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Lucas County, OH Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Lucas County Probate Court, the probate division of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas under the Ohio Revised Code (R.C.) (R.C. 2101.01). Its formal name, used in the Supreme Court of Ohio's trial-court directory and by the court itself, is the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division. Lucas has a stand-alone probate division: one elected probate judge presides over probate, and juvenile cases are heard by a separate Juvenile Division of the same Court of Common Pleas |
| Filing office | The probate court's own clerk's office. In Ohio the elected probate judge is the clerk of the probate court and may appoint deputy clerks (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)), so estates, wills, guardianships and trusts are filed with the Probate Court itself and not with the Lucas County Clerk of Courts, which serves other divisions. The court's front counter and intake staff are in the main office |
| Courthouse | 700 Adams Street, Suite 200, Toledo, OH 43604. The main office is on the 2nd floor of the building |
| Mailing address | The court publishes no separate post office box, so mail goes to 700 Adams Street, Suite 200, Toledo, OH 43604. Because a case-opening filing must be an original and the exact costs are due when it is filed, confirm with the court at (419) 213-4775 before mailing an application to open an estate |
| Phone | (419) 213-4775, the Lucas County Probate Court's main line (verified July 2026). The marriage license department has its own line, (419) 213-4750, with phone hours of 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| Fax | (419) 213-4764, the court's main fax, and also a filing channel: Local Rule 5.3(C) provides that the court will accept fax filings as originals, including signatures. It cannot be used to open a case. The marriage license fax is a different number |
| [email protected], published in the court's site footer and named in Local Rule 5.3(C) as an email-filing address for documents in an open case, again not for opening one | |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except holidays, per the court's hours page and Local Rule 53.1 of the court's local probate rules as amended through December 31, 2025. No lunch closure is published for the estate counter, but two cutoffs matter: any pleading requiring a new case number or the payment of court costs must be filed by 4:15 p.m., and marriage applications are not accepted after 4:00 p.m. The marriage license department is open in person from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The court publishes its holiday closing dates for the year on its hours page |
| 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, $10.00 for an inventory with appraisement and $12.00 for an account. On top of those items each Ohio probate court sets its own charges by local rule, including an advance deposit for costs of up to $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)) and optional computerization and dispute-resolution charges (R.C. 2101.162, R.C. 2101.163). Lucas County Probate Court takes no advance deposit at all: under the court's New System, Payment Changes notice dated October 3, 2024 and updated April 10, 2025 it has moved to a pay-to-file model in which the exact amount due is required at the time of filing, and Local Rule 58.1 provides that all court costs are listed on the court's website and that additional fees are collected for court computerization, computerized legal research, microfiche records, dispute resolution, special projects and indigent guardianship costs and are included in those published figures. The court's published totals are $350.00 for a full administration, $90.00 for a relief from administration without a will and $130.00 with a will, and $95.00 for a summary release without a will and $105.00 with a will (Lucas County Probate Court court costs schedule, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026; the court's own filing instruction sheets for a summary release, a relief from administration and a full administration, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026). Local Rule 58.1(A) recommends contacting the court before filing to confirm the exact costs for your case |
| Local forms | Yes, an extensive set, in addition to the statewide forms. Ohio uses one set of Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio in all 88 counties, which this court publishes with an SC prefix, and Lucas County Probate Court adds its own forms with an LCPC prefix, including LCPC 1A, the New Case Information Statement required in every new case by Local Rule 57.2, and LCPC RRCPF, the release for the criminal record check that Local Rule 57.3 requires of most applicants for appointment as fiduciary. The court also publishes route-based form packets |
| E-filing | Not available. There is no e-filing system for estates at Lucas County Probate Court as of July 2026, and the court's site publishes no portal or vendor. What it does allow is narrower: Local Rule 5.3(C) provides that the court will accept fax filings and email filings as originals, including signatures, but that initial case filings must be originals with cash, check or money order for costs, and that accounts may be filed by fax, emailed or dropped off. Online applications are offered for marriage licenses only. the court's New System, Payment Changes notice dated October 3, 2024 and updated April 10, 2025 states that features such as e-filing will be rolled out as the court's new case management system comes in, so check the court's site before assuming a channel exists |
| Case search | Yes. The court's Case Access page links an Online Case Management System at researchoh.tylerhost.net covering estate cases (case type EST) along with guardianship, trust, minor's settlement, name change, marriage, adversary and other probate case types. Adoption and mental health records are confidential and are omitted. Case numbers must be typed in full, and the format changed in August 2001, from a case type plus a two digit year and a four digit number to a four digit year plus a case type and a six digit number. A name search needs at least one initial in the last name field. The court warns that hearing times shown in the system are not accurate and asks you to call for the correct time |
| Remote appearance | By request and at the court's discretion. Local Rule 5.3(A) and (B) provide that the court may conduct pretrial conferences, hearings and proceedings by telephone or by live two-way video with attorneys and unrepresented parties, and that a party who wants to appear remotely shall file a motion or request for remote hearing at least seven days before the scheduled hearing in nonemergency cases. The judge may still order a personal appearance in any matter, and reasonable accommodations for a disabled person appearing remotely are requested with the motion |
| Website | https://www.lucasprobate.org |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Lucas County, know exactly what is in the estate and how each asset is titled. Which Ohio route fits depends on whether there is a will, on who inherits, and on the value of the assets that actually pass through the estate, because a full administration, a relief from administration and a summary release are three different filings with different forms, different notice steps and different court costs. Those routes and their dollar ceilings are statewide and are explained on the Ohio state page. Getting the route right before your first trip downtown matters more here than in a county with e-filing, because Lucas County Probate Court has moved to a pay-to-file model: under the court's New System, Payment Changes notice dated October 3, 2024 and updated April 10, 2025 the exact amount due is required at the time of filing, the court no longer takes deposits in advance and cannot accept payment later, and the court's published totals differ by route, from $95.00 for a summary release without a will to $350.00 for a full administration (the court's own filing instruction sheets for a summary release, a relief from administration and a full administration, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026).
Identify every bank and credit-union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life-insurance policy, vehicle, business interest and parcel of Lucas County real estate, along with every debt, before you file. Titling decides whether an asset reaches the court at all: property held jointly with right of survivorship, accounts with a named beneficiary, and Toledo area land covered by a transfer on death designation affidavit recorded with the Lucas County Recorder before death (R.C. 5302.22) pass directly to the survivor or beneficiary and never reach the probate court. Values matter to the paperwork too: the court's own instruction sheets tell you to take the market value of real property from the county auditor's AREIS records and the value of a vehicle, boat, camper or similar titled item from a current, nationally recognized used car guide. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step, so the application you hand across the counter describes the estate accurately the first time.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Lucas County Probate Court in downtown Toledo is the single probate filing office for the whole county. There is no branch, satellite or district office: everything is filed with the one court, and the main office is Suite 200 on the 2nd floor of 700 Adams Street. The court serves every community in the county, including Toledo, the county seat, and the other cities of Oregon, Sylvania, Maumee and Waterville, the villages of Holland, Ottawa Hills and Whitehouse, and the townships of Jerusalem, Monclova, Providence, Richfield, Springfield, Swanton, Sylvania, Washington and Waterville.
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 anywhere in Lucas County, the estate is opened in Lucas County Probate Court, whichever city, village or township within the county that was, and even if the death occurred in a hospital in another county. Ohio's statute says resident, not domiciled, and the probate court in which a will is admitted to probate is the court that grants letters. Ohio has no probate district, circuit or regional overlay: each of the 88 counties has its own probate court seated at the county seat (R.C. 2101.01(A)).
The Toledo metropolitan area crosses county lines, so check the decedent's actual address rather than the postmark on the mail. Communities immediately south and west of the county line sit in Wood County or Fulton County, Rossford among them, and carry Toledo area mailing addresses without being in Lucas County; an estate for someone who lived there is opened in that county's probate court instead. Note too that the Lucas County Probate Court is not the Lucas County Clerk of Courts: in Ohio the elected probate judge is the clerk of the probate court (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)), so estates are opened with the Probate Court itself, in its own office at 700 Adams Street.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue and the right court. Lucas County is the right county if the decedent was a resident of the county at the time of death (R.C. 2113.01). File with Lucas County Probate Court, the probate division of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, at 700 Adams Street, Suite 200, Toledo, OH 43604, (419) 213-4775. Do not go to the Lucas County Clerk of Courts: the probate judge is the clerk of the probate court (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)).
- Gather the documents the court asks to see. Collect the original signed will if there is one, a certified copy of the death certificate, the applicant's identification and contact details, 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. Local Rule 50 requires a certified copy of the death certificate to be exhibited to the court with the initial filing in any estate proceeding where no attorney represents the applicant, including a relief from administration, a summary release and a certificate of transfer only, and a deputy clerk photocopies it and redacts the social security number before filing the copy. If the death certificate is not reasonably available, the rule lets you file with a published obituary or a funeral home letter that recites the date of death and the decedent's residence address, but no asset may be distributed or transferred until the death certificate is filed or the court orders otherwise. 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.
- Download both layers of forms and, if you can, the packet for your route. Ohio uses one set of Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio in every county, published on this court's site with an SC prefix, and 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). Lucas County Probate Court adds its own forms with an LCPC prefix and publishes ready-made packets on its estate forms page, including a full administration packet with a will and one without, a relief packet with a will and one without, and three summary release packets. Every new case also needs LCPC 1A, the New Case Information Statement (Local Rule 57.2), and most applicants for appointment need LCPC RRCPF, the release for a criminal record check (Local Rule 57.3). The court asks that forms be filled in with Adobe Acrobat Reader rather than in a browser, and Local Rule 57.1(F) requires every filing to be typewritten or computer generated and every signature to be in ink.
- Work out the exact cost before you go, because payment is due at filing. Under the court's New System, Payment Changes notice dated October 3, 2024 and updated April 10, 2025 the court no longer takes deposits in advance and cannot accept payment later, so the exact amount due at the time of filing is required in order to file. The court's published totals are $350.00 for a full administration, $90.00 for a relief from administration without a will and $130.00 with a will, plus $5.00 if a commissioner is appointed, and $95.00 for a summary release without a will and $105.00 with a will, each plus $10.00 to transfer real estate and $10.00 or $15.00 to transfer a titled vehicle (the court's own filing instruction sheets for a summary release, a relief from administration and a full administration, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026; Lucas County Probate Court court costs schedule, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026). Local Rule 5.3(C) requires costs on an initial case filing to be paid by cash, check or money order, and Local Rule 58.1(A) recommends contacting the court before filing to confirm the exact costs for your case.
- File the application to open the estate as originals, in person or after confirming with the court. There is no e-filing at this court, and Local Rule 5.3(C) provides that while fax and email filings are accepted as originals, initial case filings must be originals with cash, check or money order for costs. File Form 4.0 with Form 1.0, adding Form 2.0 where a will is being admitted, or Forms 5.0 and 5.1 where the estate qualifies to be relieved from administration, or Forms 5.10 and 5.11 for a summary release. 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). Local Rule 57.1(B) requires the applicant to certify whether there is a related case already on file in the court, on a form available in the clerk's office, and Local Rule 57.1(C) has the deputy clerk check the court's own records for a deposited will, a later will, a power of attorney or a writing nominating a guardian. A filing that needs a new case number must be in by 4:15 p.m. (Local Rule 53.1).
- Get appointed and take your letter of authority. On an admitted will the court issues letters testamentary to the executor named in the will (R.C. 2113.05); with no will it issues letters of administration to the administrator. Either way the appointment is recorded on Form 4.5 (Entry Appointing Fiduciary; Letter of Authority), which this court publishes as its own LCPC 4.5, and the letter of authority is the document banks and transfer agents ask to see. Order enough certified copies for the institutions you have to deal with. Where a will is admitted, Local Rule 59.3 requires a certificate of giving notice of the probate of the will on Form 2.4 within two months after the fiduciary's appointment, or within two months after the will is admitted where an estate is relieved from administration, unless the court extends the time.
- File the Medicaid estate recovery notice 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 properly completed Medicaid estate recovery notice form to the administrator of the program no later than thirty days after letters are granted or after an application for release or summary release from administration is filed (R.C. 2117.061). Compliance is certified to the court on Form 7.0, and the notice itself is Form 7.0A. This duty is not universal: it attaches only where the recovery program was in play.
- File the inventory within three months, with the certificate the local rules require. File an inventory of the decedent's Ohio real property and the tangible and intangible personal property to be administered within three months after the date of appointment, unless the court grants an extension of time for good cause shown (R.C. 2115.02), on Form 6.0 (Inventory and Appraisal), which this court publishes as LCPC 6.0 with a checklist. Local Rule 78.6 adds several local requirements: the inventory must give the address, legal description and parcel number of any real estate; it will not be accepted without LCPC 6.5, a certificate of service of the inventory on the next of kin, beneficiaries, legatees and devisees; service may be by any means allowed by Ohio Civil Rule 4, including email; and the court will not approve a distribution, sale or expenditure of estate assets before the inventory is filed, with a narrow exception for a titled vehicle transferred on LCPC 9C. Where a formal appraisal is needed, the appraiser comes from the court's approved appraiser lists maintained under Local Rule 61.1, unless the court approves a special appraiser on request, and a real estate appraisal has not been required by law since January 13, 2012, so the county auditor's AREIS value may be used instead.
- Track the creditor window, which runs from the date of death. All claims must be presented within six months after the decedent's death, whether or not the estate is released from administration or a fiduciary is appointed in that period, and a claim not presented in that window is forever barred (R.C. 2117.06). Ohio requires no newspaper advertisement of the grant of letters, so the clock does not depend on publication. The one statutory exception is the Medicaid estate recovery administrator, which may present its claim up to ninety days after receiving the recovery notice form or one year after death, whichever is later (R.C. 2117.061(D)). If the estate cannot pay everyone, Local Rule 62.1 sets out this court's insolvency procedure on Forms 24.0 to 24.6, and it exempts the smallest estates from an insolvency hearing and insolvency forms altogether, using published asset thresholds that depend on the date of death and on whether a spouse or minor children claim an allowance for support.
- Ask for a remote appearance in writing if you need one. Local Rule 5.3(A) and (B) let the court hold a pretrial conference, hearing or proceeding by telephone or by live two-way video, and a party who wants to appear that way files a motion or request for remote hearing at least seven days before the scheduled hearing in a nonemergency case. The judge may still order a personal appearance, and a remote appearance is recorded and reported exactly as an in-person one would be. Because the court warns that hearing times in its online case search are not accurate, call (419) 213-4775 to confirm the time.
- Deal with Lucas County real estate. Where a Toledo area parcel has to pass through the estate, the fiduciary applies for a Certificate of Transfer on Form 12.0 and the court issues Form 12.1, which is then recorded with the Lucas County Recorder. Local Rule 78.4 requires each certificate of transfer to be requested by an application and entry, and requires the legal description on the certificate to be an exact duplicate of the one on the fiduciary's inventory, except where the estate is being relieved from administration; a certificate issued in error is cancelled on motion, and corrections and duplicates run through an application for an amended or an alias certificate of transfer. The court publishes a separate packet for a certificate of transfer without administration. Where the property is sold instead, the sale runs through the estate under the fiduciary's authority, and Local Rule 65.1 governs a land sale action, including the appointment of a guardian ad litem for a party under legal disability. Where liens exceed the appraised value, Local Rule 78.9 lets the fiduciary move to abandon the property on LCPC Form 78.9-A.
- Account and close. Render a final and distributive account within six months after appointment unless one of the statutory exceptions applies, such as a will contest, a spousal election against the will, an insolvent estate, or the fiduciary being a party in a civil action (R.C. 2109.301), on Form 13.0 (Fiduciary's Account). Local Rule 64.1 adds the local mechanics: the account is audited by the court's accounting staff before filing, no fiduciary other than a corporate one may file an account without first paying outstanding court costs, an Account of Distribution is due no later than ninety days after the final account is approved, and the court publishes notice of the hearing on the approval of the account in the Toledo Legal News and assesses the publication fee, unless the fiduciary files proof of service on the heirs in an intestate estate or the residuary beneficiaries in a testate estate, or their waivers. Where the sole heir or beneficiary is also the fiduciary, no partial accounts are required and a certificate of termination may be filed instead (R.C. 2109.301(B)(2)). Once the court approves the account and the distributions are made, the estate is closed.
Executor duties
Pass a record check before you are appointed. Local Rule 57.3 provides that unless the court orders otherwise, all applicants for appointment as a fiduciary must complete a criminal record check in the manner and form the court prescribes, using the court's own form LCPC RRCPF, with exceptions for attorneys currently registered with the Supreme Court of Ohio, state agencies and corporate fiduciaries. Build the step into your timetable, because it sits between the application and the appointment.
File the New Case Information Statement, and keep the court posted on your address. Local Rule 57.2 requires every new case to include LCPC 1A, the New Case Information Statement, which carries the certification of related cases, the certification of deposited wills, the nature of the case, the citation of the spouse, the designation of an attorney if there is one and a statement of permanent address; a Confidential Disclosure of Personal Identifiers, LCPC 45D, may be filed with it. Local Rule 57.1(D) then makes it the fiduciary's own responsibility to tell the court in writing, captioned in the case, about any change in the mailing address of the fiduciary, the applicant or the attorney, and to notify the court if a fiduciary dies or moves out of Ohio. The rule warns that failure to comply may lead to removal of the fiduciary or a disallowance of fees.
Serve the inventory on the family and certify it. Local Rule 78.6 requires the fiduciary to serve a copy of the inventory on all next of kin, beneficiaries, legatees and devisees, and to file LCPC 6.5, a certificate of service of the inventory, at the same time as the inventory itself. No inventory is accepted for filing without that certificate. Service may be by any means allowed by Ohio Civil Rule 4, including email, and proof of service does not have to be attached. The inventory must also give the address, legal description and parcel number of any real estate, and must be signed by all current fiduciaries.
Use an appraiser from the court's own list. Where an appraisal is required, Local Rule 61.1 has the applicant request an appraiser from the court's approved list, unless the applicant asks for and the court approves a special appraiser, and the court's own approved appraisers page states that the appraiser being appointed must be on the approved real property appraisers list or the approved personal property appraisers list before the appointment is made on Form 3.0. The court publishes both lists and states plainly that it is not a referral service and takes no part in choosing between appraisers. Since January 13, 2012 a formal real estate appraisal has not been required by law, so the county auditor's AREIS value may be filed with the inventory instead.
Expect the account to be audited, and the hearing to be published. Local Rule 64.1(C) provides that all fiduciary accounts must comply with the accounting procedures the court uses internally and are audited by its accounting staff before filing. Local Rule 64.1(D) has the court publish notice of the hearing on the approval of the account in the Toledo Legal News and assess the publication fee, unless the fiduciary submits proof of service of the hearing on all heirs in an intestate estate and all residuary beneficiaries in a testate estate, or their waivers. Serving the family can therefore save the estate the publication cost.
Clear the court costs, and watch the ninety-day tail. Local Rule 64.1(A) bars any fiduciary other than a corporate one from filing an account without first paying outstanding court costs, and requires an Account of Distribution no later than ninety days after the final account is approved. Because the court is on a pay-to-file model and holds no deposit against which later filings can be drawn, budget for each filing as it comes rather than paying a lump sum at the start.
Get court permission before touching estate assets. Local Rule 78.6(D) provides that the court will not approve the distribution, sale or expenditure of any estate asset before the inventory is filed, with a narrow exception for a titled vehicle transferred on LCPC 9C, and Local Rule 50 bars any distribution or transfer until the death certificate has been filed unless the court specifically orders otherwise. If you find an asset after the estate closes, the court publishes LCPC 6.4 to report newly discovered assets and LCPC 7.RN to reopen the estate to report them.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Lucas County
Lucas County uses two layers of forms, and you need both. The first layer is the statewide set: Ohio has one set of Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio and used in all 88 counties, published on the Supreme Court's decedent's estate forms page and republished on this court's own estate forms page with an SC prefix. The Supreme Court's page says these forms should be filed in the local county court and that the local court may have additional forms that must be filed. Lucas County has many: it publishes its own forms with an LCPC prefix, numbered onto the same scheme, and Local Rule 57.1(F) requires every filing to be typewritten or computer generated with original signatures in ink. The court asks that its PDFs be completed in Adobe Acrobat Reader rather than in a web browser, because a browser can introduce errors.
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 2.1 (Waiver of Notice of Probate of Will), Form 2.3 (Entry Admitting Will to Probate) and Form 2.4 (Certificate of Service of Notice of Probate of Will), Form 4.0 (Application for Authority to Administer Estate) with Form 4.3 (Waiver of Right to Administer) and Form 4.4 (Notice and Citation of Hearing on Appointment of Fiduciary), 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 5.2 (Waiver of Notice), Form 5.4 (Publication of Notice) and Form 5.6 (Entry Relieving Estate from Administration), Form 5.10 (Summary Release From Administration) with Form 5.11 (Entry Granting Summary Release From Administration), Form 6.0 (Inventory and Appraisal) with Form 6.1 (Schedule of Assets), Form 7.0 (Certification of Notice to Administrator of Medicaid Estate Recovery Program) with Form 7.0A (the notice itself), Form 12.0 (Application for Certificate of Transfer) with Form 12.1 (Certificate of Transfer), and Form 13.0 (Fiduciary's Account) with Forms 13.1 to 13.3. Note that the summary-release form is Form 5.10 and the application to relieve an estate from administration is Form 5.0, and that this court lists two versions of Form 5.10, one of which is marked for use only where the date of death was before October 12, 2006. Confirm the current version on the Supreme Court of Ohio forms page or the court's own page before you file.
The Lucas County local forms are where a filing here differs from one in another Ohio county. The estate set includes LCPC 1A (New Case Information Statement, required in every new case by Local Rule 57.2), LCPC 45D (Confidential Disclosure of Personal Identifiers, which may be filed with it), LCPC RRCPF (Release for Record Check on Proposed Fiduciary, required of most applicants for appointment by Local Rule 57.3), LCPC 1B (Application to Extend Time, which Local Rule 78.3 allows to be sent by fax without a hard copy), LCPC 2B (Entry to File Decedent's Will Without Probate), LCPC 2A (Application to Admit Foreign Record), LCPC 3.0A (Appointment of Appraiser), LCPC 4.5 (Entry Appointing Fiduciary; Letter of Authority), LCPC 5.1 (Assets and Liabilities of Estate to be Relieved from Administration), LCPC 5.7 (Waiver of Reimbursement), LCPC 5.9 (Report of Distribution, Release from Administration), LCPC 6.0 (Inventory and Appraisal) with LCPC 6 EICL (the inventory checklist) and LCPC 6.5 (Certificate of Service of Inventory to Heirs or Beneficiaries, without which Local Rule 78.6 says no inventory is accepted), LCPC 6.4 (Report of Newly Discovered Assets), LCPC 7.RN (Application to Reopen Estate to Report Newly Discovered Assets), LCPC 9C and 9CA (the titled vehicle transfer pair), LCPC 13ECL (the estate closing checklist), LCPC 13A, 13B and 13C (the attorney fee application, fee contract and computation used with Local Rule 71.1), LCPC 13CF (Computation of Executor or Administrator Commission), LCPC 13D (Sworn Statement in Lieu of Account), LCPC 13G (Bond Release) and the LCPC 78.9 series for abandoning real property.
The most useful thing on the court's estate forms page is the packets. The court publishes a ready-made set for each route, so you take one download rather than assembling forms yourself: a full administration packet with a will and one without, a relief packet with a will and one without, three summary release packets (admitting the will, filing the will without admitting it, and no will), a certificate of transfer without administration packet, an estate inventory packet and an estate account packet. The court notes that a packet holds the forms required for that filing and that your circumstances may require more. Alongside them the court publishes a short instruction sheet covering all three estate routes, which lists what to bring, which forms to file with and without a will, and the filing fee for each route. There is no e-filing: the completed packet is filed as originals with payment, and only later documents in an open case may be faxed to (419) 213-4764 or emailed to [email protected] under Local Rule 5.3(C).
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Lucas County Probate Court estate, relief and wills forms (lucasprobate.org/estate-relief-will-forms) | The court's own estate library: the route-based LCPC packets, the instruction sheet for a summary release, a relief from administration and a full administration, the statewide SC forms and the LCPC local forms, each with the revision date the court publishes |
| Supreme Court of Ohio Standard Probate Forms, decedent's estate (supremecourt.ohio.gov/forms/all-forms/decedents-estate/8) | The statewide forms used in Lucas County, including Forms 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.1, 5.10, 5.11, 6.0, 7.0, 12.0 and 13.0, with the numbered variants, waivers and entries. The Supreme Court's page notes that the local court may require additional forms, which Lucas County does |
| Lucas County Probate Court local rules (lucasprobate.org/local-rules) | The court's local probate rules as amended through December 31, 2025, including Local Rule 5.3 on technology, fax and email filings and remote appearances, Local Rule 50 on evidence of death, Local Rule 53.1 on hours and the 4:15 p.m. cutoff, Local Rules 57.1 to 57.3 on filings, the New Case Information Statement and record checks, Local Rule 58.1 on court costs, Local Rule 59.3 on the certificate of notice of probate of will, Local Rules 62.1 and 64.1 on insolvency and accounts, and Local Rules 78.4 to 78.9 on certificates of transfer, the inventory and real property |
| Lucas County Probate Court court costs (lucasprobate.org/court-costs) | The court's published schedule of basic general court costs and of deposits and costs by case type, with the court's own instruction to always verify costs with the intake clerks because additional charges may apply and costs are subject to change |
Fees
Ohio splits probate costs in two. Most fee items are set statewide by statute in R.C. 2101.16(A), and on top of them each probate court may add its own charges by local rule, including an advance deposit for costs of up to $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)) and optional computerization and dispute-resolution charges (R.C. 2101.162, R.C. 2101.163). Lucas County Probate Court is unusual in how it collects: under the court's New System, Payment Changes notice dated October 3, 2024 and updated April 10, 2025 it has moved to a pay-to-file model, so it takes no advance deposit, cannot accept payment later, and requires the exact amount due at the time of filing. Local Rule 58.1 provides that all court costs are listed on the court's website, that no matter is finalized until all costs are paid, and that additional fees for court computerization, computerized legal research, microfiche records, dispute resolution, special projects and indigent guardianship costs are already included in the published figures. The court's own schedule tells readers to always verify costs with the intake clerks, that additional charges may apply and that costs are subject to change, and Local Rule 58.1(A) recommends contacting the court before filing. The figures below are the court's own, verified July 2026; the court's most recent notice about them is dated June 9.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full administration | $350.00 | The court's published figure for opening a full administration, given as the deposit for the estate case type on the court costs page and as the filing fee on the court's own instruction sheet. It is not an advance deposit for costs in the R.C. 2101.16(E) sense, because this court takes no advance deposits; it is the amount due when the application is filed (Lucas County Probate Court court costs schedule, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026; the court's own filing instruction sheets for a summary release, a relief from administration and a full administration, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026) |
| Relief from administration | $90.00 without a will, $130.00 with a will | The court's figures for an application to relieve an estate from administration (R.C. 2113.03) on Forms 5.0 and 5.1. Add $5.00 if a commissioner is appointed. The statutory component is the $60.00 fee for relieving an estate from administration or granting a summary release (R.C. 2101.16(A)), of which $20.00 goes to the county's indigent guardianship fund (the court's own filing instruction sheets for a summary release, a relief from administration and a full administration, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026) |
| Summary release from administration | $95.00 without a will, $105.00 with a will | The court's figures for a summary release (R.C. 2113.031) on Forms 5.10 and 5.11, with a copy included. The court's instruction sheet sets out what to bring, including the funeral bill or its receipt showing the applicant's payment or written obligation to pay (the court's own filing instruction sheets for a summary release, a relief from administration and a full administration, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026) |
| Application to probate will | $40.00 | The schedule's line for admitting a will, and the difference between the court's without-a-will and with-a-will figures for a relief from administration (Lucas County Probate Court court costs schedule, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026) |
| Transferring real estate or a vehicle | $10.00 real estate, $10.00 or $15.00 vehicle | Added to a relief or summary release where the estate has to move title. The schedule's separate line for a certificate of transfer of real estate is also $10.00 (the court's own filing instruction sheets for a summary release, a relief from administration and a full administration, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026; Lucas County Probate Court court costs schedule, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026) |
| Fiduciary's account | $57.00 | The schedule's line for filing an account. Budget for publication too: Local Rule 64.1(D) has the court publish notice of the hearing on the approval of the account in the Toledo Legal News and assess the publication fee, unless the fiduciary files proof of service on the heirs or residuary beneficiaries or their waivers. Local Rule 64.1(A) also bars a non-corporate fiduciary from filing any account while court costs are outstanding (Lucas County Probate Court court costs schedule, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026) |
| Certified mail return | $6.95 | The schedule's per-item charge where the court sends notice by certified mail (Lucas County Probate Court court costs schedule, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026) |
| Appointment of a fiduciary, probating a will | $35.00 appointment, $15.00 will | Statutory items, the same in every Ohio county (R.C. 2101.16(A)), built into the county totals above rather than charged on top of them |
| Inventory and account, statutory items | $10.00 inventory with appraisement, $12.00 account | Statutory items (R.C. 2101.16(A)); an inventory without appraisement is $7.00. The county's own published figures for these filings are higher because they carry the court's additional charges under Local Rule 58.1(B) |
| How to pay | Cash, check or money order on a case-opening filing | Local Rule 5.3(C) requires an initial case filing to be an original with cash, check or money order for costs. The court publishes card payment only for its online marriage application, so confirm accepted payment methods before you travel to 700 Adams Street |
Timeline
- Same day, at the counter: a pleading that requires a new case number or the payment of court costs must be filed by 4:15 p.m., within office hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday (Local Rule 53.1).
- At least seven days before a scheduled hearing: file the motion or request for a remote hearing if you want to appear by telephone or video in a nonemergency case (Local Rule 5.3(A) and (B)).
- Within two months after the fiduciary's appointment, or within two months after the will is admitted where the estate is relieved from administration: file the certificate of giving notice of the probate of the will on Form 2.4, with the next-of-kin form and the waivers or the certified mail receipts, unless the court extends the time (Local Rule 59.3).
- Within three months after appointment: file the inventory on Form 6.0, with LCPC 6.5, the certificate of service of the inventory, without which the court will not accept it, and with the bond in place where one is required (R.C. 2115.02; Local Rule 78.6). Until the inventory is filed the court will not approve a distribution, sale or expenditure of estate assets, apart from a titled vehicle transferred on LCPC 9C.
- Within six months after appointment: render the final and distributive account on Form 13.0 unless a statutory exception applies or the court orders an extension of administration on Form 13.8 (R.C. 2109.301; Local Rule 64.1(A)). Where a partial account is waived by statute, the waiver on Form 13.4 is filed annually at least seven days before the partial account would otherwise be due.
- Within ninety days after the final account is approved: file the Account of Distribution. A Supplemental Final Account is due within ninety days from the date an estate administration is reopened and a fiduciary is appointed (Local Rule 64.1(A)).
- Before any hearing you plan to attend: call (419) 213-4775 to confirm the time, because the court warns that hearing times shown in its online case search are not accurate.
Local nuance
Lucas County-specific considerations
Pay to file: there is no deposit account here. This is the local fact that most often surprises families and out-of-county lawyers. Under the court's New System, Payment Changes notice dated October 3, 2024 and updated April 10, 2025, issued as the court moved to a new case management system, the court is migrating to a pay-to-file system in which payments are due at the time of filing, it will no longer take deposits in advance, and it cannot accept payment later, so the exact amount due at the time of filing is required in order to file. Most Ohio probate courts, including Franklin, run the opposite model: you put down a deposit and later filings are drawn against it. Work out the cost of your route before you go, and use Local Rule 58.1(A)'s advice to contact the court first.
There is no e-filing, but fax and email filings count as originals. No e-filing system for estates exists at this court as of July 2026, and its site publishes no portal or vendor. What Local Rule 5.3(C) does provide is narrower and still useful: the court will accept fax filings and email filings as originals, including signatures, but initial case filings must be originals with cash, check or money order for costs, and accounts may be filed by fax, emailed or dropped off. Fax filings go to (419) 213-4764 and email filings to [email protected]. Online applications are offered for marriage licenses only. The same notice that announced pay-to-file said features such as e-filing would be rolled out with the new case management system, so check the court's site before assuming a channel exists.
The death certificate rule is stricter for families than for lawyers. Local Rule 50 requires a certified copy of the decedent's death certificate to be exhibited to the court with the initial filing in any estate proceeding where no attorney represents the applicant, including a relief from administration, a summary release and a certificate of transfer only; a deputy clerk photocopies it and redacts the social security number before filing the copy. Where an attorney enters an appearance, a redacted photocopy may be submitted instead. If the certificate is not reasonably available, the rule accepts a published obituary or a funeral home letter that recites the date of death and the decedent's residence address, but nothing may be distributed or transferred until the certificate is filed or the court orders otherwise.
Hours run to 4:30 p.m., but a new case has to be in by 4:15 p.m. Local Rule 53.1 provides that the court and its offices are open for business from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday except holidays, and that all pleadings requiring a new case number or payment of court costs must be filed by 4:15 p.m. Marriage applications are not accepted after 4:00 p.m. The court publishes its holiday closing dates for the year, including an early close at noon on one spring date, on its hours page, so check it before a trip downtown.
Notice goes into the Toledo Legal News, and you can avoid the cost. Two local rules make the county's legal newspaper part of an estate. Local Rule 78.6(H) has the court publish notice of the hearing on the inventory in the Toledo Legal News and assess the publication fee, and Local Rule 64.1(D) does the same for the hearing on the approval of the account, with the express alternative that publication is not required if the fiduciary submits proof of service on all heirs in an intestate estate and all residuary beneficiaries in a testate estate, or their waivers. Serving the family directly is therefore both faster and cheaper.
The online case search is real, and it comes with a warning. The court's Case Access page links an Online Case Management System at researchoh.tylerhost.net covering estate cases and most other probate case types, with adoption and mental health records confidential and omitted. Two published caveats matter: hearing times shown in the system are not accurate and the court asks you to call for the correct time, and document images are not available online for guardianship cases. Case numbers must be entered in full, and the format changed in August 2001, so an older estate is searched as a case type plus a two digit year and a four digit number while a newer one is a four digit year plus a case type and a six digit number.
Attorney fees follow a published local schedule. Local Rule 71.1 sets out when an application for fees is needed and when it is not. No application is required if attorney fees are no greater than 4.5 per cent of the first $100,000 of probate assets, 3.5 per cent of the next $300,000 and 2.5 per cent of the balance, plus 1.5 per cent of non-probate assets excluding joint and survivor accounts, in which case counsel attaches the computation on LCPC 13C to the final account. No retainer fees are permitted, fees are not paid until the final account is prepared for filing unless the court approves otherwise, and where counsel and the fiduciary are the same person an application on LCPC 13A is required and the percentage route is not available. The rule also states that a commissioner appointed in a release from administration may not take a fee.
The smallest insolvent estates skip the insolvency hearing. Local Rule 62.1 sets out this court's insolvency procedure on Forms 24.0 to 24.6, including notice to creditors by certified mail, and then carves out an exception: no hearing is required and no insolvency forms need to be filed where the value of the assets falls under published thresholds that depend on the date of death and on whether a spouse or minor children claim an allowance for support. In those cases the estate may be relieved from administration with the creditors and amounts owed listed on Form 5.1, with a note that the estate is insolvent and is proceeding under the rule, and creditors paid in the statutory order. Ask the court which threshold applies to your date of death.
The court publishes a video library for people without a lawyer. The court runs a public education program of short videos on its own site, including one on the two types of release from administration after a death, one on what to know if you represent yourself in court, one on attorney fees in estate and guardianship cases, one on wills, one on courtroom etiquette, one on the audit department's notices and citations, and a tour of the court's offices. It is not legal advice and it is not a self-help center with staff attorneys, but it is an unusually direct answer to what a Lucas County filing actually looks like, and it is free.
Recent updates
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| October 3, 2024, updated April 10, 2025 | Lucas County Probate Court moved to a pay-to-file model as it brought in a new case management system. The court's notice states that it is migrating to a pay-to-file system in which payments are due at the time of filing, that it will no longer take deposits in advance or be able to accept payments later, and that the exact amount due at the time of filing is now required in order to file. The same notice says features such as e-filing will be rolled out with the new system; as of July 2026 no e-filing portal is published (source: the court's past notices page and the notice itself, verified July 2026). |
| December 31, 2025 | The court's local probate rules were amended through December 31, 2025, the effective date printed on its local rules page. The current set includes the technology plan and remote-appearance procedure in Local Rule 5.3, the law enforcement reporting plan in Local Rule 5.4 adopted under a Rule of Superintendence effective July 1, 2025, the evidence of death rule in Local Rule 50, and the wrongful death claim notice rule in Local Rule 70.2, which applies to deaths on or after April 4, 2023 (source: Lucas County Probate Court local rules, verified July 2026). |
| June 2026 | The court posted a Court costs updated notice, dated June 9 on its notices page, pointing to its court costs page. Because that schedule carries no effective date and the court's own instruction is to always verify costs with the intake clerks, confirm the current figure for your route before you file (source: Lucas County Probate Court past notices and court costs pages, verified July 2026). |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Lucas County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Toledo area home was held jointly with right of survivorship, or was covered by a transfer on death designation affidavit recorded with the Lucas 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. Where other assets stood in the decedent's sole name, the spouse files Form 2.0 with Form 4.0 and Form 1.0 where there is a will, leading to letters testamentary, or Form 4.0 with Form 1.0 where there is none, leading to letters of administration. Where the spouse inherits everything, the estate may instead qualify to be relieved from administration on Forms 5.0 and 5.1 (R.C. 2113.03), which this court prices at $90.00 without a will or $130.00 with one rather than the $350.00 for a full administration. Use the court's relief packet, add LCPC 1A and, unless an attorney appears, bring a certified copy of the death certificate under Local Rule 50. | Asset discovery to establish how the home and the accounts are titled and what actually has to reach the court. Packet generation for the Lucas County filing, whether a full administration or a relief, on the statewide forms the court requires. A vetted attorney referral if title or a creditor 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), and the court's instruction sheet notes that the applicant for a relief must be an Ohio resident, which can decide who signs. A summary release on Forms 5.10 and 5.11 is the smaller route again (R.C. 2113.031). A relief or summary release does not shorten the six-month creditor window measured from the date of death (R.C. 2117.06), and where the decedent or the decedent's spouse was subject to the Medicaid estate recovery program the thirty-day notice still applies (R.C. 2117.061). Plan for the travel: there is no e-filing, a case-opening filing must be an original with payment by cash, check or money order, and the exact cost is due when it is filed, so call (419) 213-4775 before mailing anything. | Asset discovery to establish the estate's value from out of state and confirm which route it qualifies for. Packet generation for the relief, the summary release or the full administration, assembled so a single trip to Toledo, or a single package agreed with the court, completes the filing. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because real property has to be sold, this is a full administration, which the court prices at $350.00 payable when the application is filed. With no will the parent files Form 4.0 with Form 1.0 and LCPC RRCPF for the record check, is appointed administrator and receives the letter of authority on Form 4.5; with a will the parent probates it on Form 2.0, receives letters testamentary (R.C. 2113.05) and files the certificate of notice of probate of the will on Form 2.4 within two months (Local Rule 59.3). The inventory is due within three months on Form 6.0 with LCPC 6.5 (R.C. 2115.02; Local Rule 78.6), and nothing may be sold or distributed before it is filed. Title to the Lucas County parcel moves by a Certificate of Transfer applied for on Form 12.0, issued on Form 12.1 and recorded with the county recorder, with the legal description matching the inventory exactly (Local Rule 78.4), or the parcel is sold through the estate under Local Rule 65.1. The account follows within six months on Form 13.0, audited by the court's staff, with the hearing published in the Toledo Legal News unless the heirs are served or waive (R.C. 2109.301; Local Rule 64.1). | Asset discovery for the child's accounts, policies and Lucas County property, including anything the parent did not know about. Packet generation for the administration application, the inventory, the account and the certificate of transfer. A vetted Lucas County probate attorney to run the sale and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Lucas County Probate Court (lucasprobate.org), (419) 213-4775, [email protected] | The filing office for estates: the court's own pages for hours and directions to Suite 200 at 700 Adams Street, the court costs schedule, the local rules, the estate forms and packets, the approved appraiser lists and the online case search. Court staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice |
| Lucas County Probate Court estate filing instructions (lucasprobate.org/estate-relief-will-forms) | The court's own three-page instruction sheet for a summary release, a relief from administration and a full administration: when each route may be used, what to bring, which forms to file with and without a will, and the filing fee for each, alongside the ready-made LCPC packets for each route |
| Lucas County Probate Court public education videos (lucasprobate.org/education) | Short videos from the court on release from administration, representing yourself in court, wills, attorney fees in estate and guardianship cases, courtroom etiquette, the audit department's notices and citations, and a tour of the court's offices. General information rather than legal advice, and free |
| Lucas County Probate Court case access (lucasprobate.org/case-access) | The Online Case Management System for estate and other probate case types, with the case-number formats used before and after August 2001. Adoption and mental health records are confidential and omitted, and the court warns that hearing times shown are not accurate, so call to confirm a hearing time |
| Lucas County Probate Court local rules and court costs (lucasprobate.org/local-rules and lucasprobate.org/court-costs) | The local probate rules as amended through December 31, 2025 and the published cost schedule, which together carry the hours and the 4:15 p.m. cutoff, the fax and email filing rule, the death certificate rule, the record check, the inventory and account requirements and the court's instruction to verify costs with the intake clerks |
| Supreme Court of Ohio Standard Probate Forms, decedent's estate (supremecourt.ohio.gov/forms/all-forms/decedents-estate/8) | The statewide forms used in every Ohio county, including Lucas, with the numbered variants and waivers. The Supreme Court's page notes that the local court may require additional forms, which Lucas County does |
| Ohio Legal Help (ohiolegalhelp.org) | Plain-language Ohio probate guides from a statewide non-profit, including relief from administration and summary release, form assistants and a legal aid finder. Not a government site, so confirm court details with the court |
| Toledo Bar Association Lawyer Referral and Information Service, 311 North Superior Street, Toledo, (419) 242-9363, [email protected] | The lawyer referral service registered with the Supreme Court of Ohio for Lucas and surrounding counties, which is the local route to a Toledo area probate attorney |
| Legal Aid of Western Ohio (lawolaw.org), intake at legalaidline.org or 1-877-894-4599 | The legal-aid law firm whose service area covers Lucas County, grown from Toledo to cover 32 western Ohio counties as the successor to the Toledo Legal Aid Society. Its published areas of work are housing, consumer and economic justice, health care, family safety, education, seniors, veterans and agricultural workers, and do not include estate administration, so confirm scope before applying and use the Toledo Bar referral service for probate counsel |
| Ohio State Bar Association lawyer referral (ohiobar.org/public-resources/lawyer-referral/) and the Supreme Court's registered referral services list (supremecourt.ohio.gov/attorneys/referral-services/) | Attorney referrals statewide, plus the official list of registered referral services and the geographic area each serves, which is where to confirm a local referral service before using it. The court's own legal resources page links the Ohio State Bar Association's plain-language law facts on probate, wills and administering an estate without a will |
When to hire an attorney
Ohio does not require an attorney to open an estate, and Lucas County Probate Court is set up for families who do it themselves: it publishes route-based form packets, a three-page instruction sheet covering the summary release, the relief from administration and the full administration, and a library of short videos including one on representing yourself in court. Its local rules recognize the self-represented filer directly, requiring every filing to be properly completed to the best of the applicant's ability in compliance with Ohio law and probate procedure (Local Rule 57.1(F)) and applying a stricter death certificate rule where no attorney appears (Local Rule 50). Many uncontested estates here are handled by a family member, particularly where a surviving spouse inherits everything and the estate qualifies to be relieved from administration rather than fully administered. Counsel makes sense when a will is contested or a dispute among heirs is likely; when a surviving spouse is electing against the will; when the estate is insolvent or a creditor is pressing a claim inside the six-month window measured from death (R.C. 2117.06); when Lucas County real estate has to be sold, which runs as a land sale action under Local Rule 65.1 and may need a guardian ad litem for a party under legal disability; when liens exceed the value of a parcel and abandonment under Local Rule 78.9 is in play; when the estate holds a business interest, out-of-state property, or a wrongful-death or injury claim, which the court's own rules route through a preliminary approval appearance by counsel; when a guardianship or a trust has to run alongside the estate; or when the final account cannot be filed within six months (R.C. 2109.301). Sunset can connect families to a vetted Lucas County probate attorney when the situation calls for counsel.
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, Lucas County real estate, business interests and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Ohio estate settlement route fits before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the paperwork for your route, whether a full administration, a relief from administration or a summary release, on the statewide Standard Probate Forms, ready to file with the Lucas County Probate Court alongside the local LCPC forms the court requires.
Find a local probate attorney. When a matter is contested, involves a property sale, or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Ohio probate attorney serving Lucas County and the Toledo area.
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 Lucas County, Ohio?
With the Lucas County Probate Court, the probate division of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas (R.C. 2101.01), in Suite 200 on the 2nd floor of 700 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604, (419) 213-4775. File in Lucas County if the decedent was a resident of the county at the time of death (R.C. 2113.01), whether they lived in Toledo, Oregon, Sylvania, Maumee, Waterville, Holland, Ottawa Hills, Whitehouse or any of the county's townships. Do not go to the Lucas County Clerk of Courts: in Ohio the elected probate judge is the clerk of the probate court (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)).
Can I e-file a probate case in Lucas County?
No. There is no e-filing system for estates at Lucas County Probate Court as of July 2026, and the court's site publishes no portal or vendor. Local Rule 5.3(C) does provide that the court will accept fax filings and email filings as originals, including signatures, with fax to (419) 213-4764 and email to [email protected], and that accounts may be filed by fax, emailed or dropped off, but it also provides that initial case filings must be originals with cash, check or money order for costs. Online applications are offered for marriage licenses only. The court's notice about its new case management system says features such as e-filing will be rolled out, so check the court's site before you file.
How much does it cost to open an estate in Lucas County?
The court publishes $350.00 for a full administration, $90.00 for a relief from administration without a will and $130.00 with a will plus $5.00 if a commissioner is appointed, and $95.00 for a summary release without a will and $105.00 with a will, each plus $10.00 to transfer real estate and $10.00 or $15.00 to transfer a titled vehicle (Lucas County Probate Court court costs schedule, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026; the court's own filing instruction sheets for a summary release, a relief from administration and a full administration, lucasprobate.org, verified July 2026). Those county totals build in the statutory items, the $35.00 fiduciary appointment fee, the $15.00 fee to probate a will and the $60.00 relief or summary-release fee (R.C. 2101.16(A)), plus the additional charges Local Rule 58.1(B) allows for computerization, legal research, microfiche, dispute resolution, special projects and indigent guardianship costs. The court's schedule says to always verify costs with the intake clerks, because additional charges may apply and costs are subject to change.
Do I have to pay everything up front in Lucas County?
Yes, for each filing as you make it. Under the court's notice on its new case management system, dated October 3, 2024 and updated April 10, 2025, the court has moved to a pay-to-file system in which payments are due at the time of filing, it will no longer take deposits in advance, and it cannot accept payments later, so the exact amount due at the time of filing is required in order to file. That is the opposite of the deposit account model used in some other Ohio counties, and it means guidance written for another county may tell you to leave a deposit that this court will not take. Local Rule 5.3(C) requires cash, check or money order on a case-opening filing, and Local Rule 58.1(A) recommends contacting the court first to confirm the exact costs.
What are the Lucas County Probate Court hours?
Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except holidays, per the court's hours page and Local Rule 53.1 of the local rules as amended through December 31, 2025. No lunch closure is published for the estate counter, but any pleading requiring a new case number or the payment of court costs must be filed by 4:15 p.m., so a new estate has to be at the counter before that. Marriage applications are not accepted after 4:00 p.m., and the marriage license department is open in person from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with its own phone line, (419) 213-4750. The court publishes its holiday closing dates for the year on its hours page.
How do I look up a Lucas County probate case online?
Use the Online Case Management System linked from the court's Case Access page at researchoh.tylerhost.net. It covers estate cases, filed under case type EST, along with guardianship, trust, minor's settlement, name change, marriage, adversary and other probate case types; adoption and mental health records are confidential and omitted. Type a case number in full, and note the format changed in August 2001, from a case type plus a two digit year and a four digit number to a four digit year plus a case type and a six digit number. A name search needs at least one initial in the last name field. The court warns that hearing times shown in the system are not accurate, so call (419) 213-4775 for the correct time.
What forms do I need for a Lucas County estate?
Both layers, and the court makes that easy. The statewide Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio are the core: 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, Form 5.10 (Summary Release From Administration) with Form 5.11, 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). Lucas County adds its own LCPC forms, above all LCPC 1A, the New Case Information Statement required in every new case (Local Rule 57.2), LCPC RRCPF for the fiduciary record check (Local Rule 57.3) and LCPC 6.5, the certificate of service of the inventory without which the inventory is not accepted (Local Rule 78.6). The simplest route is to download the court's packet for your situation from its estate forms page.
Do I need a criminal record check to be appointed in Lucas County?
Usually yes. Local Rule 57.3 provides that unless the court orders otherwise, all applicants for appointment as a fiduciary must complete a criminal record check in the manner and form the court prescribes, on the court's form LCPC RRCPF, with exceptions for attorneys currently registered with the Supreme Court of Ohio, state agencies and corporate fiduciaries. It is filed with the application to open a full administration, and the court's own full administration packets include it, so build the step into your timetable rather than discovering it at the counter.
Can I appear at a Lucas County probate hearing by phone or video?
Sometimes, if you ask in advance. Local Rule 5.3(A) and (B) provide that the court may, on its own motion or at a party's request and in its discretion, hold pretrial conferences, hearings and proceedings by telephone or by live two-way video with attorneys and unrepresented parties, and that a party who wants to appear that way shall file a motion or request for remote hearing at least seven days before the scheduled hearing in a nonemergency case. The judge may still order a personal appearance in any matter, a remote appearance is recorded and reported as an in-person one would be, and reasonable accommodations for a disabled person appearing remotely are requested with the motion. Confirm the format and the time by calling (419) 213-4775.
Do I have to travel to Toledo to settle an estate here?
Probably at least once. There is no e-filing, and Local Rule 5.3(C) requires an initial case filing to be an original with cash, check or money order for costs, while the court's pay-to-file notice requires the exact amount at the time of filing, so opening the estate is not a purely online step. Once the case is open, more is possible from a distance: fax filings to (419) 213-4764 and email filings to [email protected] are accepted as originals, accounts may be filed by fax, emailed or dropped off, an application to extend time on LCPC 1B may be faxed without a hard copy under Local Rule 78.3, the inventory may be served on the family by email under Local Rule 78.6, and a hearing may be held by telephone or video on a request filed at least seven days ahead. Call (419) 213-4775 before mailing anything that opens a case.
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.