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Auglaize County, OH Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Auglaize County Probate Court, the probate division of the Auglaize County Court of Common Pleas under the Ohio Revised Code (R.C. 2101.01). The Supreme Court of Ohio's trial-court and local-rules directory lists the county's bench as a single entry, the Auglaize County Court of Common Pleas, with no separate probate-division listing, and the court's own rules are one consolidated set covering the Civil, Criminal, Domestic Relations, Probate and Juvenile Divisions. One elected probate judge presides over the Probate, Juvenile and Domestic Relations Divisions together, and the court's own FAQ page calls the office the Probate/Juvenile Court |
| Filing office | The probate court's own office, Suite 119 of the Auglaize County Courthouse in Wapakoneta. The elected probate judge is also the clerk of the probate court (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)), so estates, wills and guardianships are filed with the probate court directly. The Auglaize County Clerk of Courts, (419) 739-6765, Room 043, serves the General, Civil, Criminal and Domestic Relations sides and the Municipal Court, and does not open estates |
| Courthouse | 201 South Willipie Street, Suite 119, Wapakoneta, OH 45895, in the Berea sandstone Auglaize County Courthouse completed in December 1894. The court's own page prints the address as 201 Willipie Street, Suite 119; it is the same building the county's other offices list as 201 South Willipie Street |
| Mailing address | The court publishes no separate post office box. Its own FAQ page directs payments to 201 Willipie Street, Suite 119, Wapakoneta, OH 45895, and mailed filings go to the same street address. Call (419) 739-6778 before mailing an original will or other original document |
| Phone | (419) 739-6778, the number the Auglaize County Probate Court publishes on its own page (verified July 2026). Three neighboring lines in the same suite are easy to confuse with it: (419) 739-6776 is the Juvenile Court, (419) 739-6777 is juvenile probation and (419) 739-6775 is the Domestic Relations Court. (419) 739-6765 is the Clerk of Courts, which does not handle estates |
| Fax | (419) 738-1061, published on the court's own page (verified July 2026). This is also the fax number for filing in the Probate Division under Local Rule 6.1, and it is shared with the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Divisions |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except legal holidays, per the court's own page and FAQ (verified July 2026). The court states that the Probate/Juvenile Court office does not close for lunch, which is not true of every small Ohio probate court. Court sessions for the trial of cases run 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, under Local Rule 2(B). Call (419) 739-6778 before driving to Wapakoneta if your filing is unusual |
| Filing fee | Ohio sets most probate fee items by statute: $35.00 to appoint a fiduciary, $15.00 to probate a will, $60.00 to relieve an estate from administration or grant a summary release, $10.00 for an inventory with appraisement, $12.00 for an account and $1.00 per page for certified copies (R.C. 2101.16(A), effective September 30, 2025). On top of those items each probate court sets its own advance deposit for costs by local rule, up to $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)), and may add computerization and dispute-resolution charges (R.C. 2101.162, R.C. 2101.163). Auglaize County publishes no probate deposit or cost schedule: the deposit schedule in Local Rule 3 of the Uniform Rules of Court is the Clerk of Courts' schedule for civil actions, not the probate court's. The court does publish how it takes payment: cash, check with photo identification, money orders and most major credit cards, with a convenience fee on card payments (court FAQ, verified July 2026). Call (419) 739-6778 and ask what to bring before you file |
| Local forms | Yes, nine of them, alongside the statewide Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio. The court's forms page publishes an Application to File Will for Record Only, a summary-release variant of that application, a Fiduciary's Acceptance, a Transfer of Motor Vehicle and a Special Transfer of Motor Vehicle, plus adult and minor name change packets and birth registration and birth correction forms that belong to non-estate matters. The court's FAQ adds that it has the standard probate forms available at the office |
| E-filing | None published for the Probate Division. The court's e-filing rule, Local Rule 6.2, was repealed on January 30, 2026 and replaced on February 1, 2026 with a rule whose own scope clause covers only the General and Domestic Relations Divisions, and it is run by the Clerk of Courts. The Clerk's own portal, live since April 30, 2026, accepts filings for the Common Pleas Criminal, Civil and Domestic Relations Divisions and for the Municipal Court, and lists no probate option. What the Probate Division does allow is FAX FILING to (419) 738-1061 under Local Rule 6.1, with no extra fee, a 20-page limit, a required cover page, and no original wills or codicils and no pleading that requires a cost deposit. Otherwise you file on paper at the counter in Wapakoneta or by mail |
| Case search | Yes. The court links a CourtView probate record search at https://dockets.auglaizecounty.org/eservicesJVPR from its own page, shared with the Juvenile Division. The court states that document images are available online only for filings after July 1, 2009, and that copies of anything earlier must be requested from the court directly. This is a different system from the Clerk of Courts' CourtView Common Pleas search, which covers the general division. Records in an Auglaize County estate can also be requested from the probate court in person, by mail or by calling (419) 739-6778 |
| Remote appearance | Nothing is published. The Uniform Rules of Court say nothing about telephone or video appearances in a probate matter, and the court's FAQ states that a hearing cannot be continued over the phone and that every continuance request must be in writing. Ask the court at (419) 739-6778 whether a given hearing can be handled remotely |
| Website | https://www2.auglaizecounty.org/courts/probate-court (the court's own page, with the judge, address, hours, phone, fax, duties and the docket link), https://www2.auglaizecounty.org/courts/probate-court/probate-court-faqs (its frequently asked questions, which carry the hours, payment methods and mailing address) and https://www2.auglaizecounty.org/sites/default/files/documents/Uniform%20Rules%20of%20Court%20Revised%20July%201%2C%202026.pdf (the county's Uniform Rules of Court, revised effective July 1, 2026, which govern the Probate Division). Note that only the www2 host resolves for this county |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Auglaize County, know exactly what is in the estate. Which Ohio route fits depends on whether there is a will, on who inherits, and on the value and titling of the assets, because a full administration, a release from administration and a summary release are different filings with different forms and different notice steps. Those routes and their dollar ceilings are statewide and are explained on the Ohio state page. Sorting it out before your first trip matters here because Auglaize County Probate Court publishes no probate cost schedule and has no e-filing, so the counter staff in Suite 119 will tell you what the deposit is when you arrive, and a wrong or incomplete filing means another trip to Wapakoneta, another fax or another round of mail.
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 file. How each asset is titled decides whether it passes through the estate at all: property held jointly with right of survivorship, accounts with a named beneficiary, and land covered by a recorded transfer on death designation affidavit (R.C. 5302.22) go directly to the survivor or beneficiary and never reach the probate court. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step, so that the application you hand across the counter in Wapakoneta lists the estate accurately the first time.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Auglaize County Probate Court in Wapakoneta is the single probate filing office for the whole county. Everything is at one address, Suite 119 of the Auglaize County Courthouse at 201 South Willipie Street, and there is no branch, satellite or district probate office. The court serves every part of the county, including Wapakoneta, the county seat, St. Marys in the west, and the fourteen townships listed on the county's own site: Clay, Duchouquet, German, Goshen, Jackson, Logan, Moulton, Noble, Pusheta, Salem, St. Marys, Union, Washington and Wayne. The county's Municipal Court keeps a second office in St. Marys, but the probate court does not: a St. Marys area family files in Wapakoneta. Because papers can be mailed, and because the Probate Division accepts fax filings under Local Rule 6.1, much of an uncontested estate can be handled without repeated trips, and the drive matters mainly for a hearing.
Venue for an Ohio estate is the county where the decedent was a resident at the time of death (R.C. 2113.01). If the person lived in Auglaize County, file in Auglaize County Probate Court, even if they died in a hospital in Lima, Celina, Dayton or Columbus. Ohio's statute says resident, not domiciled, and the probate court in which the will is admitted is the court that grants letters. Ohio has no probate district, circuit or regional overlay: all 88 counties have their own probate court, seated at the county seat (R.C. 2101.01(A)), and Auglaize County's sits in the 1894 courthouse in Wapakoneta.
The Auglaize County Court of Common Pleas is split among probate, juvenile, domestic relations and general dockets, and only one of them handles estates. The Probate Division, reached at (419) 739-6778, is where wills, estates, guardianships, name changes and marriage licenses are filed, and the court also keeps the county's vital statistics records from before 1908. The same elected judge presides over the Juvenile Division, (419) 739-6776, and the Domestic Relations Division, (419) 739-6775, all from Suite 119, so a caller may be routed through the same small staff. A separate judge sits in the General Division, whose filings go through the Auglaize County Clerk of Courts, (419) 739-6765, in Room 043; that office does not open estates. The Auglaize County Municipal Court, in Suite 224 and in St. Marys, is a different court again.
The jurisdiction process
- Gather the documents. Collect the original signed will if there is one, a certified copy of the death certificate, the applicant's contact details and identification, the names and addresses of the surviving spouse, children, next of kin, legatees and devisees, and a list of the assets and debts with values. A person named in a will to settle the estate is an executor; a person appointed where there is no will is an administrator; Ohio's umbrella term for either, used throughout the Revised Code and the forms, is fiduciary.
- Get the statewide forms, then check what Auglaize County adds. Ohio uses one set of Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio in every county. For a full administration the load-bearing items are Form 1.0 (Surviving Spouse, Children, Next of Kin, Legatees, and Devisees), Form 2.0 (Application to Probate Will) where there is a will, and Form 4.0 (Application for Authority to Administer Estate). Before appointment the application must name the surviving spouse and next of kin and state in general terms what the estate consists of and its probable value (R.C. 2113.07). Auglaize County then publishes its own local forms, including a Fiduciary's Acceptance, an Application to File Will for Record Only with a separate summary-release variant, and vehicle transfer forms; the court also has the standard forms available at its office.
- File in Wapakoneta, by mail, or by fax. Take the completed forms to the probate court's counter at 201 South Willipie Street, Suite 119, Wapakoneta, OH 45895 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, an office the court says does not close for lunch, or mail them to 201 Willipie Street, Suite 119, Wapakoneta, OH 45895. Auglaize County also allows fax filing in the Probate Division to (419) 738-1061 under Local Rule 6.1: a faxed document is accepted as the effective original filing, no extra fee is charged, the filing may not exceed 20 pages, service copies may not be faxed, and a cover page identifying the court, case, document, date, page count and sender is required. Original wills and codicils cannot be faxed, and neither can any pleading that requires a cost deposit, so a case-opening application usually goes in on paper or in person. There is no probate e-filing.
- Pay the deposit and costs. Ohio fixes the fee items by statute, including $35.00 to appoint a fiduciary, $15.00 to probate a will and $60.00 to relieve an estate from administration or grant a summary release (R.C. 2101.16(A), effective September 30, 2025), and a probate court may require an advance deposit for costs set by its own local rule, which by law cannot exceed $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)). Auglaize County publishes no probate deposit schedule, so call (419) 739-6778 and ask what to bring. The court accepts cash, check with photo identification, money orders and most major credit cards, with a convenience fee on card payments.
- Let the court set the hearing, and put any change in writing. The court sets any hearing an application requires. Its own FAQ is explicit that the clerks cannot continue a hearing over the phone and that all continuance requests must be submitted in writing, with enough time before the hearing date for the other parties to respond. Nothing about telephone or video appearances is published, so ask the court if travel to Wapakoneta is a problem.
- Take the appointment and collect the letters. On an admitted will the court issues letters testamentary to the executor; with no will it issues letters of administration to the administrator (R.C. 2113.05). Either way the appointment is recorded on Form 4.5 (Entry Appointing Fiduciary; Letter of Authority), and the certified letter of authority is what banks, transfer agents and title companies rely on. Certified copies cost $1.00 per page (R.C. 2101.16(A), effective September 30, 2025), so ask for enough copies for every institution the estate deals with while you are at the counter.
- Send the Medicaid estate recovery notice within 30 days where it applies. Where the decedent, or the decedent's spouse, was subject to the Medicaid estate recovery program, the person responsible for the estate must submit a completed medicaid estate recovery notice form to the administrator of the medicaid estate recovery program not later than thirty days after letters are granted or an application for release or summary release is filed (R.C. 2117.061). Compliance is certified to the court on Form 7.0. This applies to a release from administration too, which surprises people.
- File the inventory within three months. The fiduciary must file an inventory of the decedent's real and personal property within three months after appointment unless the court grants an extension for good cause (R.C. 2115.02), on Form 6.0 (Inventory and Appraisal). An inventory with appraisement carries a $10.00 statutory fee and one without appraisement $7.00 (R.C. 2101.16(A), effective September 30, 2025).
- Handle creditor claims. In Ohio all claims against the estate must be presented within six months after the date of death, whether or not an executor or administrator was appointed in that period, and a claim presented later is forever barred (R.C. 2117.06). Ohio requires no newspaper advertisement of the grant of letters. The one exception runs through the Medicaid estate recovery program, which may present its claim up to 90 days after it receives the recovery notice form or one year after death, whichever is later (R.C. 2117.061(D)).
- Account, then close. The fiduciary must render a final and distributive account within six months after appointment unless one of the statutory exceptions applies, and where the sole heir or beneficiary is also the fiduciary a certificate of termination may be filed instead (R.C. 2109.301). The account goes in on Form 13.0 (Fiduciary's Account) and carries a $12.00 statutory fee (R.C. 2101.16(A), effective September 30, 2025). Where Ohio real estate passes through the estate, apply for a Certificate of Transfer on Form 12.0 and record the certificate with the Auglaize County Recorder.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Auglaize County
Auglaize County uses the statewide Standard Probate Forms and adds nine of its own. Ohio has one set of Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio and used in all 88 counties, and the Auglaize County Probate Court's own frequently asked questions say the court has those standard forms available or you may download them from the Supreme Court of Ohio site. That is where a decedent's estate starts. But unlike many small Ohio counties, Auglaize County also publishes a short local form library on its own forms page, so check it before you assemble a packet.
The load-bearing statewide items for a decedent's estate are Form 1.0 (Surviving Spouse, Children, Next of Kin, Legatees, and Devisees), Form 2.0 (Application to Probate Will), Form 4.0 (Application for Authority to Administer Estate), Form 4.5 (Entry Appointing Fiduciary; Letter of Authority), Form 5.0 (Application to Relieve Estate From Administration) with Form 5.1 (Assets and Liabilities of Estate to be Relieved from Administration), Form 5.10 (Summary Release From Administration), Form 6.0 (Inventory and Appraisal), Form 7.0 (Certification of Notice to Administrator of Medicaid Estate Recovery Program), Form 12.0 (Application for Certificate of Transfer) and Form 13.0 (Fiduciary's Account). Confirm the current version on the Supreme Court of Ohio forms page before you file, because form numbering and titles are revised from time to time.
The Auglaize County local forms that matter to an estate are an Application to File Will for Record Only, used where a will is deposited for record rather than admitted to probate; a separate summary-release variant of that application; a Fiduciary's Acceptance; and two vehicle forms, a Transfer of Motor Vehicle and a Special Transfer of Motor Vehicle, which cover the common case of a car that has to be retitled out of the decedent's name. The same page also carries adult and minor name change packets and birth registration and birth correction forms, which are other kinds of probate business rather than estate administration.
One local rule shapes how any of these reach the court. Local Rule 6.1 of the county's Uniform Rules of Court lets pleadings and other papers be filed in the Probate Division by fax to (419) 738-1061, treats the faxed document as the effective original filing, charges no extra fee, caps a filing at 20 pages, requires a cover page with eleven listed items, and refuses original wills and codicils and any pleading that requires a deposit for costs. The court's e-filing rule, Local Rule 6.2, does not reach the Probate Division.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Supreme Court of Ohio Standard Probate Forms, decedent's estate (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide forms you file in Auglaize County, including Forms 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.1, 5.10, 6.0, 7.0, 12.0 and 13.0, with the numbered variants |
| Auglaize County Probate Court forms (auglaizecounty.org) | The court's own nine local forms, including the Application to File Will for Record Only and its summary-release variant, the Fiduciary's Acceptance and the two motor vehicle transfer forms |
| Auglaize County Uniform Rules of Court, revised effective July 1, 2026 (auglaizecounty.org) | The one consolidated rule set governing the Probate Division: scope (Rule 1), court sessions and hours (Rule 2), fax filing in probate (Rule 6.1) and the e-filing rule that covers only the General and Domestic Relations Divisions (Rule 6.2) |
| Auglaize County Probate Court frequently asked questions (auglaizecounty.org) | The court's own answers on office hours, the no-lunch-closure counter, accepted forms of payment, where to send a payment, continuances in writing, and self-representation |
Local nuance
Auglaize County-specific considerations
One judge, three divisions, one suite. Auglaize County does not run the familiar two-division combined probate and juvenile court. The same elected judge presides over the Probate Division, the Juvenile Division and the Domestic Relations Division of the Auglaize County Court of Common Pleas, all operating out of Suite 119 of the courthouse and all sharing the fax line, while a separate judge sits in the General Division. The county's own site lists Probate Court, Juvenile Court and Domestic Relations Court as three pages with three different phone numbers, and the court's FAQ refers to the office as the Probate/Juvenile Court. For a family settling an estate the practical effect is that the estate counter is (419) 739-6778 and the office is small, so ask for the probate side by name.
Fax filing is a real route in the Probate Division, and that is unusual. Local Rule 6.1 of the county's Uniform Rules of Court provides that pleadings and other papers may be filed in the Probate Division by facsimile transmission to (419) 738-1061. A document filed by fax is accepted as the effective original filing, and the filer does not have to send in the source document afterwards but must keep it available until the case is closed. No additional fee is assessed. The limits matter: a fax filing may not exceed 20 pages, service copies may not be faxed and must be made by the court, a cover page with eleven listed items is required or the filing may be treated as failed, and the rule expressly refuses original wills and codicils, cognovit promissory notes and any pleading that requires a deposit for costs. So a case-opening application that carries a deposit goes in on paper, and the will always goes in on paper, but a later account, waiver or short motion can be faxed. The rule has been in force since January 25, 2012.
The e-filing that exists in this courthouse is not probate e-filing. Local Rule 6.2, the court's e-filing rule, was repealed on January 30, 2026 and replaced on February 1, 2026, and the replacement's own scope clause applies it to the Common Pleas Court's General and Domestic Relations Divisions. It is administered by the Auglaize County Clerk of Courts, whose portal went live on April 30, 2026 for the Common Pleas Criminal, Civil and Domestic Relations Divisions and the Municipal Court, with the older e-filing email addresses disabled on May 29, 2026. None of that covers estates, and in Ohio the probate judge is the clerk of the probate court (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)), so the Clerk of Courts portal is the wrong office for a probate filing. Nothing on the probate court's own pages offers electronic filing.
There is an online probate docket, with a date cutoff on images. The court links a CourtView record search covering the Probate and Juvenile Divisions from its own page, and states that document images are available online only for filings after July 1, 2009, with copies of anything earlier requested from the court directly. Do not confuse it with the Clerk of Courts CourtView Common Pleas search, a different system for a different division whose own disclaimer notes an image outage from November 15, 2024. Ohio is separately under a statutory deadline to put probate general dockets online for cases filed on or after September 30, 2025 (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(b)), so expect this county's online record to keep growing.
The rules are one document, and there is no separate probate rule set to hunt for. Where most Ohio counties file separate probate-division local rules with the Supreme Court of Ohio, Auglaize County publishes a single Uniform Rules of Court covering the Civil, Criminal, Domestic Relations, Probate and Juvenile Divisions, effective July 1, 2005 and revised effective July 1, 2026, and Local Rule 1 says so expressly. The Supreme Court of Ohio's trial-court and local-rules directory reflects this: it lists one Auglaize County Court of Common Pleas entry and no probate-division entry at all. Two consequences for a reader: the deposit schedule in Local Rule 3 of those rules, with its $300.00 civil complaint and $425.00 foreclosure figures, is the Clerk of Courts' schedule for civil actions and is not the probate court's, and no probate deposit or cost figure is published anywhere, so you have to ask.
Small practical details the court publishes and most do not. The office does not close for lunch, so the counter is staffed straight through from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Payment is by cash, check with photo identification, money order or most major credit cards, with a convenience fee on cards. A hearing cannot be continued over the phone: every continuance request must be in writing and early enough for the other parties to respond. You may act as your own attorney in an estate, and the court states that the only case type requiring counsel is an adoption, but the clerks cannot advise you what to file and the court is not permitted to recommend an attorney. The court also holds the county's vital statistics records from before 1908, which occasionally matters when an old family record has to be proved.
Recent updates
| Change | What happened |
|---|---|
| Uniform Rules of Court revised, effective July 1, 2026 | Auglaize County's single consolidated rule set, which by its own Local Rule 1 governs the Civil, Criminal, Domestic Relations, Probate and Juvenile Divisions, was revised effective July 1, 2026. It remains the only local rule document for this court: the Supreme Court of Ohio's trial-court and local-rules directory lists no separate Auglaize County probate-division rules |
| Local Rule 6.2 e-filing rule replaced, February 1, 2026 | The court's previous e-filing rule was repealed on January 30, 2026 and replaced on February 1, 2026 with new e-filing procedures. The replacement's own scope clause covers the Common Pleas Court's General and Domestic Relations Divisions, so it does not reach a probate filing. Fax filing in the Probate Division under Local Rule 6.1 is unchanged |
| Clerk of Courts eFiling portal live, April 30, 2026 | The Auglaize County Clerk of Courts began accepting eFiling through an online portal on April 30, 2026 for the Common Pleas Criminal, Civil and Domestic Relations Divisions and for the Municipal Court, and disabled the older e-filing email addresses on May 29, 2026. Probate is not on the portal, and the Clerk of Courts does not open estates |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Auglaize County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Wapakoneta or St. Marys area home was held jointly with right of survivorship, or was covered by a transfer on death designation affidavit recorded with the Auglaize County Recorder before death (R.C. 5302.22), it passes to the survivor outside probate and the court is not involved in the house itself. If other assets stood in the decedent's sole name, the spouse files in Auglaize County Probate Court: Form 2.0 and Form 4.0 with a will, leading to letters testamentary, or Form 4.0 alone with no will, leading to letters of administration. Where the spouse inherits everything, the estate may qualify to be released from administration rather than fully administered (R.C. 2113.03), a shorter filing on Forms 5.0 and 5.1. A car in the decedent's sole name is handled with the court's own Transfer of Motor Vehicle form. | Asset discovery to confirm how the home and the accounts are titled and what actually has to reach the court. Packet generation for the Auglaize County filing, whether a full administration or a release. A vetted attorney referral if the title or a claim turns out to be contested. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | Where the whole estate is worth $35,000 or less, or $100,000 or less where a surviving spouse inherits everything, an interested party can apply to relieve the estate from administration on Forms 5.0 and 5.1 instead of running a full administration (R.C. 2113.03). A release does not shorten the six-month creditor window (R.C. 2117.06), and where the decedent or the decedent's spouse was subject to Medicaid estate recovery it still requires the recovery notice within thirty days (R.C. 2117.061). Because Auglaize County has no probate e-filing, an out-of-state child files by mail to 201 Willipie Street, Suite 119, Wapakoneta, OH 45895, uses the Local Rule 6.1 fax route to (419) 738-1061 for follow-up papers that do not need a cost deposit, and calls (419) 739-6778 to confirm what the office needs. | Asset discovery to establish the estate's value from out of state and confirm which route it qualifies for. Packet generation for the release or the full administration, assembled so it can be mailed to Wapakoneta and accepted the first time. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because real property has to be sold, this goes through a full administration: with no will the parent files Form 4.0 in Auglaize County Probate Court, is appointed administrator, and receives letters of administration; with a will the parent probates it on Form 2.0 and receives letters testamentary. The inventory follows within three months (R.C. 2115.02) on Form 6.0. Where the property is transferred to heirs rather than sold, the route is a Certificate of Transfer on Form 12.0, recorded with the Auglaize County Recorder. Any hearing is held at the courthouse in Wapakoneta, and the court's FAQ warns that a continuance has to be requested in writing rather than by phone. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts, insurance and real property. Packet generation for the administration and the inventory. Attorney referral where the sale, a mortgage payoff or a dispute among heirs makes counsel worthwhile. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Auglaize County Probate Court (auglaizecounty.org), (419) 739-6778 | The filing office for estates: the judge, the Suite 119 address, the 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. hours, the phone and fax, the list of matters the court handles, and the link to its CourtView probate record search. Court staff can explain procedure but the court's own FAQ says the clerks cannot give legal advice or recommend an attorney |
| Auglaize County Probate Court frequently asked questions (auglaizecounty.org) | The court's own answers on hours and the no-lunch-closure counter, accepted forms of payment, the mailing address for payments, written continuance requests, and the fact that only an adoption requires an attorney |
| Auglaize County Probate Court forms (auglaizecounty.org) | The court's nine local forms, including the Fiduciary's Acceptance, the Application to File Will for Record Only with its summary-release variant, and the two motor vehicle transfer forms |
| Auglaize County CourtView probate record search (dockets.auglaizecounty.org) | The court's own online record search for the Probate and Juvenile Divisions. Document images are online only for filings after July 1, 2009; for anything earlier the court says to contact it directly |
| Auglaize County Uniform Rules of Court, revised effective July 1, 2026 (auglaizecounty.org) | The one consolidated rule set that governs the Probate Division, including the Rule 6.1 fax-filing route, the Rule 2 court sessions, and the Rule 6.2 e-filing rule that stops at the General and Domestic Relations Divisions |
| Supreme Court of Ohio Standard Probate Forms, decedent's estate (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide forms used in every Ohio county, including Auglaize, with the numbered variants and waivers |
| Supreme Court of Ohio local rules of court (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide index that links each county's local rules, useful if an estate touches more than one county. Auglaize County appears there as a single Court of Common Pleas entry, with no separate probate-division listing |
| Auglaize County Law Library (auglaizecounty.org), (419) 739-6749 | The county law library in the same courthouse, Suite 405. Public use is limited to Wednesdays from 12 to 3 p.m., and other times can be arranged by appointment |
| Ohio Legal Help (ohiolegalhelp.org) | Plain-language Ohio probate guides, including release from administration and summary release, from a statewide non-profit. Not a government site, so confirm court contact details with the court itself |
| Legal Aid of Western Ohio (lawolaw.org), intake 1-877-894-4599 | The legal-aid law firm whose service area covers Auglaize County, serving 32 northwest and west central Ohio counties from offices including Lima, the closest to Wapakoneta. Its published areas of impact do not include estate administration, so confirm scope before applying |
| Ohio Legal Help: find your legal aid (ohiolegalhelp.org) | Confirms which legal-aid program covers a given Ohio county and how to apply. For Auglaize County it returns Legal Aid of Western Ohio and Pro Seniors, the statewide program for Ohio residents aged 60 and over |
| Ohio State Bar Association lawyer referral (ohiobar.org) | Referrals to Ohio probate attorneys. No county bar referral service is registered for Auglaize County with the Supreme Court of Ohio, so this is the statewide route |
When to hire an attorney
Many Auglaize County estates are uncontested and can be handled without an attorney. The court says so itself: you may act as your own attorney, and the only case type that requires counsel is an adoption. Consider a lawyer when a will is contested or a dispute among heirs is likely, when farmland, a mortgaged house or a family business has to be sold or divided, when the estate is insolvent or a creditor is pressing a claim inside the six-month window (R.C. 2117.06), when a wrongful-death or injury claim is part of the estate and needs court approval, when the estate includes out-of-state property, or when a guardianship for a minor or an incompetent adult has to run alongside the estate. The practical local factor is that this court publishes no cost schedule and no filing checklist, the clerks are not permitted to tell you what to file, and the court cannot recommend anyone, so a self-represented filer is working from the statewide forms, the county's nine local forms and one phone line. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Ohio probate attorney serving Auglaize County and the surrounding west central counties.
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, Auglaize County real estate and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Ohio estate settlement route fits before you drive to Wapakoneta.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the paperwork for your route, whether a full administration or an application to relieve the estate from administration, on the statewide Standard Probate Forms, ready to file with the Auglaize County Probate Court at the counter, by mail or by fax where the local rule allows it.
Find a local probate attorney. When a matter is contested or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Ohio probate attorney serving Auglaize 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 Auglaize County?
With the Auglaize County Probate Court at the Auglaize County Courthouse, 201 South Willipie Street, Suite 119, Wapakoneta, OH 45895. The court's own page prints the address as 201 Willipie Street, Suite 119; it is the same building. It is the probate division of the Auglaize County Court of Common Pleas (R.C. 2101.01), and because the elected probate judge is also the court's clerk (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)), estates are filed with the probate court itself, not with the Auglaize County Clerk of Courts. File in Auglaize County if the person was a resident of the county at the time of death (R.C. 2113.01).
Can I file probate papers by mail or fax in Auglaize County?
Both. The court publishes no post office box, so mailed filings go to 201 Willipie Street, Suite 119, Wapakoneta, OH 45895, the address the court's own FAQ gives for payments. Auglaize County also allows fax filing in the Probate Division to (419) 738-1061 under Local Rule 6.1: the faxed document counts as the effective original filing, no extra fee applies, the filing cannot exceed 20 pages, service copies cannot be faxed, and a cover page identifying the court, the case, the document, the date, the page count and your contact details is required. You cannot fax an original will or codicil, or any pleading that requires a deposit for costs, so call (419) 739-6778 before faxing a case-opening application.
Is there e-filing for probate in Auglaize County?
No, none is published for the Probate Division. The Auglaize County Clerk of Courts opened an eFiling portal on April 30, 2026, but it covers the Common Pleas Criminal, Civil and Domestic Relations Divisions and the Municipal Court, and the court's own e-filing rule, Local Rule 6.2, which was repealed on January 30, 2026 and replaced on February 1, 2026, applies only to the General and Domestic Relations Divisions. The Clerk of Courts does not open estates. For probate, use the counter, the mail, or the Local Rule 6.1 fax route. Ohio has no statewide probate e-filing system: each of the 88 probate courts sets its own rules.
How do I look up an Auglaize County probate case online?
Use the CourtView probate record search the court links from its own page, which covers the Probate and Juvenile Divisions of the Auglaize County Court of Common Pleas. Note the court's own caveat: document images are available online only for filings after July 1, 2009, and to obtain copies of anything earlier you have to contact the court directly. Do not use the Clerk of Courts CourtView Common Pleas search for an estate; that is a different system for a different division. You can also ask the probate court for records in person, by mail or by calling (419) 739-6778.
What forms do I need for probate in Auglaize County?
Start with the statewide Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio, which the court has available at its office and which you can also download. For a full administration the core items are Form 1.0 (Surviving Spouse, Children, Next of Kin, Legatees, and Devisees), Form 2.0 (Application to Probate Will) if there is a will, Form 4.0 (Application for Authority to Administer Estate), Form 6.0 (Inventory and Appraisal) and Form 13.0 (Fiduciary's Account); for a smaller estate, Forms 5.0 and 5.1 to be relieved from administration. Then check the court's own forms page, because Auglaize County publishes local forms too, including a Fiduciary's Acceptance, an Application to File Will for Record Only with a separate summary-release variant, and two motor vehicle transfer forms.
How much does it cost to file probate in Auglaize County?
Ohio fixes most fee items by statute, including $35.00 to appoint a fiduciary, $15.00 to probate a will, $60.00 to relieve an estate from administration or grant a summary release, $10.00 for an inventory with appraisement and $12.00 for an account (R.C. 2101.16(A), effective September 30, 2025), and each probate court may set its own advance deposit for costs by local rule, which cannot exceed $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)). Auglaize County publishes no probate deposit or cost schedule, and the deposit figures in Local Rule 3 of the county's Uniform Rules of Court belong to the Clerk of Courts' civil docket, not to probate. Call (419) 739-6778 and ask what to bring. The court takes cash, check with photo identification, money orders and most major credit cards, with a convenience fee on card payments.
What are the hours for the Auglaize County Probate Court?
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except legal holidays, per the court's own page and its frequently asked questions (verified July 2026). The court states that the Probate/Juvenile Court office does not close for lunch, so the counter is staffed straight through the middle of the day. Court sessions for the trial of cases run 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. under Local Rule 2(B). The phone number is (419) 739-6778 and the fax is (419) 738-1061.
Is the probate court the same as the juvenile court in Auglaize County?
It is the same judge and the same office, in different divisions, and in Auglaize County the domestic relations docket is in the same hands too. One elected judge presides over the Probate Division, the Juvenile Division and the Domestic Relations Division of the Auglaize County Court of Common Pleas, all from Suite 119, and the court's own FAQ page calls the office the Probate/Juvenile Court. A separate judge sits in the General Division, whose filings go through the Clerk of Courts. Estates, wills, guardianships, name changes and marriage licenses are probate matters and go to (419) 739-6778. It does not change the law that applies to your estate, but it does mean the office is small, so calling ahead is worth the time.
Do I have to travel to Wapakoneta to settle an estate in Auglaize County?
Not usually, beyond the steps that need you there. Papers can be mailed to 201 Willipie Street, Suite 119, Wapakoneta, OH 45895, and many follow-up documents can be faxed to (419) 738-1061 under Local Rule 6.1, so a filer in St. Marys or out of state can run much of an uncontested estate without repeated trips. Plan on Wapakoneta for a hearing, for filing the original will, and for picking up certified copies of the letter of authority, which cost $1.00 per page (R.C. 2101.16(A), effective September 30, 2025) and are what banks and title companies ask for. Nothing about telephone or video appearances is published, so ask the court at (419) 739-6778.
Can the Auglaize County Probate Court staff help me fill out my forms?
They can explain procedure but not advise you. The court's own FAQ is explicit: the clerks are not permitted to give legal advice or practice law, and cannot tell you what you should file or how, and the court is not permitted to recommend an attorney. You may act as your own attorney in an estate, and the court says the only case type that requires counsel is an adoption. If you need a hearing moved, put the request in writing well before the date, because the clerks cannot continue a hearing over the phone. The county law library in the same courthouse, Suite 405, is open to the public on Wednesdays from 12 to 3 p.m.
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.