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Columbia County, NY Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Columbia County Surrogate's Court, one of the 62 county Surrogate's Courts in New York; there is no separate probate court, register of wills, or probate division of another court |
| Filing office | Chief Clerk of the Surrogate's Court |
| Courthouse | Columbia County Courthouse, 401 Union Street, Hudson, NY 12534; the shared courthouse also houses the Supreme, County, and Family Courts |
| Phone | (518) 267-3149 (Surrogate's Court clerk's office); the shared courthouse main line is (518) 267-3150 |
| Fax | (518) 267-3126 |
| [email protected] | |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:45 AM to 4:30 PM (the shared courthouse is open to 4:45 PM) |
| Filing fee | Set statewide by SCPA 2402 (Surrogate's Court Procedure Act) on a sliding scale keyed to the value of the estate, from $45 for an estate under $10,000 to $1,250 for an estate of $500,000 or more, plus $1 for a small estate handled by voluntary administration under SCPA Article 13. The schedule is uniform in every county; there is no Columbia County add-on (verified July 2026) |
| Local probate forms | None beyond the statewide official Surrogate's Court forms; the same forms are used in every county's Surrogate's Court |
| E-filing | Mandatory through NYSCEF for probate, administration, ancillary, small estate, judicial settlement, guardianship, wrongful death, and miscellaneous proceedings commenced on or after February 1, 2021. Attorneys must e-file unless they certify a lack of equipment or knowledge or the court excuses them; self-represented filers are exempt and may e-file, file on paper at the clerk's office, or file by mail |
| Online case search | WebSurrogate, the statewide Surrogate's Court case search (coverage varies by county), and the NYSCEF case search for e-filed cases |
| Remote appearance | Not published for Columbia County; ask the Surrogate's Court clerk's office at (518) 267-3149 whether a virtual appearance is available for your matter |
| Website | https://www.nycourts.gov/courts/3rd-judicial-district/columbia-county-court |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Columbia County, know exactly what is in the estate. Which New York path fits depends on whether there is a will and on the value and type of the assets: a probate proceeding under SCPA Article 14 when there is a will, an administration proceeding under SCPA Article 10 when there is not, or voluntary administration under SCPA Article 13 for a qualifying small estate. Those paths and their dollar thresholds are statewide and are explained on the New York state page; identify the estate first so you file the right petition once.
Identify every bank and credit-union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life-insurance policy, vehicle, and parcel of real property, along with every debt, before you go to the Surrogate's Court. In a county like Columbia it is common for a decedent to have owned a home in Hudson or one of the surrounding towns, farmland, or a second home, and how that real property is titled matters, because a jointly owned home or a beneficiary-designated account passes outside probate while real property in the decedent's sole name does not. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Columbia County Surrogate's Court serves all of Columbia County, the Hudson Valley county whose communities include the city of Hudson, the county seat, along with Kinderhook, Valatie, Chatham, Philmont, Claverack, Ghent, Copake, Hillsdale, Germantown, and Livingston. There is one Surrogate's Court for the county, and it sits in the Columbia County Courthouse in Hudson, the same building that houses the Supreme, County, and Family Courts. Every Columbia County estate is filed with the Chief Clerk of the Surrogate's Court at that courthouse.
Venue for a decedent's estate is the county where the decedent was domiciled at death (SCPA 205). If the decedent lived in Columbia County, file with the Columbia County Surrogate's Court. If the decedent was not a New York domiciliary but left property in the county, venue can also lie here under SCPA 206, which is the basis for an ancillary proceeding when a will has already been admitted to probate in the decedent's home state. When you file, name Columbia County as the venue for the case.
The jurisdiction process
- Gather the documents. Collect the original signed will (if there is one), a certified copy of the death certificate, the names and addresses of the decedent's distributees (the heirs at law), the proposed fiduciary's information, and a list of the assets and debts with values.
- Identify the proceeding. With a will, the named executor files a probate proceeding under SCPA Article 14 and the court issues Letters Testamentary. With no will, a distributee files an administration proceeding under SCPA Article 10 and the court issues Letters of Administration to the administrator. A qualifying small estate can proceed by voluntary administration under SCPA Article 13 (SCPA 1301), which ends in Letters of Voluntary Administration. The governing thresholds are statewide and are on the New York state page.
- Prepare the forms. New York uses one statewide set of official Surrogate's Court forms in every county. File the Petition for Probate (Form P-1) with a will, the Petition for Letters of Administration (Form A-1) without one, or the Affidavit of Voluntary Administration for a small estate. A self-represented filer can build the small-estate affidavit through the NY CourtHelp Small Estate do-it-yourself program.
- File with the Surrogate's Court. Columbia County Surrogate's Court is a mandatory NYSCEF e-filing court for probate, administration, ancillary, small estate, guardianship, and related proceedings commenced on or after February 1, 2021. An attorney must e-file through NYSCEF unless excused; a self-represented filer is exempt and may e-file, file on paper at the clerk's office at the Columbia County Courthouse, 401 Union Street, Hudson, or file by mail. When you file electronically, select Columbia County as the venue.
- Pay the filing fee. The fee is set statewide by SCPA 2402 on a sliding scale keyed to the value of the estate, from $45 for an estate under $10,000 to $1,250 for an estate of $500,000 or more, and it is $1 for a small estate handled by voluntary administration (verified July 2026). NYSCEF credit-card payments add a 2.9% processing fee; the statutory fee itself does not change. The court also accepts payment by check or cash at the clerk's office.
- Give notice to the distributees. The petitioner obtains signed waivers and consents from the distributees where possible, or asks the court to issue a citation to those who do not sign. In an e-filed case the filer submits a proposed citation through NYSCEF, the court completes it and posts it to NYSCEF, and the filer then prints and serves it in accordance with the SCPA.
- Attend a hearing only if one is scheduled. Many uncontested probate and administration matters are decided on the papers without an appearance. If a hearing is set, it is held at the Columbia County Courthouse in Hudson; ask the clerk's office at (518) 267-3149 whether it can be handled virtually.
- Receive the authority document. On appointment the court issues Letters Testamentary (with a will), Letters of Administration (intestate), or Letters of Voluntary Administration (small estate). A certified copy of the letters is what banks and transfer agents rely on, so request enough certified copies for the institutions involved; the court mails Letters and Certificates of Appointment when you provide a prepaid self-addressed envelope.
- Administer and close the estate. Inventory the assets, pay valid debts and claims (a fiduciary who distributes assets after seven months from the issuance of letters is protected under SCPA 1802), distribute what remains to the beneficiaries or distributees, and account to the court to close the estate.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Columbia County
New York has one statewide set of official Surrogate's Court forms, and Columbia County uses the same forms as every other county; there is no separate Columbia County probate form set. The load-bearing forms are the Petition for Probate (Form P-1), filed by the executor named in a will, the Petition for Letters of Administration (Form A-1), filed by a distributee when there is no will, and the Affidavit of Voluntary Administration, used for a qualifying small estate. These are the official Surrogate's Court forms promulgated under the Surrogate's Court regulations and published on the statewide forms hub.
In Columbia County these forms are filed through NYSCEF (mandatory for attorneys, optional for self-represented filers), or on paper at the clerk's office in the Columbia County Courthouse in Hudson or by mail. A self-represented filer settling a small estate can generate a completed Affidavit of Voluntary Administration through the NY CourtHelp Small Estate do-it-yourself program. For questions about local intake or what the clerk's office needs, call the Surrogate's Court at (518) 267-3149 or email [email protected].
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| New York Surrogate's Court forms (nycourts.gov) | The statewide official Surrogate's Court forms, including the Petition for Probate (P-1) and the Petition for Letters of Administration (A-1) |
| NY CourtHelp Small Estate DIY program (nycourts.gov) | A guided do-it-yourself program that builds a completed Affidavit of Voluntary Administration for a qualifying small estate |
| NYSCEF e-filing (iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef) | The statewide e-filing system used to file Columbia County Surrogate's Court petitions; mandatory for attorneys, optional for self-represented filers |
| Columbia County Surrogate's Court | The court's page on nycourts.gov, with the courthouse address, the Surrogate's Court hours, phone and fax, and the Chief Clerk of the Surrogate's Court |
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Columbia County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Columbia County home was owned jointly with right of survivorship, it passes to the surviving spouse outside probate on proof of death, so no Surrogate's Court proceeding is needed for the house itself. If other assets stood in the decedent's sole name and there is a will, the spouse files the Petition for Probate (Form P-1) with the Surrogate's Court and, once the will is admitted, receives Letters Testamentary as executor; with no will, the spouse files the Petition for Letters of Administration (Form A-1) and is issued Letters of Administration. | Asset discovery to confirm how the home and accounts are titled and what must go through the court. Packet generation for the P-1 or A-1 filing. A vetted attorney referral if a dispute arises. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | A smaller estate of personal property with no solely owned real property can proceed by voluntary administration under SCPA Article 13 (SCPA 1301), using the Affidavit of Voluntary Administration for a $1 filing fee. Because Columbia County Surrogate's Court is a mandatory NYSCEF court, an out-of-state child can e-file and correspond electronically and, in most matters, avoid traveling to Hudson; papers can also be mailed to the clerk's office at the Columbia County Courthouse. | Asset discovery to confirm the estate qualifies and to locate accounts from out of state. Packet generation for the affidavit, prepared so an out-of-state filer can proceed largely through NYSCEF. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because the estate holds real property that must be sold, it proceeds through a full proceeding rather than voluntary administration: with no will, the parent files the Petition for Letters of Administration (Form A-1), is appointed administrator, and receives Letters of Administration; with a will, the parent probates it under Form P-1. Once the letters issue, the fiduciary can sell the home and distribute the proceeds. Any hearing is held at the Columbia County Courthouse in Hudson. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts and property. Packet generation for the administration or probate filing. Attorney referral, and help if the sale or an heir dispute turns contested. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Columbia County Surrogate's Court, (518) 267-3149, [email protected] (nycourts.gov/courts/3rd-judicial-district/columbia-county-court) | The filing office for probate; local intake questions, hours, and the clerk's office contact in Hudson |
| NY CourtHelp, When Someone Dies and probate (nycourts.gov/courthelp/WhenSomeoneDies/probate.shtml) | Plain-language statewide overviews of probate, administration, and small estates, with step-by-step guidance |
| NY CourtHelp DIY forms, Small Estate program (nycourts.gov/courthelp/diy/smallestate.shtml) | A guided program that builds a completed Affidavit of Voluntary Administration for a qualifying small estate |
| NYSCEF e-filing and case search (iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef) | Registration and help for e-filing in Columbia County Surrogate's Court, plus a case search for e-filed cases |
| Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York (lasnny.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents; its Albany office serves Columbia County |
| LawHelpNY (lawhelpny.org) | Statewide self-help legal information and routing to legal aid and lawyer referral services |
| New York State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (nysba.org) | Referrals to New York probate attorneys statewide, including those serving the Hudson Valley and Capital Region |
When to hire an attorney
Many Columbia County estates are uncontested and can be handled without an attorney: a qualifying small estate moves by voluntary administration, and an ordinary probate or administration is often decided on the papers. Consider counsel when the estate holds real property that must be sold, when a will contest or a dispute among distributees is likely, when the distributees are unknown or hard to identify and a kinship question arises, when the estate is insolvent or creditors are pressing, or when the estate includes a business interest or out-of-state property. An attorney can also manage NYSCEF e-filing, which is mandatory for attorneys in this county, and any contested hearing at the Columbia County Courthouse in Hudson. Sunset can connect families to a vetted New York probate attorney serving Columbia County and the Hudson Valley.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and public records to surface bank and credit-union accounts, retirement plans, brokerage holdings, life insurance, Columbia County real estate, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which New York estate settlement path fits before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the petition for your path (probate, administration, or voluntary administration) and the supporting paperwork, ready to file with the Columbia County Surrogate's Court through NYSCEF, at the clerk's office in Hudson, or by mail.
Find a local probate attorney. When a matter is contested or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted New York probate attorney serving Columbia County.
Sunset is free for families. Revenue comes from bank partners that pay Sunset while estate funds sit in an FDIC-insured estate account ($3M coverage).
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file for probate in Columbia County?
With the Columbia County Surrogate's Court, in the Columbia County Courthouse at 401 Union Street, Hudson, NY 12534, the shared courthouse that also houses the Supreme, County, and Family Courts. New York has no separate probate court; the Surrogate's Court, one per county, handles estates, and petitions are filed with the Chief Clerk of the Surrogate's Court.
Is e-filing required for probate in Columbia County?
Yes for attorneys. Columbia County Surrogate's Court is a mandatory NYSCEF e-filing court for probate, administration, ancillary, small estate, guardianship, and related proceedings commenced on or after February 1, 2021. A self-represented filer is exempt from mandatory e-filing and may file on paper at the Hudson clerk's office or by mail, but may also choose to e-file through NYSCEF.
Do I have to travel to Hudson to settle an estate in Columbia County?
Often no. Because the county's Surrogate's Court uses NYSCEF, most filings and correspondence can be handled electronically, and papers can be mailed to the clerk's office at the Columbia County Courthouse, 401 Union Street, Hudson, NY 12534. If a hearing is scheduled it is held at that courthouse; ask the clerk's office at (518) 267-3149 whether it can be held virtually.
Who hears probate cases in Columbia County?
The Surrogate, sitting in the Columbia County Surrogate's Court, decides probate and administration matters. The Surrogate is elected and can change over time, so this page refers to the court rather than naming the judge. The Chief Clerk of the Surrogate's Court runs the filing office at the courthouse in Hudson.
How do I look up a Columbia County probate case online?
Use WebSurrogate, the statewide Surrogate's Court case search, though its coverage varies by county, and the NYSCEF case search for cases that were e-filed. To confirm a specific filing you can also call the Surrogate's Court clerk's office at (518) 267-3149.
What forms do I need for probate in Columbia County?
The statewide official Surrogate's Court forms, the same ones used in every county. The core forms are the Petition for Probate (Form P-1) when there is a will, the Petition for Letters of Administration (Form A-1) when there is not, and the Affidavit of Voluntary Administration for a qualifying small estate. There is no separate Columbia County form set.
How much does it cost to file probate in Columbia County?
The filing fee is set statewide by SCPA 2402 on a sliding scale keyed to the value of the estate, from $45 for an estate under $10,000 to $1,250 for an estate of $500,000 or more, and it is $1 for a small estate handled by voluntary administration (verified July 2026). The schedule is uniform statewide, so there is no Columbia County add-on; NYSCEF credit-card payments add a 2.9% processing fee, and the court also takes check or cash at the clerk's office.
What is the address of the Columbia County Surrogate's Court?
401 Union Street, Hudson, NY 12534, in the Columbia County Courthouse. That is where the Surrogate's Court clerk's office is and where paper filings and mail should be sent. The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:45 AM to 4:30 PM.
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.