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Cole County, MO Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Cole County detail |
|---|---|
| Court | Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Cole County, 19th Judicial Circuit |
| Courthouse address | Cole County Courthouse, 301 East High Street, Room 305, Jefferson City, MO 65101 |
| Mailing address | Probate Division, P.O. Box 1870, Jefferson City, MO 65102 |
| Probate phone | (573) 634-9177, Option 4 |
| Probate fax | (573) 634-9208 |
| The probate division publishes a phone and fax rather than an email address. | |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, legal holidays excepted. Court sessions begin at 9:00 a.m. unless the court orders otherwise. |
| Court cost to open a decedent estate | $157.00 without a will or $192.00 with a will, as amended January 4, 2022. Additional inventory-value charges may apply under Court Operating Rule 21.01, effective September 1, 2023. |
| Local probate forms | No Cole County local probate packet or cover sheet is published. Cole County directs filers to Missouri Judiciary forms. |
| E-filing | Attorneys file through the Missouri eFiling System. Self-represented filers are not required to e-file, and should ask the probate clerk what the counter will accept for the filing they plan to make. |
| Case search | Case.net, the Missouri Judiciary statewide case search, is used to follow Cole County probate dockets. |
| Remote appearance | Some dockets may allow Webex. Check the Scheduled Hearings and Trials tab for the case in Case.net. |
| Website | https://www.colecounty.org/342/Probate-Division |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you choose a filing path in Cole County, make a working list of the decedent's assets, debts, co-owners, beneficiary designations, and any real estate in or outside Cole County. That first inventory decides whether the estate settlement needs full administration, a small estate affidavit, a refusal of letters, or another Missouri procedure.
Sunset's asset discovery searches more than 2,300 financial institutions, helping families find accounts, insurance, retirement assets, and liabilities before they prepare the Cole County probate packet or decide whether a lawyer should open the estate.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Cole County Courthouse in Jefferson City serves probate matters for all of Cole County. Cole County alone makes up Missouri's 19th Judicial Circuit, so the filing location for Cole County probate is Room 305 at 301 East High Street in Jefferson City.
Missouri venue for probating a will and granting letters is the county where the decedent was domiciled, and later orders, settlements, and proceedings in the estate stay in the county where letters were granted (RSMo 473.010). Missouri has forty-six judicial circuits (RSMo 478.011).
The jurisdiction process
- List the estate before you file. Identify probate assets, nonprobate transfers, debts, funeral expenses, and any Cole County real estate. This keeps the estate settlement from starting in the wrong procedure.
- Choose the Missouri path that fits the assets. Cole County uses the same statewide paths as the rest of Missouri, including full administration, small estate affidavit, refusal of letters, and determination of heirship when the statutory conditions fit.
- Use the Missouri Judiciary forms. Cole County publishes no local probate packet, and its Court Forms page directs filers to the Missouri Judiciary forms page. A filing information sheet is required on each case filed.
- Prepare the original documents for Room 305. If there is an original will, deliver it to the probate division on paper. Cole County filing guidelines ask filers to include a cover letter with original court documents giving instructions for the clerk, and Local Rule 3.2 requires filings of more than one sheet to be securely bound at the top with page numbers at the bottom.
- File with the probate division. File in person at the Cole County Courthouse, 301 East High Street, Room 305, Jefferson City, or mail the packet to the Probate Division, P.O. Box 1870, Jefferson City, MO 65102. The probate division's direct line is (573) 634-9177, Option 4.
- Pay the Cole County court cost or request cost relief. Cole County's filing fees and costs order lists $157.00 for a decedent estate without a will, $192.00 for a decedent estate with a will, $77.00 for a small estate affidavit without a will, $112.00 for a small estate affidavit with a will, and $77.00 for a refusal of letters, all as amended January 4, 2022. Local Rule 5.4 uses the statewide Affidavit in Support of Request to Proceed in Forma Pauperis for a request to proceed without paying costs.
- Use electronic or transmitted filing only within the rules. Attorneys file through the Missouri eFiling System. Local Rule 4.7 also authorizes facsimile or electronic transmission of petitions and other pleadings in accordance with Supreme Court rules, but the appropriate fee must reach the clerk the same working day and the filer keeps the original.
- Watch the docket and hearing setting. Cole County posts schedules and dockets through its Calendars and Dockets page, and Case.net shows the case's Scheduled Hearings and Trials tab. Some dockets may allow Webex if a virtual hearing room is shown.
- Handle notice after letters issue. In a full administration, after letters testamentary or letters of administration are issued, the clerk causes notice to creditors to be published once a week for four consecutive weeks (RSMo 473.033). Under Cole County's own filing fees and costs order, the newspaper charge is the filer's responsibility, and Missouri's creditor claim deadlines then run.
- Use the authority document and record real estate papers when needed. A personal representative uses letters testamentary or letters of administration to deal with banks, buyers, and title companies. If a small estate certificate or certified refusal order is used to move Cole County real estate, take the recording step at the Cole County Recorder of Deeds, 311 East High Street, Room 101, in the Courthouse Annex.
- Administer and close the estate. After letters are granted, follow the Missouri inventory requirement (RSMo 473.233), pay allowed claims and expenses, account to the court or interested parties as the procedure requires, and complete the closing steps for the chosen Missouri administration path.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Cole County
Cole County publishes no local probate forms, no probate packet, no local cover sheet, and no local probate checklist. Its Court Forms page sends filers to the Missouri Judiciary forms, and the 19th Judicial Circuit's Local Rule 72 for probate says there is no local probate rule.
| Form or filing | How it is used in Cole County |
|---|---|
| FI-50 Confidential Case Filing Information Sheet | Required on each case filed. The Missouri Judiciary forms page lists this probate and non-domestic relations filing information sheet as updated July 2025. |
| PR 16 Affidavit to Establish Title of Distributee, Small Estate, Intestate | Used for a small estate when there is no will and the statutory small estate procedure is being used (RSMo 473.097). |
| Affidavit to Establish Title of Distributee, Small Estate, Testate | Used for a small estate when the will has been or is being admitted to probate. The Missouri Judiciary forms page carries this form under its title. |
| PR 22 Exhibit A | Property listing exhibit used with refusal of letters, small estate, and heirship filings. |
| PR 23 Application of Creditor for Refusal of Letters | Used when a creditor seeks refusal of letters under Missouri law (RSMo 473.090). |
| PR 25 Application of Unmarried Minor Children for Refusal of Letters | Used for the refusal of letters path for unmarried minor children under Missouri law (RSMo 473.090). |
| PR 28 Petition for Determination of Heirship | Used when the Missouri determination of heirship procedure is the proper route (RSMo 473.663). |
| PR 33 Application of Surviving Spouse for Refusal of Letters | Used for the refusal of letters path for a surviving spouse under Missouri law (RSMo 473.090). |
| PR 75 Election of Surviving Spouse | Used when a surviving spouse makes the statutory election addressed by that statewide form. |
Fees
Cole County's court costs for probate filings are published in the 19th Judicial Circuit's local court rules as a filing fees and costs administrative order. The order is dated effective January 1, 2003, with amendments through January 4, 2022, and the court's own guidance tells filers to look to the local court rules for fee information.
| Filing or cost item | Cole County amount |
|---|---|
| Open a decedent estate without a will | $157.00, as amended January 4, 2022 |
| Open a decedent estate with a will | $192.00, as amended January 4, 2022 |
| Small estate affidavit without a will | $77.00, as amended January 4, 2022 |
| Small estate affidavit with a will | $112.00, as amended January 4, 2022 |
| Refusal of letters | $77.00, as amended January 4, 2022 |
| Will deposited for safekeeping during the maker's lifetime | $5.00, as amended January 4, 2022 |
| Minimum copy request charge | $3.00, as amended January 4, 2022 |
The state component of the cost when original letters are applied for is $115, and the final inventory can add $50 for each additional $50,000 of inventory value up to $500,000, with total fees under that section capped at $565.00 (Court Operating Rule 21.01, effective September 1, 2023). The same rule sets copies at $1 per copied page and $1.50 per seal on a certified or authenticated copy, effective September 1, 2023. Cole County accepts cash, personal check, certified check, business check, money order, debit or credit card through approved merchant accounts, court debit accounts, or the equivalent, and card merchant fees may apply.
Local nuance
Cole County-specific considerations
| Local point | What to know |
|---|---|
| Probate counter | Probate filings go to Room 305 of the Cole County Courthouse. The probate division has its own line, (573) 634-9177, Option 4, and its own fax, (573) 634-9208. |
| Costs in local rules | The 19th Judicial Circuit publishes probate costs in an administrative order attached to its local court rules, and the court directs filers to the Local Court Rules tab for fee information. |
| Transmitted filings | Local Rule 4.7 authorizes facsimile or electronic transmission of petitions and other pleadings in accordance with Supreme Court rules, but the appropriate fee must reach the clerk the same working day. The filing time is when the last page is accepted at the circuit clerk's office. |
| Original documents | Cole County filing guidelines ask for a cover letter with original court documents giving instructions for the clerk. Local Rule 3.2 requires filings of more than one sheet to be securely bound at the top with page numbers at the bottom. |
| Remote appearance | Some dockets may allow remote appearance by Webex. Check Case.net for the case's Scheduled Hearings and Trials tab to see whether a virtual hearing room is available. |
| Counter hours and electronic deadline | The counter is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, legal holidays excepted. Under Local Rule 101.06, a document filed through the electronic filing system is timely until 11:59:59 p.m. central time. |
| Public court documents | Local Rule 11 says access to public court documents is made through public access terminals in the courthouse. Copy requests are handled at (573) 634-9173. |
| Recorder of Deeds | Real estate paperwork following a small estate certificate or a refusal order is recorded at the Cole County Recorder of Deeds, 311 East High Street, Room 101, in the Courthouse Annex. The recorder's office is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, legal holidays excepted. |
Recent updates
| Update | What changes |
|---|---|
| Recorder of Deeds charges | The Cole County Recorder of Deeds publishes a statewide $2.00 recording charge increase effective August 28, 2026. On that date, recording a one-page document starts at $26.00 and recording a two-page document starts at $29.00, according to the recorder's fee table. |
Page last reviewed: August 2026.
Scenarios
| Scenario | Likely Cole County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with co-owned home | Start with the probate division in Room 305 or call (573) 634-9177, Option 4. A surviving spouse may ask whether refusal of letters fits, using PR 33 and PR 22 when that Missouri path applies (RSMo 473.090). Cole County's refusal of letters cost is $77.00, as amended January 4, 2022. If an order must move Cole County real estate, record a certified copy with the Recorder of Deeds at 311 East High Street, Room 101. | Sunset helps identify whether the home passed outside probate, gathers account and debt information, and prepares the family to discuss the refusal of letters path with the clerk or a lawyer. |
| Out-of-state adult child with small estate | Call (573) 634-9177, Option 4 before mailing papers to the Probate Division, P.O. Box 1870, Jefferson City, MO 65102. Any original will must reach the probate division on paper. Cole County's small estate affidavit cost is $77.00 without a will or $112.00 with a will, as amended January 4, 2022. Case.net can be used to follow the docket, and some dockets may allow Webex. | Sunset helps find financial accounts, organize the property list for the small estate affidavit, and reduce back-and-forth when the filer cannot easily travel to Jefferson City. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A sale of Cole County real estate from the estate usually points to full administration in the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Cole County. Cole County lists $157.00 to open a decedent estate without a will or $192.00 with a will, as amended January 4, 2022, plus inventory-value charges under Court Operating Rule 21.01, effective September 1, 2023. Because a non-lawyer personal representative cannot appear in court except through an attorney (RSMo 473.153.7), counsel is usually involved in this scenario. | Sunset helps locate assets and debts, assemble the estate settlement information a lawyer needs, and connect the family with a vetted local probate attorney. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Cole County Probate Division | Room, phone, fax, mailing address, and local probate counter information for filings in Cole County. | 301 East High Street, Room 305, Jefferson City, MO 65101. Phone (573) 634-9177, Option 4. |
| 19th Judicial Circuit local court rules | Local rules, the filing fees and costs order, transmitted filing rule, counter hours, and cost relief rule. | https://www.colecounty.org/395/Local-Court-Rules |
| Cole County calendars and dockets | Shows docket information and directs parties to check Case.net for Webex virtual hearing room availability. | https://www.colecounty.org/354/Calendars-and-Dockets |
| Case.net | Missouri statewide public case search for following a Cole County probate docket in a browser. | https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/ |
| Missouri Judiciary probate forms | Statewide probate forms, including the FI-50 filing information sheet required on each case filed. | Missouri Judiciary Probate Court Forms page |
| Mid-Missouri Legal Services | Free civil legal aid intake for eligible low-income Missourians in Cole County. Intake decides whether the program can help with the issue. | https://mmls.org/. Phone (573) 442-0116 or (800) 568-4931. |
| The Missouri Bar Probate Law Resource Guide | Consumer guide from The Missouri Bar for general Missouri probate information. | https://missourilawyershelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Probate-Guide-Updated-2024.pdf |
When to hire an attorney
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). A small estate affidavit (RSMo 473.097) and a refusal of letters (RSMo 473.090) appoint no personal representative, so they are the Cole County paths a family may be able to handle without counsel. Counsel usually makes sense for a full administration, especially when Cole County real estate must be sold, an heir objects, a creditor claim is disputed, or the personal representative lives outside Missouri. Sunset connects families to a vetted local probate attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions to help families locate accounts, insurance, retirement assets, and liabilities before filing in Cole County. That gives the estate settlement a clearer starting point and helps avoid missed assets after letters or a small estate certificate issue.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the family questionnaire, asset list, and document uploads into an organized probate packet for the Missouri path that fits the estate. For Cole County, that means keeping the packet ready for Room 305, the P.O. Box, or review by a local attorney.
Find a local probate attorney. When full administration is needed or a personal representative must appear in court, Sunset can connect the family with a vetted Missouri probate attorney familiar with estate settlement work.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to organize assets, generate documents, and connect with counsel at no cost. Sunset is paid by partners when a family chooses optional services, not by the Cole County court.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Cole County?
File with the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Cole County at the Cole County Courthouse, 301 East High Street, Room 305, Jefferson City, MO 65101. Mail should be addressed to the Probate Division, P.O. Box 1870, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
What is the Cole County probate phone number?
The probate division's direct number is (573) 634-9177, Option 4. The probate fax is (573) 634-9208.
How much does it cost to open a decedent estate in Cole County?
Cole County's filing fees and costs order lists $157.00 to open a decedent estate without a will and $192.00 to open a decedent estate with a will, as amended January 4, 2022. Inventory-value charges may also apply under Court Operating Rule 21.01, effective September 1, 2023.
Does Cole County have its own probate forms?
No. Cole County publishes no local probate packet or local probate cover sheet. Its Court Forms page directs filers to the Missouri Judiciary forms page, and the Missouri Judiciary forms page includes the FI-50 filing information sheet required on each case filed.
Can I e-file a probate case in Cole County?
Attorneys file through the Missouri eFiling System. Self-represented filers are not required to e-file, and Cole County does not publish a probate-specific order stating which self-represented filings the statewide system will accept. Call the probate clerk at (573) 634-9177, Option 4 before relying on electronic filing for a self-represented probate filing.
Can I fax or electronically transmit a filing to Cole County?
Local Rule 4.7 authorizes facsimile or electronic transmission of petitions and other pleadings in accordance with Supreme Court rules, but the appropriate fee must be received the same working day. If the whole document is not received or is illegible, the transmission is not treated as filed.
Can I appear remotely for a Cole County probate hearing?
Some Cole County dockets may allow remote appearance by Webex. Check the case in Case.net, under Scheduled Hearings and Trials, for virtual hearing room availability.
How do I look up a Cole County probate case?
Use Case.net, the Missouri Judiciary statewide case search, in a browser. Public Case.net generally shows docket information. For public court documents that are not available through the public docket view, Local Rule 11 points to public access terminals in the courthouse.
Do I have to travel to Jefferson City if I live out of state?
Not always. Many filings can be mailed to the Probate Division, P.O. Box 1870, Jefferson City, MO 65102, and some dockets may allow Webex. Call (573) 634-9177, Option 4 before mailing an original will or relying on a remote appearance.
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.