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Reynolds County, MO Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Reynolds County information |
|---|---|
| Court | Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Reynolds County |
| Courthouse address | Reynolds County Courthouse, 2319 Greene Street, Centerville, MO 63633 |
| Mailing | No separate court mailing address is posted. If you plan to mail probate papers, call the circuit clerk first for mailing instructions. |
| Phone | (573) 648-2494. No separate probate phone line is posted. |
| Fax | No fax number is posted for Reynolds County court offices. |
| Hours | Public listings differ between 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call before traveling. No lunch closure or filing cutoff is posted. |
| Court costs | Reynolds County does not post a local probate cost sheet. The state component includes $115 when original letters are applied for, plus $50 for each additional $50,000 of final inventory value above $50,000 up to $500,000, capped at $565.00, with one certified copy included. Other state components include $35 for refusal of letters, $35 for collection of a small estate, $35 for determination of heirship, $35 to admit a will to probate, $3 to receive and keep a will, $30 for each additional 12 months an estate remains open, $1 per copied page and $1.50 per seal, all under Court Operating Rule 21.01, effective September 1, 2023. Ask the Centerville clerk what local surcharges make the total for your filing. |
| Local forms | No Reynolds County probate packet, cover sheet or checklist is posted. Use the Missouri Judiciary probate forms page and ask the clerk whether the counter wants any additional local item. |
| E-filing | Attorneys use the Missouri eFiling System. Self-represented filers are not required to e-file under Court Operating Rule 27.03(b)(4). A self-represented probate filer should expect to file in person or by mail unless the clerk says a specific electronic option is open for that filing. |
| Case search | Case.net, https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/. The 42nd Judicial Circuit help page states that Reynolds County probate case information is available for public cases pending as of, or filed after, April 9, 2001. |
| Remote appearance | No Reynolds County probate remote-appearance rule is posted. If a hearing is set remotely, the notice of hearing and Case.net scheduled-hearings information should show it. |
| Website | Missouri Judiciary Reynolds County local rules and filing information page |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you choose a Reynolds County filing path, make a complete list of the decedent's accounts, real estate, vehicles, debts, funeral expenses, beneficiary designations and co-owned property. The right filing can change if a Reynolds County home passed by co-ownership or beneficiary deed, or if a bank account already has a payable-on-death beneficiary.
Sunset's 2,300-institution asset discovery helps families find accounts and assets before the Centerville filing is assembled. That early inventory makes estate settlement easier because you can tell whether you are preparing a full administration, a small estate affidavit, a refusal of letters or another Missouri probate filing.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Reynolds County probate filings are handled at the Reynolds County Courthouse in Centerville. A decedent's estate is filed there if Reynolds County was the county of the decedent's domicile, whether the decedent lived in Centerville or elsewhere in the county (RSMo 473.010).
Reynolds County is part of the 42nd Judicial Circuit with Crawford, Dent, Iron and Wayne counties, but a shared circuit is not a shared courthouse. Do not file a Reynolds County estate in Steelville, Salem, Ironton or Greenville. Missouri has forty-six judicial circuits (RSMo 478.011), and Reynolds County keeps its own courthouse and clerk's office for Reynolds County filings.
The jurisdiction process
- Choose the Missouri path and forms. Use the statewide Missouri Judiciary probate forms for the filing type, such as a full administration, small estate affidavit, refusal of letters or determination of heirship. Reynolds County does not post a separate local probate packet.
- Prepare the filing for the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Reynolds County. If there is an original will, deliver it to the probate division with the filing. If you are mailing papers, call (573) 648-2494 first for the correct mailing instructions because no separate court mailing address is posted.
- File at the Reynolds County Courthouse, 2319 Greene Street, Centerville, MO 63633. If you are a self-represented filer, expect an in-person or mail filing unless the clerk tells you that a specific electronic option is open for your filing. Attorneys use the Missouri eFiling System.
- Pay the court costs quoted by the Centerville clerk. Reynolds County does not post a local probate cost sheet, so ask for the current total for your filing. The state component is set by Court Operating Rule 21.01, effective September 1, 2023, and includes the $115 original-letters component plus any inventory-value component up to the $565.00 cap.
- Complete notice. In a full administration, the clerk causes notice of letters to be published once a week for four consecutive weeks, and Missouri's creditor clocks run from the first published notice or from mailed or served notice, depending on the creditor (RSMo 473.033, RSMo 473.360, RSMo 473.444).
- Watch for hearing instructions. Reynolds County does not post a regular probate hearing day. Use the notice of hearing and Case.net to see the date, time and whether the court has allowed any remote appearance.
- Obtain authority after the court acts. If the court appoints a personal representative, the authority document will be letters testamentary when there is a will or letters of administration when there is no will.
- Administer and close the estate. The personal representative inventories assets, handles claims, pays approved expenses and distributes property. The inventory is due within thirty days after letters are granted unless the court gives more time (RSMo 473.233). Independent administration, if authorized in the letters, has its own closing process after six months and ten days from the first published notice (RSMo 473.780 through 473.840).
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Reynolds County
The Reynolds County Judiciary page does not post a Reynolds County probate packet, cover sheet or local checklist. Start with the Missouri Judiciary probate forms page, then call the Reynolds County circuit clerk at (573) 648-2494 if you are unsure what the Centerville counter wants with your filing.
| Form source | What it provides | Local note |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri Judiciary probate forms | Statewide PR forms for Missouri probate filings, including small estate, refusal of letters and heirship applications. | Use the statewide forms because Reynolds County does not post its own probate packet. |
| Reynolds County local rules and filing information page | Links for 42nd Judicial Circuit local rules. | No Reynolds County probate forms section is posted on that page. |
| Reynolds County circuit clerk | Counter instructions for filings in Centerville. | Call before mailing, especially if you need the current cost total or mailing instructions. |
Recent updates
Scenarios
| Situation | Local path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with co-owned home | Start by confirming how the Reynolds County home was titled. If a refusal of letters fits, the surviving-spouse path is keyed to exempt property and the one-year support allowance, not to a fixed dollar cap (RSMo 473.090). File at the Centerville courthouse. If real estate moves under the order, record a certified copy with the recorder of deeds for Reynolds County. | Sunset helps identify accounts, deeds and beneficiary designations before the spouse chooses a filing path, then assembles the Reynolds County packet. |
| Out-of-state adult child with small estate | Call (573) 648-2494 before mailing papers because Reynolds County does not post a separate court mailing address or local cost sheet. The small estate affidavit applies when the net value of the entire estate does not exceed $40,000 (RSMo 473.097, effective August 28, 2002), and the clerk's certificate is the document a bank or title company will want. | Sunset can search for assets from wherever you live, organize the small-estate information and prepare the packet for the Centerville filing. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A sale of Reynolds County real estate often requires full administration. 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). Plan around the Centerville courthouse and call before traveling because the posted hours are not consistent. | Sunset gathers the asset picture, prepares the estate settlement materials and connects the family with a local probate attorney for the court appearance and sale steps. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it helps with | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Reynolds County local rules and filing information, Missouri Courts | Judiciary page for Reynolds County, including links for 42nd Judicial Circuit local rules. | Use it as the court's Reynolds County starting page, not as a probate forms packet. |
| Case.net, https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/ | Statewide public case lookup for Missouri circuit courts, including Reynolds County probate cases. | Search by the decedent's name in a browser to follow the docket after filing. |
| Missouri Judiciary probate forms | Statewide court-approved PR probate forms. | Use these forms when Reynolds County has not posted a local packet. |
| Missouri Revisor of Statutes, https://revisor.mo.gov/ | Official Missouri statutes and constitution. | Use it to read the RSMo sections cited on this page. |
| The Missouri Bar, Probate Law Resource Guide, https://missourilawyershelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Probate-Guide-Updated-2024.pdf | Consumer probate guide from The Missouri Bar. | Treat it as general education, not as a Reynolds County court checklist. |
| Legal Services of Southern Missouri, Rolla office, https://www.lsmo.org/page/951/offices | Free civil legal aid for eligible low-income Missourians in Reynolds County. | Call the Rolla office at (573) 341-3655 and let intake decide whether the issue is within its services. |
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 when a Reynolds County estate needs full administration, a hearing, a sale of real estate, creditor disputes or a contested family issue. Sunset connects families to a vetted attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 financial institutions, organizes known property and helps you understand what belongs in the Reynolds County estate settlement before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the asset information, family information and chosen Missouri path into a filing packet for the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Reynolds County.
Find a local probate attorney. When a Reynolds County personal representative needs to appear in court or sell estate real estate, Sunset can connect the family with a vetted Missouri probate attorney.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to find assets, prepare for estate settlement and get matched with the right probate support without paying Sunset a fee.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file to probate a will in Reynolds County?
File with the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Reynolds County at the Reynolds County Courthouse, 2319 Greene Street, Centerville, MO 63633. If you plan to mail papers, call (573) 648-2494 first because no separate court mailing address is posted.
Reynolds County shares a judicial circuit with four other counties. Do I have to go to another county's courthouse?
No. Reynolds County is in the 42nd Judicial Circuit with Crawford, Dent, Iron and Wayne counties, but Reynolds County estates are handled at the courthouse in Centerville. Venue for letters is the county of the decedent's domicile (RSMo 473.010).
When is the courthouse in Centerville open?
Public listings differ. One lists 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and another lists 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call (573) 648-2494 before traveling, especially if you are coming from outside Reynolds County.
Can I file a Reynolds County probate case myself, or do I have to e-file?
Attorneys use the Missouri eFiling System. Self-represented filers are not required to e-file under Court Operating Rule 27.03(b)(4), and a self-represented Reynolds County probate filer should expect to file in person or by mail unless the clerk says a specific electronic option is open for that filing.
What does it cost to open an estate in Reynolds County?
Reynolds County does not post a local probate cost sheet. The state component for original letters is $115, with an added $50 for each additional $50,000 of final inventory value above $50,000 up to $500,000, capped at $565.00, under Court Operating Rule 21.01, effective September 1, 2023. Local surcharges can affect the total, so ask the Centerville clerk for the amount due for your filing.
Does Reynolds County have its own probate forms?
No Reynolds County probate packet, cover sheet or local checklist is posted. Use the Missouri Judiciary probate forms page and ask the Reynolds County circuit clerk whether the counter wants anything else with your filing.
Can I look up a Reynolds County estate case online?
Yes. Use Case.net at https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/. The 42nd Judicial Circuit help page states that Reynolds County probate case information is available for public cases pending as of, or filed after, April 9, 2001.
Do I need a lawyer for a Reynolds County estate?
It depends on the filing. A small estate affidavit or refusal of letters does not appoint a personal representative, so it does not create the same appearance issue. In a full administration, 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).
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.