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Union County, OH Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Union County Probate Court, the probate division of the Union County Court of Common Pleas under the Ohio Revised Code (R.C.) (R.C. 2101.01). Its formal name in the Supreme Court of Ohio's trial-court directory is the Union County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division. One elected judge presides over both the Probate Division and the Juvenile Division, and the county styles the combined office the Probate & Juvenile Divisions, an arrangement common in Ohio's smaller and mid-size counties |
| Filing office | The probate court's own clerk's office, Room B06 of the Union County Courthouse. In Ohio the probate judge is the court's own clerk (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)), and the county's e-filing order names the judge as ex officio clerk of the Probate and Juvenile Court, so estates, wills, guardianships and trusts are filed with the Probate Division directly. The Union County Clerk of Courts, (937) 645-3006, serves the general and domestic relations divisions and does not open estates |
| Courthouse | Union County Courthouse, 215 West Fifth Street, Marysville, OH 43040. The Probate Division clerk's office is Room B06; the Juvenile Division clerk's office is Room 107 of the same building |
| Mailing address | The court publishes no separate post office box, so mail filings go to Union County Probate Court, 215 West Fifth Street, Room B06, Marysville, OH 43040. Call (937) 645-3029, extension 3405, before mailing an original will or other original document |
| Phone | (937) 645-3029, extension 3405, the Probate Division clerk's office line published on the court's own pages, on its deposit schedule and on the title page of its local rules (verified July 2026). The bare (937) 645-3029 number is the shared Probate & Juvenile switchboard, and the Juvenile Division clerk is extension 3411, so ask for the probate clerk if you dial without the extension |
| Fax | (937) 645-4124, the Probate Division clerk's office fax (verified July 2026). A fax is not a filing channel here: under Loc.R. 57.3 nothing may be filed by fax without a deputy clerk's express advance permission, and no case may be started by fax |
| [email protected], published on the title page of the court's local rules effective December 10, 2025. Email is not a filing channel for a new case: no proceeding may be initiated by email, and a self-represented filer may email a document in an open case only with permission from the court or a deputy clerk (Loc.R. 57.2) | |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed weekends and legal holidays (the court's own pages and Loc.R. 53.1, verified July 2026). Two published wrinkles: when December 24 falls on a weekday the court closes at noon, and in snow emergencies the court follows the Union County Sheriff's levels, staying open at Level I, deciding at Level II, and closing at Level III with hearings continued, so call before driving in bad weather |
| Filing fee | Ohio sets most probate fee items by statute: $35.00 to appoint a fiduciary and $15.00 to probate a will (R.C. 2101.16(A)), $60.00 to relieve an estate from administration or grant a summary release, and it caps the statutory advance deposit at $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)), with optional computerization and dispute-resolution charges (R.C. 2101.162, R.C. 2101.163). Union County Probate Court publishes its own deposit and costs schedule (the Union County Probate Court deposit and costs schedule, Local Rule 58.1 Appendix A, effective May 16, 2025): the deposit is $250.00 for a full administration or an ancillary administration, $145.00 to $175.00 for a release from administration depending on whether a will is filed, and $110.00 to $140.00 for a summary release. Deposits are security for costs, are drawn down as filings occur, and may have to be topped up (Loc.R. 58.1). Confirm the current figures with the probate clerk at (937) 645-3029, extension 3405, before you file |
| Local forms | Yes, an extensive set, in addition to the statewide forms. Ohio uses one set of Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio in all 88 counties, and Union County publishes its own local forms and checklists on its Probate Rules of Court & Local Forms page, including an estate series (E- prefixed), a Self-Representation Acknowledgement (EM-1.0) and a Medicaid Estate Recovery Acknowledgement (E-7.01). Local forms are published on the website, and paper copies are available for a fee at the probate clerk's office (Loc.R. 51.1) |
| E-filing | Attorneys only, and mandatory for them in most probate case types. Under Loc.R. 5.7 and the Union County Court of Common Pleas Joint Administrative Order on electronic case filing, effective February 25, 2025, attorneys of record must register for the court's web-based electronic case filing system at eservices.co.union.oh.us and must e-file in all probate case types except adoptions, appeals, involuntary commitments, minor settlements and wills on deposit. Self-represented filers may not register for the system under the current order and file conventionally, on paper at Room B06 or by mail. An e-filed original will or codicil must still reach the court in its original paper form within three business days of acceptance |
| Case search | Yes, for recent cases. Probate records filed on or after June 1, 2019 are searchable online through the Union County Court of Common Pleas Clerk of Court Public Records Search at eservices.co.union.oh.us (the court's own records page, verified July 2026). Records from 1820 to May 30, 2019 are searched at the probate clerk's office with a deputy clerk, at the Union County Records Center & Archives at 128 South Main Street, or on a public terminal in the Recorder's Office at 233 West Sixth Street. Adoptions, minor settlements (effective 2023), mental illness or intellectual disability cases and sealed cases are confidential and not searchable |
| Remote appearance | By permission. In-person appearance is the default for every proceeding, but the court may conduct hearings by video or telephone and may permit an individual participant to appear remotely on a request made before the proceeding, for good cause shown (Loc.R. 5.8). The court's snow-emergency policy also offers remote videoconferencing when travel is unsafe. Ask the probate clerk at (937) 645-3029, extension 3405, how to request a remote appearance |
| Website | https://www.unioncountyohio.gov/Probate_Juvenile_Court (the court's own Probate & Juvenile Divisions pages, with hours, contacts, rules, forms and records information). The Supreme Court of Ohio's trial-court directory links the same page for the Probate Division |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Union 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 different filings with different forms, different deposits on the county's schedule, and different notice steps. Those routes and their dollar ceilings are statewide and are explained on the Ohio state page. Union County adds a route-selection wrinkle of its own: where real estate is the only probate asset and six months have passed since death, the court can approve a certificate of transfer without any administration at all (Loc.R. 57.6), which carries the lowest deposit of any estate path on the county's schedule.
Identify every bank and credit-union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life-insurance policy, vehicle, business interest and parcel of real property, 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 land covered by a transfer on death designation affidavit recorded with the Union 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 hand across the counter in Marysville describes the estate accurately the first time.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Union County Probate Court in Marysville is the single probate filing office for the whole county. Everything is filed with the one court at the Union County Courthouse, 215 West Fifth Street, and the probate clerk's counter is Room B06; there is no branch, satellite or district office. The court serves every community in the county, including Marysville, the county seat, the Union County portion of the city of Dublin, the villages of Magnetic Springs, Milford Center, Plain City, Richwood and Unionville Center, and the county's fourteen townships: Allen, Claibourne, Darby, Dover, Jackson, Jerome, Leesburg, Liberty, Millcreek, Paris, Taylor, Union, Washington and York.
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 Union County, the estate is opened in Union County Probate Court, even if they died in a hospital in Columbus, Dublin or Marion. Ohio's statute says resident, not domiciled, and the probate court in which a will is admitted is the court that grants letters. The county line matters here more than in most of Ohio, because the Columbus suburbs spill across it: most of Dublin lies in Franklin and Delaware counties with only a portion in Union County, and Plain City sits on the Madison County line, so confirm which county the decedent's home actually sat in before filing. A Dublin or Plain City mailing address does not by itself put the estate in Union County. 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)).
Make sure you are at the right counter. The Union County Probate Court is not the Union County Clerk of Courts: in Ohio the elected probate judge is the clerk of the probate court (R.C. 2101.11(A)(1)(a)), and the county's e-filing order names the judge as ex officio clerk of the Probate and Juvenile Court, so estates are opened with the Probate Division itself in Room B06. The Clerk of Courts, reached at (937) 645-3006, serves the general and domestic relations divisions at the same street address and does not open estates. Because one judge runs both the Probate and Juvenile Divisions, the phone may be answered for the combined court: the probate clerk is (937) 645-3029, extension 3405, and the juvenile clerk is extension 3411.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue and the right court. Union 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 Union County Probate Court, the probate division of the Union County Court of Common Pleas, at the Union County Courthouse, 215 West Fifth Street, Room B06, Marysville, OH 43040, (937) 645-3029, extension 3405. Do not go to the Union County Clerk of Courts, which serves other divisions.
- Gather the documents. Collect the original signed will if there is one, a certified copy of the death certificate, the applicant's state-issued photo 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.
- Download both layers of forms. Ohio uses one set of Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio in every county: for a full administration the load-bearing items are Form 1.0 (Surviving Spouse, Children, Next of Kin, Legatees, and Devisees), Form 2.0 (Application to Probate Will) where there is a will, and Form 4.0 (Application for Authority to Administer Estate); for a smaller estate, Form 5.0 with Form 5.1 to relieve the estate from administration, or Form 5.10 for a summary release. Union County layers its own local forms on top (Loc.R. 51.1), published on the court's Probate Rules of Court & Local Forms page, and its rules require the statewide forms unless a specific local form exists. 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).
- Add the self-represented paperwork if you are filing without a lawyer. An applicant not represented by an attorney who applies to administer an estate, to relieve an estate from administration, or for a summary release must sign and file the court's written self-representation acknowledgement (local form EM-1.0), display current state-issued photo identification, and provide proof of current residence and mailing addresses (Loc.R. 60.2). An unrepresented applicant in an administration, real estate transfer, release or summary release also files the court's Medicaid Estate Recovery Acknowledgement, local form E-7.01 (Loc.R. 62.3), and on a release or summary release must present the decedent's original death certificate (Loc.R. 57.5(D)). A nonresident who wants to serve as executor must be represented by an Ohio attorney (Loc.R. 60.1).
- File the application. Attorneys file through the court's electronic case filing system at eservices.co.union.oh.us, where e-filing is mandatory for attorneys of record in all probate case types except adoptions, appeals, involuntary commitments, minor settlements and wills on deposit (Loc.R. 5.7 and the Union County Court of Common Pleas Joint Administrative Order on electronic case filing, effective February 25, 2025). Self-represented filers may not register for the system and file on paper, at the Room B06 counter between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday or by mail to 215 West Fifth Street, Room B06, Marysville, OH 43040. Paper filings must be on 8.5 by 11 inch paper with a blank three-inch top margin on the first page of any pleading (court forms are exempt), and a self-represented filer's legible handwriting is accepted (Loc.R. 57.1). Nothing may be filed by fax without a deputy clerk's advance permission (Loc.R. 57.3).
- Get the original will to the court. Where a will is admitted, the original is filed for record (Loc.R. 57.5(C)). An attorney who e-files a will or codicil must also file the original paper document within three business days of the e-filing's acceptance, and personal identifiers in the scanned image must be redacted before upload; a paper filer presents the original at the counter with a redacted photocopy where redaction is required. Call (937) 645-3029, extension 3405, before mailing an original will.
- Pay the deposit on the county's schedule. Union County requires a deposit as security for costs on the initial filing of any action, per the Union County Probate Court deposit and costs schedule, Local Rule 58.1 Appendix A, effective May 16, 2025: $250.00 to open a full administration or an ancillary administration, $145.00 to $175.00 for a release from administration depending on whether a will is filed, and $110.00 to $140.00 for a summary release. The statutory fee items, such as $35.00 to appoint a fiduciary and $15.00 to probate a will (R.C. 2101.16(A)), are drawn against the deposit as filings occur, and the court may require an additional deposit if the balance runs low (Loc.R. 58.1). An indigent filer may apply to waive prepayment of the deposit (Loc.R. 58.2, R.C. 2323.311).
- 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). The appointment is recorded on Form 4.5 (Entry Appointing Fiduciary; Letter of Authority), the fiduciary files the court's local acceptance form E-4.21, and the certified letter of authority is what banks, transfer agents and title companies rely on. Certified copies cost $1.50 each on the county's schedule, so order enough for every institution the estate deals with.
- Send 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 not later than thirty days after letters are granted or after an application for release or summary release is filed (R.C. 2117.061). Compliance is certified to the court on statewide Form 7.0, and Union County's own E-7.01 acknowledgement, required of unrepresented applicants, makes sure no one misses the duty. It applies to releases from administration too, which surprises people.
- File the inventory within three months, then watch for the non-oral hearing. The fiduciary files an inventory of the decedent's Ohio real property and the personal property to be administered within three months after appointment, unless the court extends the time for good cause (R.C. 2115.02), on Form 6.0 (Inventory and Appraisal). Union County accepts the Union County Auditor's valuation for real property when it is attached to an application to appoint or dispense with an appraiser, and a residential appraisal fee may not exceed $400.00 without separate court approval (Loc.R. 61.3). When any inventory is filed the court schedules a non-oral hearing, and the fiduciary serves notice of it by regular mail on everyone listed on Form 1.0, unless notice is waived, and files the court's certificate of service, local form E-6.31, before the hearing date (Loc.R. 61.5).
- 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 a fiduciary was appointed in that period, and a late claim is forever barred (R.C. 2117.06). Ohio requires no newspaper advertisement of the grant of letters. 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 creditor who files its claim with the Union County court pays a local cost on filing, a corporate creditor's claim must be e-filed by its attorney, and no estate closes until claims filed with the court are resolved (Loc.R. 62.1).
- Account, then close. The fiduciary renders a final and distributive account within six months after appointment unless a statutory exception 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) with an itemized statement, in chronological order, of all receipts and disbursements (Loc.R. 64.2); the court sets a non-oral hearing, and the fiduciary serves the account and notice at least 15 days before the hearing date (Loc.R. 64.3). No final account is accepted until all court costs are paid (Loc.R. 64.1). On a release from administration, the report of distribution is due within 60 days after the commissioner is appointed, on local forms E-5.61 or E-5.62. Where Union County real estate passes through the estate, apply for a Certificate of Transfer on Form 12.0 and record the certificate with the Union County Recorder.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Union County
Union County uses two layers of forms, and its local rules tell you which controls: the Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio are used unless the court has created a specific local form in support of its rules (Loc.R. 51.1). The statewide layer is the same in all 88 counties. The load-bearing 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.
The local layer is unusually deep for a court this size. The court's Probate Rules of Court & Local Forms page publishes an estate series that includes E-2.01 (Application to Admit Will for Record Only), E-4.01 (Application to Reopen Estate), E-4.11 and E-4.12 (authenticated foreign wills and records), E-4.21 (Fiduciary's Acceptance), E-5.61 and E-5.62 (Report of Distribution on a release from administration), E-6.01 (Creditor's Presentation of Claim), E-6.02 (Application to Delay Inventory or Account Due to Litigation), E-6.11 (Report of Newly Discovered Assets), E-6.31 (Certificate of Service of Notice of Hearing Upon Inventory), E-7.01 (Medicaid Estate Recovery Acknowledgement), E-9.0C (Application and Order for Transfer of Title), the E-13 series for attorney fees, vouchers and the confidential inventory of non-probate assets, EM-1.0 (Self-Representation Acknowledgement) and EM-2.0 with EM-2.1 (inventory of a safe deposit box). Local forms are published on the website, and paper copies are available for a fee at the probate clerk's office (Loc.R. 51.1). The rules are keyed to filing checklists that say which statewide forms, local forms and other documents each proceeding needs (Loc.R. 51.2).
Three local form rules matter for anyone preparing papers. A substitute form generated by software must match the exact wording and blank lines of the Standard Probate Form it replaces (Loc.R. 52.1). The first page of any pleading needs a blank three-inch top margin for the court's file stamp, though court forms themselves are exempt (Loc.R. 57.1). And self-represented filers may submit legible handwritten forms, but the clerk may require typewritten versions before accepting a submission (Loc.R. 57.1(B)).
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Supreme Court of Ohio Standard Probate Forms, decedent's estate (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide forms filed in Union 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 |
| Union County Probate Rules of Court & Local Forms (unioncountyohio.gov) | The court's own library: the local rules effective December 10, 2025, the deposit and costs schedule effective May 16, 2025, the local estate forms (E- and EM- series), checklists, and the Medicaid Estate Recovery Acknowledgement and Self-Representation Acknowledgement that self-represented filers need |
| Union County Probate & Juvenile Divisions (unioncountyohio.gov) | The court's main page: hours, closures, contacts for the probate and juvenile clerks, the e-filing link and the records pages |
Fees
Ohio splits probate costs in two. Most fee items are set statewide by statute in R.C. 2101.16(A), 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, and the statute caps the statutory advance deposit at $125.00 (R.C. 2101.16(E)). What a family actually pays at the counter, though, is the county's own deposit, because each probate court sets deposits by local rule and draws the statutory items against them as the case progresses. Union County publishes a dated schedule, the Union County Probate Court deposit and costs schedule, Local Rule 58.1 Appendix A, effective May 16, 2025, and its Loc.R. 58.1 requires a deposit on the initial filing of any action, allows the court or any deputy clerk to require additional deposits, and sends unclaimed closing balances of $5.00 or less to the county's indigent guardian fund (R.C. 2111.51). An indigent filer may apply to waive prepayment of a deposit (Loc.R. 58.2, R.C. 2323.311). The figures below are the county's own; confirm them with the probate clerk at (937) 645-3029, extension 3405, before you file.
| Item | Deposit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full administration | $250.00 | The deposit to open a full estate administration; an ancillary administration for an out-of-state decedent's Ohio property is also $250.00 (the Union County Probate Court deposit and costs schedule, Local Rule 58.1 Appendix A, effective May 16, 2025) |
| Release from administration | $145.00 to $175.00 | $145.00 with no will, $155.00 where a will is admitted for record only, $175.00 where a will is also probated (R.C. 2113.03 path, statewide Forms 5.0 and 5.1) (the Union County Probate Court deposit and costs schedule, Local Rule 58.1 Appendix A, effective May 16, 2025) |
| Summary release from administration | $110.00 to $140.00 | $110.00 with no will, $120.00 with a will for record only, $140.00 with a will for probate (R.C. 2113.031 path, statewide Form 5.10) (the Union County Probate Court deposit and costs schedule, Local Rule 58.1 Appendix A, effective May 16, 2025) |
| Real estate only, no estate | $75.00 | The certificate-of-transfer-only path under Loc.R. 57.6 and R.C. 2113.61(D), where six months have passed since death, real estate is the sole probate asset and the estate is not subject to Medicaid estate recovery (the Union County Probate Court deposit and costs schedule, Local Rule 58.1 Appendix A, effective May 16, 2025) |
| Sale or transfer of land in an open estate | $150.00 | The civil-action deposit where estate real property is sold or transferred through a proceeding while the estate is open (the Union County Probate Court deposit and costs schedule, Local Rule 58.1 Appendix A, effective May 16, 2025) |
| Will for record only, or on deposit | $50.00 record only, $40.00 safekeeping | Admitting a will to record without administration is $50.00; depositing a will for safekeeping during life is $40.00 (the Union County Probate Court deposit and costs schedule, Local Rule 58.1 Appendix A, effective May 16, 2025) |
| Reopening a closed matter | $70.00 to $140.00 | Reopening an estate is $100.00 with the same fiduciary or $140.00 with a new one; a release is $75.00 or $85.00; a summary release is $70.00 (the Union County Probate Court deposit and costs schedule, Local Rule 58.1 Appendix A, effective May 16, 2025) |
| Wrongful death or survival claim | $50.00 | The deposit where a wrongful-death or survival claim is settled through the estate (the Union County Probate Court deposit and costs schedule, Local Rule 58.1 Appendix A, effective May 16, 2025) |
| Statutory items | $35.00 appointment, $15.00 will, $60.00 release | Fee items fixed statewide by R.C. 2101.16(A) and drawn against the deposit rather than charged on top of it; of the $60.00 release or summary-release fee, $20.00 goes to the county's indigent guardianship fund (R.C. 2101.16(C)) |
| Copies and records | $1.50 certified, $0.10 per page plain | Certified copies, including letters of authority, are $1.50; plain photocopies are $0.10 per page; copies sent by fax or email are $2.00 plus $1.00 per page; an authenticated copy is $2.00 plus $2.00 per page (the Union County Probate Court deposit and costs schedule, Local Rule 58.1 Appendix A, effective May 16, 2025) |
| Residential real estate appraisal | $400.00 maximum | Not a court fee but a court-capped one: an appraiser's fee for residential real estate may not exceed $400.00 without separate application and good cause (Loc.R. 61.3(C), the court's local rules effective December 10, 2025) |
Local nuance
Union County-specific considerations
E-filing is mandatory for attorneys and closed to families filing on their own. Union County's electronic case filing system, shared by all four divisions of the Court of Common Pleas at eservices.co.union.oh.us, runs the opposite way from Franklin County's: under the Joint Administrative Order effective February 25, 2025, attorneys of record must register and must e-file in all probate case types except adoptions, appeals, involuntary commitments, minor settlements and wills on deposit, while self-represented litigants are not authorized to register at all under the current order and file conventionally on paper. So a family without a lawyer files at the Room B06 counter or by mail, and guidance written for an e-filing county does not apply to them here.
The local rules are brand new, effective December 10, 2025. The court adopted a full replacement set of Local Rules of Probate Practice and Procedure effective December 10, 2025, applying to all proceedings pending or initiated on or after that date, and its deposit and costs schedule was reissued effective May 16, 2025. Use the versions published on the court's Probate Rules of Court & Local Forms page. One dated change worth knowing: the court's new attorney-fee procedure for full administrations, Loc.R. 71.3, is mandatory for estates of decedents dying on or after April 1, 2026.
Self-represented filers have their own required paperwork. An applicant without an attorney who opens an administration, release or summary release signs the court's Self-Representation Acknowledgement (local form EM-1.0), shows state-issued photo identification and proves current residence (Loc.R. 60.2); files the Medicaid Estate Recovery Acknowledgement (E-7.01) in administrations, real estate transfers, releases and summary releases (Loc.R. 62.3); and presents the decedent's original death certificate on a release or summary release (Loc.R. 57.5(D)). Legible handwritten forms are accepted from self-represented filers, though the clerk may ask for typewritten versions (Loc.R. 57.1(B)). A nonresident who wants to be appointed executor or trustee must have an Ohio attorney (Loc.R. 60.1).
A real-estate-only shortcut is on the books and on the fee schedule. Where six months have passed since death, the decedent's sole probate asset is real estate, and the filer verifies the estate is not subject to Medicaid estate recovery, the court may approve a certificate of transfer under R.C. 2113.61(D) without any administration or release (Loc.R. 57.6). The county's schedule prices it at $75.00, against $250.00 to open a full administration, so for the common case of a house that never left the decedent's name this is the line to ask the probate clerk about.
Inventories and accounts are examined at non-oral hearings. When an inventory or an account is filed, the court schedules a non-oral hearing and examines the filing on that date rather than calling everyone in; the matter goes to a formal hearing only if exceptions are filed or a formal hearing is requested (Loc.R. 61.5, Loc.R. 64.3). The fiduciary still does the notice work: notice of the inventory hearing goes by regular mail to everyone on Form 1.0 with a certificate of service on local form E-6.31, and the account with notice of its hearing goes out at least 15 days ahead. On a release from administration, the report of distribution is due within 60 days after the commissioner is appointed (Loc.R. 64.1(B)).
Real property values can come from the auditor, and appraisals are fee-capped. The court accepts the Union County Auditor's valuation of real property when it is attached to an application to appoint or dispense with an appraiser (Loc.R. 61.3(A), R.C. 2115.06), which saves an appraisal fee in many estates, and where an appraiser is used the residential fee may not exceed $400.00 without court approval. The licensed agent or listing broker contracted to sell the property is not disqualified from serving as appraiser (Loc.R. 61.3(B)).
The online record search starts at June 1, 2019. Probate records filed on or after June 1, 2019 are searchable through the Clerk of Court Public Records Search on the county's eservices portal, but everything older, 1820 through May 30, 2019, is searched at the probate clerk's office with a deputy clerk, at the Records Center & Archives at 128 South Main Street, or on a public terminal in the Recorder's Office at 233 West Sixth Street. Adoptions, minor settlements (effective 2023), mental illness or intellectual disability cases and sealed cases are confidential. Call (937) 645-3029, extension 3405, before a records trip so staff can tell you where the file lives.
One judge, two divisions, one basement-level room number to remember. Union County pairs its Probate Division with its Juvenile Division under a single elected judge, so mail, phone menus and the court's web pages all say Probate & Juvenile. Estates are handled by the probate clerk's office in Room B06 at 215 West Fifth Street, extension 3405; juvenile matters are Room 107, extension 3411. The combined structure does not change the law that applies to an estate, but it does mean the office is small enough that calling ahead, especially in the week around a holiday or a snow emergency, is worth the time.
Recent updates
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| December 10, 2025 | Union County Probate Court's replacement Local Rules of Probate Practice and Procedure took effect, applying to all proceedings pending or initiated on or after that date. They carry the self-represented filer requirements (Loc.R. 60.2, 62.3), the real-estate-only transfer rule (Loc.R. 57.6), and a new attorney-fee procedure for full administrations that becomes mandatory for estates of decedents dying on or after April 1, 2026 (Loc.R. 71.3) |
| May 16, 2025 | A new deposit and costs schedule (Local Rule 58.1 Appendix A) took effect: $250.00 to open a full administration, $145.00 to $175.00 for a release from administration, $110.00 to $140.00 for a summary release, and $75.00 for a real-estate-only transfer |
| February 25, 2025 | The Union County Court of Common Pleas adopted amended rules for its four-division electronic case filing system (first established May 8, 2023): e-filing is mandatory for attorneys of record in most probate case types, while self-represented litigants remain unable to register and file on paper |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Union County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Marysville-area home was held jointly with right of survivorship, or was covered by a transfer on death designation affidavit recorded with the Union 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 in Union County Probate Court: Form 2.0 with Form 4.0 where there is a will, leading to letters testamentary, or Form 4.0 alone with no will, leading to letters of administration, with a $250.00 deposit on the county's schedule. Where the spouse inherits everything, the estate may instead qualify to be relieved from administration (R.C. 2113.03) on Forms 5.0 and 5.1, deposited at $145.00 to $175.00. A spouse filing without a lawyer adds the EM-1.0 acknowledgement, photo ID, proof of residence and the E-7.01 Medicaid acknowledgement, and files on paper at Room B06 or by mail. | Asset discovery to confirm how the home and the accounts are titled and what actually has to reach the court. Packet generation for the Union County filing, whether a full administration or a release, with the county's own self-represented forms included. A vetted attorney referral if title or a creditor claim turns out to be contested. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | Where the whole estate is worth $35,000 or less, or $100,000 or less where a surviving spouse inherits everything, an interested party can apply to relieve the estate from administration on Forms 5.0 and 5.1 instead of running a full administration (R.C. 2113.03). The deposit is $145.00 to $175.00 rather than $250.00, the original death certificate must be presented with a self-represented application (Loc.R. 57.5(D)), the report of distribution is due within 60 days after the commissioner is appointed (Loc.R. 64.1(B)), and a release does not shorten the six-month creditor window measured from the date of death (R.C. 2117.06). Because the e-filing system is closed to self-represented filers, an out-of-state child files by mail to Room B06 and calls (937) 645-3029, extension 3405, to confirm what the office needs, rather than flying in. An out-of-state child who wants to be appointed in a full administration as executor needs an Ohio attorney (Loc.R. 60.1). | 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 administration, assembled so it can be mailed to Marysville and accepted the first time. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because real property has to be sold, this is a full administration with a $250.00 deposit: with no will the parent files Form 4.0, is appointed administrator and receives letters of administration; with a will the parent probates it on Form 2.0 and receives letters testamentary (R.C. 2113.05). The inventory is due within three months on Form 6.0 (R.C. 2115.02), and the Union County Auditor's valuation can establish the home's value without an appraisal fee, or an appraiser capped at $400.00 for residential property can be used (Loc.R. 61.3). A sale or transfer of the land through the open estate carries a $150.00 deposit on the county schedule, the account is due within six months on Form 13.0 (R.C. 2109.301), and title moves by a Certificate of Transfer on Form 12.0 recorded with the Union County Recorder. If instead the house is the only probate asset and six months have passed, ask the probate clerk about the $75.00 real-estate-only transfer under Loc.R. 57.6. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts, policies and Union County property, including anything the parent did not know about. Packet generation for the administration, the inventory and the certificate of transfer. A vetted attorney referral to run the sale and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Union County Probate & Juvenile Divisions (unioncountyohio.gov), (937) 645-3029, extension 3405 | The filing office for estates: hours, scheduled and snow-emergency closures, contacts for the probate clerk's office in Room B06, and links to the rules, forms, records and e-filing pages. Court staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice |
| Probate Rules of Court & Local Forms (unioncountyohio.gov) | The local rules effective December 10, 2025, the deposit and costs schedule effective May 16, 2025, the local estate forms and checklists, and the self-represented filer forms EM-1.0 and E-7.01 |
| Probate Division Records (unioncountyohio.gov) | The court's own guide to finding probate records: online search for filings from June 1, 2019 forward, older records at the clerk's office, the Records Center & Archives or the Recorder's public terminal, and the list of confidential case types |
| Union County Court of Common Pleas public records search and e-filing portal (eservices.co.union.oh.us) | The shared portal for all four divisions: the public records search covering probate cases filed on or after June 1, 2019, and the electronic case filing system attorneys must use |
| Supreme Court of Ohio Standard Probate Forms, decedent's estate (supremecourt.ohio.gov) | The statewide forms used in every Ohio county, including Union, with the numbered variants and waivers |
| Ohio Legal Help (ohiolegalhelp.org) | Plain-language Ohio probate guides from a statewide non-profit, including release from administration and summary release, and form assistants. Not a government site, so confirm court details with the court itself |
| Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio, Marion office (lasco.org), (740) 383-2161 | Free civil legal help for eligible low-income residents; the Marion office at 150 Oak Street handles cases for Delaware, Marion, Morrow and Union counties. 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 serving Union County and the Columbus area |
When to hire an attorney
Ohio does not require an attorney to open an estate, and Union County's rules are built with self-represented filers in mind: the court publishes a Self-Representation Acknowledgement, accepts legible handwritten forms, and lets an unrepresented family file on paper even though attorneys must e-file. Many uncontested estates here, particularly releases from administration where a surviving spouse inherits everything, are handled without counsel. Consider a lawyer when a will is contested or a dispute among heirs is likely; when the proposed executor lives outside Ohio, because a nonresident executor must be represented by an Ohio attorney (Loc.R. 60.1); 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 Union County real estate has to be sold through the estate and the terms are disputed; when the estate holds a business interest, farmland, out-of-state property, or a wrongful-death or survival claim; or when a guardianship or trust has to run alongside the estate. Note that attorney fees paid from estate assets are reviewed by the court, under a new fee procedure that is mandatory for estates of decedents dying on or after April 1, 2026 (Loc.R. 71.3). Court staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Ohio probate attorney serving Union County and the Columbus area.
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, Union County real estate and unclaimed property, so as estate settlement begins you know the estate's value and which Ohio route fits before you file in Marysville.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the paperwork for your route, whether a full administration, a release from administration or a summary release, on the statewide Standard Probate Forms together with Union County's own local forms, including the self-representation and Medicaid acknowledgements the court requires from filers without a lawyer, ready to file at the Room B06 counter or by mail.
Find a local probate attorney. When a matter is contested, a nonresident executor needs Ohio counsel, or the estate calls for a lawyer for any other reason, Sunset connects families to a vetted Ohio probate attorney serving Union 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 Union County, Ohio?
With the Union County Probate Court at the Union County Courthouse, 215 West Fifth Street, Marysville, OH 43040; the probate clerk's office is Room B06. The court is the probate division of the Union 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 Union County Clerk of Courts. File in Union County if the person was a resident of the county at the time of death (R.C. 2113.01).
Can I e-file a probate case in Union County?
Only through an attorney. Union County's electronic case filing system at eservices.co.union.oh.us is mandatory for attorneys of record in all probate case types except adoptions, appeals, involuntary commitments, minor settlements and wills on deposit, but the current Joint Administrative Order, effective February 25, 2025, does not authorize self-represented litigants to register for it. If you are filing without a lawyer, you file on paper at the Room B06 counter or by mail, and you may email a document in an open case only with permission from the court or a deputy clerk (Loc.R. 57.2).
How much does it cost to open an estate in Union County?
The county's published deposit is $250.00 for a full administration or an ancillary administration, $145.00 to $175.00 for a release from administration depending on whether a will is filed, and $110.00 to $140.00 for a summary release, per the court's deposit and costs schedule effective May 16, 2025. The deposit is security for costs: statutory items such as the $35.00 fiduciary appointment fee and the $15.00 fee to probate a will (R.C. 2101.16(A)) are drawn against it, and the court may require more if the balance runs low. An indigent filer can apply to waive prepayment (Loc.R. 58.2, R.C. 2323.311). Confirm the current figures at (937) 645-3029, extension 3405.
How do I look up a Union County probate case online?
Probate records filed on or after June 1, 2019 are searchable through the Union County Court of Common Pleas Clerk of Court Public Records Search at eservices.co.union.oh.us. Anything filed from 1820 through May 30, 2019 is searched in person: at the probate clerk's office with a deputy clerk's help, at the Union County Records Center & Archives at 128 South Main Street, or on the public terminal in the Recorder's Office at 233 West Sixth Street. Adoptions, minor settlements (effective 2023), mental illness or intellectual disability cases and sealed cases are confidential and will not appear. Call (937) 645-3029, extension 3405, first so staff can tell you where the record lives.
What forms do I need for probate in Union County?
Both layers: the statewide Standard Probate Forms prescribed by the Supreme Court of Ohio, such as Form 2.0 to probate a will, Form 4.0 to be appointed, Forms 5.0 and 5.1 for a release from administration and Form 6.0 for the inventory, plus Union County's own local forms where the court has created one (Loc.R. 51.1). If you are filing without a lawyer, add the court's Self-Representation Acknowledgement (EM-1.0), show photo ID and proof of residence (Loc.R. 60.2), and file the Medicaid Estate Recovery Acknowledgement (E-7.01) with an administration, release, summary release or real estate transfer (Loc.R. 62.3). Everything is on the court's Probate Rules of Court & Local Forms page, and paper copies can be bought at the clerk's office.
Do I have to travel to Marysville to settle an estate in Union County?
Not usually just to file. A self-represented filer can mail papers to the probate clerk at 215 West Fifth Street, Room B06, Marysville, OH 43040, an attorney e-files, and inventories and accounts are examined at non-oral hearings that no one attends unless exceptions are filed (Loc.R. 61.5, Loc.R. 64.3). Plan on Marysville, or a remote appearance if the court permits one, for any contested or formal hearing, and call (937) 645-3029, extension 3405, before mailing an original will or original death certificate.
Can I appear remotely for a Union County probate hearing?
Sometimes, with advance permission. In-person appearance is the default for every proceeding, but the court may conduct a hearing by video or telephone and may let an individual participant appear remotely if the request is made before the proceeding and shows good cause (Loc.R. 5.8). A remote witness outside Union County must affirm on the record that they submit to the county's jurisdiction. During snow emergencies the court itself offers videoconferencing when travel is unsafe. Ask the probate clerk how to make the request when your hearing is set.
Is the probate court the same as the juvenile court in Union County?
It is the same judge and the same building, but two divisions with two clerk's offices. One elected judge presides over both the Probate Division and the Juvenile Division of the Union County Court of Common Pleas, and the county brands the office the Probate & Juvenile Divisions. Estates, wills, guardianships, trusts and name changes go to the probate clerk in Room B06, reached at (937) 645-3029, extension 3405; juvenile matters go to Room 107, extension 3411. The combined structure is common in Ohio counties of this size and does not change the law that applies to an estate.
What are the hours and phone number for the Union County Probate Court?
The probate clerk's office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed on legal holidays, closing at noon when December 24 falls on a weekday, and following the sheriff's snow emergency levels in winter (open at Level I, judge's decision at Level II, closed at Level III). The number is (937) 645-3029, extension 3405; the fax is (937) 645-4124; and the court publishes [email protected] in its local rules. The bare (937) 645-3029 line is the shared Probate & Juvenile switchboard, so use the extension to reach the probate clerk directly.
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.