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Highland County, OH Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Highland County Probate Court, the probate division of the Highland County Court of Common Pleas under the Ohio Revised Code (R.C.) (R.C. 2101.01). Its formal name in the Supreme Court of Ohio's trial-court directory is the Highland County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division, and the court's own site calls itself the Highland County Probate/Juvenile Court. One elected probate judge presides over both the Probate Division and the Juvenile Division, which is common in Ohio's smaller counties |
| Filing office | The probate court's own office in Hillsboro. 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 Highland County Clerk of Courts, (937) 393-9957, serves the general and domestic relations divisions and does not open estates |
| Courthouse address | 105 North High Street, Hillsboro, OH 45133. The court publishes no room or floor number |
| Mailing address | The probate court publishes no separate post office box, so mail filings go to 105 North High Street, Hillsboro, OH 45133. Do not use P.O. Box 821: that box belongs to the Highland County Clerk of Courts, a different office that does not handle estates |
| Phone | (937) 393-9981 for the Probate Court. The court's own contact block lists three separate numbers, and (937) 393-9982 is the Juvenile Court line, so ask for probate if you reach the wrong one (verified July 2026) |
| Fax | (937) 393-0926, published on the court's Map & Directions page. It is a contact number only: Loc.R. 57.1 states that the court will not accept filings by facsimile transmission or electronic mail |
| None published. No email address appears anywhere on the court's site, and its local rules do not accept filings by electronic mail (Loc.R. 57.1) | |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., published on the court's own site and set by its Loc.R. 53.1, which opens the Probate Court for the transaction of business from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays and at the discretion of the judge (verified July 2026). The 7 a.m. opening is earlier than most Ohio probate courts |
| Filing fee | Ohio sets most probate fee items by statute, including $35.00 to appoint a fiduciary and $15.00 to probate a will (R.C. 2101.16(A)), and each county probate court sets its own advance deposit by local rule, up to $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)), plus optional computerization and dispute-resolution charges (R.C. 2101.162, R.C. 2101.163). Highland County publishes its own totals on its Court Fees & Deposits page: $176.00 for a full administration, $156.00 for a release from administration or summary release where there is a will and $141.00 where there is none (verified July 2026). Loc.R. 58.1(A) separately requires a minimum deposit of $125.00 on an application to appoint any estate fiduciary. The court is cash basis and takes no personal checks (Loc.R. 58.1). Confirm the current figures with the court at (937) 393-9981 before you file |
| Local forms | Yes, two of them matter for an estate. Highland County publishes its own Form 4.0A, the Executor/Administrator-Fiduciary's Acceptance (R.C. 2109.02), and its own notarized Notice of Decedent's Medicaid Status, alongside the statewide Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio. Its other local forms cover name changes, guardianships, mental illness cases and records releases |
| E-filing | None. Highland County Probate Court has no electronic-filing system, and Loc.R. 57.1 states outright that it will not accept filings by facsimile transmission or electronic mail. Loc.R. 57.3 requires original signatures on all filings. You file on paper, in person in Hillsboro or by mail |
| Case search | Yes. The court runs a CaseLook record search on its own site that covers Estate, Guardianship, Marriage, Civil, Miscellaneous and Trusteeship case types, searchable by name, case number or filing date, with filing years back to 1978. You pass a disclaimer page and a CAPTCHA to reach it. The court's own disclaimer warns that the posting delay could be at least twenty-four hours and may be longer, and that verified record information must be requested from the court |
| Remote appearance | Nothing is published. The court's 2021 local rules contain no telephone or video appearance provision and its site says nothing about remote hearings, so ask the court at (937) 393-9981 whether a given hearing can be handled remotely |
| Website | https://highlandjpcourt.com/ (the court's own site, carrying its hours, contact numbers, court cost list, local rules and local forms). The Supreme Court of Ohio's trial-court directory lists the same host for the Highland County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Highland 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, in this county, different published costs. Those routes and their dollar ceilings are statewide and are explained on the Ohio state page. Getting it right before your first trip matters here because Highland County Probate Court is a paper court: there is no e-filing, no fax filing and no email filing (Loc.R. 57.1), it accepts only complete pleadings (Loc.R. 57.5), and it runs on a cash basis with no personal checks (Loc.R. 58.1), so an incomplete application or the wrong form of payment means a second trip to Hillsboro.
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 Highland 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 in Hillsboro lists the estate accurately the first time and the inventory that follows matches it.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Highland County Probate Court in Hillsboro is the single probate filing office for the whole county. Everything is at one address, 105 North High Street, and there is no branch, satellite or district office. Hillsboro is the county seat and, per the county's own government site, the only city in Highland County, which the county describes as predominantly rural across 553 square miles. The court serves every village and township in the county, so filers in Greenfield, Leesburg, Lynchburg, Mowrystown, Sinking Spring and the rural townships all file in Hillsboro. Because papers can be mailed to the court, most of an uncontested estate can be handled without repeated drives, and distance matters mainly for a hearing and for picking up certified copies.
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 Highland County, file in Highland County Probate Court, even if they died in a hospital in Cincinnati, Chillicothe, 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 Highland County's sits in Hillsboro.
Several Highland County offices share the 105 North High Street address or a similar phone number, and only one of them opens estates. Highland County Probate Court, (937) 393-9981, is the probate division of the Court of Common Pleas and is where wills, estates, guardianships and name changes are filed; because the elected probate judge is also the court's clerk (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)), there is no separate probate clerk to go to. The Juvenile Division, (937) 393-9982, is the same judge and the same building but a different docket, and the court's own Map & Directions page prints that juvenile number under a bare Phone label, which is why it circulates in directories as the probate number. The Highland County Clerk of Courts, (937) 393-9957 and P.O. Box 821, serves the general and domestic relations divisions. The separate Highland County Court sits in Greenfield and is a different court again. Use the number and address the Probate Court publishes for itself.
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. If the decedent may have left a will on deposit with the court, ask the court to check: under Loc.R. 75.5 a will deposited for safekeeping is released after death only to a court of probate jurisdiction.
- Get the statewide forms, then add Highland County's two. 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). Highland County then adds its own Form 4.0A, the Executor/Administrator-Fiduciary's Acceptance, and its own notarized Notice of Decedent's Medicaid Status, both downloadable from the court's forms page.
- Have an attorney file the Certificate of Attorney if one is involved. Loc.R. 64.5 requires a Certificate of Attorney to be properly executed and filed in each estate where an executor or administrator is appointed, on the form at Appendix A of the court's local rules.
- Format the papers the way the court requires. Loc.R. 57.5 requires filings to be legible on eight and one-half by eleven inch paper with body type no smaller than ten point and no larger than twelve point, and the court accepts for filing only pleadings that are complete. Loc.R. 57.3 requires original signatures on all filings, and where there are multiple fiduciaries all of them must sign. Loc.R. 57.4 bars the attorney from signing for the fiduciary. Loc.R. 57.2 requires an attorney or fiduciary address to be a street address, plus any post office box used for mail, and the fiduciary's address must be the fiduciary's legal residence.
- File on paper in Hillsboro or by mail. There is no e-filing, no fax filing and no email filing in Highland County (Loc.R. 57.1): take the completed forms to the probate court at 105 North High Street, Hillsboro, OH 45133 between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, or mail them to the same address. Do not mail to P.O. Box 821, which is the Clerk of Courts. If you file by mail and want file-stamped copies back, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient postage: under Loc.R. 57.6 the court will not return file-stamped copies by mail otherwise.
- Pay in a form the court accepts. Loc.R. 58.1 puts the court on a cash basis and refuses personal checks: it takes cash, money orders, cashier's checks, and attorney, title company or trust company checks only. An application to appoint any estate fiduciary requires a minimum deposit of $125.00 (Loc.R. 58.1(A)), which is the ceiling Ohio sets by statute for a probate court's advance deposit for costs (R.C. 2101.16(E)). The court's published totals are $176.00 for a full administration and $156.00 or $141.00 for a release from administration or summary release, with or without a will (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026).
- 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. Highland County's own Form 4.0A is signed at this stage, and it commits the fiduciary to a written list of duties. Ask for enough certified copies for every institution the estate deals with while you are at the counter.
- Send the Notice of Probate of Will within two weeks if there is a will. That two-week deadline is one of the duties the fiduciary accepts on Highland County Form 4.0A, and the statewide form for it is Form 2.2 (Notice of Probate of Will), with service certified on Form 2.4.
- Send the Medicaid estate recovery notice within 30 days where it applies. Ohio requires the person responsible for the estate of a decedent who was subject to the Medicaid estate recovery program, or whose spouse was, to 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, and Highland County also has you file its own notarized Notice of Decedent's Medicaid Status, which asks whether the decedent was over 55, was permanently institutionalized, and was ever a Medicaid recipient. This applies to a release from administration too, which surprises people.
- File the inventory within three months, in duplicate. 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). Highland County's Loc.R. 78.3 adds that the inventory is filed in duplicate, that it must carry the address, legal description and parcel number of any real estate, and that the court will not approve any distribution, sale or expenditure of estate assets before the inventory is filed and approved. Where an appraiser is used, Loc.R. 61.1 caps the real estate appraiser's fee at $1.50 per thousand of the first $200,000 of value and $1.00 per thousand above that, per property, and Loc.R. 78.3 lets the fiduciary attach the appraiser's signed original appraisal instead of having the appraiser sign the inventory.
- 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 statutory exception runs to Medicaid estate recovery, 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)). Highland County charges $10.00 to file a schedule of claim (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026), and Loc.R. 64.4 requires the fiduciary to pay and disclose in the estate account all valid debts unless the law provides otherwise.
- 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 costs $12.00 in Highland County, as does a certificate of termination (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026). Loc.R. 64.3 requires original vouchers to be displayed when accounts are filed, though in a solvent estate the fiduciary may instead file a dated waiver and consent from all beneficiaries acknowledging receipt of the account. Where Ohio real estate passes through the estate, apply for a Certificate of Transfer on Form 12.0, which Highland County charges $7.00 to file as an application to transfer real estate, and record the certificate with the Highland County Recorder.
Executor duties
Highland County puts the fiduciary's duties in writing and makes the executor or administrator sign them. Highland County Form 4.0A, the Executor/Administrator-Fiduciary's Acceptance, is a local form under R.C. 2109.02 on which the fiduciary accepts the duties required by law plus any the court orders, and it acknowledges that a fiduciary who fails to perform is subject to removal and to civil and criminal penalties for improper conversion of estate property. The statewide duties, including the three-month inventory (R.C. 2115.02), the six-month final account (R.C. 2109.301) and the six-month creditor window (R.C. 2117.06), are covered on the Ohio state page. What follows is what Highland County adds on top of them.
| Local duty | What Highland County requires |
|---|---|
| Sign the county's acceptance form | File Highland County Form 4.0A, the Executor/Administrator-Fiduciary's Acceptance, under R.C. 2109.02. It is downloadable from the court's forms page |
| Inventory the safe deposit box | The first duty listed on Form 4.0A is to inventory any safe deposit box of the decedent |
| Keep estate money in Ohio and keep it separate | Form 4.0A commits the fiduciary to deposit funds in a lawful depository located within this state, to keep estate funds in separate estate accounts at all times during the administration, and to invest all funds in a lawful manner |
| Keep the cost deposit positive | Form 4.0A commits the fiduciary to maintain a positive balance in the deposit account for court costs, and to timely pay any appraiser fee and bond premium. Loc.R. 75.4 keeps the proceedings open until the fiduciary has accounted for payment of the bond premium, and the fiduciary and attorney may be held personally liable for it |
| Send the will notice within two weeks | Where a will is admitted, Form 4.0A commits the fiduciary to send the Notice of Probate of Will within two weeks of appointment |
| File the account, and file it on time | Form 4.0A commits the fiduciary to prepare and file the final account within six months of appointment or as extended. Loc.R. 64.1(C) automatically extends the first account in a decedent's estate, without any application, to thirteen months after the date of appointment, with later accounts annual unless the court orders otherwise, and accounts filed out of compliance are subject to citation. Loc.R. 64.1(A) requires the account to be personally signed by the fiduciary and to carry the fiduciary's full name, current resident address and telephone number |
| Expect nothing to be approved while an account is late | Loc.R. 64.2 states that no expenditure, sale, distribution or fee will be approved while the fiduciary is delinquent in filing an account |
| Show the vouchers | Loc.R. 64.3 requires original vouchers to be displayed when accounts are filed, and accepts a financial institution statement naming the payee, check amount and date of payment as a voucher. In a solvent decedent's estate the fiduciary may instead file a dated waiver and consent from all beneficiaries, or a mix of vouchers and consents |
| Pay and disclose the debts | Loc.R. 64.4 requires the fiduciary in a decedent's estate to pay and disclose in the estate account all valid debts unless the law provides otherwise |
| Accept that your contact details go on the public docket | Form 4.0A includes an agreement to allow the fiduciary's name, address and telephone number to appear in the court's docket and be accessible through the court's website, and to notify the Probate Court immediately of any change of name, address or telephone number |
| Understand when the attorney gets paid | Form 4.0A carries the court's note that the attorney shall not be paid prior to the preparation of the final account unless the court specifically authorizes it. Loc.R. 71.3 governs early payment of attorney fees |
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Highland County
Highland County uses the statewide Standard Probate Forms and adds two of its own for a decedent's estate. Ohio has one set of Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio and used in all 88 counties, and the Highland County Probate Court's forms page links straight to the Supreme Court's probate forms index for them. Under the court's Loc.R. 51.1, approved forms for use in the Highland County Probate Court are also available at the court itself, and all forms must comply with the Ohio Rules of Superintendence.
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) with Form 2.2 (Notice of Probate of 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 two Highland County additions are both estate forms and both are downloadable from the court's own forms page. Highland County Form 4.0A, the Executor/Administrator-Fiduciary's Acceptance, is signed by the executor or administrator under R.C. 2109.02 and lists fourteen duties the fiduciary accepts, from inventorying a safe deposit box to keeping estate funds in separate estate accounts. The Notice of Decedent's Medicaid Status is a notarized certification, captioned in the Common Pleas Court of Highland County, Probate Division, on which the applicant checks whether the decedent was over 55, whether the decedent was permanently institutionalized, whether the decedent was ever a Medicaid recipient, and whether notice went to the administrator of the Ohio Medicaid estate recovery program. The court's other local forms cover adult and minor name changes, guardianship of a minor or an incompetent adult, mental illness cases and a records release, which are not decedent's estate filings.
One formatting rule governs everything you hand across the counter. Loc.R. 57.5 requires filings to be legible on eight and one-half by eleven inch paper with body type between ten and twelve point, and the court accepts for filing only pleadings that are complete. Loc.R. 52.1 allows computer-generated forms if they match the specifications and format in the Rules of Superintendence and carry the exact wording and blank lines of the uniform forms, and the signature of the applicant or attorney certifies that they do.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Supreme Court of Ohio Standard Probate Forms, decedent's estate (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide forms you file in Highland 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, waivers and notices |
| Highland County Probate Court forms (highlandjpcourt.com) | The court's own downloadable forms, including Highland County Form 4.0A, the Executor/Administrator-Fiduciary's Acceptance, and the notarized Notice of Decedent's Medicaid Status, plus the name change, guardianship, mental illness and records release forms |
| Highland County Probate Division local court rules, revised September 20, 2021 (highlandjpcourt.com) | The court's own rules: form availability (Loc.R. 51.1), computerized forms (Loc.R. 52.1), hours (Loc.R. 53.1), filing format and the no-fax-no-email rule (Loc.R. 57), deposits (Loc.R. 58.1), non-resident fiduciaries (Loc.R. 60.1), appraiser fees (Loc.R. 61.1), accounts (Loc.R. 64), deposited wills (Loc.R. 75.5) and inventory (Loc.R. 78.3). The file is a scanned image, so it is read rather than searched |
| Highland County Probate Court fees and deposits (highlandjpcourt.com) | The court's published probate cost list, which is where the $176.00 full administration and $141.00 or $156.00 release figures come from |
Fees
Highland County Probate Court publishes its own court cost list, which is unusual for a rural Ohio county and makes the real cost of filing here knowable in advance. Two separate things are published and both apply: the court cost figures on the court's Court Fees & Deposits page, and the minimum deposits in Loc.R. 58.1 of the court's local rules, revised September 20, 2021. Every figure below was read from those two Highland County sources and verified in July 2026. The Court Fees & Deposits page carries no effective date, so confirm the current amount with the court at (937) 393-9981 before you write the payment.
Underneath the county figures sits Ohio's statutory item list. R.C. 2101.16(A) fixes $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, with a $1.00 minimum. On top of those items a probate court may charge computerization fees and a dispute-resolution fee (R.C. 2101.162, R.C. 2101.163), and may require an advance deposit for costs of up to $125.00 by local rule (R.C. 2101.16(E)). Highland County's published totals are those statutory items plus the county's own permitted charges, which is why $141.00 to relieve an estate from administration is more than the $60.00 statutory item, and why $156.00 with a will is exactly $141.00 plus the $15.00 statutory will-probate fee.
How you pay matters as much as how much. Loc.R. 58.1 states that the business of the court is conducted on a cash basis and that the court will not accept personal checks: it takes cash, money orders, cashier's checks, and attorney, title company or trust company checks only. Plan the payment before the drive to Hillsboro.
| Filing or service | Published cost in Highland County |
|---|---|
| Full administration | $176.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026) |
| Release from administration or summary release, with a will | $156.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026) |
| Release from administration or summary release, without a will | $141.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026) |
| Minimum deposit to appoint an estate fiduciary | $125.00 minimum deposit on filing an application for appointment of any estate fiduciary (Loc.R. 58.1(A), local rules revised September 20, 2021). Ohio caps a probate court's advance deposit for costs at that amount (R.C. 2101.16(E)) |
| Inventory with appraisal | $10.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026), matching the statutory item at R.C. 2101.16(A) |
| Account or certificate of termination | $12.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026) |
| Waivers and proof of notice of hearing on account | $1.00 per page (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026) |
| Schedule of claim | $10.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026) |
| Application to transfer real estate | $7.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026). This is the filing that produces a Certificate of Transfer for Ohio real property |
| Application to transfer an automobile | $5.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026) |
| Motions and applications | $5.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026) |
| Bond, new, additional, reduction or release of surety | $5.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026) |
| Will contest | $61.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026), plus the $150.00 minimum deposit Loc.R. 58.1(B) requires on filing any complaint other than the presentation of a claim or a land sale |
| Wrongful death settlement | $81.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026) |
| Minor's claim settlement | $71.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026) |
| Copies of public records | Ten cents per page (Loc.R. 55.2, local rules revised September 20, 2021). Certified copies are a separate statutory item at $1.00 per page (R.C. 2101.16(A)) |
| Subpoena | $30.00 minimum deposit for service by the Highland County sheriff plus a $6.00 witness fee, with additional deposits possible for out-of-county service (Loc.R. 58.1(C), local rules revised September 20, 2021) |
| Real estate appraiser's fee, maximum | $1.50 per thousand of the first $200,000 of value and $1.00 per thousand above that, computed on the entire undivided value of each property rather than the decedent's fractional interest and applied per property (Loc.R. 61.1, local rules revised September 20, 2021). Fees within this schedule may be paid without application and entry; anything above it needs the fiduciary's agreement or the court's prior approval |
Local nuance
Highland County-specific considerations
Highland County Probate Court's local rules, revised September 20, 2021, are supplemental to the Rules of Superintendence, the Ohio Revised Code and the Rules of Civil Procedure, and they shape a filing here more than most rural Ohio counties' rules do. The rules are published on the court's own site as a scanned image, which means they cannot be text-searched and have to be read page by page. Note that the court's rules page also offers a Probate Compliance Plan filed May 27, 2026: that document is Local Rule 10.1, on reporting to law enforcement databases, and it does not change estate filing practice. The September 20, 2021 rules are the ones that govern an estate.
| Local rule or practice | What it means for an estate here |
|---|---|
| No electronic filing of any kind | Loc.R. 57.1 states that the court will not accept filings by facsimile transmission or electronic mail. There is no e-filing portal either. Everything is filed on paper, in person at 105 North High Street or by mail |
| Original signatures only | Loc.R. 57.3 requires all filings to contain original signatures, requires every fiduciary to sign where there are several, and bars non-attorneys from signing on an attorney's behalf. Loc.R. 57.4 bars the attorney from signing for the fiduciary on anything that by law or rule requires the fiduciary's signature |
| Cash basis, no personal checks | Loc.R. 58.1 conducts the court's business on a cash basis and refuses personal checks. Cash, money orders, cashier's checks and attorney, title company or trust company checks are accepted |
| Bring a stamped envelope if you file by mail | Loc.R. 57.6 states the court will not return file-stamped copies by mail unless the filing is submitted with a return, self-addressed, stamped envelope with sufficient postage |
| A Certificate of Attorney in every estate with a fiduciary | Loc.R. 64.5 requires a Certificate of Attorney to be properly executed and filed in each estate where an executor or administrator is appointed, using the form at Appendix A of the local rules |
| Nothing moves before the inventory is approved | Loc.R. 78.3(E) states the court will not approve the distribution, sale or expenditure of any estate assets before the inventory is filed and approved. Loc.R. 78.3(C) requires the inventory in a decedent's estate to be filed in duplicate, an original and a copy, and Loc.R. 78.3(B) requires it to contain the address, legal description and parcel number of the decedent's interest in real estate. Loc.R. 78.3(D) will not accept the inventory for filing unless any required bond is sufficient |
| The county auditor's value can stand in for an appraisal | Loc.R. 61.1(D) makes a court-appointed appraiser unnecessary, absent a dispute or another reason for an appraisal, in either of two situations: in an estate relieved from administration, where a statement attesting to the auditor's appraised value signed by a representative of the Highland County Auditor is accepted as the appraised value of the real estate; and where the estate is made up of personal property of readily ascertainable value. The first of those is a real saving on a small estate holding a house |
| The first account is extended to thirteen months automatically | Loc.R. 64.1(C) extends the first account in a decedent's estate, without any application, to thirteen months after the date of appointment, with subsequent accounts annual unless the court orders otherwise |
| Out-of-state fiduciaries have extra conditions | Loc.R. 60.1 requires an applicant to be appointed fiduciary of a decedent's estate who is not an Ohio resident to comply with R.C. 2109.21 and to use an Ohio-licensed attorney as attorney of record, and, so that assets remain in Highland County during the administration, to meet at least one of three conditions: place a substantial amount of the decedent's personal assets in a custodial depository in the county under R.C. 2109.13, have a co-fiduciary who is an Ohio resident, or post a bond under R.C. 2109.04 |
| A land sale that drags gets a status conference | Loc.R. 78.1 requires any land sale not concluded within one year of filing to be set for a status conference by the plaintiff's counsel within thirty days after the year expires, with the fiduciary and the attorney attending, a written status report submitted, and the fiduciary showing cause why the court should not order a public sale of the real estate |
| Disputes can be sent to mediation | Loc.R. 78.4 lets the court, on its own motion or a party's, refer disputed issues in an estate, guardianship or trust to mediation after filing |
| Deposited wills come back only to a probate court | Loc.R. 75.5 requires anyone depositing a will with the court to sign a written statement acknowledging that it is deposited at the testator's or the testator's guardian's request and identifying the testator's current address and telephone number. After the testator's death a will deposited under R.C. 2107.07 is released only to a court of probate jurisdiction |
| Court files stay in the building | Loc.R. 55.1 states no court file may be removed from the offices of the Probate Court without written permission from the judge. Copies of public records cost ten cents per page (Loc.R. 55.2) |
| Hearings are recorded by audio | Loc.R. 11.1 makes an audio recording the record of the court, and a party who wants a stenographic record must contact the court reporter at least fourteen days before the scheduled hearing and pay for it. The original audio recording is not released to the parties, and recordings are kept for five years from the hearing date |
Recent updates
| Change | What it means |
|---|---|
| Probate Compliance Plan filed May 27, 2026 | The court's rules page now offers a Probate Compliance Plan alongside its Probate Division Rules. That document is Local Rule 10.1, Reporting to Law Enforcement and Compliance Plan, filed and journalized on May 27, 2026, and it governs the court's reporting to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Ohio Law Enforcement Automated Data System and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. It does not change estate filing practice. The rules that govern an estate are still the Probate Division local court rules revised September 20, 2021 |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Highland County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Hillsboro-area home was held jointly with right of survivorship, or was covered by a transfer on death designation affidavit recorded with the Highland 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 Highland 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, plus Highland County Form 4.0A and the county's Notice of Decedent's Medicaid Status. Where the spouse inherits everything, the estate may qualify to be released from administration rather than fully administered (R.C. 2113.03), which costs $156.00 with a will or $141.00 without one here rather than $176.00 for a full administration (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026). Papers go across the counter at 105 North High Street or in the mail. | Asset discovery to confirm how the home and the accounts are titled and what actually has to reach the court. Packet generation for the Highland 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). Two Highland County points matter for an out-of-state filer. Because there is no e-filing, fax filing or email filing (Loc.R. 57.1), you file by mail to 105 North High Street, Hillsboro, OH 45133, not to the Clerk of Courts box, and you enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope to get file-stamped copies back (Loc.R. 57.6). And if the out-of-state child wants to be appointed fiduciary of a full administration rather than just applying for a release, Loc.R. 60.1 requires an Ohio-licensed attorney of record plus a custodial depository in the county, an Ohio-resident co-fiduciary, or a bond. Call (937) 393-9981 to confirm what the office needs before mailing. | 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 Hillsboro 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 at $176.00 (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026): with no will the parent files Form 4.0, is appointed administrator and receives letters of administration; with a will the parent probates it on Form 2.0 and receives letters testamentary. The sequencing rule to plan around is Loc.R. 78.3(E): the court will not approve any sale, distribution or expenditure of estate assets until the inventory has been filed and approved, so the three-month inventory (R.C. 2115.02) on Form 6.0 comes before the sale, filed in duplicate with the property's address, legal description and parcel number. Appraiser fees are capped by Loc.R. 61.1 at $1.50 per thousand of the first $200,000 of value. If the sale is not concluded within a year, Loc.R. 78.1 sets a status conference. Where the property is transferred to heirs instead of sold, the route is a Certificate of Transfer on Form 12.0, filed as an application to transfer real estate at $7.00 and recorded with the Highland County Recorder. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts, insurance and real property. Packet generation for the administration and the inventory, in the order the local rules require. Attorney referral where the sale, a mortgage payoff or a dispute among heirs makes counsel worthwhile. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Highland County Probate Court (highlandjpcourt.com), (937) 393-9981 | The filing office for estates, with the court's own hours, contact numbers, court cost list, local rules and local forms. Court staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice |
| Highland County Probate Court fees and deposits (highlandjpcourt.com) | The court's published probate cost list, including $176.00 for a full administration and $141.00 or $156.00 for a release from administration or summary release (verified July 2026) |
| Highland County Probate Division local court rules, revised September 20, 2021 (highlandjpcourt.com) | The rules that govern a filing here: the 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours in Loc.R. 53.1, the no-fax-no-email rule in Loc.R. 57.1, deposits and the cash-basis rule in Loc.R. 58.1, non-resident fiduciaries in Loc.R. 60.1, appraiser fees in Loc.R. 61.1, accounts in Loc.R. 64 and the inventory rules in Loc.R. 78.3. A scanned image, so read it rather than search it |
| Highland County Probate Court forms (highlandjpcourt.com) | The county's own forms, including Highland County Form 4.0A, the Executor/Administrator-Fiduciary's Acceptance, and the notarized Notice of Decedent's Medicaid Status |
| Highland County Probate Court record search (highlandjpcourt.com) | The court's CaseLook docket search, covering Estate, Guardianship, Marriage, Civil, Miscellaneous and Trusteeship cases by name, case number or filing date, back to 1978. You pass a disclaimer and a CAPTCHA, and the court warns the posting delay may exceed twenty-four hours |
| Supreme Court of Ohio Standard Probate Forms, decedent's estate (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide forms used in every Ohio county, including Highland, with the numbered variants, waivers and notices |
| Supreme Court of Ohio trial courts directory (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The official listing for the Highland County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division, useful for confirming the court's formal name and its local rules link |
| Supreme Court of Ohio local rules of court (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide index of county probate-division local rules, useful if an estate touches more than one county |
| Highland County elected officials directory (co.highland.oh.us) | The county's own list of offices and numbers, which distinguishes the Probate Court at (937) 393-9981 from the Juvenile Court at (937) 393-9982 and the Clerk of Courts at (937) 393-9957 |
| 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 Society of Greater Cincinnati and Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio (ohiolegalaids.org), 513.241.9400 or 800.582.2682 | Free civil legal help for eligible low-income residents. The programs' published service area is Butler, Brown, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland and Warren counties, so this is the legal-aid program for Highland County. Confirm it can take a probate matter before relying on it |
| Pro Seniors Legal Helpline (proseniors.org), (513) 345-4160 | Free legal information, advice and referral for residents of Ohio age 60 and over, regardless of income, from an elder-law non-profit. The helpline is statewide, though Pro Seniors limits its own attorney representation to a five-county area that does not include Highland, so treat it as an advice and referral route |
| 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 Highland 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 rather than fully administered. Consider counsel when a will is contested, which carries its own $61.00 filing cost and a $150.00 minimum complaint deposit here (Loc.R. 58.1(B), Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026), when real property has to be sold and the Loc.R. 78.3 sequencing means nothing can move before the inventory is approved, 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 minor's injury claim is part of the estate, when the proposed fiduciary lives out of state and Loc.R. 60.1 requires an Ohio-licensed attorney of record in any event, or when a guardianship has to run alongside the estate. The practical local factor is that Loc.R. 64.5 requires a Certificate of Attorney in each estate where an executor or administrator is appointed, and that a paper court accepting only complete pleadings (Loc.R. 57.5) is unforgiving of a half-finished filing. Court staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Ohio probate attorney serving Highland County and the surrounding southwest 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, Highland County real estate and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Ohio estate settlement route fits before you drive to Hillsboro.
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 on paper with the Highland 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 Highland 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 Highland County?
With the Highland County Probate Court at 105 North High Street, Hillsboro, OH 45133. It is the probate division of the Highland 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 Highland County Clerk of Courts. File in Highland County if the person was a resident of the county at the time of death (R.C. 2113.01). The court is open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Loc.R. 53.1).
What is the phone number for the Highland County Probate Court?
(937) 393-9981. The court's own contact block lists three numbers for the same building: Probate Court (937) 393-9981, Juvenile Court (937) 393-9982 and Juvenile Probation (937) 393-5863. The court's Map & Directions page prints the juvenile number under a plain Phone label, which is why (937) 393-9982 turns up in directories as the probate number, and the county's own elected-officials list confirms (937) 393-9981 for the Probate Court. The Highland County Clerk of Courts, (937) 393-9957, is a different office and does not open estates.
Is there e-filing for probate in Highland County?
No. Highland County Probate Court has no electronic-filing system, and its Loc.R. 57.1 states that the court will not accept filings by facsimile transmission or electronic mail, so the published fax number cannot be used to file either. Loc.R. 57.3 requires original signatures on all filings. Everything goes in on paper, in person at 105 North High Street or by mail. Ohio has no statewide probate e-filing system: some metro counties run their own, and most rural counties, including Highland, are paper.
Can I file probate papers by mail in Highland County?
Yes, to 105 North High Street, Hillsboro, OH 45133. Do not use P.O. Box 821, which belongs to the Highland County Clerk of Courts rather than the Probate Court. Two local rules matter for a mail filing: under Loc.R. 57.6 the court will not return file-stamped copies by mail unless you enclose a return, self-addressed, stamped envelope with sufficient postage, and under Loc.R. 57.5 the court accepts for filing only pleadings that are complete. Call (937) 393-9981 before mailing an original will.
How do I look up a Highland County probate case online?
Use the court's own record search at highlandjpcourt.com. It is a CaseLook system covering Estate, Guardianship, Marriage, Civil, Miscellaneous and Trusteeship case types, and you can search by name, by case number or by filing date, with filing years available back to 1978. You pass a disclaimer page and a CAPTCHA to get in. The court's own disclaimer warns that there is a delay between a filing or a judicial action and its appearance in the system, that the delay could be at least twenty-four hours and may be longer, and that verified record information has to be requested from the court or obtained by visiting during business hours. Copies of public records cost ten cents per page (Loc.R. 55.2).
What forms do I need for probate in Highland County?
The statewide Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio, plus two Highland County forms. For a full administration the core statewide 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. Highland County adds its own Form 4.0A, the Executor/Administrator-Fiduciary's Acceptance under R.C. 2109.02, and a notarized Notice of Decedent's Medicaid Status, both on the court's forms page. If an attorney is involved, Loc.R. 64.5 also requires a Certificate of Attorney in each estate where an executor or administrator is appointed.
How much does it cost to file probate in Highland County?
The court publishes its own totals: $176.00 for a full administration, $156.00 for a release from administration or summary release where there is a will and $141.00 where there is none, $10.00 for an inventory with appraisal, $12.00 for an account or certificate of termination and $7.00 for an application to transfer real estate (Court Fees & Deposits page, verified July 2026). Loc.R. 58.1(A) separately requires a minimum deposit of $125.00 on an application to appoint any estate fiduciary, which is the ceiling Ohio sets by statute for a probate court's advance deposit for costs (R.C. 2101.16(E)). Underneath the county figures, Ohio fixes the items themselves, including $35.00 to appoint a fiduciary and $15.00 to probate a will (R.C. 2101.16(A)). Bring cash, a money order or a cashier's check: Loc.R. 58.1 runs the court on a cash basis and refuses personal checks.
Can I pay the Highland County Probate Court by personal check?
No. Loc.R. 58.1 states that the business of the court is conducted on a cash basis and that the court will not accept personal checks. It accepts cash, money orders, cashier's checks, and attorney, title company or trust company checks. This catches out-of-town filers more than anything else in the local rules, so plan the payment before the trip or the mailing.
Can I sell the house before the inventory is filed in Highland County?
No. Loc.R. 78.3(E) states that the court will not approve the distribution, sale or expenditure of any estate assets before the inventory is filed and approved, so the inventory comes first even though the statute allows up to three months for it (R.C. 2115.02). Highland County also requires the inventory in duplicate, an original and a copy, and requires it to state the address, legal description and parcel number of the decedent's interest in real estate (Loc.R. 78.3(B) and (C)). If a land sale is still not concluded a year after filing, Loc.R. 78.1 requires a status conference within thirty days after the year expires.
Can I be the executor in Highland County if I live out of state?
Yes, with conditions. Loc.R. 60.1 requires an applicant to be appointed fiduciary of a decedent's estate who is not an Ohio resident to comply with R.C. 2109.21 and to use an attorney licensed in Ohio as attorney of record, and, so that the assets remain in Highland County during the administration, to satisfy at least one of three requirements: place a substantial amount of the decedent's personal assets in a custodial depository in the county under R.C. 2109.13, have a co-fiduciary who is an Ohio resident, or post a bond under R.C. 2109.04.
When is the first account due in a Highland County estate?
Ohio requires a final and distributive account within six months after appointment unless a statutory exception applies (R.C. 2109.301), and Highland County Form 4.0A commits the fiduciary to that six-month deadline. Where an estate has to stay open, Loc.R. 64.1(C) automatically extends the first account in a decedent's estate, with no application needed, to thirteen months after the date of appointment, and subsequent accounts are then annual unless the court orders otherwise. Accounts not filed in compliance are subject to citation, and under Loc.R. 64.2 no expenditure, sale, distribution or fee will be approved while the fiduciary is delinquent in filing an account.
Do I have to travel to Hillsboro to settle an estate in Highland County?
Not usually just to file. Papers can be mailed to the probate court at 105 North High Street, Hillsboro, OH 45133, so a filer at the county's edge or living out of state can open and run an uncontested estate largely by mail and phone, and the court's online record search lets you follow the docket. Plan on Hillsboro for a hearing and for picking up certified copies of the letter of authority, which cost $1.00 per page (R.C. 2101.16(A)) and are what banks and title companies ask for. Nothing about telephone or video appearances is published, so ask the court at (937) 393-9981 whether a particular hearing can be handled remotely.
Is probate court the same as the juvenile court in Highland County?
It is the same court and the same judge, in two divisions. One elected judge presides over both the Probate Division and the Juvenile Division of the Highland County Court of Common Pleas, and the court's own site calls the office the Highland County Probate/Juvenile Court, so the two dockets share a building, a website and a chief deputy clerk. That arrangement is common in Ohio's smaller counties. Estates, wills, guardianships and name changes are probate matters at (937) 393-9981; juvenile cases are at (937) 393-9982. It does not change the law that applies to your estate, but it does mean asking for the probate side when you call.
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.