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Richland County, OH Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Richland County Probate Court, the probate division of the Richland 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 on the title page of the court's own local rules, is the Richland County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division. One elected probate judge presides over probate alone: the Richland County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division is a separate court at 411 South Diamond Street, Mansfield, (419) 774-5578, so a filer who goes there for an estate is in the wrong building |
| Filing office | The probate court's own clerk's office on the second floor of 50 Park Avenue East. 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 directly and not with the Richland County Clerk of Courts, which is a different elected office serving other divisions of the Court of Common Pleas |
| Courthouse | 50 Park Avenue East, 2nd Floor, Mansfield, OH 44902-1861. The county recorder, where a certificate of transfer or a transfer on death designation affidavit is recorded, is in the same building, (419) 774-5602 |
| Mailing address | The court publishes no separate post office box, so mail goes to 50 Park Avenue East, 2nd Floor, Mansfield, OH 44902. Under Loc.R. 73.8.05 the court returns file-stamped copies by mail if you enclose an exact copy of the original together with a self-addressed, stamped envelope carrying enough postage |
| Phone | (419) 774-5583, the Richland County Probate Court's main line (verified July 2026). The court also publishes (419) 774-5585 for its court administrator and (419) 774-5667 for its magistrate |
| Fax | (419) 774-5865. This is a contact fax, not a filing channel: under Loc.R. 73.8(A) no facsimile filing may be submitted without the court's prior consent, no initial document may be filed by facsimile, and any facsimile sent without prior approval is not considered filed |
| [email protected], published on the court's own pages. The court also uses that address for corrections to its local rules, addressed to the court administrator | |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except certain holidays, with no lunch closure published (the court's own pages and Loc.R. 73.4, the court's local rules effective May 1, 2026, verified July 2026). The cutoff matters: the court accepts filings until 3:45 p.m., and Loc.R. 73.4 states that marriage applications and all pleadings shall be filed by 3:45 p.m. The court's 2026 Holiday Schedule also closes the office at noon on December 24 and December 31, 2026 |
| 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, $12.00 for an account and $1.00 per page for certified copies. On top of those items each Ohio probate court sets its own deposit, and the Revised Code caps an advance deposit for costs required by local rule at $125.00 where it is taken when an appointment application is made or a will is presented (R.C. 2101.16(E)), while allowing computerization and dispute-resolution charges (R.C. 2101.162, R.C. 2101.163). Richland County publishes its own figures as suggested deposits for estate filings: $200 for an application for authority to administer an estate, $189 to relieve a testate estate from administration, $164 to relieve an intestate estate, $159 for a summary release and $20 for an application for probate of a will (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026). Those are deposits against the court costs of the case rather than a single filing fee, Loc.R. 73.9 lets the court require more at any time, and the page carries no effective date, so confirm the current total at (419) 774-5583 before you file |
| Local forms | Yes, 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, and Loc.R. 73.2 provides that the approved forms for use in this court are available at the Probate Court in paper form or on the court's website. The court's own local forms carry an RCPC prefix and are named in the rules, among them RCPC M15 (Self-Representation Acknowledgement), RCPC E3 (Declination to Serve as Executor), RC2 (Computation Schedule for Administrator/Executor Fees) and 13.8A (Status Report). Read the court's standing notice with them: it says some forms are being created and some edited for ADA compliance, and that a filer unable to locate a form may use the Supreme Court forms instead |
| E-filing | None. Neither the court's website nor its local rules effective May 1, 2026 provide for electronic filing, and Loc.R. 73.8(A) goes the other way, barring facsimile filings without the court's prior consent and barring any initial document by facsimile. Estate filings are made on paper at the second-floor counter or by mail. Do not assume a county e-filing notice covers probate: the separate eServices e-filing portal is linked from the General Division's own site for the divisions that site serves, and it is not the Probate Division, which has its own clerk (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)) and publishes no e-filing of its own |
| Case search | Yes. The court publishes an online record search branded CaseLook and provided by Henschen & Associates at probatecourt.richlandcountyoh.gov, searchable by name, by case number or by filing date, one item at a time. The court's own notice on that search states that records begin December 10, 1996 and continue forward, that any search before that date must be done by a clerk, that the delay between a filing and its posting could be at least twenty-four hours and may be longer, and that anyone who needs verified information should send a request to the court or visit during regular business hours (the court's record search, verified July 2026). Loc.R. 73.6 adds that public probate records may be examined at the court, that copies are charged at the court's schedule, and that adoption, mental illness, civil commitment, involuntary treatment, tax filing and minor's injury settlement records are confidential |
| Remote appearance | Limited and by permission. Loc.R. 73.28.01(C) provides that parties may participate in the case management conference held in a civil action by phone or virtually with prior approval of the court, and Loc.R. 5.1 requires the court to maintain a technology plan covering remote hearings, but the rules grant no general right to appear remotely at an estate hearing. Ask the court when a hearing is set. Two hearings the rules do treat lightly are worth knowing: every account is set for a paper hearing that the court may convert to an in-person hearing, and no hearing is required on a certificate of termination |
| Website | https://www.richlandcountyoh.gov/departments/probatecourt, which is the page the Supreme Court of Ohio's trial-court directory links for the Probate Division. The short address probate.richlandcountyoh.gov redirects to it, and the record search sits on a separate host, probatecourt.richlandcountyoh.gov |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Richland 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 release 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 to Mansfield matters here because the court publishes a different suggested deposit for each one, and because each route has its own document checklist on the court's Estates page: a full administration needs the original will if there is one, a certified death certificate and a copy of the obituary, and a release or summary release adds a copy of the funeral bill or the receipt for the paid funeral and burial expense.
Identify every bank and credit-union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life-insurance policy, vehicle, business interest and parcel of Richland 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 Mansfield-area land covered by a transfer on death designation affidavit recorded with the Richland County Recorder before death (R.C. 5302.22) pass 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 the application you carry to the second-floor counter describes the estate accurately the first time.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Richland County Probate Court in Mansfield is the single probate filing office for the whole county. There is no branch or satellite counter: everything is filed on the second floor of 50 Park Avenue East. The court serves every community in the county, including Mansfield, the county seat, the cities of Ontario and Shelby, the part of Galion that lies in Richland County, and the villages of Bellville, Butler, Lexington, Lucas, Shiloh, the part of Crestline that lies in Richland County and the part of Plymouth that lies in Richland County, together with the county's townships: Blooming Grove, Butler, Cass, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Mifflin, Monroe, Perry, Plymouth, Sandusky, Sharon, Springfield, Troy, Washington, Weller and Worthington.
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 Richland County, the estate is opened in Richland 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)).
Three Richland County communities straddle a county line, which is exactly where venue mistakes happen. Galion is mostly in Crawford County, Crestline is mostly in Crawford County and Plymouth reaches into Huron County, so a mailing address in any of the three does not by itself put the estate in Richland County; confirm which county the decedent's home actually sat in before filing. Note too that the Richland County Probate Court is neither the Richland County Clerk of Courts nor the county's Juvenile Division, which is a separate court at 411 South Diamond Street. In Ohio the elected probate judge is the clerk of the probate court (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)), so an estate is opened with the Probate Court itself, on the second floor of 50 Park Avenue East.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue and the right court. Richland 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 Richland County Probate Court, the probate division of the Court of Common Pleas, at 50 Park Avenue East, 2nd Floor, Mansfield, OH 44902-1861, (419) 774-5583. Do not go to the Richland County Clerk of Courts or to the Juvenile Division on South Diamond Street: the probate judge is the clerk of the probate court (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)).
- Gather the documents this court requires at the counter. Bring the original signed will if there is one, a certified copy of the death certificate, and a copy of the decedent's obituary, which Loc.R. 73.11(B) and Loc.R. 73.28(D) require with any estate administration initial filing. The clerk inspects and copies the certified death certificate and returns the original to you, and Loc.R. 73.28(B) asks you to redact the decedent's Social Security number from it before it is filed. For a release from administration or a summary release the court's Estates page also asks for a copy of the funeral bill or the receipt for the paid funeral and burial expense. Have the names and addresses of the surviving spouse, children, next of kin, legatees and devisees, and a list of 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.
- Download both layers of forms. Ohio uses one set of Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio in every county, 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). Loc.R. 73.2 provides that the approved forms for use in this court are available at the Probate Court in paper form or on the court's website, and that the standard forms are also available in generic form from the Supreme Court of Ohio. Under Loc.R. 73.3 a computer-generated form must be generated with the exact wording, blank lines and format of the Standard Probate Forms, type size for every form filed must be between ten and twelve point, and anything written in by hand must be legible and in blue ink; the court may reject or strike a form that does not comply.
- If you are filing without a lawyer, plan for the court's own front-end requirements. The Estates page states that a self-represented filer must sign a Self-Representation Acknowledgement, which the court publishes as local form RCPC M15, and must provide a current government photo ID and acceptable proof of current residence and mailing address; Loc.R. 73.11(B) says the same, and adds that every executor or administrator and their attorney must tell the court in writing within thirty days of any change of address or phone number. The acknowledgement itself records that court clerks are prohibited by law from giving legal advice or telling you which forms to file, and that you may be required to provide a fiduciary's bond.
- File the application to open the estate at the second-floor counter or by mail. For a full administration, file Form 4.0 with Form 1.0, adding Form 2.0 where a will is being admitted, or Form 5.0 (Application to Relieve Estate From Administration) with Form 5.1 where the estate qualifies to be relieved from administration, or Form 5.10 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). All filings must be complete and legible, must carry the filing party's name, address and telephone number where there is no attorney, and may be refused or stricken if they are not (Loc.R. 73.8.04). The counter closes for filings at 3:45 p.m. (Loc.R. 73.4).
- Pay the deposit. Loc.R. 73.9(A) requires a deposit on the initial filing of any action or proceeding, applies it as filings occur, and allows the court to require more; a filing presented without the fee is returned unfiled and any entry signed with it is destroyed. The court's published suggested deposits for estate filings are $200 for an application for authority to administer an estate, $189 to relieve a testate estate from administration, $164 to relieve an intestate estate, $159 for a summary release and $20 for an application for probate of a will (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026). Loc.R. 73.9(B) accepts cash, money orders, cashier's checks, law firm checks from Ohio-authorized attorneys, fiduciary checking account checks for a decedent's estate, and title company checks, and does not accept a non-attorney personal check; the Estates page adds that the court now takes debit or credit cards with an additional processing fee, and that a self-represented filer pays by cash, card, money order or certified check.
- Expect a hearing on the application unless every waiver is in hand. Loc.R. 73.11(A) provides that all applications shall be set for hearing unless all waivers of notice have been obtained, so collecting waivers from the people listed on Form 1.0 is the practical way to avoid a hearing date. Where appropriate, file the Waiver of Service to Surviving Spouse of the Citation to Elect (Form 8.6) with the initial application; absent that waiver the court serves the spousal citation and summary of rights by certified mail within seven days of the initial filing (Loc.R. 73.11.03).
- Get appointed and take your letters of authority. Every executor and administrator must personally sign the Fiduciary's Acceptance in blue ink and file it before the letters of authority issue, and where there are multiple fiduciaries each signs an original (Loc.R. 73.11(A)). 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), and the letter of authority is the document banks and transfer agents ask to see. Certified copies are $1 each (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026), so order enough for the institutions you have to deal with. An administrator must give notice of the appointment within seven days to everyone entitled to inherit, including anyone entitled to the allowance for support, unless they were noticed for the appointment hearing or waived notice, and must file proof of service (Loc.R. 73.11(A)).
- 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. This duty is not universal: it attaches only where the recovery program was in play.
- File the inventory within three months, and expect a hearing on it. 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) with Form 6.1 (Schedule of Assets). Loc.R. 73.28(H) provides that a hearing shall be scheduled in every estate in which an inventory is filed, that notice of the hearing must be served on all interested persons with a certificate of service filed, and that Form 6.2 (Waiver of Notice of Hearing on Inventory) may be used in lieu of service. Loc.R. 73.12.08 also requires the fiduciary to send a copy of the inventory and appraisal to the next of kin and every beneficiary listed on Form 1.0, and requires counsel to examine record title to the decedent's real estate before the inventory is filed.
- Value the assets the way this court's rules allow. Loc.R. 73.12.04 lets the fiduciary use the fair market value the county auditor sets for real estate tax purposes in lieu of a formal appraisal, documented in writing with the inventory or Form 5.1; Loc.R. 73.12.05 lets a motor vehicle be valued from a nationally recognized guide using the clean trade-in or private party category, with a copy of the guide attached; and Loc.R. 73.12.06 requires no formal appraisal of household goods, furnishings and other tangible personal property unless the estimated value exceeds $5,000.00, and allows tangible personal property passing to a surviving spouse to be returned on the inventory without appraisal. Where an appraiser is needed, the appointment costs $5 and the appraiser may not be related to the decedent, the fiduciary or the estate's attorney (Loc.R. 73.12, Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026).
- 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)). A claim filed with this court costs $10 (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026), and Loc.R. 73.13 sets out what happens when a fiduciary rejects a claim.
- Deal with Richland County real estate, and budget an extra stop. Where a Richland County parcel has to pass through the estate, the fiduciary applies for a certificate of transfer on Form 12.0 and the certificate issues on Form 12.1, which costs $7 here (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026). Loc.R. 73.28(I) adds a step this court is specific about: every Form 12.1 for real property situated in Richland County must first be submitted to the Richland County Engineer, Tax Map office for review of the legal description and stamped pre-approved before it is submitted to the court, the prior recorded instrument must be recited on the certificate, and any fractional interest must be spelled out in the legal description. The certificate is then recorded with the Richland County Recorder, whose office asks that any document needing Tax Map and Auditor review be delivered in person to the courthouse for recording. Where the property is sold instead, a land sale proceeding runs under R.C. Chapter 2127 and Loc.R. 73.16 and 73.16.01, and any sale not concluded within nine months of filing is set for a status conference.
- Account and close. Render a final and distributive account, or file a certificate of termination, within six months after the date of appointment unless the estate qualifies for extended administration and the court grants an extension (R.C. 2109.301, Loc.R. 73.15.01(B)). The account is filed on Form 13.0 (Fiduciary's Account) and costs $12, with $1 per additional page (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026); before or with it, file Form 13.9 (Certificate of Service of Account to Heirs and Beneficiaries), because the fiduciary must give every heir or vested beneficiary a copy of each account (R.C. 2109.32(B), Loc.R. 73.15.01(B)(5)). 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)); Loc.R. 73.15.01(B)(7) provides that no hearing is required on a certificate of termination unless the court orders otherwise. Executor or administrator compensation is not paid until the final account is filed and local form RC2, the Computation Schedule for Administrator/Executor Fees, is on file (Loc.R. 73.11.02), and a final or distributive account is not approved until all court costs are paid (Loc.R. 73.15(B)(11)).
Executor duties
The statewide duties of an Ohio fiduciary are on the Ohio state page: inventory within three months (R.C. 2115.02), a final and distributive account within six months of appointment (R.C. 2109.301), and the six-month creditor window measured from the date of death (R.C. 2117.06). What follows is what Richland County adds on top of them, all from the court's own local rules effective May 1, 2026 and its Estates page.
| Local duty | What the court requires |
|---|---|
| Bring the obituary, not just the death certificate | A copy of the decedent's obituary must be filed with any estate administration initial filing, along with a certified copy of the death certificate that the clerk inspects, copies and returns (Loc.R. 73.11(B), Loc.R. 73.28(B) and (D)). Redact the Social Security number from the death certificate before filing, and note that no distribution or transfer of assets may be made until the death certificate is filed or the court orders otherwise |
| Sign the acceptance in blue ink before letters issue | Every executor and administrator must personally sign and file the Fiduciary's Acceptance in blue ink before the letters of authority are issued, and where multiple fiduciaries are appointed each signs an original (Loc.R. 73.11(A)) |
| Give notice of your appointment within seven days | An administrator gives notice of the appointment within seven days to all persons entitled to inherit, including anyone entitled to the allowance for support, unless they were given notice of the appointment hearing or waived notice, and files proof of service with the court (Loc.R. 73.11(A)) |
| Keep the court's address file current | Every executor or administrator and their attorney must inform the court in writing within thirty days of any change of address or telephone number (Loc.R. 73.11(B)) |
| Serve the inventory as well as file it | On filing the inventory, serve notice of the hearing on the next of kin and every beneficiary listed on Form 1.0 and their attorneys, unless waived, and file an affidavit of service; also send those people a copy of the inventory and appraisal itself. Counsel must examine record title to the decedent's real estate before the inventory is filed (Loc.R. 73.12.08) |
| Report newly discovered assets and correct errors | File a report of newly discovered assets on discovering another probate asset, valued under the court's appraisal rules; where an error cannot be fixed that way, file an amended inventory, which the court may approve on filing or set for hearing (Loc.R. 73.12.08). Consents to power to sell real estate are not filed before the inventory |
| Get the certificate of transfer pre-approved | Every Form 12.1 certificate of transfer for Richland County real property goes first to the Richland County Engineer, Tax Map office for review of the legal description and must be stamped pre-approved before it is submitted to the court; the prior recorded instrument must be recited and a fractional interest spelled out (Loc.R. 73.28(I)) |
| Serve every account on the heirs | Give every heir or vested beneficiary a copy of each account, and file Form 13.9 (Certificate of Service of Account to Heirs and Beneficiaries) before or at the same time as the account (R.C. 2109.32(B), Loc.R. 73.15.01(B)(5)). Documentary proof of each intangible asset remaining, such as a bank or investment statement, goes to the court with the account (Loc.R. 73.15(B)(10)) |
| File local form RC2 before taking compensation | Executor or administrator compensation is not paid until the final account is filed and the Computation Schedule for Administrator/Executor Fees, local form RC2, has been filed showing how the compensation was calculated (Loc.R. 73.11.02). Fees themselves follow R.C. 2113.35, and the court will not allow extraordinary commissions for travel expenses incurred only because the fiduciary lives outside Richland County (Loc.R. 73.22) |
| Do not fall behind on an account | No expenditure, sale, distribution, compensation or fee is approved while a fiduciary is delinquent in filing an account, and a late account with no extension arranged draws a Citation to Appear compelling the fiduciary and the attorney to appear in person (Loc.R. 73.15.01(A)) |
| Extra conditions if you live out of state | A non-resident of Ohio seeking appointment as executor must comply with R.C. 2109.21, must have an attorney of record permitted to practice by the Supreme Court of Ohio, and must meet at least one condition the court sets to keep the assets in Ohio: placing assets in a restricted-access Ohio depository account under R.C. 2109.13, posting a bond under R.C. 2109.04, or having an Ohio-resident co-executor named in the will. A non-resident applicant must also provide a current photo ID with proof of current residence and mailing address (Loc.R. 73.11.01) |
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Richland County
Richland 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. The Supreme Court's own 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. Richland County's local rules say the same from the other direction: Loc.R. 73.2 provides that the current applicable Standard Probate Forms provided by this court, printed or digital, shall be used for all filings, that approved forms for use in the Richland County Probate Court are available at the Probate Court in paper form or on the court's website, and that the standard forms are also available in generic form from the Supreme Court of Ohio.
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 2.4 (Certificate of Service of Notice of Probate of Will), Form 4.0 (Application for Authority to Administer Estate), Form 4.5 (Entry Appointing Fiduciary; Letter of Authority), Form 5.0 (Application to Relieve Estate From Administration) with Form 5.1 (Assets and Liabilities of Estate to be Relieved from Administration), Form 5.10 (Summary Release From Administration) with Form 5.11 (Entry Granting Summary Release From Administration), Form 6.0 (Inventory and Appraisal) with Form 6.1 (Schedule of Assets) and Form 6.2 (Waiver of Notice of Hearing on Inventory), Form 7.0 (Certification of Notice to Administrator of Medicaid Estate Recovery Program), Form 8.6 (Waiver of Service to Surviving Spouse of the Citation to Elect), Form 12.0 (Application for Certificate of Transfer) with Form 12.1 (Certificate of Transfer) and Form 13.0 (Fiduciary's Account). This court also leans on Form 13.9 (Certificate of Service of Account to Heirs and Beneficiaries), Form 13.10 (Notice to Extend Administration), Form 13.8 (Application to Extend Administration) and Form 13.6 (Certificate of Termination). Note that the summary-release form is Form 5.10 and the application to relieve an estate from administration is Form 5.0, and confirm the current version on the Supreme Court of Ohio forms page before you file, because numbering and titles are revised from time to time.
The second layer is Richland County's own. Its local forms carry an RCPC prefix and are named in the local rules effective May 1, 2026, which state that local forms adopted in conjunction with the rules are referred to as RCPC forms. The estate-relevant ones are RCPC M15 (Self-Representation Acknowledgement), which the court publishes for download and which a filer without an attorney must sign; RCPC E3 (Declination to Serve as Executor), which a person nominated in a will who chooses not to serve must execute and file (Loc.R. 73.11.04); RC2 (Computation Schedule for Administrator/Executor Fees), without which fiduciary compensation is not paid (Loc.R. 73.11.02); local form 13.8A (Status Report), filed with a partial account or a waiver of partial account (Loc.R. 73.15.01(B)(4)); RCPC E1Status (the annual status report in an estate opened only to pursue a wrongful death or survival claim); RCPC EWD2 (Verification of Fiduciary in a wrongful-death matter); and RCPC 2.B (Will Deposit Information) with RCPC 2.C (Certificate of Deposited Will) where a will is left with the court for safekeeping under R.C. 2107.08.
Two formatting rules and one standing notice decide whether your paperwork is accepted. Under Loc.R. 73.3 a computer-generated form must carry the exact wording, blank lines and format of the Standard Probate Forms, the type size of any form filed in this court must be between ten and twelve point, and interlineated information must be in typeface or written legibly in blue ink; the court may reject or strike a non-complying form. Under Loc.R. 73.8.04 every filing except an original will must be on letter-size paper, must be complete and legible, and must carry the filing party's name, address and telephone number where there is no attorney. The notice to read alongside them sits on the court's own home page: some forms are being created and some are being edited for ADA compliance, and a filer who cannot locate a form may use the Supreme Court forms instead.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Supreme Court of Ohio Standard Probate Forms, decedent's estate (supremecourt.ohio.gov/forms/all-forms/decedents-estate/8) | The statewide forms used in Richland County, including Forms 1.0, 2.0, 2.4, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.1, 5.10, 5.11, 6.0, 6.1, 6.2, 7.0, 8.6, 12.0, 12.1 and 13.0, with the numbered variants, waivers and entries. The court's own home page links the Supreme Court's probate forms index |
| Richland County Probate Court (www.richlandcountyoh.gov/departments/probatecourt) | The court's own pages, including Estates with the route-by-route document checklists and the suggested deposit schedule, Miscellaneous with the non-estate filing fees and the county newspapers used for publication, Local Rules, Local Contacts, the downloadable RCPC M15 Self-Representation Acknowledgement and the 2026 Holiday Schedule |
| Richland County Probate Court local rules effective May 1, 2026 (linked from the court's Local Rules page) | The 56-page rules that govern a filing here, including Loc.R. 73.2 and 73.3 on forms, Loc.R. 73.4 on hours and the 3:45 p.m. cutoff, Loc.R. 73.8 on facsimile filings and filing requirements, Loc.R. 73.9 on deposits, Loc.R. 73.11 on the application and acceptance, Loc.R. 73.12 on appraisers and valuation, Loc.R. 73.15 on accounts and Loc.R. 73.28 on case management. The court invites corrections by email to the court administrator |
| Richland County Probate Court record search (probatecourt.richlandcountyoh.gov) | The CaseLook search, provided by Henschen & Associates, for Richland County probate cases filed from December 10, 1996 forward, by name, case number or filing date. Earlier records are searched by a clerk, and the court's notice warns that posting can lag a filing by at least twenty-four hours |
Fees
Ohio splits probate costs in two. Most fee items are set statewide by statute in R.C. 2101.16(A), but the number a family actually pays at the counter is what the county probate court asks for as a deposit. The Revised Code caps an advance deposit for costs required by local rule at $125.00 where it is taken at the time an application for appointment as executor or administrator is made or a will is presented for probate (R.C. 2101.16(E)), and allows a court to add computerization and dispute-resolution charges (R.C. 2101.162, R.C. 2101.163).
Richland County publishes its own numbers, which is why you do not have to guess here, but read the framing carefully. The court's Estates page heads the list Suggested Deposits for Estate Filings, and Loc.R. 73.9(A) requires a deposit on the initial filing of any action or proceeding, applies it as filings occur, and expressly allows the court to require additional deposits. So the $200 full-administration figure is a deposit against the court costs of the case, not the appointment-only advance deposit the statute caps, and it is not a cap on what the case will cost. The page carries no effective date, so every figure below is cited as verified in July 2026 and should be confirmed at (419) 774-5583 before you file.
How you pay is spelled out twice, and the two sources differ slightly, so ask if you are unsure. Loc.R. 73.9(B) accepts cash, money orders, cashier's checks, law firm checks from attorneys authorized to practice in Ohio or admitted pro hac vice, fiduciary checking account checks for a decedent's estate, guardianship or testamentary trust, and title company checks, and does not accept a non-attorney personal check. The Estates page adds that the court now accepts debit or credit cards with an additional processing fee, and states that a self-represented filer pays by cash, debit or credit card, money order or certified check, with no personal checks. A dishonored check must be made good in cash and the payor reimburses the court's bank charges (Loc.R. 73.9(D)).
| Filing | Suggested deposit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application for authority to administer estate | $200 | The court's suggested deposit to open a full administration, filed on Form 4.0 with Form 1.0. Statutory components include the $35.00 fiduciary appointment fee (R.C. 2101.16(A)) (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Application to relieve estate from administration, testate | $189 | Where there is a will and the estate qualifies to be relieved from administration (R.C. 2113.03), filed on Forms 5.0 and 5.1 (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Application to relieve estate from administration, intestate | $164 | Where there is no will and the estate qualifies to be relieved from administration (R.C. 2113.03). The statutory component is the $60.00 fee for relieving an estate from administration or granting a summary release, of which $20.00 goes to the county's indigent guardianship fund (R.C. 2101.16(A) and (C)) (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Application for summary release from administration | $159 | The smallest-estate route (R.C. 2113.031), filed on Form 5.10 (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Application for probate of will | $20 | Admitting a will on Form 2.0. The statutory component is the $15.00 fee for probating a will (R.C. 2101.16(A)) (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Estate claim | $10 | Presenting a creditor claim to the court inside the six-month window measured from death (R.C. 2117.06) (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Application for wrongful death and distribution | $66 | Where a wrongful-death claim is administered through the estate; the court's line notes the report of distribution is included (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Inventory | $10 with real estate, $7 without | Filed on Form 6.0 within three months of appointment (R.C. 2115.02). These match the statutory items of $10.00 for an inventory with appraisement and $7.00 without (R.C. 2101.16(A)) (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Account | $12, plus $1 per additional page | Filed on Form 13.0 (R.C. 2109.301). The court's schedule adds $5 each for an attorney fee for the account, an executor fee for the account and the certificate of service of the account to heirs (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Certificate of transfer of real estate | $7 | The Form 12.1 line. Remember Loc.R. 73.28(I): the certificate must be stamped pre-approved by the Richland County Engineer, Tax Map office before it is submitted to the court (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Certificate of termination | $5 | In lieu of a final account where R.C. 2109.301(B)(2) allows it. No hearing is required on it unless the court orders otherwise (Loc.R. 73.15.01(B)(7)) (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Other estate line items | $5 to $25 each | The schedule also lists $5 for a certification of probate of will, an application to file a will for record only, an application to admit a lost, spoliated or destroyed will, an appointment of appraiser, a report of distribution, an election of surviving spouse to take under or against the will, a resignation of fiduciary, a motion, a status report or an application to extend time; $7 for a report of newly discovered assets; $10 for an objection, an application to reopen an estate or an application authorizing sale of personal property; and $25 to place a will on deposit with the court (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Copies | $1 per certified copy; exemplified copies $5 plus $1 per page | Certified copies are what a letter of authority costs, and $1.00 per page is also the statutory rate (R.C. 2101.16(A)). Exemplified copies of an estate are $5 for the triple seal plus $1 per page (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Release of medical and billing records | $73 total | A route this court publishes separately: anyone eligible to be appointed executor, administrator or commissioner may apply for release of the decedent's medical and billing records without opening an estate administration. The Estates page prices the application at $63 with a further $5 on filing Form 29.2, the report on receipt of the records, and the deposit line lists $73 for the application and report together, so confirm the current total with the court (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Appointment of master commissioner for a safe deposit box | $63 | Where a safe deposit box has to be opened to look for a will or assets (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Publication | Set by the newspaper, not the court | A release from administration is granted after notice by publication in a county newspaper unless the court finds it unnecessary or it is waived (R.C. 2113.03). The court's Miscellaneous page lists the newspapers of general circulation in Richland County with their contact details and notes that prices vary and should be confirmed with the publication directly |
Timeline
The court publishes no estate hearing calendar, but its local rules effective May 1, 2026 fix which filings are set for hearing and several outer deadlines, which is what actually shapes the pace of a Richland County estate.
- Application to open the estate: set for hearing unless all waivers of notice have been obtained (Loc.R. 73.11(A)). Gathering waivers from the people listed on Form 1.0 is what keeps an uncontested estate off the hearing calendar.
- Spousal citation: absent a filed Waiver of Service to Surviving Spouse of the Citation to Elect (Form 8.6), the court serves the citation and summary of rights by certified mail within seven days of the initial filing for appointment (Loc.R. 73.11.03).
- Notice of appointment: an administrator gives notice within seven days of appointment to everyone entitled to inherit, unless they were noticed for the appointment hearing or waived notice, and files proof of service (Loc.R. 73.11(A)).
- Certificate of Service of Notice of Probate of Will (Form 2.4): filed no later than two months after the fiduciary's appointment, or two months after the will is admitted where no fiduciary is appointed, and the period for contesting the will does not begin to run until it is filed (Loc.R. 73.10, Loc.R. 73.28(A)).
- Inventory: due within three months after appointment (R.C. 2115.02), and a hearing is scheduled in every estate in which an inventory is filed, with notice to all interested persons unless Form 6.2 waivers are used (Loc.R. 73.28(H)(6)).
- Creditor claims: six months after the date of death, not six months after the estate is opened (R.C. 2117.06).
- Final and distributive account or certificate of termination: within six months after appointment (R.C. 2109.301, Loc.R. 73.15.01(B)(1)). To go longer, file Form 13.10 (Notice to Extend Administration) before the six months expire where the estate qualifies under R.C. 2109.301(B)(1)(a) to (c), which needs no court approval, or Form 13.8 (Application to Extend Administration) where it does not.
- Extended administration: where a notice or an approved application extends it, the first account or certificate of termination is due no later than thirteen months after appointment; where the court denies the application, the account or certificate is due no later than sixty calendar days after the initial six-month period ends (Loc.R. 73.15.01(B)(1)(c) and (d)).
- Accounts: every account is set for a paper hearing not earlier than thirty days after it is filed (R.C. 2109.32(A), Loc.R. 73.15.01(B)(6)), and the court may convert a paper hearing to an in-person hearing. No hearing is required on a certificate of termination unless the court orders otherwise.
- Land sales: any real property sale proceeding not concluded within nine months of filing is set for a status conference at which the attorney of record appears and the fiduciary is present or available by telephone, with a written status report filed at least seven days beforehand (Loc.R. 73.16.01).
Local nuance
Richland County-specific considerations
Filing is on paper, and even fax is restricted. The court publishes no electronic filing system, and its local rules effective May 1, 2026 contain no e-filing provision at all. Loc.R. 73.8(A) goes further: no facsimile filing may be submitted without the court's prior consent, other than an affidavit of mental illness under R.C. 5122.01, no initial document may be filed by facsimile, and a facsimile sent without prior approval is not considered filed for the record. Where the court does permit a fax filing, the original pleading must reach the court within five business days or the fax may be stricken, and nothing requiring a fee is accepted until the costs are paid. Plan on the counter at 50 Park Avenue East or the mail. Do not be misled by a county e-filing notice: the eServices e-filing portal is linked from the General Division's own site for the divisions that site serves, and the Probate Division is not one of them, because in Ohio the probate court has its own clerk (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)).
The obituary requirement catches people out. Most Ohio counties ask for a certified death certificate. This one also requires a copy of the decedent's obituary with any estate administration initial filing, in both Loc.R. 73.11(B) and Loc.R. 73.28(D), and the court's Estates page repeats it for a full administration, a release from administration and a summary release. For a release or a summary release the page also asks for a copy of the funeral bill or the receipt for the paid funeral and burial expense. Print the obituary before you drive to Mansfield.
Filing without a lawyer has a formal front door here. The Estates page states that a self-represented filer must sign a Self-Representation Acknowledgement, provide a current government photo ID and acceptable proof of current residence and mailing address, and pay only in cash, by debit or credit card with an additional processing fee, by money order or by certified check, with no personal checks accepted. Loc.R. 73.11(B) requires the ID and proof of address of any applicant not represented by an Ohio-admitted attorney. The acknowledgement itself is local form RCPC M15, downloadable from the court's Estates page, and it records that the court has advised you to retain counsel, that clerks are prohibited by law from giving legal advice or telling you which forms to file, that you may be personally liable for what you get wrong, and that you may be required to provide a fiduciary's bond. None of that bars a family from filing; it means arrive prepared.
A hearing is the default unless you collect waivers. Loc.R. 73.11(A) provides that all applications shall be set for hearing unless all waivers of notice have been obtained, and Loc.R. 73.28(H)(6) provides that a hearing shall be scheduled in every estate in which an inventory is filed. Waivers are therefore the practical tool in an uncontested estate: gather them from the people listed on Form 1.0, and use Form 6.2 in lieu of service for the inventory hearing. Every account is separately set for a paper hearing not earlier than thirty days after filing, which the court may convert to an in-person hearing.
The deposit schedule is published, undated, and not a ceiling. The court's Estates page lists suggested deposits of $200 for an application for authority to administer an estate, $189 and $164 to relieve a testate or intestate estate from administration, $159 for a summary release and $20 for an application for probate of a will, with a long list of smaller line items (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026). Two cautions. First, Loc.R. 73.9 makes these deposits against the court costs of the case and lets the court require more at any time, and a filing presented without the fee is returned unfiled with any signed entry destroyed. Second, the page carries no effective date, so treat every figure as a July 2026 reading and confirm it at (419) 774-5583.
Valuation is easier here than the statute suggests. This court's appraisal rules save a family real money. Loc.R. 73.12.04 lets the fiduciary use the county auditor's fair market value for real estate in lieu of a formal appraisal, documented in writing with the inventory or Form 5.1. Loc.R. 73.12.05 lets a vehicle be valued from a nationally recognized guide on the clean trade-in or private party basis, with a copy attached, and Loc.R. 73.28(H)(4) names Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds and the NADA Guide. Loc.R. 73.12.06 requires no formal appraisal of household goods, furnishings and other tangible personal property unless the estimated value exceeds $5,000.00, and lets tangible personal property passing to a surviving spouse be returned on the inventory without appraisal.
Read the court's small-estate summary against the statute. The Estates page describes a release from administration as allowed where there is a surviving spouse and assets under $100,000, or no surviving spouse and assets under $35,000. The statute is narrower than that shorthand: R.C. 2113.03 allows a release where the assets are $35,000 or less, or where they are $100,000 or less and the surviving spouse is entitled to all of the estate assets under the will or by intestacy. The court's summary of the spouse route for a summary release is the sum of two statutory components, the $40,000 allowance for support (R.C. 2106.13) plus up to $5,000 of funeral and burial expenses (R.C. 2113.031), and it is not itself a statutory ceiling. Confirm which route the court will accept before you pay a deposit.
The record search starts in December 1996. The court's CaseLook search at probatecourt.richlandcountyoh.gov covers Richland County probate records filed from December 10, 1996 forward; anything earlier must be searched by a clerk. Search by name, case number or filing date, one item at a time. The court's own disclaimer states that the delay between a filing or a judicial action and its posting could be at least twenty-four hours and may be longer, and that anyone needing verified information should send a request to the court or visit during business hours. Loc.R. 73.6 adds that adoption, developmental disabilities, mental illness, civil commitment, involuntary treatment, tax filing and minor's injury settlement records are confidential, and that probate files are never removed from the court.
Hours end at 4:00 p.m. and filings stop at 3:45 p.m. The court is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except certain holidays, and Loc.R. 73.4 states the same hours while requiring marriage applications and all pleadings to be filed by 3:45 p.m. The 2026 Holiday Schedule the court publishes also closes the office at noon on December 24 and December 31, 2026, which is worth knowing if a deadline lands in the last week of the year.
A stand-alone probate court, in the same building as the recorder. In roughly a third of Ohio counties one elected judge presides over both the probate and juvenile divisions. Richland is not one of them: the Juvenile Division is a separate court at 411 South Diamond Street, (419) 774-5578, with its own site and its own local rules, while the Probate Division has its own elected probate judge, magistrate and court administrator on the second floor of 50 Park Avenue East. That building also houses the Richland County Recorder, (419) 774-5602, where a certificate of transfer or a transfer on death designation affidavit is recorded, which is convenient once the Richland County Engineer, Tax Map office has pre-approved the certificate under Loc.R. 73.28(I).
The court publishes an unclaimed funds list. Alongside its estate pages the court posts a 2026 List of Unclaimed Funds, money held by the court for people it has not been able to pay. If a relative's estate ran through this court years ago, it is worth a look before you assume nothing is left. The list is published as a scanned document, so read it at the court's site rather than relying on a text search.
Recent updates
| Change | What it means for a filing here |
|---|---|
| New local rules effective May 1, 2026 | The court replaced its local rules with a set filed and effective May 1, 2026. They are the rules that now govern a Richland County estate, including the 3:45 p.m. filing cutoff (Loc.R. 73.4), the obituary and photo ID requirements at the initial filing (Loc.R. 73.11(B)), the restriction on facsimile filings (Loc.R. 73.8), the deposit rule (Loc.R. 73.9), the appraisal and valuation shortcuts (Loc.R. 73.12), the account extension deadlines (Loc.R. 73.15.01) and the certificate of transfer pre-approval step (Loc.R. 73.28(I)). Anything citing an earlier Richland County local rule is out of date, and the Supreme Court of Ohio's own hosted copy of this county's probate rules is no longer available, so take the rules from the court's own Local Rules page. The court invites corrections by email to its court administrator |
| Local rules renumbered to follow the July 1, 2026 rules restructuring | The Supreme Court of Ohio restructured its rules as of July 1, 2026, and the court's own rules note the change by mapping each former Superintendence Rule onto a Civil Rule: the forms rule, the hours rule, the filings rule, the deposit rule and the accounts rule now sit under Civ.R. 73 numbering, and the court's local rules are numbered to match. Practically, cite the court's local rule numbers as the court now prints them, and expect older guidance to use the former Superintendence Rule numbers |
| Card payments now accepted | The court's Estates and Miscellaneous pages state that it now accepts debit or credit cards with an additional processing fee. Loc.R. 73.9(B) still does not accept a non-attorney personal check, and a self-represented filer pays by cash, card, money order or certified check, so plan the payment method before you go (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026) |
| Some forms being rebuilt for ADA compliance | The court's home page carries a standing notice that some forms are being created and some are being edited for accessibility, and that a filer unable to locate a form may use the Supreme Court of Ohio forms instead. If a local form you expect is missing from the court's site, use the statewide form and ask the court whether a local version is required |
| 2026 holiday schedule includes two half days | The court's published 2026 Holiday Schedule closes the office at noon on December 24 and December 31, 2026, in addition to the full-day closures. Read that against the 3:45 p.m. filing cutoff if a deadline falls in the last week of the year |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Richland County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Mansfield-area home was held jointly with right of survivorship, or was covered by a transfer on death designation affidavit recorded with the Richland 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 at the second-floor counter: 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, with the court's suggested $200 deposit and a copy of the obituary (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026). Where the spouse is entitled to all of the estate assets, the estate may instead qualify to be relieved from administration on Forms 5.0 and 5.1 (R.C. 2113.03), which the court prices at $189 testate or $164 intestate. Bring a copy of the funeral bill for that route, and file Form 8.6 with the application to avoid the court serving the spousal citation by certified mail. | Asset discovery to establish how the home and the accounts are titled and what actually has to reach the court. Packet generation for the Richland County filing, whether a full administration or a release, on the statewide Standard Probate Forms with the waivers that keep an uncontested application off the hearing calendar. 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 is entitled to all of the estate assets, 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 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). Two Richland County points matter from out of state. Filing is on paper, so the application goes by mail or in person, and Loc.R. 73.8.05 will return file-stamped copies if you enclose an exact copy and a stamped self-addressed envelope. And if the estate needs a full administration instead, Loc.R. 73.11.01 requires a non-resident executor to have an Ohio attorney of record and to satisfy one of the court's asset-security conditions, such as a restricted Ohio depository account, a bond, or an Ohio-resident co-executor named in the will. | 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 to mail to Mansfield so a child in another state does not have to travel. A vetted Richland County probate attorney where the non-resident fiduciary rule means counsel is required anyway. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because real property has to be sold, this is a full administration. With no will the parent files Form 4.0 with Form 1.0, is appointed administrator and receives letters of authority on Form 4.5; with a will the parent probates it on Form 2.0 and receives letters testamentary (R.C. 2113.05). Expect a hearing on the application unless every waiver is collected (Loc.R. 73.11(A)), and sign the Fiduciary's Acceptance in blue ink before the letters issue. The inventory is due within three months on Form 6.0 (R.C. 2115.02) and draws a hearing of its own unless Form 6.2 waivers are filed, the account is due within six months on Form 13.0 (R.C. 2109.301), and title to the Richland County parcel moves either by a certificate of transfer, which must be stamped pre-approved by the Richland County Engineer, Tax Map office before it reaches the court (Loc.R. 73.28(I)), or through a land sale proceeding under R.C. Chapter 2127, which is set for a status conference if it is not finished within nine months (Loc.R. 73.16.01). Budget the court's suggested $200 deposit plus the smaller line items and $1 per certified copy (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026). | Asset discovery for the child's accounts, policies and Richland 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 Richland County probate attorney to run the sale and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Richland County Probate Court (www.richlandcountyoh.gov/departments/probatecourt), (419) 774-5583, [email protected] | The filing office for estates, on the second floor of 50 Park Avenue East, Mansfield. The court's own pages carry the Estates route-by-route document checklists and suggested deposits, the Miscellaneous page of other filing fees and county newspapers, the local rules, a list of local contacts, the 2026 Holiday Schedule and the annual unclaimed funds list. Court staff can explain procedure but are prohibited by law from giving legal advice |
| Richland County Probate Court local rules effective May 1, 2026 (linked from the court's Local Rules page) | The rules that decide whether a filing is accepted here: hours and the 3:45 p.m. cutoff (Loc.R. 73.4), forms and formatting (Loc.R. 73.2, 73.3, 73.8.04), facsimile filing limits (Loc.R. 73.8), deposits (Loc.R. 73.9), the application and acceptance (Loc.R. 73.11), appraisers and valuation (Loc.R. 73.12), accounts and extensions (Loc.R. 73.15.01) and case management including the certificate of transfer pre-approval step (Loc.R. 73.28) |
| Richland County Probate Court record search (probatecourt.richlandcountyoh.gov) | The CaseLook search for Richland County probate cases filed from December 10, 1996 forward, by name, case number or filing date. Earlier records are searched by a clerk, posting can lag a filing by at least twenty-four hours, and verified information is requested from the court |
| 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 Richland, with the numbered variants and waivers. The Supreme Court's page notes that the local court may require additional forms, which Richland does, and the court's own home page tells filers to use these forms if a local form cannot be located |
| Supreme Court of Ohio trial courts directory (supremecourt.ohio.gov/courts/judicial-system/ohio-trial-courts/) | The official listing for the Richland County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division, with the court's page and its local rules, which is the reliable way to check you are looking at the probate division and not another division of the same Court of Common Pleas |
| Ohio Legal Help (ohiolegalhelp.org) | Plain-language Ohio probate guides from a statewide non-profit, including release from administration and summary release, form assistants and a legal-aid finder. The Richland County Probate Court links it from its own page. Not a government site, so confirm court details with the court |
| Richland County Bar Association, (419) 524-9944 | The court's own page names this service as the way to get information on attorneys who can assist with Probate Court proceedings in Richland County. Check the Supreme Court of Ohio's list of certified referral services before relying on any referral service |
| Richland County Legal Clinic (richlandcountylegal.com), (419) 775-3935 | A free legal advice clinic the court points to for people who cannot afford an attorney, run as a ministry of First United Methodist Church and open to people in Richland County and the surrounding area. Volunteer attorneys meet clients one-on-one; appointments are scheduled by phone or email and the clinic returns calls within three to five business days. It does not publish its case types, so ask whether it can help with an estate |
| Legal Aid of Western Ohio, intake (888) 534-1432 (legalaidline.org) | The legal-aid law firm whose service area covers Richland County: Richland is listed by name on the Legal Aid Line intake page, with lines open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and applications also accepted online. It is the same number the court's own local contacts page lists for legal aid, and its nearest office is in Sandusky. Its published areas of work are civil matters such as housing, consumer, healthcare, benefits, seniors and veterans rather than estate administration, so confirm scope when you apply |
| Pro Seniors legal helpline, (800) 488-6070 | A statewide helpline for Ohio residents age 60 and over, Monday to Friday, for civil legal questions including those that arise after a death. Confirm scope on the call |
| Ohio State Bar Association lawyer referral (ohiobar.org/public-resources/lawyer-referral/) and the Supreme Court's certified referral services list (supremecourt.ohio.gov/attorneys/referral-services/) | Attorney referrals statewide, plus the official list of certified referral services, which is where to confirm a local referral service before using it |
When to hire an attorney
Ohio does not require an attorney to open an estate, and Richland County Probate Court makes room for families who file alone: it publishes local form RCPC M15, the Self-Representation Acknowledgement, and its Estates page sets out exactly what a self-represented filer must bring. Read the acknowledgement honestly, though, because it is the court telling you what it will not do: the court has advised you to retain counsel, its deputy clerks are prohibited by law from giving legal advice or telling you which forms to file or how to complete them, you are responsible for applying the Revised Code, the civil rules and this court's local rules correctly, and you may be personally liable to anyone who suffers a loss from what you get wrong. 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 a Richland County parcel has to be sold through a land sale proceeding; when the estate holds a business interest, out-of-state property or a wrongful-death claim; when a guardianship or a trust has to run alongside the estate; or when the account cannot be filed within six months and an extension has to be sought (R.C. 2109.301). One local rule settles the question outright: under Loc.R. 73.11.01 a non-resident of Ohio seeking appointment as executor must have an attorney of record permitted to practice by the Supreme Court of Ohio. The court's own page points families to the Richland County Bar Association at (419) 524-9944 and to the Richland County Legal Clinic at (419) 775-3935, and Sunset can connect families to a vetted Richland 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, Richland 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 in Mansfield.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the paperwork for your route, whether a full administration or an application to relieve the estate from administration, on the statewide Standard Probate Forms, ready to file at the Richland County Probate Court counter or by mail with the obituary, death certificate and waivers the court's rules expect.
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 Richland County and the Mansfield 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 Richland County, Ohio?
With the Richland County Probate Court, the probate division of the Richland County Court of Common Pleas (R.C. 2101.01), on the second floor of 50 Park Avenue East, Mansfield, OH 44902-1861, (419) 774-5583. File in Richland County if the decedent was a resident of the county at the time of death (R.C. 2113.01). Do not go to the Richland County Clerk of Courts or to the Juvenile Division at 411 South Diamond Street: in Ohio the elected probate judge is the clerk of the probate court (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)), so the estate is opened with the Probate Court itself.
Can I e-file a probate case in Richland County?
No. Neither the court's website nor its local rules effective May 1, 2026 provide for electronic filing, and Loc.R. 73.8(A) bars any facsimile filing without the court's prior consent and bars any initial document by facsimile. Estate filings are made on paper at the second-floor counter or by mail to 50 Park Avenue East, 2nd Floor, Mansfield, OH 44902. If you mail a filing, Loc.R. 73.8.05 will return file-stamped copies where you enclose an exact copy of the original with a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The separate eServices e-filing portal is linked from the General Division's own site for the divisions that site serves; it is not the Probate Division, which publishes no e-filing of its own.
What documents do I have to bring to open an estate in Richland County?
The original signed will if there is one, a certified copy of the death certificate, and a copy of the decedent's obituary, which Loc.R. 73.11(B) and Loc.R. 73.28(D) require with any estate administration initial filing. The clerk copies the certified death certificate and returns the original, and you should redact the Social Security number from it first. For a release from administration or a summary release the court's Estates page also asks for a copy of the funeral bill or the receipt for the paid funeral and burial expense. If you are filing without an attorney, add a signed Self-Representation Acknowledgement (local form RCPC M15), a current government photo ID and acceptable proof of your current residence and mailing address.
How much does it cost to open an estate in Richland County?
The court publishes suggested deposits for estate filings: $200 for an application for authority to administer an estate, $189 to relieve a testate estate from administration, $164 to relieve an intestate estate, $159 for a summary release from administration and $20 for an application for probate of a will, with smaller line items such as $10 for an inventory with real estate, $12 for an account, $7 for a certificate of transfer and $1 per certified copy (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026). Those figures are deposits against the court costs of the case, and Loc.R. 73.9 lets the court require more at any time. Underneath them sit the statutory items that are the same in every Ohio county, including $35.00 to appoint a fiduciary, $15.00 to probate a will and $60.00 to relieve an estate from administration or grant a summary release (R.C. 2101.16(A)); the Revised Code separately caps an advance deposit required by local rule at $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)). The court's page carries no effective date, so confirm the current total at (419) 774-5583.
What are the Richland County Probate Court hours?
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except certain holidays, with no lunch closure published, per the court's own pages and Loc.R. 73.4 of the local rules effective May 1, 2026. The cutoff is the part that bites: the court accepts filings until 3:45 p.m., and Loc.R. 73.4 requires marriage applications and all pleadings to be filed by 3:45 p.m. The court's 2026 Holiday Schedule also closes the office at noon on December 24 and December 31, 2026. The office is on the second floor of 50 Park Avenue East in Mansfield.
How do I look up a Richland County probate case online?
Use the court's record search at probatecourt.richlandcountyoh.gov, branded CaseLook and provided by Henschen & Associates. You can search by name, by case number or by filing date, one item at a time. The court's own notice states that records on the search begin December 10, 1996 and continue forward, that any search before that date must be done by a clerk, that the delay between a filing or judicial action and its posting could be at least twenty-four hours and may be longer, and that anyone needing verified information should send a request to the court or visit during business hours. Confidential case types, including adoptions, mental illness and civil commitment matters, are not public (Loc.R. 73.6).
Will there be a hearing on my Richland County estate application?
Usually only if waivers are missing. Loc.R. 73.11(A) provides that all applications shall be set for hearing unless all waivers of notice have been obtained, so collecting waivers from the people listed on Form 1.0 is what keeps an uncontested estate off the hearing calendar. Two other hearings are built into the rules: a hearing is scheduled in every estate in which an inventory is filed, unless Form 6.2 waivers are used (Loc.R. 73.28(H)(6)), and every account is set for a paper hearing not earlier than thirty days after it is filed, which the court may convert to an in-person hearing (Loc.R. 73.15.01(B)(6)). The court publishes no estate hearing days, so ask when your matter is set.
Can I appear remotely for a Richland County probate hearing?
Only where the court allows it, and the rules do not promise it for an estate hearing. Loc.R. 73.28.01(C) provides that parties may participate in the case management conference held in a civil action by phone or virtually with prior approval of the court, and Loc.R. 5.1 requires the court to maintain a technology plan covering remote hearings, but there is no published right to appear remotely at an estate hearing. Ask the court at (419) 774-5583 when a hearing is set. In a land sale that runs past nine months the rules do allow the fiduciary to be available by telephone for the status conference while the attorney of record appears (Loc.R. 73.16.01).
Does Richland County have its own probate forms?
Yes, on top of the statewide set. Ohio uses one set of Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio in all 88 counties, and Loc.R. 73.2 provides that the approved forms for use in this court are available at the Probate Court in paper form or on the court's website. The court's own forms carry an RCPC prefix and are named in its rules, including RCPC M15 (Self-Representation Acknowledgement), RCPC E3 (Declination to Serve as Executor), RC2 (Computation Schedule for Administrator/Executor Fees) and 13.8A (Status Report). Read the court's standing notice with them: it says some forms are being created and some edited for ADA compliance, and that a filer unable to locate a form may use the Supreme Court forms instead. Formatting is enforced: ten to twelve point type, exact wording on computer-generated forms, and blue ink for anything written in (Loc.R. 73.3).
Do I have to travel to Mansfield to settle an estate here?
Not necessarily, but plan for paper. There is no e-filing, so the application and later filings go to the counter or through the mail, and Loc.R. 73.8.05 returns file-stamped copies by mail where you enclose an exact copy and a stamped, self-addressed envelope. A hearing may require an appearance, because the rules grant no general right to appear remotely at an estate hearing. If you live outside Ohio and want to serve as executor, Loc.R. 73.11.01 requires you to have an Ohio attorney of record and to satisfy one of the court's conditions for keeping the assets in Ohio, such as a restricted Ohio depository account under R.C. 2109.13, a bond, or an Ohio-resident co-executor named in the will.
How long do creditors have to make a claim against a Richland County estate?
Six months after the decedent's death, not six months after the estate is opened. All claims must be presented within six months after 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 nothing about the clock depends 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)). Filing a claim with this court costs $10 (Richland County Probate Court suggested deposits for estate filings, Estates page, verified July 2026), and Loc.R. 73.13 governs what happens when a fiduciary rejects one.
Can I get help if I cannot afford a probate lawyer in Richland County?
The court points to three places on its own pages. The Richland County Bar Association at (419) 524-9944 provides information on attorneys who can assist with Probate Court proceedings in Richland County. The Richland County Legal Clinic at (419) 775-3935 offers free one-on-one consultations with volunteer attorneys to people in Richland County and the surrounding area, though it does not publish its case types, so ask whether it handles estates. Legal Aid of Western Ohio covers Richland County through the Legal Aid Line at (888) 534-1432, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., although estate administration is not among its published areas of work. Ohioans age 60 and over can also call the Pro Seniors legal helpline at (800) 488-6070. Court staff can explain procedure but are prohibited by law from giving legal advice.
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.