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Noble County, OH Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Noble County Probate Court, the probate division of the Noble County Court of Common Pleas under the Ohio Revised Code (R.C. 2101.01). Its formal name in the Supreme Court of Ohio's court and local-rules listings is the Noble County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division, and the court's own local rules call it the Probate-Juvenile Division. One elected judge presides over the general, domestic relations, probate and juvenile divisions, so estates share one judge and one small office with the county's other cases |
| Filing office | The probate court's own office at 320 Court House in Caldwell. The elected probate judge is also the clerk of the probate court (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)), so wills, estates and guardianships are filed with the probate court directly. The Noble County Clerk of Courts, 350 Courthouse, (740) 732-4408, serves the general division and does not open estates |
| Courthouse | 320 Court House, Caldwell, OH 43724, as the court publishes it; other county pages write the same street as Courthouse. County offices in Caldwell are distinguished by number, so check the number as well as the street: the juvenile court is 280, the Clerk of Courts is 350, the county recorder is 260 and the auditor is 200 |
| Mailing address | The court publishes no separate post office box, so mail filings go to 320 Court House, Caldwell, OH 43724. Call (740) 732-5047 before mailing an original will or any other original document |
| Phone | (740) 732-5047, the number the Noble County Probate Court publishes on its own page (verified July 2026). The county's juvenile court page publishes the same line, which reflects the combined office. Some third-party court directories list other numbers for this court that it does not publish itself |
| Fax | None published. The probate court lists no fax number, so do not assume a filing can be faxed in. The (740) 732-5604 fax that circulates for this courthouse belongs to the Clerk of Courts, not the probate court |
| Office hours | The probate court publishes none of its own, so confirm by calling (740) 732-5047 before driving to Caldwell. For context, the Noble County Court of Common Pleas publishes regular court hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Thursday, its general division Local Rule 4.01 states there is no afternoon session on Thursday, and the Noble County Recorder publishes the same Thursday half day. Treat Thursday afternoon as a closed half day and verify with the court |
| 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 to grant a summary release, $10.00 for an inventory with appraisement, $12.00 for an account, and $1.00 per page for certified copies. On top of those items each probate court sets its own advance deposit for costs by local rule, up to $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)), and may add computerization and dispute-resolution charges (R.C. 2101.162, R.C. 2101.163). Noble County publishes no cost or deposit schedule at all, and it has no probate local rules that would carry one, so no county total can be quoted here. Call (740) 732-5047 and ask what to bring before you file |
| Local forms | None. Noble County publishes no local estate forms and no cover sheet, so you file the statewide Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio. The county's common pleas site publishes only general-division and domestic material, a record-sealing instruction sheet, standard orders of visitation and a motor vehicle packet, none of it probate |
| Local rules | None published for probate. The Supreme Court of Ohio's local-rules index lists a file under the Noble County Probate Division, but that document is a reporting to law enforcement and criminal-records compliance plan effective June 30, 2026, not rules of probate practice, and the same plan is filed under the juvenile division. The general division's own Local Rule 1.01 states that those rules apply only to the General Division. So practice in an estate here follows the Revised Code and the statewide forms, plus whatever the court tells you when you call |
| E-filing | Not available for estates so far as the court publishes. The probate court's page links no filing system. The Noble County Court of Common Pleas general division site links a third-party electronic filing service, but its list of participating courts and case types sits behind a sign-in, so it could not be confirmed that the Probate-Juvenile Division accepts estate filings through it; the county recorder's electronic recording service is for real estate documents, not probate filings. Plan on paper filing in person or by mail and confirm with the court at (740) 732-5047 |
| Case search | None for estates. The county's online record search is the Noble Common Pleas Court and Clerk of Court system, and its case types are Appeals, Civil, Criminal, Domestic Relations, Judgment Lien and Miscellaneous, with no estate, probate or guardianship type. Records in a Noble County estate are requested from the probate court at 320 Court House, in person, by mail or by calling (740) 732-5047 |
| Remote appearance | Nothing is published. With no probate local rules there is no written policy on telephone or video appearances, so ask the court at (740) 732-5047 whether a given hearing can be handled remotely |
| Website | https://noblecountyohio.gov/noble-county-probate-court/ (the probate court's own county page, which carries the court name, the 320 Court House address and the phone number) and https://noblecommonpleas.org/index.php (the Noble County Court of Common Pleas site, useful for the county's court hours and the record search, but a general division and Clerk of Court site rather than the probate counter). The Supreme Court of Ohio's directory lists no website at all for Noble County probate |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Noble County, know exactly what is in the estate. Which Ohio route fits depends on whether there is a will, on who inherits, and on the value and titling of the assets, because a full administration, a release from administration and a summary release are different filings with different forms and different notice steps. Those routes and their dollar ceilings are statewide and are explained on the Ohio state page. Getting it right before your first trip matters more here than in a metro county, because Noble County publishes no filing checklist, no cost schedule and no probate local rules, and no electronic filing was confirmed for estates, so a wrong or incomplete filing means another drive to Caldwell or another round of mail.
Identify every bank and credit-union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life-insurance policy, vehicle, mineral or royalty interest, 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 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 Caldwell lists the estate accurately the first time.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Noble County Probate Court in Caldwell is the single probate filing office for the whole county. Everything is at one address, 320 Court House, and there is no branch, satellite or district office. The court serves every part of the county, including the county seat of Caldwell and the villages of Belle Valley and Summerfield, communities such as Batesville and Middleburg, and the townships of Beaver, Brookfield, Buffalo, Center, Elk, Enoch, Jackson, Jefferson, Marion, Noble, Olive, Seneca, Sharon, Stock and Wayne. Interstate 77 crosses the county at Belle Valley, so the drive to Caldwell is short from the highway corridor and longer from the county's eastern and western edges. Because papers can be mailed to the court, most of an uncontested estate can be handled without repeated trips, and the distance matters mainly for a hearing.
Venue for an Ohio estate is the county where the decedent was a resident at the time of death (R.C. 2113.01). If the person lived in Noble County, file in Noble County Probate Court, even if they died in a hospital in Cambridge, Marietta, Zanesville 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 Noble County's sits in Caldwell.
Getting to the right counter in Caldwell is the practical trap here, because the county's offices share a street name and differ only by number. The probate court is 320 Court House and is where wills, estates, guardianships and name changes are filed, reached at (740) 732-5047. The juvenile court is 280 Court House and answers on the same phone line, because one elected judge presides over the probate and juvenile divisions as well as the general and domestic relations divisions of the Noble County Court of Common Pleas. The Noble County Clerk of Courts is 350 Courthouse, (740) 732-4408, and serves the general division rather than estates. The county recorder, where a certificate of transfer or a transfer on death designation affidavit is recorded, is 260 Courthouse, (740) 732-4319. Because published directories mix these up, and at least one statewide legal-help directory lists an address and a phone number for the probate court that the court does not publish itself, use the number and the office on the court's own county page.
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.
- Call the court before you prepare anything. Noble County publishes no probate local rules, no filing checklist and no cost schedule, so the court's own office at (740) 732-5047 is the only place to confirm what it wants on intake, how many copies to bring, what form of payment it takes, and whether the counter is staffed on the day you plan to come. Ask specifically about Thursday, since the county's courts and offices run a Thursday half day.
- Get the statewide forms. Ohio uses one set of Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio in every county, and Noble County publishes no local estate form or cover sheet of its own. 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).
- File on paper in Caldwell or by mail. No electronic filing system was confirmed to accept estate filings in Noble County, so take the completed forms to the probate court at 320 Court House, Caldwell, OH 43724, or mail them to the same address. Check the office number as well as the street, because 280 is the juvenile court, 350 is the Clerk of Courts and 260 is the recorder. Call (740) 732-5047 before mailing an original will.
- Pay the deposit and the costs. Ohio fixes the fee items by statute, including $35.00 to appoint a fiduciary and $15.00 to probate a will (R.C. 2101.16(A)), and a probate court may require an advance deposit for costs set by its own local rule, which by law cannot exceed $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)). Noble County publishes no deposit or cost schedule, so ask the court what the current deposit is and what it covers when you call.
- Let the court set any hearing. With no published local rules there is no written local notice procedure and no published hearing calendar, so ask the office how it handles notice to the surviving spouse, heirs and beneficiaries in your route, whether waivers are accepted, and when a hearing will be set. An application to relieve an estate from administration ordinarily requires notice to the surviving spouse and heirs and notice by publication unless waived or found unnecessary (R.C. 2113.03).
- Take the appointment and collect the letters. On an admitted will the court issues letters testamentary to the executor; with no will it issues letters of administration to the administrator (R.C. 2113.05). Either way the appointment is recorded on Form 4.5 (Entry Appointing Fiduciary; Letter of Authority), and the certified letter of authority is what banks, transfer agents and title companies rely on. Certified copies cost $1.00 per page (R.C. 2101.16(A)), so ask for enough copies for every institution the estate deals with while you are at the counter in Caldwell.
- Send the Medicaid estate recovery notice within 30 days where it applies. Where the decedent or the decedent's spouse was subject to the Medicaid estate recovery program, the person responsible for the estate must submit a completed medicaid estate recovery notice form to the administrator of the medicaid estate recovery program not later than thirty days after letters are granted or an application for release or summary release is filed (R.C. 2117.061). Compliance is certified to the court on Form 7.0. This applies to a release from administration too, which surprises people.
- File the inventory within three months. The fiduciary must file an inventory of the decedent's real and personal property within three months after appointment unless the court grants an extension for good cause (R.C. 2115.02), on Form 6.0 (Inventory and Appraisal). Where an appraisal is needed, ask the court how it wants an appraiser named, since Noble County publishes no local rule on appraisers.
- 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 ninety days after it receives the recovery notice form or one year after death, whichever is later (R.C. 2117.061).
- 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). Where Ohio real estate passes through the estate, apply for a Certificate of Transfer on Form 12.0 and record the certificate with the Noble County Recorder at 260 Courthouse in Caldwell.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Noble County
Noble County publishes no local estate forms. Ohio uses one set of Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio and used in all 88 counties, and the Noble County Probate Court neither publishes a form library of its own nor requires a local cover sheet for a decedent's estate. The county's Court of Common Pleas site does publish a small set of downloads, but they are general division and domestic material, a record-sealing instruction sheet, standard orders of visitation and a motor vehicle packet, with nothing for an estate. So the answer for a family settling an estate here is simple: download the statewide forms, complete them, and file them in Caldwell.
The load-bearing statewide items for a decedent's estate are Form 1.0 (Surviving Spouse, Children, Next of Kin, Legatees, and Devisees), Form 2.0 (Application to Probate Will), Form 4.0 (Application for Authority to Administer Estate), Form 4.5 (Entry Appointing Fiduciary; Letter of Authority), Form 5.0 (Application to Relieve Estate From Administration) with Form 5.1 (Assets and Liabilities of Estate to be Relieved from Administration), Form 5.10 (Summary Release From Administration), Form 6.0 (Inventory and Appraisal), Form 7.0 (Certification of Notice to Administrator of Medicaid Estate Recovery Program), Form 12.0 (Application for Certificate of Transfer) and Form 13.0 (Fiduciary's Account). Confirm the current version on the Supreme Court of Ohio forms page before you file, because form numbering and titles are revised from time to time.
There are also no probate local rules in Noble County to tell you how the court wants those forms presented, which is unusual even among Ohio's small counties. The Supreme Court of Ohio's local-rules index does list a document under the Noble County Probate Division, but it is a reporting to law enforcement and criminal-records compliance plan effective June 30, 2026 rather than rules of probate practice, and the identical plan is filed under the juvenile division. The general division's Local Rule 1.01 says in terms that those rules apply only to the General Division. Because of that, paper size, copy counts, notice preparation and appraiser practice are all questions to put to the court at (740) 732-5047 rather than things you can look up.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Supreme Court of Ohio Standard Probate Forms, decedent's estate (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide forms you file in Noble 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 and waivers |
| Noble County Probate Court (noblecountyohio.gov), (740) 732-5047 | The court's own page: the court name, the 320 Court House address in Caldwell and the phone line to call with any filing question, which is where the county's unpublished detail actually lives |
| Supreme Court of Ohio local rules of court (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide index of probate-division local rules. Useful if an estate touches another county, and worth checking so you can see for yourself that the Noble County probate entry is a law-enforcement reporting plan rather than probate practice rules |
Recent updates
| Change | What it means for a filing |
|---|---|
| The county's published office number for the probate court changed from 270 Court House to 320 Court House between late 2024 and early 2025 | Use 320 Court House, Caldwell, OH 43724, which is what the court publishes today. Older printed directories, saved links and mailing labels may still carry 270. Because Caldwell county offices are numbered on the same street, a wrong number can route mail to the juvenile court at 280 or the recorder at 260, so call (740) 732-5047 before mailing an original will. |
| A reporting to law enforcement and criminal-records compliance plan took effect June 30, 2026 under the probate and juvenile division captions | This is the document the Supreme Court of Ohio's local-rules index links for Noble County probate, and it is not rules of probate practice. Do not expect to find local filing requirements, a cost schedule or hours in it. Noble County still publishes no probate local rules, so ask the court directly. |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Noble County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Caldwell-area home was held jointly with right of survivorship, or was covered by a transfer on death designation affidavit recorded with the Noble 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 at the probate court at 320 Court House: Form 2.0 and Form 4.0 with a will, leading to letters testamentary, or Form 4.0 alone with no will, leading to letters of administration. Where the spouse inherits everything, the estate may qualify to be released from administration rather than fully administered (R.C. 2113.03), which is a shorter filing on Forms 5.0 and 5.1. Papers go across the counter in Caldwell or in the mail, and the court sets any hearing. | Asset discovery to confirm how the home and the accounts are titled and what actually has to reach the court. Packet generation for the Noble County filing, whether a full administration or a release. A vetted attorney referral if the title or a claim turns out to be contested. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | Where the whole estate is worth $35,000 or less, or $100,000 or less where a surviving spouse inherits everything, an interested party can apply to relieve the estate from administration on Forms 5.0 and 5.1 instead of running a full administration (R.C. 2113.03). A release does not shorten the six-month creditor window (R.C. 2117.06), and it still carries the Medicaid estate recovery notice where the program applies (R.C. 2117.061). Because no e-filing was confirmed for estates in Noble County, an out-of-state child files by mail to 320 Court House, Caldwell, OH 43724 and calls (740) 732-5047 first to confirm what the office needs, rather than flying in to file. | 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 Caldwell and accepted the first time. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because real property has to be sold, this goes through a full administration: with no will the parent files Form 4.0 at the Noble County Probate Court, is appointed administrator, and receives letters of administration; with a will the parent probates it on Form 2.0 and receives letters testamentary. The inventory follows within three months (R.C. 2115.02) on Form 6.0, and because the court publishes no local rule on appraisers you should ask the office how it wants an appraiser named before you spend money on one. Where the property is transferred to heirs rather than sold, the route is a Certificate of Transfer on Form 12.0, recorded with the Noble County Recorder at 260 Courthouse. Any hearing is held at the courthouse in Caldwell. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts, insurance, mineral interests and real property. Packet generation for the administration and the inventory. Attorney referral where the sale, a mortgage payoff or a dispute among heirs makes counsel worthwhile. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Noble County Probate Court (noblecountyohio.gov), (740) 732-5047 | The filing office for estates: the court name, the 320 Court House address in Caldwell and the court's own phone line. Because so little is published, this line is the main source for what the counter needs. Court staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice |
| Noble County Court of Common Pleas (noblecommonpleas.org) | The general division and Clerk of Court site. It does not open estates, but it publishes the county's regular court hours, including the Thursday half day, and the county's online record search |
| Noble County record search (noblecommonpleas.org) | The county's online docket search. Worth knowing about so you do not waste time on it for an estate: its case types are Appeals, Civil, Criminal, Domestic Relations, Judgment Lien and Miscellaneous, with no probate or guardianship type |
| Supreme Court of Ohio Standard Probate Forms, decedent's estate (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide forms used in every Ohio county, including Noble, with the numbered variants and waivers |
| Supreme Court of Ohio local rules of court (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide index that links each county's probate-division local rules, useful if an estate touches more than one county. Noble County's probate entry is a law-enforcement reporting plan, not probate practice rules |
| 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, and its Noble County court listing carries an address and a phone number the court does not publish, so confirm court contact details with the court itself |
| Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio, Steubenville office (lasco.org), 740-283-4781 | Free civil legal help for eligible low-income residents. Its Steubenville office covers Belmont, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe and Noble counties, so this is the legal-aid program for Noble County. Confirm it can take a probate matter before relying on it |
| Ohio Legal Help: find your legal aid (ohiolegalhelp.org) | Confirms which legal-aid program covers a given Ohio county and how to apply |
| Ohio State Bar Association lawyer referral (ohiobar.org) | Referrals to Ohio probate attorneys, useful in a county with a very small local bar |
When to hire an attorney
Many Noble 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 or a dispute among heirs is likely, when real property or oil, gas and mineral interests have to be sold, leased or divided, when the estate is insolvent or a creditor is pressing a claim inside the six-month window (R.C. 2117.06), when a wrongful-death or injury claim is part of the estate, when the estate includes a farm, a business or out-of-state property, or when a guardianship for a minor or an incompetent adult has to run alongside the estate. The practical local factor is that Noble County publishes almost nothing: no probate local rules, no cost schedule, no forms, no hours of its own and no estate docket search, so a self-represented filer is working from the statewide forms and one phone line, and an attorney who files in Caldwell regularly already knows what the court expects. Court staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Ohio probate attorney serving Noble County and the surrounding southeastern 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, Noble County real estate and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Ohio route fits before you drive to Caldwell.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the paperwork for your estate settlement 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 Noble 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 Noble 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 Noble County?
With the Noble County Probate Court at 320 Court House, Caldwell, OH 43724. It is the probate division of the Noble 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 Noble County Clerk of Courts at 350 Courthouse. Check the office number as well as the street, since Caldwell county offices are numbered on the same street: 280 is the juvenile court, 350 is the Clerk of Courts and 260 is the recorder. File in Noble County if the person was a resident of the county at the time of death (R.C. 2113.01).
What is the phone number for the Noble County Probate Court?
(740) 732-5047, the number the court publishes on its own county page (verified July 2026). The same line is published for the Noble County Juvenile Court, because one elected judge and one office cover both divisions. Be careful with third-party directories: at least one statewide legal-help site lists a different address and a different main number for this court, and (740) 732-4408 reaches the Noble County Clerk of Courts, which serves the general division and does not open estates.
Can I file probate papers by mail in Noble County?
Yes. The court publishes no separate post office box, so mail filings go to 320 Court House, Caldwell, OH 43724. Call (740) 732-5047 first if you are sending an original will or another original document, and ask what the office needs on intake, since the court publishes no filing checklist and no local rules. Ask at the same time how many copies to bring or send and what form of payment the court takes.
Is there e-filing for probate in Noble County?
Not that the court publishes. The Noble County Probate Court's own page links no filing system at all. The county's Court of Common Pleas general division site links a third-party electronic filing service, but its list of participating courts and case types is behind a sign-in, so it cannot be confirmed that the probate side accepts estate filings through it, and the county recorder's electronic recording service handles real estate documents rather than probate filings. Plan on paper, in person or by mail, and confirm with the court. Ohio has no statewide probate e-filing system: the large metro counties run their own and most rural counties are paper.
How do I look up a Noble County probate case online?
You cannot. The county's online record search belongs to the Noble Common Pleas Court and its Clerk of Court, and its case types are Appeals, Civil, Criminal, Domestic Relations, Judgment Lien and Miscellaneous, with no estate, probate or guardianship type. To see what is on file in an estate, contact the probate court at 320 Court House, Caldwell, by phone at (740) 732-5047, by mail, or in person. Ohio has put its probate courts under a statutory requirement to build out an online general docket for newer cases, so this may change; what exists in Noble County today is a paper file you ask the court about.
What forms do I need for probate in Noble County?
The statewide Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio. Noble County publishes no local estate forms and no cover sheet, so there is nothing county-specific to download. For a full administration the core items are Form 1.0 (Surviving Spouse, Children, Next of Kin, Legatees, and Devisees), Form 2.0 (Application to Probate Will) if there is a will, Form 4.0 (Application for Authority to Administer Estate), Form 6.0 (Inventory and Appraisal) and Form 13.0 (Fiduciary's Account); for a smaller estate, Forms 5.0 and 5.1 to be relieved from administration. Because there are no probate local rules here, ask the court about paper size, copy counts and notice preparation rather than assuming.
How much does it cost to file probate in Noble County?
Ohio fixes most fee items by statute, including $35.00 to appoint a fiduciary, $15.00 to probate a will, $60.00 to relieve an estate from administration or grant a summary release, and $1.00 per page for certified copies (R.C. 2101.16(A)). Each probate court may also require an advance deposit for costs set by its own local rule, which cannot exceed $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)), and may add computerization and dispute-resolution charges (R.C. 2101.162, R.C. 2101.163). Noble County publishes no cost or deposit schedule and has no probate local rules that would contain one, so no county total can be quoted. Call (740) 732-5047 and ask what to bring before you file.
Does the Noble County Probate Court have local rules?
Not for probate practice. The Supreme Court of Ohio's local-rules index lists a document under the Noble County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division, but that document is a reporting to law enforcement and criminal-records compliance plan effective June 30, 2026, and the identical plan is also filed under the juvenile division, so neither is rules of probate practice. The general division's Local Rule 1.01 divides the court into a General Division and a Probate-Juvenile Division and states that those rules apply only to the General Division. In practice an estate here follows the Ohio Revised Code and the statewide forms, plus what the court tells you when you call.
Is probate court the same as the juvenile court in Noble County?
It is the same court and the same judge, in divisions. One elected judge presides over the general, domestic relations, probate and juvenile divisions of the Noble County Court of Common Pleas, and the court's own local rules describe a Probate-Juvenile Division, so one small office and one phone line cover estates and juvenile cases alike. The two have separate office numbers in Caldwell, 320 for probate and 280 for juvenile, and both publish (740) 732-5047. That arrangement does not change the law that applies to your estate, but it does mean the office is very small, so calling ahead is worth the time.
Do I have to travel to Caldwell to settle an estate in Noble County?
Not usually just to file. Papers can be mailed to the probate court at 320 Court House, Caldwell, OH 43724, 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. Plan on Caldwell 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. If you are driving in, avoid Thursday afternoon: the county's Court of Common Pleas publishes Thursday hours of 8 a.m. to noon and its general division Local Rule 4.01 states there is no afternoon session on Thursday. Ask the court at (740) 732-5047 whether a particular hearing can be handled by phone or video, since nothing about remote appearances is published.
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.