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Fayette County, OH Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Fayette County Probate Court, the probate division of the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas under the Ohio Revised Code (R.C. 2101.01). Its formal name in the Supreme Court of Ohio's trial-court directory is the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division. One elected judge presides over both the Probate Division and the Juvenile Division and signs as the county's probate-juvenile judge, and the court's own local rules refer to the office as the Fayette County Probate/Juvenile Court, so estates and juvenile cases share one judge, one counter and one phone line |
| Filing office | The probate court's own office on the 2nd floor at 110 East Court Street. The elected probate judge is also the clerk of the probate court (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)), so wills, estates and guardianships are filed with the probate court directly. The Fayette County Clerk of Courts, on the 3rd floor of the same building at (740) 335-6371, serves the general and domestic relations divisions and does not open estates |
| Courthouse | Fayette County Court House, 110 East Court Street, 2nd Floor, Washington Court House, OH 43160. The county Auditor and Recorder, both of whom a real-estate estate touches, are in the county administrative building at 133 South Main Street, a few blocks away |
| Mailing address | The court publishes no separate post office box, so mail filings go to 110 East Court Street, 2nd Floor, Washington Court House, OH 43160. Call (740) 335-0640 before mailing an original will or another original document |
| Phone | (740) 335-0640, the number the Fayette County Probate Court publishes on its own page and on its own online payment portal (verified July 2026). The same line serves the Juvenile Division. It is not the Clerk of Courts number |
| Fax | (740) 333-3598, published on the court's own page and named inside Local Rule 11(J) as the court's fax-filing number (verified July 2026). Fayette County does accept fax filings, but only narrowly: see e-filing below |
| [email protected], published on the court's own page (verified July 2026). Use it for questions only. Local Rule 11(J)(10) states that absolutely no filings will be accepted by email, text or any other computer or electrical transmission, with no exceptions | |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., published on the court's own page and set by Local Rule 4(A), which opens the court for the transaction of business from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily except Saturday, Sunday, legal holidays and court holidays (verified July 2026). Note that the General Division on the floor above opens at 7:30 a.m.; the probate counter does not. Marriage licenses are by appointment only, which tells you this is a small office, so call (740) 335-0640 before making a long drive |
| Filing fee | Ohio sets most probate fee items by statute: $35.00 to appoint a fiduciary and $15.00 to probate a will (R.C. 2101.16(A)), $60.00 to relieve an estate from administration or grant a summary release, and $1.00 per page for certified copies. On top of those items each probate court sets its own advance deposit for costs by local rule, capped at $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)), and may add computerization and dispute-resolution charges (R.C. 2101.162, R.C. 2101.163). Fayette County publishes its own schedule: $135.00 to open a full administration with a will, $125.00 without a will, $108.00 for a release from administration or a summary release, and $73.00 for the county's own short form release, all per the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026. Local Rule 12(H) adds a $10.00 dispute-resolution fee per case filed (R.C. 2101.163). See the fee section below and confirm the current total with the court at (740) 335-0640 before you file |
| Local forms | Yes. Fayette County adds its own forms to the statewide Standard Probate Forms, published as appendices to the court's local rules rather than as separate downloads: the Fiduciary's Acceptance (Fayette County Form 4.0A), the Notice of Change of Address (Form 1.0A), the Report of Distribution (Form 5.9), the Application to File Will for Record Only, the Application to Extend Time, the Bank Certificate, the fax cover page, and the Application and Order for the Fayette County Short Form Release From Administration (Forms 5.0A and 5.0). Download the local rules PDF to get them |
| E-filing | None. Local Rule 11(J)(10) states that absolutely no filings will be accepted by email, text or any other computer or electrical transmission, with no exceptions, so a probate case cannot be opened electronically. Fax filing to (740) 333-3598 is accepted on a very limited basis for emergency motions and investigative reports, five pages maximum, and never for opening a case, for a will, for a document required to be under oath, or for anything that requires a fee or deposit (Local Rule 11(J)). The county's eFiling Henschen page belongs to the Clerk of Courts, not to probate. So estates are filed on paper at the counter or by mail |
| Case search | None for estates. The Fayette County Common Pleas Court Record Search at courts.fayette-co-oh.com is run for the Clerk of Courts, and its case types are limited to appeals, civil, criminal, domestic relations, judgment lien and miscellaneous; there is no estate, probate or guardianship case type on it (verified July 2026). Records in a Fayette County estate are requested from the probate court on the 2nd floor, in person, by mail or at (740) 335-0640. Copies of public records are 15 cents per page, and copies produced by the court's archivist are $1.00 per page (Local Rule 6(B), the Fayette County Probate Court local rules effective January 1, 2023, certified unchanged by the probate judge on January 21, 2026) |
| Online payments | Yes, for court costs only, not for filing. The court runs its own payment portal, labeled for the Probate Court and not for municipal or Clerk of Courts payments, which takes Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover with a 3.50 per cent service fee, minimum $0.50, added to the amount owed (the court's online payment portal, verified July 2026). At the counter Local Rule 12(A) limits payment to cash, money order, check, certified bank check or an attorney business check |
| Remote appearance | Nothing is published. The court's local rules set hearing, notice and continuance procedure but authorise no telephone or video appearance, so ask the court at (740) 335-0640 whether a particular hearing can be handled remotely |
| Website | https://www.fayette-co-oh.com/272/Probate-Court (the court's own page, with the address, phone, fax, email, hours, local rules, cost schedule and appraiser list). The Supreme Court of Ohio's trial-court directory links the same page and the same local rules PDF |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Fayette 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, different notice steps and different costs. Those routes and their statewide dollar ceilings are explained on the Ohio state page. Fayette County adds a fourth, purely local route for very small estates, the short form release from administration, and whether you qualify for it turns entirely on what the assets are and what they are worth. Getting the asset picture right before your first trip matters here: the court has no e-filing and no online docket, so a wrong or incomplete filing means another drive to Washington Court House 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 transfer on death designation affidavit recorded with the Fayette County Recorder before death (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 at 110 East Court Street lists the estate accurately the first time.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Fayette County Probate Court in Washington Court House is the single probate filing office for the whole county. Everything is at one address, 110 East Court Street, on the 2nd floor of the Fayette County Court House, and there is no branch, satellite or district office. The court serves every part of the county, including the city of Washington Court House, the villages of Bloomingburg, Jeffersonville, Milledgeville, New Holland and Octa, and the ten townships of Concord, Green, Jasper, Jefferson, Madison, Marion, Paint, Perry, Union and Wayne. The county is compact and Washington Court House sits near its center, so no part of Fayette County is a long drive from the courthouse. Because papers can be mailed to the court, most of an uncontested estate can be handled without repeated trips, and the distance 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 Fayette County, file in Fayette County Probate Court, even if they died in a hospital in Columbus, Chillicothe, Dayton or Cincinnati. 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 Fayette County's sits in Washington Court House.
Several offices share the courthouse and the county administrative building, and only one of them opens an estate. Fayette County Probate Court, on the 2nd floor at (740) 335-0640, is where wills, estates, guardianships, adoptions and name changes are filed; the same elected judge also runs the Juvenile Division, so the office may be described as the Probate/Juvenile Court. The Fayette County Clerk of Courts, on the 3rd floor at (740) 335-6371, serves the General Division and Domestic Relations Division and runs the county's online case search and its e-filing system, neither of which covers estates. An estate that includes Ohio real property also touches two offices at 133 South Main Street: the county Auditor in Suite 303 at (740) 335-6461, who must approve the property description on a certificate of transfer before the court will act on it (Local Rule 20(A)), and the county Recorder in Suite 305 at (740) 335-1770, where the certificate is recorded afterwards.
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.
- Decide the route, and check the short form. Fayette County has a local route that most Ohio counties do not: where the decedent's assets are $1,000.00 or less with no surviving spouse, or $6,000.00 or less with a surviving spouse or surviving minor children, and the assets are only bank accounts, titled vehicles and a small amount of household goods, you may be able to use the Fayette County Short Form Release From Administration under Local Rule 41 instead of a full administration or a statutory release. Larger estates use the statewide routes described on the Ohio state page.
- Get the forms. 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). Then add the Fayette County forms from the appendices to the court's local rules, starting with the Fiduciary's Acceptance (Fayette County Form 4.0A), which Local Rules 11(I) and 14 require before letters of authority are issued. Local Rule 2 wants Form 1.0 completed so that it clearly shows whether there is a surviving spouse and states each heir's or legatee's relationship to the decedent, with both the name in the will and any present name.
- Format the papers the way the court requires. Every document filed must carry the name, address, Supreme Court of Ohio registration number, telephone number and email address of counsel or, where there is no attorney, the name, address and telephone number of the fiduciary; papers without them may be refused for filing (Local Rule 11(B)). Any entry presented on behalf of a fiduciary who has counsel must carry the attorney's endorsement or it is refused (Local Rule 8). Illegible signatures may be refused (Local Rule 11(D)). Once a document is filed it cannot be corrected: you file an amended document instead (Local Rule 11(A)). The court retains authority to accept handwritten forms (Local Rule 3), which matters for a self-represented filer.
- File on paper at the courthouse or by mail. Take the completed forms to the probate court on the 2nd floor at 110 East Court Street, Washington Court House, OH 43160, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, or mail them to the same address. You cannot open a case by email or through any electronic system (Local Rule 11(J)(10)), and fax filing is limited to emergency motions and investigative reports and expressly excludes case openings, wills, documents under oath and anything requiring a fee (Local Rule 11(J)). Call (740) 335-0640 before mailing an original will.
- Pay the deposit. Fayette County's published schedule requires $135.00 to open a full administration with a will, $125.00 without a will, $108.00 for a release from administration or a summary release, and $73.00 for the county's short form release (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026). Those totals cover the statutory items drawn against them, including the $35.00 fiduciary appointment fee and the $15.00 fee to probate a will (R.C. 2101.16(A)); R.C. 2101.16(E) caps the pure advance-deposit component at $125.00. Local Rule 12(A) takes cash, money order, check, certified bank check or an attorney business check at the counter, and Local Rule 12(H) adds a $10.00 dispute-resolution fee per case filed. Costs are payable at the initial filing and again, brought up to date, when the account or certificate of termination is filed.
- Give notice, and expect to do the work yourself. Where a will is admitted to probate, notice of the admission must be given within two weeks to comply with R.C. 2107.19, a copy of the will must go with the notice to the legatees and devisees, and the notice goes to the surviving spouse, the legatees and devisees named in the will and everyone who would inherit if there had been no will; certified mail is the method the court marks as preferred, and the fiduciary or attorney must file proof of service (Local Rule 13). On an application to relieve an estate from administration, at least five days' written notice goes to the surviving spouse and heirs at law and three weeks' notice by publication goes to interested parties, unless waived or found unnecessary (Local Rule 40(A)).
- 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 in Fayette County are $1.00 for the top certification plus 15 cents per page after, or $1.00 each where all pages are certified (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026), 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(B)). Compliance is certified to the court on Form 7.0. Local Rule 49 puts the sending of the notice on the attorney or fiduciary. 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). In Fayette County every inventory is set for hearing, and the hearing is a formality where the inventory is complete and all waivers are filed (Local Rule 16(A)). Household goods worth less than $6,000.00 in total and vehicles whose values appear in recognized publications need not be appraised (Local Rule 16(C)); anything else that needs an appraisal is appraised by someone from the court's pre-approved Court Appointed Appraiser's List, or by a person you apply to have appointed for that one case (Local Rule 15). Where the estate contains real estate the court may require counsel to examine record title back to the decedent's acquisition and file a certification as to its condition (Local Rule 16(B)), and no property is released for transfer until the inventory is filed and approved (Local Rule 16(H)).
- 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, subject to the Medicaid estate recovery exception (R.C. 2117.06, R.C. 2117.061(D)). Ohio requires no newspaper advertisement of the grant of letters. Where a claim is filed with the Fayette County court, the fiduciary must file a copy of any rejection of the claim, and no estate is closed until every claim filed with the court has been resolved (Local Rule 17(A)). If valid claims exceed the assets, report the insolvency in writing with a schedule of claims and set both the insolvency determination and your application for hearing (Local Rules 18(A) to (C)).
- 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 sole fiduciary a certificate of termination may be filed instead (R.C. 2109.301, Local Rule 28). The account goes in on Form 13.0 (Fiduciary's Account) with Form 13.9 (Certificate of Service of Account to Heirs or Beneficiaries) and Form 13.3, supported by vouchers referenced to the account by number and description, and it must recapitulate cash receipts, disbursements and bank deposits (Local Rules 22, 24 and 27). All court costs must be paid before a final and distributive account is approved (Local Rule 22(I)). Where Ohio real estate passes through the estate, apply for a Certificate of Transfer on Form 12.0, get the property description approved by the Fayette County Auditor first (Local Rule 20(A)), and record the certificate with the Fayette County Recorder afterwards.
Executor duties
A Fayette County executor or administrator carries the statewide Ohio duties, which are covered on the Ohio state page: qualify and take the letters, inventory the estate within three months (R.C. 2115.02), deal with claims presented within six months of death (R.C. 2117.06), and account within six months of appointment unless an exception applies (R.C. 2109.301). What follows are the additional things the Fayette County Probate Court's own local rules require of a fiduciary, all from the Fayette County Probate Court local rules effective January 1, 2023, certified unchanged by the probate judge on January 21, 2026.
| Duty | What Fayette County requires |
|---|---|
| Accept the appointment in writing | File the Fayette County Fiduciary's Acceptance (Form 4.0A) acknowledging the duties required by law and any additional duties the court orders. The court will not issue letters of appointment until it is filed, and it must also accompany an Application for Letters of Administration (Local Rules 11(I) and 14) |
| Keep your address current | Notify the court of any change of address on the Fayette County Notice of Change of Address (Form 1.0A). Failure of a fiduciary to notify the court of a current address is grounds for removal (Local Rules 9(D) and 11(C)) |
| Identify yourself on every paper | Every document you file must carry counsel's name, address, Supreme Court registration number, telephone number and email address or, where there is no attorney, your own name, address and telephone number. Papers without them may be refused for filing, and an entry filed for a represented fiduciary without the attorney's endorsement is refused (Local Rules 11(B) and 8) |
| Send the notices and prove it | Notice that a will has been admitted goes out within two weeks with a copy of the will, by certified mail as the court prefers, and the fiduciary or the attorney must file proof of service. The court checks the certificate of notice for the required notices and waivers (Local Rule 13) |
| Support the account with vouchers | Accounts must be supported by vouchers referenced to the account by number and description. In an estate WITH an attorney vouchers are not required except for disbursements to minors or incompetents, but in an estate with NO attorney they are required. Acceptable vouchers are paid bills, cancelled checks endorsed by the beneficiary, receipts signed by the beneficiary, or copies of checks provided by a bank; a copy of a cashier's check or money order is not acceptable (Local Rules 22(B) and 24(A)) |
| Recapitulate and exhibit | The account must end with a recapitulation of cash receipts, disbursements and bank deposits showing cash on hand, a statement of non-cash personal property, a statement of real estate and a statement of compensation paid to the fiduciary and counsel. The court may require assets to be exhibited with a partial account, and cash may be verified on the Fayette County Bank Certificate (Local Rule 22(C) and (H)) |
| File the account service certificate | File Standard Form 13.9 (Certificate of Service of Account to Heirs or Beneficiaries) with every account, partial or final, and Standard Form 13.3 with all accounts in an estate, guardianship or trust. Without Form 13.9 by the initial hearing date the account is set for a full hearing (Local Rules 27(A) and 22(K)) |
| Report the distribution in a release | Where an estate is relieved from administration, file the Fayette County Report of Distribution (Form 5.9). It is not required for a statutory summary release, and in a short form release it is required unless every asset goes to the surviving spouse who is also the applicant (Local Rules 22(J) and 41(C)) |
| Resolve every claim filed with the court | File a copy of any rejection of a claim that was filed with the court. No estate is closed until all claims filed with the court have been resolved, and where the court or the fiduciary calls for a hearing on claims the fiduciary files a schedule of all claims (Local Rule 17) |
| Pay the costs before you close | A final and distributive account is not approved until all court costs have been paid (Local Rule 22(I)). Costs are payable at the initial filing and brought up to date when the account or certificate of termination is filed (Local Rule 12(A)) |
| Close on time or be cited | Where the sole beneficiary or heir is also the sole fiduciary, no accounting is required and the estate is completed by filing a certificate of termination within thirty days after the administration is complete (Local Rule 28, R.C. 2109.301(B)(2)). Otherwise late inventories and accounts draw a notice, then a citation and a hearing (Local Rule 26) |
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Fayette County
Fayette County uses the statewide Standard Probate Forms and adds a meaningful set 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 Local Rule 1 of the Fayette County Probate Court's local rules requires them to be used wherever applicable, with the Civil Rules or a form the court permits filling any gap. On top of them the court has adopted its own Fayette County forms, and the practical point for a filer is where they live: they are printed as appendices to the local rules PDF rather than posted as separate downloads, so you download the local rules to get them.
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), Form 13.0 (Fiduciary's Account), Form 13.3 (Entry Approving and Settling Account), Form 13.8 (Application to Extend Administration) and Form 13.9 (Certificate of Service of Account to Heirs or Beneficiaries). 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 Fayette County forms an estate is most likely to need are the Fiduciary's Acceptance (Fayette County Form 4.0A), required before letters of authority are issued and required again with any Application for Letters of Administration (Local Rules 11(I) and 14); the Notice of Change of Address (Form 1.0A), used when a fiduciary's address changes (Local Rule 9(D)); the Report of Distribution (Form 5.9), required in every release from administration except a summary release (Local Rule 22(J)); the Application and Order for the Fayette County Short Form Release From Administration (Forms 5.0A and 5.0, Local Rule 41(C)); the Application to File Will for Record Only and Entry, for a will with no probate assets behind it (Local Rule 13(I)); the Application to Extend Time and Entry (Local Rule 26(D)); the Bank Certificate, used to verify cash on hand when an account is filed (Local Rule 22(H)); the Cover Page that keeps a required Social Security number out of the public file (Local Rule 11(G)); and the facsimile filing cover page (Local Rule 11(J)(5)). The court also publishes a Court Appointed Appraiser's List and a public records request form.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Supreme Court of Ohio Standard Probate Forms, decedent's estate (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide forms you file in Fayette County, including Forms 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.1, 5.10, 6.0, 7.0, 12.0, 13.0, 13.3, 13.8 and 13.9, with the numbered variants and waivers |
| Fayette County Probate Court local rules (fayette-co-oh.com) | The 53 local rules effective January 1, 2023, certified unchanged on January 21, 2026, plus every Fayette County form as an appendix: Fiduciary's Acceptance, Notice of Change of Address, Report of Distribution, Short Form Release application and order, Application to File Will for Record Only, Application to Extend Time, Bank Certificate, Cover Page and fax cover page |
| Fayette County probate deposits and court costs (fayette-co-oh.com) | The court's own one-page schedule of deposits and one-time fees, revised April 7, 2023, covering full administration with and without a will, release and summary release, the county short form release, wills on deposit and certified copies |
| Fayette County court appointed appraiser's list (fayette-co-oh.com) | The court's pre-approved appraisers, updated October 3, 2025, listed alphabetically with contact details and specialties including residential real estate, land, farm, personal property and jewelry |
| Fayette County Probate Court (fayette-co-oh.com) | The court's own page, with the 2nd floor address, the phone, fax and email, the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours, and links to the local rules, the cost schedule, the appraiser list and the court's online payment portal |
Fees
Ohio splits probate costs in two. Most fee items are set statewide by statute in R.C. 2101.16(A), but the number a family actually pays at the counter is the advance deposit for costs that each probate court sets by its own local rule, which the statute caps at $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)), plus the optional computerization and dispute-resolution charges a court may add (R.C. 2101.162, R.C. 2101.163). Fayette County Probate Court publishes its own schedule, and Local Rule 12 governs how and when you pay it: costs are payable at the initial filing and then brought up to date when the account or the certificate of termination is filed, and payment at the counter is by cash, money order, check, certified bank check or attorney business check. The court's schedule prints the $135.00 with-will deposit against a citation to R.C. 2101.16(E) without breaking the figure down, so both estate deposits below are given as the county's published totals; ask the court what the deposit covers rather than assuming. Every figure carries its source and date.
One local figure to read carefully: the $73.00 short form release cost belongs to the Fayette County Short Form Release From Administration, a route created by the court's own Local Rule 41 with its own asset limits. It is not the statutory release from administration or the statutory summary release, whose eligibility ceilings are set by the Ohio Revised Code and are described on the Ohio state page.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full administration, with a will | $135.00 | The court's deposit to open a full administration where a will is being probated, printed against a citation to R.C. 2101.16(E) (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026). It covers the statutory items drawn against it, including the $35.00 fiduciary appointment fee and the $15.00 fee to probate a will (R.C. 2101.16(A)) |
| Full administration, without a will | $125.00 | The court's deposit to open a full administration where there is no will (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026). R.C. 2101.16(E) caps the advance-deposit component at $125.00, and this figure sits at the cap |
| Release from administration | $108.00 | The county's one-time cost to apply to relieve an estate from administration under R.C. 2113.03, filed on Forms 5.0 and 5.1 (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026). The statutory component is the $60.00 fee for relieving an estate from administration (R.C. 2101.16(A)) |
| Summary release from administration | $108.00 | The county's one-time cost for a summary release under R.C. 2113.031, filed on Form 5.10 (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026). Same statutory $60.00 component (R.C. 2101.16(A)) |
| Fayette County short form release from administration | $73.00 | The county's one-time cost for its own local short form release route, due on filing (Local Rule 41(E) and the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026). Available only within the asset limits Local Rule 41 sets |
| Will filed for record only | $15.00 | Where a will has to be filed with the court but need not be probated because there are no probate assets (Local Rule 13(I) and the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026). The schedule carries a second, higher figure for a will filed with an Ohio estate tax obligation, which can only apply to a death before January 1, 2013, since the Ohio estate tax was repealed for deaths on or after that date (R.C. 5731.02) |
| Will deposited with the court for safekeeping | $25.00 | For depositing a living person's will with the probate court under R.C. 2107.07 (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026). Fayette County adds its own Certificate of Deposit of Will, an attachment to it, and a Receipt of Will on Deposit (Local Rule 51) |
| Reactivating a closed probate case | $25.00 | Where a Fayette County estate has to be reopened (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026) |
| Minor's settlement | $43.00 | For the settlement of a claim on behalf of a minor, which the probate court must approve (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026) |
| Application for release of medical and billing records | $150.00 | The court's line item for an application under R.C. 2113.032, as the schedule labels it (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026) |
| Dispute resolution fee | $10.00 per case filed | Set by Local Rule 12(H) under R.C. 2101.163 (the Fayette County Probate Court local rules effective January 1, 2023, certified unchanged by the probate judge on January 21, 2026). The rule also sets $2.00 per marriage license application. The rules set no computerization fee |
| Certified copies | $1.00 for the top certification, then 15 cents per page | Or $1.00 each where every page is certified (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026). Order enough certified letters of authority for every bank, transfer agent and title company the estate deals with |
| Copies of public records | 15 cents per page | Paper copies of public records, or $1.00 per page where the copy is produced by the court's archivist; a mailed copy is sent only where copying and postage are prepaid (Local Rule 6(B), the Fayette County Probate Court local rules effective January 1, 2023, certified unchanged by the probate judge on January 21, 2026) |
| Recording of a hearing on compact disc | 60 cents | The court digitally records all proceedings and will supply a recording on a disc it provides; outside flash drives and discs are not permitted (Local Rule 6(C), the Fayette County Probate Court local rules effective January 1, 2023, certified unchanged by the probate judge on January 21, 2026) |
| Online payment service fee | 3.50 per cent, minimum $0.50 | Added to the amount owed when court costs are paid by Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover through the court's own online payment portal (the court's online payment portal, verified July 2026). The full service fee goes to the payment provider, not to the county |
| Small deposits left with the court | Under $5.00 is not refunded | Local Rule 12(J) pays any balance held on deposit of less than $5.00 into the county general fund rather than refunding it by check (the Fayette County Probate Court local rules effective January 1, 2023, certified unchanged by the probate judge on January 21, 2026) |
Confirm the current total with the Fayette County Probate Court at (740) 335-0640 before you file. The cost schedule above is the court's own, but it is dated April 7, 2023, and a court can revise a schedule without amending its local rules.
Timeline
Fayette County Probate Court fixes several of its own intervals in the court's local rules, which is what makes a Fayette County estate schedulable. The court publishes no general estate hearing day, no filing-to-hearing wait and no counter wait, so the sequence below uses only the deadlines its own rules set, alongside the statutory ones. The rules cited are the Fayette County Probate Court local rules effective January 1, 2023, certified unchanged by the probate judge on January 21, 2026.
- Notice that a will has been admitted: within two weeks. Notice of the admission of a will to probate must be given within two weeks of admission to comply with R.C. 2107.19, with a copy of the will included in the notice to the legatees and devisees, and certified mail is the service method the court marks as preferred (Local Rule 13(A) and (C)).
- Will contest: three months after the certificate of notice is filed. That is the deadline the court's own rule states (Local Rule 13(E)), and it is why the certificate of notice and its proof of service matter so much.
- Hearing on an application to relieve an estate from administration: at least five days' written notice to the surviving spouse and the heirs at law, plus three weeks' notice by publication to interested parties, unless waived or found unnecessary. Where no heirs are known to the applicant, the court must set the hearing not less than three weeks out and require publication (Local Rule 40(A)).
- Inventory: due within three months after appointment (R.C. 2115.02), and every inventory is set for hearing. Where all waivers are filed and the inventory is complete and correct, it is set for a no-show hearing and approved on the next day the court is in session, and the attorney is not required to attend. Where waivers are missing or the inventory is incomplete or incorrect, the hearing is set on the last Wednesday within the thirty-day window and the attorney must send notice to all required parties (Local Rule 16(A)).
- Accounts: heard on or about, but no earlier than, thirty days after the date of filing, and a no-show hearing is set where all necessary parties have filed a waiver of the account (Local Rule 27(F)). The Certificate of Service of Account to Heirs or Beneficiaries (Form 13.9) must be filed with the account, or the account is set for a full hearing (Local Rule 27(A)).
- Late inventories and accounts: the court sends a monthly reminder of what is due, then a notice to the attorney and fiduciary about one month after a missed due date, and at two months overdue it sets a hearing and issues a citation requiring both the attorney and the fiduciary to appear and explain (Local Rule 26(A) to (C)). Filing the missing document before the hearing date cancels the hearing.
- Extensions: file the Fayette County Application to Extend Time before the due date, not after (Local Rule 26(D)), and use Standard Form 13.8 (Application to Extend Administration) where the final distributive account cannot be completed in time (Local Rule 26(E)). If an extension is granted and the account is still late, no further notice is given and a citation issues.
- Estates that stay open: any decedent's estate that is current on its accounts but still open after one year and nine months is set for a status conference, at which both the fiduciary and the attorney must appear and a written status report must be submitted (Local Rule 42(E)(2)). A land sale not concluded within one year of filing is set for a pretrial conference within ten days after the year expires, with a written status report filed seven days ahead (Local Rule 42(D)).
Local nuance
Fayette County-specific considerations
| Local practice | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| No electronic filing at all, by rule | Local Rule 11(J)(10) states that absolutely no filings will be accepted by the Probate/Juvenile Court by way of email, text, or any other computer or electrical transmission, with no exceptions. That is a rule-level statement, not just an absence of a system, so do not expect an emailed application to be docketed. The county's eFiling Henschen system belongs to the Clerk of Courts and does not reach probate |
| Fax filing exists, but is narrow | Fayette County does accept fax filings to (740) 333-3598, which is worth knowing about for a deadline emergency, but the limits are strict: only unforeseen or emergency motions with a memorandum and certificate of service, or timely investigative reports; five pages maximum excluding the cover page; a cover page with the court, case, judge, document title, transmission date and your contact details; file stamped only between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., otherwise the next business day; and the original signed document must reach the court within one week. New or amended complaints, cases being opened or reopened, exhibits, discovery, wills, documents required to be under oath, and anything that requires a fee or deposit are not accepted by fax (Local Rule 11(J)) |
| Handwritten papers and letter motions may be accepted | Local Rule 3 keeps the court's authority to accept handwritten forms or pleadings, and Local Rule 9(B) reserves the right to hear a handwritten or typed letter motion from a party. That matters for a self-represented filer, though it is the court's discretion, not a right |
| Once filed, a paper cannot be fixed | Local Rule 11(A) forbids correcting or amending a filed document; you file an amended document instead, and that expressly includes making sure every applicable box on the probate forms is checked. Illegible signatures may be refused or stricken unless the name is typed or printed below (Local Rule 11(D)) |
| The court keeps its own appraiser list | Local Rule 15(B) has the court maintain a list of pre-approved, disinterested appraisers, and the court publishes it as the Court Appointed Appraiser's List, updated October 3, 2025, with each appraiser's specialties, from residential real estate and farm ground to personal property and jewelry. To use someone not on the list for one case, apply, which may be by letter, setting out the reasons and the proposed appraiser's qualifications |
| Not everything has to be appraised | Household goods with a total value of less than $6,000.00, and motor vehicles whose values appear in generally recognized publications, are treated as readily ascertainable and need not be appraised (Local Rule 16(C), the Fayette County Probate Court local rules effective January 1, 2023, certified unchanged by the probate judge on January 21, 2026). Every inventory must state whether each item was appraised or valued by the fiduciary, and each appraisal must carry the appraiser's original signature and printed contact details (Local Rule 16(D) and (E)) |
| A certificate of transfer is a two-building errand | Before you file an Application for Certificate of Transfer (Form 12.0) with the court, the description of the real estate must be approved by the Auditor of the county where the land sits, and a certificate that has not been approved by the Auditor will not be approved for transfer by the court. Each certificate must also state what share of the decedent's interest each beneficiary receives (Local Rule 20). In Fayette County that means the Auditor at 133 South Main Street, Suite 303, (740) 335-6461, then the court at 110 East Court Street, then recording with the Recorder at 133 South Main Street, Suite 305, (740) 335-1770 |
| Real estate brings a title examination | Where an estate contains real estate the court may require counsel to examine record title from the time the decedent acquired it and to file a certification as to the condition of the title, and no property, real or personal, is released for transfer until the inventory has been filed and approved (Local Rule 16(B) and (H)) |
| A will with nothing behind it can be filed rather than probated | Where there are no probate assets, a will must still be filed with the court but need not be admitted to probate, and the court supplies an Application to File Will for Record Only with its entry (Local Rule 13(I)). The cost is $15.00 (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023) |
| Cards work online, not at the counter | Local Rule 12(A) limits payment at the counter to cash, money order, check, certified bank check or an attorney business check. Cards are accepted only through the court's own online payment portal, which is labeled for the Probate Court and not for municipal or Clerk of Courts payments, and which adds a 3.50 per cent service fee with a $0.50 minimum (verified July 2026). Any balance under $5.00 left on deposit with the court goes to the county general fund rather than being refunded (Local Rule 12(J)) |
| Transferring the decedent's vehicle is a separate appointment | Probate transactions at the Fayette County Title Department, which is a Clerk of Courts office rather than the probate court, are by appointment only Monday through Friday and have not been handled on Saturdays since May 15, 2023; appointments are scheduled at (740) 335-6041 (the county's own notice from the Clerk of Courts, fayette-co-oh.com, verified July 2026) |
| Confidential files and copy rules | General court records are open for inspection during office hours, but adoption and mental illness files are confidential and need the judge's authorization, with any inspection done in the presence of a deputy clerk. Copies are 15 cents per page, or $1.00 per page from the court's archivist, and mailed copies go out only where copying and postage are prepaid. Requests may be emailed. The court digitally records all proceedings and supplies recordings on its own discs at 60 cents; outside flash drives and discs are prohibited (Local Rule 6, the Fayette County Probate Court local rules effective January 1, 2023, certified unchanged by the probate judge on January 21, 2026) |
| One judge, two divisions, two rulebooks | The same elected judge presides over the Probate Division and the Juvenile Division of the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas and signs as the county's probate-juvenile judge, and the two divisions share an address, a phone line, a fax line and hours. They keep separate sets of local rules, so make sure you are reading the probate rules. The arrangement does not change the law that applies to your estate, but it does mean the office is small and the same staff covers both dockets |
Small-estate Alternatives
Fayette County has a small-estate route of its own, created by the court's local rules rather than by statute: the Fayette County Short Form Release From Administration, under Local Rule 41. It is available where the value of the decedent's assets is $1,000.00 or less and there is no surviving spouse, or $6,000.00 or less where there is a surviving spouse or surviving minor children. The assets may include only bank accounts, titled vehicles and a small amount of household goods, and they may not include stocks or bonds, or household goods substantial enough to sell at private or public sale. The rule describes itself as a speedy, uncomplicated process for situations where a full estate or a release from administration is not needed, and states that it is not meant to replace the statutory summary release from administration but is intended for situations that do not necessarily meet the summary release's criteria.
What you file is the Fayette County Application for Short Form Release From Administration and the matching Order (Fayette County Forms 5.0A and 5.0, printed as appendices to the local rules), the last will and testament if the decedent left one, Standard Probate Form 1.0, and either a copy of a paid funeral bill or the funeral home's signed agreement to accept later payment. A Report of Distribution on Fayette County Form 5.9 is also required unless every asset is going to the surviving spouse who is also the applicant. The cost is $73.00, due on filing (Local Rule 41(E) and the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023). The order is not signed until all of those forms are filed, complete and correct, and the court reserves the right to require additional filings or to set a hearing where it thinks one is needed to make sure assets are collected, obligations paid and the estate distributed properly.
Because this route is local rather than statutory, do not assume it travels: an estate that does not fit Local Rule 41 falls back to Ohio's statewide paths, a release from administration under R.C. 2113.03 or a summary release under R.C. 2113.031, whose dollar ceilings and conditions are set by statute and are explained on the Ohio state page. Call the Fayette County Probate Court at (740) 335-0640 to confirm which route your facts fit before you fill anything in.
Recent updates
| Change | What happened |
|---|---|
| Local rules certified current, January 21, 2026 | The Fayette County Probate Court's local rules took effect January 1, 2023 by an entry filed January 10, 2023, after review by the Fayette County Bar Association, and the probate judge has since certified each year that no changes were made, most recently by an entry filed January 21, 2026. So the rules that govern a filing today are the January 1, 2023 set. The court's own page notes that it may make changes at any time and encourages filers to check with the court or the Supreme Court of Ohio for interim changes |
| Court appointed appraiser's list updated October 3, 2025 | The court refreshed the list of pre-approved appraisers it maintains under Local Rule 15(B), with contact details and specialties covering residential real estate, land and farm assets, personal property, auctioneering and jewelry |
| Deposits and court costs schedule revised April 7, 2023 | The court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule was last revised April 7, 2023. The estate figures match the version bound into the local rules as Appendix C, so the full administration, release, summary release and short form release amounts have been stable across both documents; the April 2023 revision changed adoption-related lines |
| Probate vehicle title transactions moved to weekday appointments, May 15, 2023 | The Fayette County Title Department, a Clerk of Courts office rather than the probate court, stopped processing out-of-state motor vehicle titles and probate transactions on Saturdays effective Monday, May 15, 2023. Probate transactions are now by appointment only, Monday through Friday, scheduled at (740) 335-6041 |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Fayette County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Washington Court House area home was held jointly with right of survivorship, or was covered by a transfer on death designation affidavit recorded with the Fayette 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 with the Fayette County Probate Court on the 2nd floor at 110 East Court Street: 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, in either case with the Fayette County Fiduciary's Acceptance before letters issue (Local Rules 11(I) and 14). 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 that costs $108.00 here, with the Fayette County Report of Distribution to follow (Local Rule 22(J)). Where the assets are only bank accounts, a titled vehicle and a few household goods worth $6,000.00 or less, the county's own short form release under Local Rule 41 may be shorter still at $73.00. | Asset discovery to confirm how the home and the accounts are titled and what actually has to reach the court. Packet generation for the Fayette County filing, whether a full administration, a release or the county short form. 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 $108.00 filing in Fayette County. A release still requires the Medicaid estate recovery notice within thirty days where the program applies (R.C. 2117.061) and does not shorten the six-month creditor window (R.C. 2117.06). Because there is no probate e-filing here, an out-of-state child files by mail to 110 East Court Street, 2nd Floor, Washington Court House, OH 43160 and calls (740) 335-0640 to confirm what the office needs, rather than flying in to file. Court costs can be paid from out of state through the court's own online payment portal, which adds a 3.50 per cent service fee with a $0.50 minimum. | Asset discovery to establish the estate's value from out of state and confirm which route it qualifies for. Packet generation for the release, the short form or the full administration, assembled so it can be mailed to Washington Court House 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, is appointed administrator and receives letters of administration, at a $125.00 deposit; with a will the parent probates it on Form 2.0 at a $135.00 deposit and receives letters testamentary (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023). The inventory follows within three months (R.C. 2115.02) on Form 6.0 and is set for hearing, with the real estate appraised by someone from the court's Court Appointed Appraiser's List unless the court appoints another appraiser for the case (Local Rules 15 and 16). The court may require counsel to examine record title and certify its condition (Local Rule 16(B)). Where the property is transferred to heirs rather than sold, the route is a Certificate of Transfer on Form 12.0, with the description approved by the Fayette County Auditor first and the certificate recorded with the Fayette County Recorder afterwards (Local Rule 20). A land sale still open a year after filing is set for a pretrial conference (Local Rule 42(D)). Any hearing is at the courthouse in Washington Court House. | 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 |
|---|---|
| Fayette County Probate Court (fayette-co-oh.com), (740) 335-0640 | The filing office for estates: the 2nd floor address at 110 East Court Street, the phone, the fax, the [email protected] email, the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours, and links to the local rules, the cost schedule, the appraiser list and the court's online payment portal. Court staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice |
| Fayette County Probate Court local rules (fayette-co-oh.com) | The court's own 53 rules effective January 1, 2023, certified unchanged on January 21, 2026: hours (Rule 4), records and copy costs (Rule 6), filing requirements and the fax-filing limits (Rule 11), court costs (Rule 12), notice on probate of a will (Rule 13), appraisers (Rule 15), inventory (Rule 16), claims and insolvency (Rules 17 and 18), certificates of transfer (Rule 20), accounts and vouchers (Rules 22, 24 and 27), relieving an estate from administration (Rule 40), the Fayette County short form release (Rule 41), and every Fayette County form as an appendix |
| Fayette County probate deposits and court costs (fayette-co-oh.com) | The court's one-page schedule of deposits and one-time fees, revised April 7, 2023, so you know what to bring before you drive in |
| Fayette County court appointed appraiser's list (fayette-co-oh.com) | The court's pre-approved appraisers, updated October 3, 2025, with contact details and specialties, useful where an estate holds real estate, farm assets, personal property or jewelry |
| Fayette County Probate Court online payment portal (pay.bridgepayment.com) | Pays probate court costs by card from anywhere, with a 3.50 per cent service fee and a $0.50 minimum (verified July 2026). It is for payments only; nothing can be filed through it, and it is not for municipal or Clerk of Courts payments |
| Supreme Court of Ohio Standard Probate Forms, decedent's estate (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide forms used in every Ohio county, including Fayette, with the numbered variants and waivers |
| Supreme Court of Ohio, Ohio trial courts directory (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The official court name, Fayette County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division, with links to the court and to its local rules, plus every other Ohio county's divisions if an estate crosses county lines |
| Supreme Court of Ohio local rules of court (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide index that links each county's probate-division local rules, useful because Ohio probate practice is genuinely different from county to county |
| 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 Southeast and Central Ohio, Chillicothe office (lasco.org), 740-773-0012 | Free civil legal help for eligible low-income residents. Its Chillicothe office at 73 East Water Street covers Fairfield, Fayette, Jackson, Pickaway, Pike and Ross counties, so this is the legal-aid program for Fayette County; phone lines are open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Confirm it can take a probate matter before relying on it |
| Ohio Legal Help: find your legal aid (ohiolegalhelp.org) | Confirms which legal-aid program covers a given Ohio county and how to apply |
| Ohio State Bar Association lawyer referral (ohiobar.org) | Referrals to Ohio probate attorneys, useful in a county with a small local bar |
When to hire an attorney
Many Fayette County estates are uncontested and can be handled without an attorney, particularly where a surviving spouse inherits everything and the estate qualifies to be relieved from administration, or where the assets are small enough for the county's own short form release under Local Rule 41. Consider counsel when a will is contested, and note that the court's own rule puts the will-contest deadline at three months after the certificate of notice is filed (Local Rule 13(E)); when real property or farm ground has to be sold or divided, since a land sale carries a title examination requirement and a pretrial conference if it drags past a year (Local Rules 16(B), 29 and 42(D)); 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 personal-injury claim is part of the estate, which the probate court has to approve; when the estate includes a business or out-of-state property; or when a guardianship has to run alongside the estate. Two practical local factors: the court requires an attorney's endorsement on entries filed for a represented fiduciary and will refuse an entry without it (Local Rule 8), and it waives account vouchers for an estate that has an attorney while requiring them in an estate that does not (Local Rule 22(B)(1)), so self-representation here means more paperwork rather than less. Court staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Ohio probate attorney serving Fayette County and the surrounding south-central Ohio 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, Fayette County real estate and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which estate settlement route fits, including whether the county's own short form release is open to you, before you drive to Washington Court House.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the paperwork for your route, whether a full administration, an application to relieve the estate from administration or the Fayette County short form release, on the statewide Standard Probate Forms, ready to file on paper with the Fayette County Probate Court at the counter or by mail.
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 Fayette 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 Fayette County?
With the Fayette County Probate Court on the 2nd floor of the Fayette County Court House, 110 East Court Street, Washington Court House, OH 43160. It is the probate division of the Fayette 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 Fayette County Clerk of Courts on the 3rd floor. File in Fayette County if the person was a resident of the county at the time of death (R.C. 2113.01).
What are the hours and the phone number for the Fayette County Probate Court?
The court is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., published on its own page and set by Local Rule 4(A), which opens the court from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily except Saturday, Sunday, legal holidays and court holidays (verified July 2026). The number is (740) 335-0640 and the fax is (740) 333-3598. Do not use the 7:30 a.m. opening time you may see for this courthouse: that is the General Division on the 3rd floor, and (740) 335-6371 reaches the Clerk of Courts, which does not open estates. Because this is a small combined probate and juvenile office that takes marriage licenses by appointment, call before making a long drive.
Is there e-filing for probate in Fayette County, and can I fax or email a filing?
There is no e-filing. Local Rule 11(J)(10) states that absolutely no filings will be accepted by the Probate/Juvenile Court by way of email, text or any other computer or electrical transmission, with no exceptions, so you cannot open an estate electronically or email an application. The county's eFiling Henschen system belongs to the Clerk of Courts and does not cover probate. Fax filing to (740) 333-3598 is accepted, but only for unforeseen or emergency motions and timely investigative reports, five pages maximum with a cover page, file stamped only between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., with the original due at the court within one week, and never for opening a case, for a will, for a document required to be under oath or for anything that carries a fee or deposit (Local Rule 11(J)). In practice you file on paper at the counter or by mail.
How much does it cost to open an estate in Fayette County?
Fayette County Probate Court publishes its own schedule: $135.00 to open a full administration with a will, $125.00 without a will, $108.00 for a release from administration or a summary release, and $73.00 for the county's own short form release (the court's Probate Deposits and Court Costs schedule, revised April 7, 2023). Those totals cover the statutory items drawn against them, including the $35.00 fiduciary appointment fee and the $15.00 fee to probate a will (R.C. 2101.16(A)); R.C. 2101.16(E) caps the pure advance-deposit component at $125.00. Local Rule 12(H) adds a $10.00 dispute-resolution fee per case filed. Certified copies are $1.00 for the top certification plus 15 cents per page after. Call (740) 335-0640 to confirm the current total, since the schedule is dated April 2023.
Can I pay Fayette County probate court costs with a credit card?
Not at the counter. Local Rule 12(A) limits payment at the court to cash, money order, check, certified bank check or an attorney business check. The court does run its own online payment portal, labeled for the Probate Court and not for municipal or Clerk of Courts payments, which takes Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover and adds a 3.50 per cent service fee with a $0.50 minimum on top of what you owe (verified July 2026). It pays costs only: nothing can be filed through it. One more local wrinkle, any balance under $5.00 left on deposit with the court is paid into the county general fund rather than refunded (Local Rule 12(J)).
How do I look up a Fayette County probate case online?
You cannot. The online record search at courts.fayette-co-oh.com is run for the Fayette County Clerk of Courts, and its case types are limited to appeals, civil, criminal, domestic relations, judgment lien and miscellaneous; there is no estate, probate or guardianship case type on it, and the separate pre-2001 search is also a Clerk of Courts system (verified July 2026). To see what is on file in an estate, contact the probate court on the 2nd floor at (740) 335-0640, email [email protected], or visit the counter during office hours. Copies of public records are 15 cents per page, $1.00 per page from the court's archivist, and adoption and mental illness files are confidential (Local Rule 6).
What forms do I need for probate in Fayette County?
Both the statewide forms and some Fayette County ones. Local Rule 1 requires the Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio wherever they apply, so 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) with Forms 13.9 and 13.3; for a smaller estate, Forms 5.0 and 5.1 to be relieved from administration. Then add the Fayette County forms, which are printed as appendices to the court's local rules rather than posted separately: the Fiduciary's Acceptance (Form 4.0A) is required before letters of authority are issued, the Notice of Change of Address (Form 1.0A) keeps your address current, and the Report of Distribution (Form 5.9) closes a release from administration. Download the local rules PDF to get them.
What is the Fayette County short form release from administration?
A local small-estate route created by the court's own rules rather than by statute. Under Local Rule 41 a short form release may be filed where the decedent's assets are $1,000.00 or less with no surviving spouse, or $6,000.00 or less with a surviving spouse or surviving minor children, and the assets are only bank accounts, titled vehicles and a small amount of household goods, not stocks or bonds or household goods substantial enough to sell. You file the Fayette County Application for Short Form Release and Order, the will if there was one, Standard Form 1.0, and either a paid funeral bill or the funeral home's written agreement to accept later payment, plus a Report of Distribution unless everything goes to the surviving spouse who is also the applicant. The cost is $73.00. The rule says it is not meant to replace the statutory summary release from administration but to cover situations that do not necessarily meet its criteria, so call (740) 335-0640 and confirm which route fits before you file.
When will my Fayette County inventory or account be heard?
Every inventory is set for hearing here, but the hearing is usually a formality. Where all waivers are filed and the inventory is complete and correct, it is set for a no-show hearing and approved on the next day the court is in session, and the attorney need not attend; where waivers are missing or the inventory is incomplete, the hearing is set on the last Wednesday within the thirty-day window and the attorney must notify all required parties (Local Rule 16(A)). Accounts are heard on or about, but no earlier than, thirty days after filing, again with a no-show hearing where every necessary party has waived, and Form 13.9 must be filed with the account or it is set for a full hearing (Local Rule 27). Late filings draw a notice at about a month and a citation and hearing at two months (Local Rule 26). Nothing about telephone or video appearances is published, so ask the court at (740) 335-0640.
Do I have to travel to Washington Court House to settle an estate in Fayette County?
Not usually just to file. Papers can be mailed to the probate court at 110 East Court Street, 2nd Floor, Washington Court House, OH 43160, so a filer living out of state can open and run an uncontested estate largely by mail and phone, and court costs can be paid by card through the court's own online payment portal. Plan on Washington Court House for a hearing that is not a no-show hearing, and for picking up certified copies of the letter of authority, which cost $1.00 for the top certification plus 15 cents per page and are what banks and title companies ask for. If the estate holds real estate, budget a stop at the county Auditor at 133 South Main Street, Suite 303, because the Auditor must approve the property description on a certificate of transfer before the court will act on it (Local Rule 20(A)).
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