts, beneficiary designations, jointly owned property, real estate and likely creditor issues. Missouri's shortcuts and full administrations turn on what property is actually in the estate, and the City of St. Louis adds local details such as separate local packets, publication billing and inventory-value charges.
Sunset's estate settlement process starts with asset discovery across more than 2,300 institutions, then helps organize the information into the right local packet and attorney handoff. That work is especially useful here because the Probate Division uses different local forms for letters testamentary, letters of administration, small estates, refusal of letters and determination of heirship.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The City of St. Louis is a city not within a county and is its own 22nd Judicial Circuit. Estate matters for a person domiciled in the City of St. Louis are handled by the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis at 10 North Tucker Boulevard, not by any county court.
Missouri venue for letters follows the decedent's domicile, and estate proceedings stay in the place where letters were granted (RSMo 473.010). For a City of St. Louis resident, that local venue is the Probate Division on the 10th floor of the Clyde S. Cahill Courts Building.
The jurisdiction process
- Identify the local route before filing. Use the City of St. Louis packet that matches the situation: Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, Affidavit for Collection of Small Estate, Refusal of Letters or Determination of Heirship.
- Prepare the local packet. Include the court's Filing Information Sheet because the Probate Division includes it in every decedent-estate packet, and use the court's own forms before a generic statewide form.
- File in the correct place. Attorneys file electronically. A self-represented filer brings documents to the Clerk of the Probate Division on the 10th floor or follows the circuit's secure-email filing process after registering a secure account through the Missouri Judiciary route described by the court.
- Deliver the original will on paper if there is one. A will is handled by the Probate Division even if other documents are filed electronically, and filing a decedent's will only is listed as no charge on the July 2024 schedule.
- Pay the local court costs from the Probate Division schedule. For example, letters testamentary are $230.50, letters of administration are $195.50, refusal of letters is $100.50 and small estate without a will is $100.50, all from the July 2024 schedule. A decedent case may also receive an annual $30.00 charge and an inventory-value charge under the same July 2024 schedule.
- Handle notice and publication. In a full administration, the clerk causes notice of letters to be published under Missouri law (RSMo 473.033). In the City of St. Louis, the Probate Division no longer collects publication costs, so the Monitor or the Daily Record invoices the filer directly after processing.
- Schedule or attend the hearing. Decedent estate hearings and motions are Friday matters under the circuit's standing administrative order dividing duties between the Probate Court Commissioner and the Probate Court Deputy Commissioner. The Probate Division's current notice says hearings are in person except mental health matters.
- Receive the authority document if letters are granted. With a will, the personal representative receives letters testamentary. Without a will, the personal representative receives letters of administration.
- Administer and close the estate. Track assets, debts, notices, inventories, publication, settlements and distributions. In Missouri, a personal representative who is not a lawyer cannot appear in court except through an attorney, though the personal representative may prepare and file their own inventories and settlements (RSMo 473.153.7).
- Record probate documents for city real estate when required. A small estate affidavit with the clerk's certificate, or a certified refusal order, is recorded with the City of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds at City Hall, not at the courthouse.
Executor duties
| Local duty | What to do in the City of St. Louis |
|---|---|
| Use the local packet | Start with the circuit's document center and choose the packet for the exact route: letters testamentary, letters of administration, small estate, refusal of letters or determination of heirship. |
| Include the Filing Information Sheet | The court includes the Filing Information Sheet in every decedent-estate packet, so include it with the original petition. The sheet is the statewide form provided for in Court Operating Rule 4.07. |
| Use the right closing papers | The court marks its Settlement and Schedule of Distribution forms for supervised administration only, and its Statement of Account closing packet for independent administration only. |
| Budget beyond opening costs | The July 2024 schedule applies a $30.00 annual decedent-case charge each year the case stays open, tied to the anniversary of letters being issued. |
| Plan for the inventory-value charge | The July 2024 schedule adds a decedent-case charge once the grand total inventory value passes $50,000, rising by bands to $450.00 over $450,000. |
| Pay publication separately | The Probate Division no longer collects publication costs. The publisher the filer chose, either the Monitor or the Daily Record, invoices the filer directly. |
| Use probate desk lines when needed | The Probate Division publishes an inventory and settlement clerk line at (314) 622-4303 and a cashier and audit line at (314) 622-4305. |
Forms and documents
Probate forms in the City of St. Louis
The City of St. Louis has a real local probate form set. The 22nd Judicial Circuit document center lists a Probate, Decedent Estates category with 58 documents in five packets, and the court's applications show recent revision dates. Use the court's own document center first.
| Packet | Local documents included |
|---|---|
| Letters Testamentary | Application for Probate of Will, Application for Letters Testamentary, Filing Information Sheet, Corporate Surety Bond Decedent Estate, Consent to Independent Administration, Inventory and Appraisement, Notice of Filing, proofs of mailing and service, Claim Against Estate, Petition to Obtain Possession of Will, Petition for Inventory of Safe Deposit Box, Statement of Surviving Spouse, Missouri HealthNet Estate Notice, closing and distribution forms, subpoena and video-hearing waiver. |
| Letters of Administration | Application for Letters of Administration, Application for Letters of Administration with Will Annexed, Filing Information Sheet, bond, consent, inventory, notices, proofs, claim form, renunciation and consent, Missouri HealthNet Estate Notice, closing and distribution forms, subpoena and video-hearing waiver. |
| Affidavit for Collection of Small Estate | Separate testate and intestate affidavits, Corporate Surety Bond Small Estate, Filing Information Sheet, Renunciation and Consent, Missouri HealthNet Estate Notice, Petition for Inventory of Safe Deposit Box and subpoena. |
| Refusal of Letters | Application for Creditor Refusal, Application for Minor Refusal, Application for Spousal Refusal, Statement of Surviving Spouse, Renunciation and Consent Letters of Refusal, creditor bond forms and Filing Information Sheet. |
| Determination of Heirship | Petition for Determination of Heirship, Filing Information Sheet and video-hearing waiver. |
The court's form page also points readers to standardized Missouri court forms, but do not start with a generic form when the City of St. Louis packet covers the same route.
Fees
Missouri court costs for probate proceedings are collected by the clerk of the probate division (RSMo 483.580), and the statewide cost structure is set by Court Operating Rule 21.01, effective September 1, 2023. In the City of St. Louis, the amounts that apply are the local totals on the Probate Division's own schedule, revised July 2024.
| Filing or service | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application for Probate of Will | $100.50, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Application for Letters of Administration, independent or supervised administration | $195.50, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Application for Letters Testamentary, independent or supervised administration | $230.50, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Application for Letters Testamentary after a will was already filed on the same case and $100.50 was already paid | $130.00 additional, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Application for Refusal of Letters, creditor, spousal or minor | $100.50, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Affidavit for Collection of Small Estate without a will | $100.50, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Affidavit for Collection of Small Estate with Application for Probate of Will, two separate applications required | $135.50, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Small estate affidavit after a will was already filed on the same case and $100.50 was already paid | $35.00 additional, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Petition for Determination of Heirship | $100.50, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Will contest | $145.50, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Depositing a will during the testator's lifetime | $3.00, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Filing a decedent's will only | No charge, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Copies | $0.30 per page, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Certification | $1.50 per page certified, schedule revised July 2024 |
| Annual decedent case charge | $30.00 each year the case is open, tied to the anniversary date of letters being issued, schedule revised July 2024 |
The July 2024 schedule also adds inventory-value charges to decedent cases: $50.00 for inventory value $50,000 to $100,000, then $100.00, $150.00, $200.00, $250.00, $300.00, $350.00 and $400.00 by increasing bands, and $450.00 over $450,000.
Publication is billed separately. The Probate Division no longer collects publication costs from filers. After filings are processed, the Monitor or the Daily Record invoices the filer directly.
Timeline
- Before filing, choose the City of St. Louis packet and gather asset, debt, will and interested-party information.
- At filing, attorneys file electronically and self-represented filers use the Clerk of the Probate Division on the 10th floor or the court's registered secure-email route.
- After filings are processed, publication costs are handled directly with the chosen publisher, the Monitor or the Daily Record, when publication is required.
- For a decedent estate hearing or motion, expect a Friday setting under Administrative Order 2022-09, alternating between the Probate Court Commissioner and the Probate Court Deputy Commissioner.
- For attendance, plan for an in-person hearing unless the Probate Division tells you otherwise. The court's current probate notice says hearings are in person except mental health matters.
- After letters issue, track the anniversary date because the July 2024 schedule applies a $30.00 annual decedent-case charge for each year the case remains open.
Local nuance
City of St. Louis-specific considerations
| Local point | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Independent city | The City of St. Louis is a city not within a county and has its own 22nd Judicial Circuit. Do not file a city resident's estate in St. Louis County. |
| 10th-floor probate counter | Local Rule 4.4 sends self-represented probate filings to the Clerk of the Probate Division on the 10th floor, not to a general civil counter. |
| Local electronic filing split | Attorneys file electronically. Self-represented filers are not required to e-file and may use the court's in-person or registered secure-email route. |
| Publication billing | The Probate Division no longer collects publication costs. The chosen publisher invoices the filer directly. |
| Friday estate settings | Decedent estate hearings and motion hearings are Friday matters under the circuit's standing probate duty order. |
| In-person probate hearings | The Probate Division's current notice says hearings are in person except mental health matters. |
| City real estate recording | Small estate certificates and refusal orders for city real estate are recorded with the City of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds at City Hall, a different building from the courthouse. |
| Public Administrator | The City of St. Louis Office of the Public Administrator is in Room 101 of the same courthouse building and handles estates of city residents who die with no family and no will. |
| Building name | The courthouse at 10 North Tucker Boulevard was renamed the Clyde S. Cahill Courts Building, but court materials still also use Civil Courts Building. |
Small-estate Alternatives
The City of St. Louis small estate packet is local and detailed. The Probate Division publishes separate testate and intestate Affidavit for Collection of Small Estate forms, a Corporate Surety Bond Small Estate form, a Renunciation and Consent, a Filing Information Sheet, a Missouri HealthNet Estate Notice, a safe-deposit-box petition and a subpoena.
The local cost is $100.50 for a small estate affidavit without a will, or $135.50 when the affidavit is filed together with an Application for Probate of Will, with two separate applications required, all from the July 2024 schedule. If the will was already filed and $100.50 was already paid on that case, the later small estate filing is $35.00 additional, from the July 2024 schedule.
If publication is required under the statewide small estate statute (RSMo 473.097), the City of St. Louis local practice is that the Probate Division no longer collects the publication cost. The filer chooses the Monitor or the Daily Record and pays the publisher's invoice directly.
If the small estate involves City of St. Louis real estate, record the affidavit and clerk's certificate with the Recorder of Deeds and Vital Records Registrar at 1200 Market Street, City Hall Room 128.
Recent updates
| Update | Local change |
|---|---|
| Courthouse renamed | Ordinance 71921 renamed the Civil Courts Building at 10 North Tucker Boulevard in honor of the Honorable Clyde S. Cahill, Jr., effective December 15, 2024. Court materials now use both building names. |
| Cost schedule revised | The Probate Division schedule is revised July 2024. Current local amounts include letters testamentary $230.50, letters of administration $195.50, probate of will $100.50, refusal of letters $100.50, small estate without a will $100.50 and determination of heirship $100.50, all from that July 2024 schedule. |
| Publication costs billed by publisher | The July 2024 schedule says the Probate Division no longer collects publication costs. The Monitor or the Daily Record invoices the filer directly after filings are processed. |
| Local rules effective May 27, 2025 | Local Rule 4.4 requires probate petitions, motions, applications and pleadings to be filed electronically, except that documents filed by self-represented parties are filed with the Clerk of the Probate Division on the 10th floor. |
| Public document access | Case.net states that court documents filed before July 1, 2023 can be viewed by the public only at public access terminals in local courthouses. |
Page last reviewed: August 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely City of St. Louis path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with a co-owned home | First confirm how the home was titled and whether it passes outside probate. If a court order is still needed, the spouse may be looking at the City of St. Louis Refusal of Letters packet or a full estate packet, depending on assets, allowances and title. | Sunset identifies accounts, checks title-related information to organize the asset picture and helps route the family to the local packet or a probate attorney. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a small estate | Use the City of St. Louis small estate packet if the statewide requirements fit. The child should plan around the court's local cost, publication billing by the Monitor or Daily Record when required and recording at City Hall if city real estate is involved. | Sunset gathers asset information remotely, organizes debts and accounts and helps prepare a City of St. Louis packet for review. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | If the home is in the decedent's name and authority is needed to sell it, a full administration in the Probate Division may be necessary. A non-lawyer personal representative cannot appear in court except through an attorney (RSMo 473.153.7). | Sunset supports the estate settlement by finding accounts, organizing real estate and debt information and connecting the family with a vetted local probate attorney. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Probate Division of the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis | Court's probate page with the local cost schedule, forms link, records instructions and probate phone list. | 10 North Tucker Boulevard, 10th floor, St. Louis, MO 63101. (314) 622-4238. https://www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com/courts_services/probate_court/index.php |
| 22nd Judicial Circuit court forms | Local document center with decedent-estate packets for letters testamentary, letters of administration, small estate, refusal of letters and determination of heirship. | https://www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com/courts_services/court_forms/index.php |
| 22nd Judicial Circuit Represent Myself page | Instructions for people without attorneys, including in-person filing at 10 North Tucker, secure-email filing after account registration, redaction instructions and eFiling tutorials. | https://www.stlcitycircuitcourt.com/courts_services/represent_yourself.php |
| Law Library Association of St. Louis | Law library in the same courthouse building with legal research tools and self-represented-litigant resources. It is not a legal-advice service. | 10 North Tucker, 13th floor, St. Louis, MO 63101. (314) 622-4385. Open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. https://www.llastl.org/ |
| Legal Services of Eastern Missouri | Free civil legal aid for eligible low-income and elderly people. Let intake decide whether the matter fits because decedent estate administration is not listed among its common case types. | 701 Market Street, Suite 1100, St. Louis, MO 63101. (314) 534-4200 or (800) 444-0514. https://lsem.org/get-help-now/ |
| Office of the Public Administrator, City of St. Louis | City office that takes charge of estates of city residents who die with no family and no will. | 10 North Tucker, Room 101, 1st floor, St. Louis, MO 63101. (314) 622-4394. https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/public-administrator/index.cfm |
| Recorder of Deeds and Vital Records Registrar, City of St. Louis | Records small estate certificates and refusal orders when city real estate title must be cleared. | 1200 Market Street, City Hall Room 128, St. Louis, MO 63103. (314) 622-4610. Land records recording 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/recorder/ |
| Case.net | Missouri Judiciary public case search for docket entries and public case information. | https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/ |
| Missouri State Archives County and Municipal Records Database | Historical probate records resource linked by the court. The court notes that these records are browsed by jurisdiction, office, record type and date. | https://s1.sos.mo.gov/records/archives/archivesdb/countyrecords/ |
| The Missouri Bar Probate Law Resource Guide | Consumer guide published by The Missouri Bar, not a court checklist. The Probate Division says copies may be requested by phone. | (314) 622-4238 or (573) 635-4128. https://missourilawyershelp.org/ |
When to hire an attorney
In Missouri, a personal representative who is not a lawyer cannot appear in court except through an attorney, although the personal representative may prepare and file their own inventories and settlements (RSMo 473.153.7). Counsel is especially important in a City of St. Louis full administration, a contested will, a sale of real estate, creditor disputes, unclear heirs, bond issues or any hearing where a personal representative must appear. Small estate affidavits (RSMo 473.097) and refusal of letters (RSMo 473.090) do not appoint a personal representative, so that attorney-appearance rule does not reach those no-letters routes in the same way. Sunset connects to a vetted attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 institutions to help identify bank, investment, insurance, retirement and other accounts that may matter for estate settlement in the City of St. Louis.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset organizes the facts, debts, heirs and asset information so the family can work from the correct City of St. Louis packet, whether the next step is letters, a small estate affidavit, refusal of letters or attorney review.
Find a local probate attorney. When full administration, court appearances or real estate issues make counsel the safer path, Sunset connects families with a vetted probate attorney familiar with Missouri estate settlement.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset's estate settlement tools, asset discovery and attorney matching without paying Sunset.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate for someone who lived in the City of St. Louis?
File with the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, 22nd Judicial Circuit, at 10 North Tucker Boulevard on the 10th floor. The City of St. Louis is not part of St. Louis County, and Missouri venue follows the decedent's domicile (RSMo 473.010).
Is the City of St. Louis Probate Division in the Civil Courts Building or the Clyde S. Cahill Courts Building?
Both names refer to the same courthouse at 10 North Tucker Boulevard. The building was renamed the Clyde S. Cahill Courts Building, but court materials still sometimes say Civil Courts Building.
Can I file electronically if I do not have an attorney?
Self-represented filers are not required to e-file. In this circuit, Local Rule 4.4 sends self-represented probate documents to the Clerk of the Probate Division on the 10th floor, and the court's Represent Myself page also describes a secure-email filing route after registering a secure account through the Missouri Judiciary system.
Can I use [email protected] to file documents?
No. The Probate Division says that email address is not for filing cases or documents. Use the court's in-person probate counter or the secure-email process described on the Represent Myself page.
What does it cost to open a decedent estate in the City of St. Louis?
On the Probate Division schedule revised July 2024, letters testamentary are $230.50 and letters of administration are $195.50. The same July 2024 schedule also lists probate of will at $100.50, refusal of letters at $100.50, small estate without a will at $100.50 and determination of heirship at $100.50.
Who pays publication costs in the City of St. Louis?
The filer pays the publisher directly. The July 2024 schedule says the Probate Division no longer collects publication costs. After filings are processed, the Monitor or the Daily Record invoices the filer directly.
When are City of St. Louis decedent estate hearings?
Under the circuit's standing probate duty order, decedent estate hearings and motion hearings are Friday matters, alternating between the Probate Court Commissioner and the Probate Court Deputy Commissioner. Ask the Probate Division for the exact setting.
Can I attend a City of St. Louis decedent estate hearing by video?
Do not assume that you can. The Probate Division's current notice says hearings are in person except mental health matters. The court still publishes a Webex address and a video-hearing waiver form, so ask the division before the hearing if you need another arrangement.
How do I look up a City of St. Louis probate case?
Use Case.net at https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/ and search by the decedent's name. Case.net shows public case information such as docket entries and parties, but do not expect to read the will or all filings online.
Do I have to travel to the City of St. Louis courthouse?
A self-represented filer may need to go to the 10th-floor Probate Division counter unless using the circuit's registered secure-email process. Hearings are generally in person under the Probate Division's current notice, except mental health matters, so ask the division before relying on any remote option.
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.