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Jackson County, OR Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | The Circuit Court in Jackson County, Oregon's general-jurisdiction trial court and the First Judicial District. Oregon has no separate probate court as an institution; probate jurisdiction in Jackson County is vested in the circuit court (ORS 111.075), which handles estates under Title 12 of the Oregon Revised Statutes. The court has an appointed Probate Commissioner (ORS 111.175; General Order 24-08, dated May 15, 2024), who may exercise all of the powers in ORS 111.185, including acting on uncontested petitions to probate a will and to appoint a personal representative |
| Filing office | The Office of the Trial Court Administrator. Probate is handled on the civil side: the court's own contact directory lists the probate contact as "Civil: Probate - Adoptions - Name Change" under the directory category Probate, and the court's local rule has fiduciary education certificates of completion e-filed with the Probate Department (Jackson County SLR 9.076(6)). The counter is the Civil Counter on the first floor: SLR 9.081 places a Probate Clerk there, and the court's own remote hearing page directs an in-person filing to the Criminal or the Civil and Family window in the Justice Building according to case type |
| Courthouse | Jackson County Circuit Court, Justice Building, 100 S. Oakdale Avenue, Medford, OR 97501-3127. The Civil Counter, the records Public Room window and the public access computers are all on the first floor, and the Jackson County Law Library is in the basement. Two nearby buildings are not the place to file an estate: the county's own Jackson County Courthouse at 10 South Oakdale, Room 114 is the Clerk's Recording Office, where deeds are recorded, and the court's Juvenile Services Building at 609 West 10th Street handles juvenile matters |
| Mailing address | Jackson County Circuit Court, Justice Building, 100 S. Oakdale Avenue, Medford, OR 97501-3127. The court publishes no post office box, so mail filings go to the street address |
| Phone | 541-776-7171 is the court's general line, and probate has its own extension: 35045, listed in the court's Court Division Directory as "Civil: Probate - Adoptions - Name Change". Court records is extension 35024, staffed 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, and remote hearing scheduling is extension 35047. Phone service is unavailable during the court's daily 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. closure |
| [email protected], the general questions mailbox the court publishes in its own contact directory. Jackson publishes no probate-specific mailbox, so case-specific probate questions go to extension 35045 | |
| Fax | 541-776-7057, published by the court on its home page and its Contact Us page. It is the court's general fax, not a probate fax, and the court publishes no fax filing procedure, so file electronically, at the Civil Counter, or by mail |
| Hours | Three sets of hours, and the gap between them matters. Building hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding holidays, with the courthouse doors opening at 7:30 a.m., and service window hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On top of that the court publishes a standing daily midday closure: the court is closed every day from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. because of training and staffing needs, and during that hour public service counters, facilitation and phone services are unavailable, with regular operations resuming at 1:00 p.m. The court's Local Forms page names the filings it does accept through the lunch hour, new small claims filings, new landlord and tenant filings, filings with fee deferral or waiver applications, and protective orders, and probate is not among them. The records Public Room window is open 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The court has also posted that it will be closed on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 for staff training |
| Filing fee | The filing fee to open a probate is set by statute and is the same in every Oregon county, tiered by the value of the estate: $278 if the estate is worth less than $50,000, $591 from $50,000 to just under $1,000,000, $882 from $1,000,000 to just under $10,000,000, and $1,176 at $10,000,000 or more (ORS 21.170(1); Oregon Judicial Department Circuit Court Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026). A simple estate affidavit is $124 (ORS 21.145(4)). The caption must state the value of the estate (ORS 21.105). Fee waivers and deferrals are available, and Jackson County accepts a filing that arrives with a fee deferral or waiver application through the lunch hour. Confirm the current schedule with the court at extension 35045 |
| Local forms | Yes, a real local probate set, larger than most Oregon counties publish. In the Oregon Judicial Department forms library, ten forms are scoped to Jackson County in the Probate category, and the Jackson-captioned ones include a generic probate Motion and Declaration in Support of Motion with its order, a probate Certificate of Readiness in the UTCR 5.100 form, an Acknowledgement of Order Restricting Assets that covers a deceased person's estate as well as a minor or incapacitated person, an Objection to Petition for protective proceedings, a Guardian Annual Report, a Conservator's Annual Accounting and a minor conservatorship Annual Report of Restricted Funds; the same category links the statewide accounting packet. The court's Local Forms page carries a tie breaker worth following: if there are two versions of any form, select the Jackson version. There is still no petition form, in Jackson County or anywhere in Oregon, so the petition itself is drafted by the filer or the attorney |
| E-filing | Mandatory for attorneys, optional for everyone else. An active licensee of the Oregon State Bar must file through the statewide electronic filing system, OJD eFile, which is Odyssey File and Serve, unless the document must be filed conventionally or the filer has a waiver (UTCR 21.140(1)). A self-represented filer is an authorized filer who may register and e-file but is not required to (UTCR 21.030(1)). The First Judicial District publishes no SLR 2.501 list of stipulated or ex parte matters that must be filed conventionally, so no probate document is pulled out of e-filing by local rule here; the statutory exception remains, and an original will goes in on paper (UTCR 21.070(3)(h)). One local convenience: under General Order 20-10, effective August 1, 2020, the court's clerks may accept documents for filing electronically, over the counter and by mail with an electronic or facsimile signature. E-filing kiosks are available in most Oregon circuit courts during business hours |
| Case search | Through the statewide Oregon Judicial Department Records and Calendar Search, which gives free access to basic case information for Oregon's circuit courts. It is an index and register of actions: the Oregon Judicial Department states that results provide basic case information, party information, event entries and dispositions, that the display is not the official register record under ORS 7.020, and that documents are not available through it. A decedent's estate is a public case type. Jackson County adds a route the statewide search does not give: the court provides public access computers in the lobby on the main floor of the Justice Building where statewide circuit court case information and most filed documents can be reviewed for most cases, and older non-digitized files can be requested at the Public Room window. Broader document access is otherwise through a court kiosk or a paid OJCIN OnLine subscription |
| Remote appearance | Available on request, with a published procedure and a hard deadline. A party who wants to appear remotely must file a Motion and Order together with the court's Remote Hearing Participant Form, and those documents must be received by 4:00 p.m. two business days before the hearing. The form must be e-filed, mailed, or filed in person at the Criminal or the Civil and Family window in the Justice Building, and it may not be emailed; it may be e-filed as a confidential document using the code ADCH. The court uses Cisco WebEx and notifies participants by email at least one business day before the hearing. Questions go to extension 35047. The court publishes no default mode for probate hearings, so confirm the format when your matter is set |
| Website | https://www.courts.oregon.gov/courts/jackson/Pages/default.aspx |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
The first Jackson County question is not which form to use, it is what the estate holds and who is entitled to what. Oregon prescribes no pleading forms for probate, because "No particular pleadings or forms of pleadings are required in the exercise of jurisdiction of probate courts" (ORS 111.205(2)), so the petition is a document you or your attorney draft. It has to state the decedent's name, age, domicile, address and date and place of death, whether there is a will, the facts relied upon to establish venue, the proposed personal representative's address and qualifications, the heirs and devisees with addresses and the ages of any minors, a statement that reasonable efforts have been made to identify and locate all heirs, and a statement of the extent and nature of the estate's assets so the court can set the bond (ORS 113.035). Every petition, inventory, report and accounting must be in writing and carry a declaration under penalty of perjury in the form required by ORCP 1 E.
So before you file, identify every bank and credit union account, brokerage and retirement account, life insurance policy, vehicle, business interest and parcel of Jackson County real estate, along with every debt, and identify each heir and devisee by name, address and age. That inventory decides several things at once in Jackson County: which Oregon route fits, which fee tier the caption must state (ORS 21.105), whether the court will waive a bond or instead restrict assets, which in this county triggers a filed acknowledgment of restriction of assets on the court's own form (Jackson County SLR 9.051), and what the inventory due within 90 days of appointment will have to show (ORS 113.165). Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Circuit Court in Jackson County serves all of Jackson County, from Medford and Central Point through Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, Jacksonville, Eagle Point, Rogue River, Gold Hill, Shady Cove and Butte Falls and out into the unincorporated Rogue Valley and the Cascade foothills, and it hears probate for a Jackson County decedent. The court describes the county as Oregon's sixth most populous, with most residents living in one of its eleven incorporated cities in the valleys along the Rogue River and Bear Creek.
Probate is filed at one building: the Justice Building, 100 S. Oakdale Avenue, Medford, OR 97501-3127. Its first floor holds the Civil Counter, where the court's own rule places a Probate Clerk to receive oral objections (Jackson County SLR 9.081) and where the court directs in-person civil filings, the records Public Room window, and the public access computers; the law library is in the basement, and public access coverage is allowed in the public areas of that first floor (SLR 3.181). Two other Medford buildings get mistaken for it. The county's own Jackson County Courthouse at 10 South Oakdale is a county building, and its Room 114 is the Clerk's Recording Office, which records deeds and issues marriage licenses but takes no court filings. The court's other facility, the Juvenile Services Building at 609 West 10th Street, handles juvenile matters and does not take probate. The court's own February 1, 2026 local rules still name the Justice Building at 100 South Oakdale as the courthouse, so that address is current.
Oregon's venue rule is unusually broad, so it is worth knowing what it does and does not permit. Oregon law allows a probate to be filed in the county where the decedent was domiciled or had a place of abode at the time of death, in any county where the decedent's property was located at death or is located when the proceeding is commenced, in the county where the decedent died, or in the county where a personal injury or wrongful death claim could be maintained (ORS 113.015(1)); filing in another county is not a jurisdictional defect (ORS 113.015(2)). In practice you file in the county where the decedent lived, because that is where the notice to interested persons is published (ORS 113.155(1)). If proceedings are commenced in more than one county, all but the first are stayed until venue is determined, and the court may transfer a proceeding where the best interest of the estate requires it (ORS 113.025).
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm that Jackson County is the right county, and that the Justice Building is the right building. Jackson is the practical county when the decedent was domiciled or kept a place of abode here at death, and the other statutory grounds are property located here, death here, or a personal injury or wrongful death claim that could be brought here (ORS 113.015(1)). Probate is filed at the Justice Building, 100 S. Oakdale Avenue, Medford, at the Civil Counter on the first floor, and not at the Juvenile Services Building or at the county's Jackson County Courthouse at 10 South Oakdale.
- Choose the route. A probate proceeding is commenced by filing a petition (ORS 111.205(1)): with a will, the petitioner asks the court to admit the will and appoint a personal representative, who receives letters testamentary; with no will, the petition asks for appointment and letters of administration, and the court appoints in the statutory preference order, beginning with the personal representative named in the will and then the surviving spouse or the spouse's nominee where the spouse is a distributee (ORS 113.085(1)). For a modest estate there is the simple estate affidavit route under ORS 114.505 to 114.560, which reaches real property as well as personal property but appoints no personal representative and produces no letters. The routes and their value caps are covered on the Oregon state page.
- Draft the documents, because Oregon does not supply them. "No particular pleadings or forms of pleadings are required in the exercise of jurisdiction of probate courts" (ORS 111.205(2)), and there is no statewide petition, inventory or letters form. Jackson County publishes a real local set for what comes after appointment, a generic probate motion and order, a probate Certificate of Readiness, an Acknowledgement of Order Restricting Assets and the annual report and accounting forms, and its forms page tells you to select the Jackson version where two versions of a form exist. The petition, the proposed order and the proposed letters are still drafted. Each document carries the ORCP 1 E declaration under penalty of perjury.
- File at the Civil Counter, by mail, or electronically. An Oregon State Bar licensee must file through OJD eFile, the statewide Odyssey File and Serve system, unless the document must be filed conventionally or a waiver has been granted (UTCR 21.140(1)). A self-represented filer may register and e-file, or may file at the Civil Counter on the first floor of the Justice Building or by mail to 100 S. Oakdale Avenue, Medford, OR 97501-3127. Either way the original will goes in on paper, because a document required by law to be filed in original form cannot be e-filed (UTCR 21.070(3)(h)); where an original must accompany an e-filed document, e-file an image, note it in Filing Comments, and deliver the original within seven business days, and the original is treated as filed on the date the image was e-filed. Under Jackson County General Order 20-10, effective August 1, 2020, the clerks may accept documents with an electronic or facsimile signature whether filed electronically, over the counter or by mail. Watch the clock at the counter: the service window closes at 4:00 p.m. and the court is closed every day from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- Pay the fee. The fee to open a probate is tiered by the value of the estate: $278 under $50,000, $591 from $50,000 to just under $1,000,000, $882 from $1,000,000 to just under $10,000,000, and $1,176 at $10,000,000 or more (ORS 21.170(1); Oregon Judicial Department Circuit Court Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026). The caption must state the value of the estate, and if an amended pleading raises the value the court collects the difference (ORS 21.105). A simple estate affidavit is $124 (ORS 21.145(4)). Fees are payable in advance and are not refundable (ORS 21.100), and Oregon counties add no local filing surcharge. If you cannot afford the fee, apply for a deferral or waiver; Jackson County accepts a filing that arrives with that application through the lunch hour.
- Expect the order on an uncontested appointment to be signed without a hearing. Jackson County has an appointed Probate Commissioner (ORS 111.175; General Order 24-08, dated May 15, 2024), and ORS 111.185 lets that officer act on uncontested petitions to probate a will and to appoint a personal representative, and enter the order or judgment admitting the will, appointing the fiduciary and fixing any bond. Any interested person may object within 30 days after the order or judgment is entered, and the judge may set it aside or modify it.
- Present anything that needs a signature the way this court expects. Jackson's local rules treat probate orders as ex parte matters: "'Ex parte' matters include, but are not limited to, the following: ... probate or guardianship orders" (SLR 5.062(5)). Such a matter may be presented in person by the moving party or attorney to the judge to whom the case is assigned, or to any individual judge with that judge's permission, and it may also be left with the court clerk or a judge's judicial assistant for presentation to the judge in due course (SLR 5.062(1) and (3)). The court will not entertain ex parte matters while on the bench (SLR 5.062(4)). Send a proposed order or judgment in with a certificate of readiness in the UTCR 5.100 form, and use the court's own probate version of that certificate.
- If a hearing is set, decide early whether you need to appear remotely. A party requesting remote appearance must file a Motion and Order together with the court's Remote Hearing Participant Form, and the court must receive them by 4:00 p.m. two business days before the hearing; the form is e-filed, mailed, or filed in person at the Criminal or Civil and Family window, and it may not be emailed, though it may be e-filed as a confidential document using the code ADCH. The court uses Cisco WebEx and notifies participants by email at least one business day out. Questions go to extension 35047. If a contested matter needs an evidentiary hearing, the civil motion rules control the notice period: seven or more days after service if the opposing party is served in Jackson County, fourteen or more if served outside it, on a date the court prescribes (SLR 5.061(2)(c)).
- Receive the letters. The court appoints the personal representative and then issues letters testamentary or letters of administration once any required bond is filed with the clerk of the court (ORS 113.125). If the court restricts assets instead of requiring a bond, file the acknowledgment of restriction of assets on the court's own form, because in this county any assets restricted by court order require it (SLR 9.051). Certified copies of letters, the document a bank or title company asks for, cost $5 plus 25 cents per page in paper form and nothing when delivered electronically (ORS 21.258; Oregon Judicial Department Circuit Court Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026), and are ordered from court records at extension 35024 or on the court's Records Request Form.
- Administer and close. Deliver the required information to the devisees, heirs and the other persons named in the petition, file proof of that delivery within 30 days of appointment, and send the same information and a copy of the death record to the Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority (ORS 113.145). Publish the notice to interested persons once in a newspaper published in the county (ORS 113.155). File the inventory within 90 days of appointment, valued as of the date of death (ORS 113.165). Make reasonably diligent efforts during the three months after appointment to identify claimants, mail the notice to each known claimant, and file proof of compliance (ORS 115.003). Claims are presented to the personal representative, not filed with the court, and are barred if not presented before the later of four months after publication or 45 days after a required notice was mailed (ORS 115.005). File accountings, which carry their own tiered fee of $35, $298, $591 or $1,176 on the same value bands (ORS 21.170(2); Oregon Judicial Department Circuit Court Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026). If you were appointed on or after September 1, 2022 and are not a professional fiduciary, complete the court-required education class within 60 days of appointment (SLR 9.076). Then file the final account and petition for a judgment of distribution (ORS 116.083), give notice of the time to object at least 20 days out (ORS 116.093), and take the general judgment of final distribution (ORS 116.113).
Executor duties
A Jackson County personal representative carries the statewide Oregon duties, which are covered on the Oregon state page: the information to devisees, heirs and state agencies with proof filed within 30 days of appointment (ORS 113.145), publication of the notice to interested persons once in a newspaper published in the county (ORS 113.155), the inventory within 90 days valued as of the date of death (ORS 113.165), the diligent search for creditors and the notice to known claimants with proof of compliance (ORS 115.003), the claim rules (ORS 115.005), annual and final accountings (ORS 116.083), and the general judgment of final distribution (ORS 116.113). The First Judicial District adds local obligations on top of those, and they are the ones that most often send a Jackson County fiduciary back to the Civil Counter.
Take the fiduciary class, and take it on the clock. Jackson County's non-professional fiduciary education program reaches personal representatives, not just guardians and conservators: a personal representative appointed under ORS chapter 113 on or after September 1, 2022 who is not a professional fiduciary as defined in ORS 125.240(5) must register for the class no later than 15 days from appointment and successfully complete it within 60 days, with a curriculum prescribed by the Presiding Judge of Jackson County (SLR 9.076). The provider e-files the certificate of completion with the Probate Department, stating the date and time the class was taken and the provider. The fee is a cost of administration of the estate and may be waived or deferred at the court's discretion, a waiver of the requirement takes a motion supported by affidavit within 15 days of receiving the court's notice, the court may require a retake, and failure to comply may result in removal. The court sends notice and instructions when it appoints you, so read that packet.
File the acknowledgment when assets are restricted. In many estates the court restricts assets instead of requiring a bond, and in this county that carries a filing obligation of its own: "Any assets restricted by court order require filing of an acknowledgment of restriction of assets" (SLR 9.051), and the court attaches its own sample Acknowledgement of Order Restricting Assets as Appendix F to its local rules. The Jackson form is written for decedents' estates as well as protective proceedings, with checkboxes for a deceased, a minor or an incapacitated person, so a personal representative should expect to sign one. Letters do not issue until any bond the court required is filed with the clerk of the court (ORS 113.125).
Send proposed orders and judgments in the way this court expects. A probate order is an ex parte matter here, and may be presented in person or left with the court clerk or a judge's judicial assistant for presentation to the judge in due course (SLR 5.062). Pair it with a certificate of readiness in the UTCR 5.100 form, using the court's own probate version, which asks you to certify why the proposed order or judgment is ready for signature, whether service was required, and whether any objections you received remain unresolved. Where an attorney is directed after a hearing to prepare an order or judgment, the deadline is 28 days, and an objection to its form or content is due within 10 days of receipt (SLR 5.101).
File accountings in the statewide format, and budget for their fee. Jackson County publishes no local rule making a different accounting format mandatory, and its own probate form list links the statewide accounting packet, which is the format UTCR 9.160 requires every judicial district to accept. Each annual or final accounting carries its own tiered fee of $35, $298, $591 or $1,176 on the same value bands as the filing fee (ORS 21.170(2); Oregon Judicial Department Circuit Court Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026), which is unusual and worth planning for. The final account must also include the petition for a judgment of distribution (ORS 116.083(4)), and notice of the time to object goes out at least 20 days before that time (ORS 116.093).
Two more local points. Certified copies of letters, which is what a bank or title company asks for, cost $5 plus 25 cents per page in paper form and nothing when delivered electronically (ORS 21.258; Oregon Judicial Department Circuit Court Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026), and are ordered on the court's Records Request Form or at extension 35024; location and inspection of court records is free (ORS 21.258(2)). And any appearance in a probate proceeding beyond the initial filing is $281 (ORS 21.135(1) and (2)(g); ORS 21.170(4)), while a $111 fee attaches only to the specific motions listed in ORS 21.200(1), so check the schedule before assuming a motion carries a fee.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Jackson County
Oregon publishes no statewide petition to open a probate, and that surprises people who expect a fill-in packet. It follows from the statute: "No particular pleadings or forms of pleadings are required in the exercise of jurisdiction of probate courts" (ORS 111.205(2)). The Oregon Judicial Department Forms Center's Estate page publishes the Simple Estate Affidavit packet with its instructions, in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, and a single Claim Against Estate form covering presentation of a claim to a personal representative under ORS 115.005, to a simple estate affiant under ORS 114.540, to a conservator, or to a trustee. A separate statewide page publishes the probate accounting packet. There is no statewide petition, no statewide inventory and no statewide letters form. The Forms Center states its own rule, that any statewide form will be accepted in all circuit courts but statewide forms are not available for all circumstances, and that additional forms may be available through local courts. Note that the Oregon Judicial Department's Guide and File interactive forms service does not cover probate or simple estates.
Jackson County is one of the Oregon counties that does publish a local probate set, and it is a substantial one. Ten forms are scoped to Jackson County in the Probate category of the Oregon Judicial Department forms library. The ones captioned for the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Jackson County are a generic probate Motion and Declaration in Support of Motion with its proposed order, a probate Certificate of Readiness in the UTCR 5.100 form for sending a proposed order or judgment to the judge, an Acknowledgement of Order Restricting Assets whose caption covers a deceased person's estate as well as a minor or an incapacitated person, an Objection to Petition used in protective proceedings, a Guardian Annual Report, a Conservator's Annual Accounting, and a minor conservatorship Annual Report of Restricted Funds. Two Court Visitor forms sit in the same category, and the tenth entry is a link to the statewide accounting packet, which is the format UTCR 9.160 makes acceptable in every judicial district. The court's Local Forms page states that it "contains many forms that are specific for Jackson County Circuit Court" and points to the Forms Center for statewide forms.
Two practical points about Jackson forms. First, the forms page carries a tie breaker worth following: "Note: - If there are two versions of any form, select the Jackson version." The acknowledgment of restriction of assets is the clearest case: several Oregon circuit courts publish their own versions of that document, and the one to file here is the Jackson-captioned form, which the court also attaches to its local rules as Appendix F. Second, the local set is deliberately post-appointment: it gives you the motion, the certificate of readiness, the acknowledgment and the reporting forms, and it does not give you a petition, because Oregon has none to give. For the petition, the proposed order admitting the will and appointing a personal representative, and the proposed letters, the drafting is yours or your attorney's. The court's own Contact Us page sets the boundary: staff can give general information about court procedures, rules and practices, court schedules, public information in court records, a list of low-cost or no-cost legal services, and the Oregon State Bar's Lawyer Referral Service, but Oregon law prevents them from recommending one procedure, form or pleading over another or advising what words to put in a form.
Timeline
- Plan the filing around the counter, not the building. The Justice Building is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday with the doors opening at 7:30 a.m., but the service window closes at 4:00 p.m. and the court is closed every day from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., with counters, facilitation and phones unavailable in that hour. The court's Local Forms page lists the filings it accepts through the lunch hour, and probate is not one of them. The court has also posted that it will be closed on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 for staff training.
- There is no probate docket day to wait for, and that is the point. An uncontested petition to admit a will and appoint a personal representative can be acted on by the court's Probate Commissioner (ORS 111.175 and ORS 111.185; General Order 24-08), and probate orders are treated as ex parte matters that may be presented in person or left with the court clerk or a judge's judicial assistant for presentation to the judge in due course (Jackson County SLR 5.062). The court publishes no filing-to-signature turnaround, and its civil motion rules say only that the court announces its calendar annually (SLR 5.061(3)), so ask at extension 35045 rather than assuming a date.
- Any interested person has 30 days after an order or judgment entered by the Probate Commissioner to object, and the judge may then set it aside or modify it (ORS 111.185). Build that window into a plan that depends on the appointment being final.
- Remote appearance has a hard deadline: the Motion and Order and the court's Remote Hearing Participant Form must be received by 4:00 p.m. two business days before the hearing, and the court notifies participants of a remote hearing by email at least one business day before it. Ask at extension 35047.
- If a matter becomes contested, the civil motion notice periods control. An evidentiary motion is scheduled seven or more days after service if the opposing party is served in Jackson County and fourteen or more days after service if served outside the county, on a date and time the court prescribes (SLR 5.061(2)(c)). Where oral argument is requested under UTCR 5.050, a non-evidentiary motion is heard on the first Monday after the expiration of 21 days from the filing of the motion (SLR 5.061(3)(b)).
- After a hearing, an attorney directed to prepare an order or judgment has 28 days to submit it with reasonable diligence, and an attorney who objects to its form or content has 10 days from receipt to file written objections, after a good faith effort to confer (SLR 5.101).
- A non-professional fiduciary appointed on or after September 1, 2022, including a personal representative appointed under ORS chapter 113, must register for the court-required education class no later than 15 days from appointment and successfully complete it within 60 days of appointment; a request to waive the requirement takes a motion supported by affidavit filed within 15 days of receiving the court's notice (SLR 9.076).
- Order copies early. The court asks for five business days from the date of payment for a copy request, notes that large or complicated requests may take longer, and adds two to three days on top for an exemplified copy. Records clerks answer at extension 35024 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, and the Public Room window is open 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Local nuance
Jackson County-specific considerations
Jackson County's first distinctive is the one that saves the most time: the court has an appointed Probate Commissioner. General Order 24-08, listed in the Oregon Judicial Department rules library as Presiding Judge Order 24-08, dated May 15, 2024 and captioned for the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Jackson County, appoints that officer under ORS 111.175 and provides that the Probate Commissioner shall exercise all of the powers set out in ORS 111.185; it also vacates the court's earlier order on the subject. Under ORS 111.185 a probate commissioner may act on uncontested petitions for the appointment of special administrators, for the probate of wills and for the appointment of personal representatives, guardians and conservators, and may enter the orders and judgments admitting wills to probate, appointing fiduciaries and fixing bonds. Any interested person may object within 30 days after entry and the judge may set aside or modify. Most Oregon counties publish no such appointment, so an uncontested Jackson County appointment does not need a judge's calendar to move.
The second is the daily midday closure, which no court CSV or directory captures. The court publishes building hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding holidays, doors opening at 7:30 a.m., and service window hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and then adds a standing notice that the court is closed daily from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. because of ongoing training and staffing needs, with public service counters, facilitation and phone services unavailable in that hour and regular operations resuming at 1:00 p.m. The court's Local Forms page names the exceptions, the filings it accepts from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. including during the lunch hour: new small claims filings, new landlord and tenant filings, filings that arrive with a fee deferral or waiver application, and protective orders. A probate filing is not on that list, so a counter trip over the noon hour is a wasted trip.
The third is a fiduciary class that reaches decedents' estates, not just guardianships. Jackson County SLR 9.076 applies to any guardian or conservator appointed under ORS chapter 125, any personal representative appointed under ORS chapter 113, and any trustee appointed under ORS chapter 130, in each case on or after September 1, 2022, and to any non-professional fiduciary cited for a deficiency through the show cause process. Those fiduciaries must register for the class no later than 15 days from appointment and successfully complete a class with a curriculum prescribed by the Presiding Judge of Jackson County within 60 days of appointment. A professional fiduciary as defined in ORS 125.240(5) is exempt. The court sends notice and instructions at the time of appointment, the provider e-files the certificate of completion with the Probate Department, the fee is a cost of administration of the estate and may be waived or deferred at the court's discretion, a waiver of the requirement itself takes a motion supported by affidavit within 15 days of notice, the court may require a fiduciary to retake the class, and failure to comply may result in removal.
The fourth is how paperwork actually reaches a signature here. Jackson's local rules put probate orders in the ex parte category: "'Ex parte' matters include, but are not limited to, the following: default dissolution judgments, petitions for restraining orders under the provision of any Oregon law, motions for show cause orders, waivers of marriage license waiting periods, waivers of waiting periods in domestic relations cases, default orders, and probate or guardianship orders" (SLR 5.062(5)). Such a matter may be presented in person by the moving party or attorney to the assigned judge, or to any individual judge with that judge's permission, or left with the court clerk or a judicial assistant for presentation in due course, and the court will not entertain ex parte matters while on the bench. The court publishes its own probate Certificate of Readiness in the UTCR 5.100 form for exactly this purpose, and the First Judicial District publishes no SLR 2.501 list, so nothing in a probate is pulled out of e-filing by local rule.
Two smaller Jackson facts complete the picture, and both are conveniences. Under General Order 20-10, effective August 1, 2020, the court's clerks may accept documents submitted for filing in the register electronically, over the counter and by mail with an electronic or facsimile signature, with staff review limited to whether a signature is present; that order rescinds the court's earlier requirement of original signatures on documents filed over the counter and by mail. And the court's Other Court Resources page offers more document access than the statewide search does: the court provides computers in the lobby on the main floor of the Justice Building, available to the public, where statewide circuit court case information and most filed documents can be reviewed for most cases, with older non-digitized files available by request at the Public Room window on the same floor.
Recent updates
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| February 1, 2026 | The current Jackson County Circuit Court Supplementary Local Rules took effect for the First Judicial District. Chapter 9 carries the probate practice a filer meets: the requirement that any assets restricted by court order be covered by a filed acknowledgment of restriction of assets, with the court's own Appendix F form (SLR 9.051); the non-professional fiduciary education program that reaches personal representatives appointed under ORS chapter 113 on or after September 1, 2022 (SLR 9.076); and the presentation of oral objections to a Probate Clerk at the Civil Counter on the first floor of the courthouse at 100 South Oakdale (SLR 9.081). Outside chapter 9, SLR 5.062(5) continues to treat probate orders as ex parte matters that may be left with the court clerk for presentation to the judge in due course, and the rules still contain no SLR 2.501 list of documents that must be filed conventionally. | Supplementary Local Rules, Jackson County Circuit Court, courts.oregon.gov/rules |
| May 15, 2024 | The court appointed a Probate Commissioner. General Order 24-08, captioned for the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Jackson County, appoints the office under ORS 111.175, provides that the Probate Commissioner shall exercise all of the powers set forth in ORS 111.185, and vacates and rescinds the court's earlier order 19-05. In practice that means an uncontested petition to admit a will and appoint a personal representative can be acted on without a judge hearing it, subject to the 30-day right of any interested person to object. | General Order 24-08, Jackson County, in the Oregon Judicial Department rules library, courts.oregon.gov/rules |
| Standing notice, read July 2026 | The court publishes an undated Daily Midday Closure Notice: beginning immediately, the court is closed daily from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. because of ongoing training and staffing needs, and during that hour public service counters, facilitation and phone services are unavailable, with regular business operations resuming at 1:00 p.m. Read it together with the court's service window hours, which end at 4:00 p.m., an hour before the building closes, and with the Local Forms page list of the filings the court does accept through the lunch hour, which does not include probate. | Jackson County Circuit Court home page and Local Forms page, courts.oregon.gov/courts/jackson |
| October 21, 2026 | The court has posted that Jackson County Circuit Court will be closed on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 for staff training. Check the court's home page and its Court Calendars page before planning a counter trip or a filing deadline around that week. | Jackson County Circuit Court home page and Court Calendars and Live Stream Proceedings page, courts.oregon.gov/courts/jackson |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Jackson County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | A Medford, Central Point or Ashland home held with a right of survivorship passes to the survivor outside probate, and title is cleared through the Jackson County Clerk's Recording Office at 10 South Oakdale, Room 114, not through the Circuit Court at 100 S. Oakdale. Accounts and property in the decedent's sole name may still need probate. Where they do, the surviving spouse petitions the Circuit Court in Jackson County at the Civil Counter; the spouse or the spouse's nominee has priority for appointment where the spouse is a distributee (ORS 113.085(1)(b)), and an uncontested appointment can be signed by the court's Probate Commissioner (ORS 111.185; General Order 24-08). If the sole-name property is modest, the simple estate affidavit may reach it instead, including real property, but it produces no letters testamentary. | Asset discovery to separate survivorship property from sole-name assets, which is also what sets the fee tier the caption must state. Packet generation for the simple estate affidavit or for the petition, the proposed order and the proposed letters, with the ORCP 1 E declaration. Guidance on clearing title through the Jackson County Clerk's Recording Office, which is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and closed 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent lived in Jackson County and the estate is modest, a claiming successor may be able to file a simple estate affidavit with the clerk of the probate court in a county with venue, which reaches real property as well as personal property, with real property transferred afterward by recording a bargain and sale deed in the county's deed records (ORS 114.555(3)). Where a full probate is needed, the child drafts the petition, files it electronically as a registered self-represented filer or by mail to 100 S. Oakdale Avenue, and gets the original will to the court on paper (UTCR 21.070(3)(h)). Jackson County makes distance filing easier than most: the clerks may accept documents with an electronic or facsimile signature filed electronically, over the counter or by mail (General Order 20-10), and an uncontested appointment can be signed by the Probate Commissioner without anyone appearing. If a hearing is set, a Motion and Order plus the Remote Hearing Participant Form must reach the court by 4:00 p.m. two business days ahead. | Asset discovery to confirm what the estate holds and whether the affidavit route reaches it. Packet generation for the affidavit or for the petition and proposed orders, ready to mail or e-file. Attorney referral if the estate turns out to be larger, if an objection is filed within the 30 days ORS 111.185 allows, or if the matter becomes contested and needs an evidentiary hearing on the court's notice periods. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Probate in the Circuit Court in Jackson County. With no will, the parent petitions for appointment and letters of administration and the court appoints in the ORS 113.085(1) preference order. The parent files the inventory within 90 days (ORS 113.165), publishes notice once (ORS 113.155), works the creditor search and notice (ORS 115.003), sells the child's Jackson County real estate under the authority the letters give, and files the accountings, each with its own tiered fee (ORS 21.170(2)). Two Jackson steps come with it: a non-professional parent appointed on or after September 1, 2022 must complete the court-required fiduciary education class within 60 days of appointment (SLR 9.076), and if the court restricts assets in place of a bond, an acknowledgment of restriction of assets must be filed on the court's own form (SLR 9.051). | Asset discovery for the child's accounts, policies, vehicles and Jackson County real estate, and for the debts that decide whether the estate is solvent. Packet generation for the petition, the inventory and the accountings, plus the probate certificate of readiness the court wants with a proposed order. Attorney referral for a disputed sale, an heirship fight, or an objection to the Probate Commissioner's order. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Jackson County Circuit Court home page (courts.oregon.gov/courts/jackson/Pages/default.aspx) | The court's own contact and location block, and the page that carries the standing daily midday closure notice: building hours 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., service window hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., doors open at 7:30 a.m., closed daily from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. with counters, facilitation and phones unavailable, plus posted closure dates such as Wednesday, October 21, 2026 for staff training |
| Contact Us page, Jackson County Circuit Court (courts.oregon.gov/courts/jackson/go/Pages/contact-us.aspx) | The Judicial Offices and Court Division directories, which is where the probate extension lives: "Civil: Probate - Adoptions - Name Change" at 541-776-7171 extension 35045, with records at extension 35024, remote hearing scheduling at extension 35047 and general questions at [email protected]. The same page lists what court staff can and cannot do, including that they may give you a list of low-cost or no-cost legal services but may not recommend one form or procedure over another. The directories render in JavaScript, so open the page in a browser |
| Local Forms page, Jackson County Circuit Court (courts.oregon.gov/courts/jackson/help/Pages/Forms.aspx) | The court's own form library with a Probate category, the instruction that where two versions of a form exist you should select the Jackson version, and the Important Filing Information block naming the filings the court accepts from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. including through the lunch hour. The list is rendered by JavaScript, so open it in a browser |
| Jackson Rules page and the Jackson County Circuit Court Supplementary Local Rules, effective February 1, 2026 (courts.oregon.gov/rules) | The rules that actually govern a Jackson County probate: chapter 9 on probate and adoption proceedings, including the restriction of assets rule (SLR 9.051), the non-professional fiduciary education program that reaches personal representatives (SLR 9.076) and the oral objection counter (SLR 9.081); SLR 5.061 and 5.062 on civil motions and on probate orders as ex parte matters; SLR 5.101 on submitting orders after a hearing; and the Appendix of Forms with the Acknowledgment of Restriction of Assets. The same page publishes the court's current presiding judge orders, including General Order 24-08 appointing a Probate Commissioner |
| Case File Copies page, Jackson County Circuit Court (courts.oregon.gov/courts/jackson/records/Pages/case-file-copies.aspx) | How to view an estate file and order copies: the Records Request Form, the Public Room window on the first floor of the Justice Building open 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, kiosk computers in the first-floor lobby for newer cases, a file request at the window for older non-digitized cases, five business days from payment for a copy request, the difference between regular, certified and exemplified copies, and records clerks at extension 35024 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| Other Court Resources page, Jackson County Circuit Court (courts.oregon.gov/courts/jackson/resources/Pages/default.aspx) | Two things a Jackson estate filer wants: the Jackson County Law Library in the basement of the Justice Building, and the public access computers in the lobby on the main floor where, in the court's own words, statewide circuit court case information and most filed documents can be reviewed for most cases |
| Jackson County Law Library (100 S Oakdale Ave, basement of the Justice Building; jacksoncountyor.gov) | A county-run library open to the general public, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed on state holidays, with Oregon and federal legal research materials in database form. The collection is research only and cannot be checked out, and staff help patrons find materials but cannot do legal research or give legal advice. The library's own page points readers to the Oregon State Bar for lawyer referral and to the Center for NonProfit Legal Services for legal aid eligibility |
| Local Remote Hearings page, Jackson County Circuit Court (courts.oregon.gov/courts/jackson/go/Pages/RemoteHearings.aspx) | The court's published remote appearance procedure: a Motion and Order plus the Remote Hearing Participant Form, received by 4:00 p.m. two business days before the hearing, e-filed, mailed or filed in person at the Criminal or Civil and Family window and never emailed, optionally e-filed as a confidential document using the code ADCH, Cisco WebEx as the platform, email notification at least one business day ahead, and guides for litigants, witnesses, attorneys and the public. Questions go to extension 35047 |
| Jackson County Clerk, Recording Office (Jackson County Courthouse, 10 South Oakdale, Room 114, Medford; 541-774-6152) | The county office that records deeds, which is where a survivorship transfer is cleared and where a bargain and sale deed from a simple estate affidavit is recorded (ORS 114.555(3)). Walk-ins are welcome during posted hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the office also offers eRecording and a Digital Research Room. It is a county office, not the Circuit Court, and it takes no probate filings |
| Oregon Judicial Department Forms Center, Estate page (courts.oregon.gov/forms/Pages/estate.aspx) | The statewide Simple Estate Affidavit packet with instructions, in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, and the Claim Against Estate form, plus the separate statewide probate accounting packet that Jackson's own probate form list links. There is no statewide petition to open a probate. The page renders its file list with JavaScript, so open it in a browser |
| Oregon Judicial Department Court Fees and the Circuit Court Fee Schedule effective January 1, 2026 (courts.oregon.gov/Pages/fees.aspx) | The statutory probate filing and accounting fee tiers, the simple estate affidavit fee, appearance and motion fees, and copy and certification charges, with the ORS authority printed beside each line. The Fee Deferral and Waiver packet is in the same Forms Center, and Jackson County accepts a filing that arrives with that application through the lunch hour |
| OJD eFile, Odyssey File and Serve (courts.oregon.gov/services/online/Pages/efile.aspx) | Oregon's statewide electronic filing system for the circuit courts. Filing is mandatory for Oregon State Bar licensees (UTCR 21.140(1)) and open to self-represented filers who register (UTCR 21.030(1)); e-filing kiosks are available in most circuit courts during regular business hours |
| OJD Records and Calendar Search (courts.oregon.gov/services/online/Pages/records-calendars.aspx) | Free access to basic case information and calendars for Oregon's circuit courts. The Oregon Judicial Department states that results give basic case, party, event and disposition information, that the display is not the official ORS 7.020 register record, and that documents are not available through the service; for documents, use the Justice Building's public access computers, a court kiosk, or a paid OJCIN OnLine subscription |
| Center for NonProfit Legal Services (225 W Main St., Medford, OR 97501; 541-779-7291 recorded application information, 541-779-7292 to begin an application) | Jackson County's legal aid provider, named on the county Law Library's own page as the office to contact about legal aid eligibility. It serves Jackson County residents who meet its income rules, works on an application basis reviewed weekly by its attorneys, and keeps phone hours Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.; its offices are open for client appointments only, with no walk-in access. Its published law units are housing and consumer, family law, income maintenance and public benefits, and individual rights and employment, plus an immigration project, the Jackson County Public Guardian Program and a veterans project, so ask whether an estate matter is in scope before applying |
| Oregon State Bar (osbar.org, 503-620-0222 or 800-452-8260) | The Bar's public "What is Probate?" page and its Wills, Trusts and Elder Law resources, plus the Lawyer Referral Service and Modest Means Program at 503-684-3763 or 800-452-7636. The Jackson County Law Library page points readers to the Bar's referral line at 1-800-452-7636. The Bar is not a government agency |
| Oregon Law Help (oregonlawhelp.org) | The statewide plain-language legal aid site, useful for finding the legal aid program that serves a county and for its legal aid office directory. It publishes no probate or estate topic, so use it to find help rather than as a probate guide. The site returns errors to automated fetchers, so open it in a browser |
When to hire an attorney
Plenty of Jackson County estates are handled without a lawyer, and the court's structure helps: an uncontested petition to admit a will and appoint a personal representative can be signed by the Probate Commissioner without a hearing (ORS 111.185; General Order 24-08), the clerks accept electronic and facsimile signatures over the counter and by mail (General Order 20-10), and the court publishes the post-appointment forms you will need. Counsel makes particular sense in Jackson County when the estate is insolvent or its solvency is in doubt; when a will is contested, a bequest fails, or heirship is unclear; when an interested person objects within the 30 days ORS 111.185 gives them after the Probate Commissioner enters an order, which moves the matter to a judge; when a bond waiver is sought or the court restricts assets and the acknowledgment under SLR 9.051 has to be matched to a restriction order; when the estate holds a business interest, out-of-state property, or Jackson County real estate whose sale terms are disputed; when a contested matter needs an evidentiary hearing set on the court's notice periods (SLR 5.061); or when a personal injury or wrongful death claim has to be settled through the estate. An attorney also brings e-filing with them, since Oregon State Bar licensees must e-file under UTCR 21.140(1). Sunset can connect families to a vetted Jackson 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, Jackson County real estate, business interests and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value before you file. In Oregon that number does real work: it decides the filing fee tier the caption must state (ORS 21.105), it is what the petition must describe so the court can set the bond (ORS 113.035), and it is the basis of the inventory due within 90 days of appointment (ORS 113.165).
Generate the probate packet. Oregon publishes no statewide petition form, and Jackson County's own probate forms start after appointment, so the opening paperwork is drafted, not filled in. Sunset assembles the Jackson County estate settlement filing: the simple estate affidavit where the estate qualifies, or the petition, the proposed order and the proposed letters with the ORCP 1 E declaration, ready to file at the Civil Counter on the first floor of the Justice Building, to mail, or to e-file through OJD eFile.
Find a local probate attorney. When an interested person objects to an order entered by the Probate Commissioner, when heirship or a will is contested, or when the estate is insolvent, Sunset connects families to a vetted Jackson County probate attorney to file, e-file and appear.
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 probate in Jackson County, Oregon?
With the Office of the Trial Court Administrator for the Circuit Court in Jackson County, at the Justice Building, 100 S. Oakdale Avenue, Medford, OR 97501-3127, at the Civil Counter on the first floor. Oregon has no separate probate court as an institution; probate jurisdiction in Jackson County is vested in the circuit court (ORS 111.075). Two other Medford buildings are not the place: the county's Jackson County Courthouse at 10 South Oakdale, Room 114 is the Clerk's Recording Office for deeds, and the court's Juvenile Services Building at 609 West 10th Street handles juvenile matters. Oregon venue is broad, allowing filing where the decedent was domiciled or had a place of abode, in any county where the decedent's property was or is located, where the decedent died, or where a personal injury or wrongful death claim could be brought (ORS 113.015(1)), and filing elsewhere is not a jurisdictional defect (ORS 113.015(2)); in practice you file where the decedent lived, because that is where the notice to interested persons is published (ORS 113.155(1)).
What are the Jackson County Circuit Court's hours, and is it really closed at lunch?
Yes, and this is the local fact that trips people up. The court publishes building hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding holidays, with the courthouse doors opening at 7:30 a.m., and service window hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On top of that it publishes a standing daily midday closure: the court is closed every day from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. because of ongoing training and staffing needs, and in that hour public service counters, facilitation and phone services are unavailable, with regular operations resuming at 1:00 p.m. The court's Local Forms page names the only filings it accepts through the lunch hour, new small claims filings, new landlord and tenant filings, filings with a fee deferral or waiver application, and protective orders, and probate is not among them. The records Public Room window is open 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The court has also posted a closure on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 for staff training.
Who signs the order appointing a personal representative in Jackson County?
Often not a judge. Jackson County has an appointed Probate Commissioner: General Order 24-08, dated May 15, 2024 and captioned for the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Jackson County, appoints that officer under ORS 111.175 and provides that the Probate Commissioner shall exercise all of the powers set out in ORS 111.185. Under that statute a probate commissioner may act on uncontested petitions for the appointment of special administrators, for the probate of wills, and for the appointment of personal representatives, guardians and conservators, and may enter the orders and judgments admitting a will to probate, appointing the fiduciary and fixing the bond. Any interested person may object within 30 days after entry, and the judge may then set the order aside or modify it. Most Oregon counties publish no such appointment, so an uncontested Jackson County appointment does not have to wait for a judge's calendar.
Do I have to e-file a probate case in Jackson County?
Only if you are a lawyer. An active licensee of the Oregon State Bar must file through the statewide electronic filing system, OJD eFile, which is Odyssey File and Serve, unless the document must be filed conventionally or the filer has a waiver (UTCR 21.140(1)). A self-represented filer is an authorized filer who may register and e-file but is not required to (UTCR 21.030(1)), and may file at the Civil Counter or by mail. The First Judicial District publishes no SLR 2.501 list of stipulated or ex parte matters that must be filed conventionally, so no probate document is pulled out of e-filing by local rule here. The statutory exception remains: an original will is a document required by law to be filed in original form and must be filed on paper (UTCR 21.070(3)(h)); where it accompanies an e-filed document you may e-file an image, note it in Filing Comments, and deliver the paper original within seven business days. One local convenience helps either way: under General Order 20-10, effective August 1, 2020, the court's clerks may accept documents with an electronic or facsimile signature filed electronically, over the counter or by mail.
How much does it cost to file probate in Jackson County?
The fee is statutory and identical in every Oregon county, tiered by the value of the estate: $278 if the estate is worth less than $50,000, $591 from $50,000 to just under $1,000,000, $882 from $1,000,000 to just under $10,000,000, and $1,176 at $10,000,000 or more (ORS 21.170(1); Oregon Judicial Department Circuit Court Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026). The caption must state the value of the estate, and if an amended pleading raises it the court collects the difference (ORS 21.105). A simple estate affidavit is $124 (ORS 21.145(4)). Accountings carry their own tiered fee of $35, $298, $591 or $1,176 on the same bands (ORS 21.170(2)), any other appearance in a probate proceeding is $281 (ORS 21.135(1) and (2)(g); ORS 21.170(4)), and a $111 fee attaches to the specific motions listed in ORS 21.200(1). Fees are payable in advance and are not refundable (ORS 21.100), and Oregon counties add no local filing surcharge. Fee deferrals and waivers are available, and Jackson County accepts a filing that arrives with that application through the lunch hour.
Does Jackson County have local probate forms?
Yes, and more than most Oregon counties. Ten forms are scoped to Jackson County in the Probate category of the Oregon Judicial Department forms library. The Jackson-captioned ones include a generic probate Motion and Declaration in Support of Motion with its proposed order, a probate Certificate of Readiness in the UTCR 5.100 form, an Acknowledgement of Order Restricting Assets whose caption covers a deceased person's estate as well as a minor or an incapacitated person, an Objection to Petition for protective proceedings, a Guardian Annual Report, a Conservator's Annual Accounting and a minor conservatorship Annual Report of Restricted Funds; two Court Visitor forms sit in the same category, and the tenth entry links the statewide accounting packet. The court's Local Forms page says it contains many forms specific to Jackson County Circuit Court and adds a tie breaker: if there are two versions of any form, select the Jackson version. What no Oregon court publishes is a petition to open a probate, because no particular pleadings or forms of pleadings are required (ORS 111.205(2)), so the petition is drafted.
Do I have to take a class if I am appointed personal representative in Jackson County?
Probably yes, and the clock starts at appointment. Jackson County SLR 9.076 applies to any personal representative appointed under ORS chapter 113 on or after September 1, 2022, along with guardians and conservators appointed under ORS chapter 125 and trustees appointed under ORS chapter 130 on or after that date, unless you are a professional fiduciary as defined in ORS 125.240(5). You must register for the court-required education class no later than 15 days from appointment and successfully complete a class with a curriculum prescribed by the Presiding Judge of Jackson County within 60 days of appointment. The court sends notice and instructions at appointment, the provider e-files the certificate of completion with the Probate Department, the fee is a cost of administration of the estate and may be waived or deferred at the court's discretion, a request to waive the requirement itself takes a motion supported by affidavit filed within 15 days of receiving notice, the court may require a retake, and failure to comply may result in removal.
Can I appear remotely, or do I have to travel to Medford?
Remote appearance is available on request, and Jackson County publishes exactly how to ask. A party who wants to appear remotely must file a Motion and Order together with the court's Remote Hearing Participant Form, and the court must receive them by 4:00 p.m. two business days before the hearing. The form must be e-filed through File and Serve, mailed, or filed in person at the Criminal or the Civil and Family window in the Justice Building, and it must not be emailed, though it may be e-filed as a confidential document using the code ADCH. The court uses Cisco WebEx and notifies participants by email at least one business day before the hearing; questions go to extension 35047. The court publishes no default mode for probate hearings, so confirm the format when your matter is set. Much of a Jackson probate can be done at a distance anyway, because an uncontested appointment can be signed by the Probate Commissioner and probate orders may be left with the court clerk for presentation in due course (SLR 5.062), with one paper step that cannot be avoided: the original will has to reach the court (UTCR 21.070(3)(h)).
How do I look up a Jackson County probate case or get copies of documents?
Start with the Oregon Judicial Department Records and Calendar Search, the free statewide tool for Oregon's circuit courts. It is an index and register of actions, not a document library: the Oregon Judicial Department states that results provide basic case information, party information, event entries and dispositions, that the display is not the official register record under ORS 7.020, and that documents are not available through the service. A decedent's estate is a public case type. Jackson County then gives you more than the statewide search does: the court provides public access computers in the lobby on the main floor of the Justice Building where statewide circuit court case information and most filed documents can be reviewed for most cases, and older non-digitized files can be requested at the Public Room window on the same floor, open 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. For copies, submit the court's Records Request Form and allow five business days from payment, plus two to three days more for an exemplified copy; records clerks answer at extension 35024 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Location and inspection of court records is free, and a certified copy is $5 plus 25 cents per page (ORS 21.258; Oregon Judicial Department Circuit Court Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026).
How long does it take to get letters testamentary in Jackson County?
The court publishes no turnaround figure and no counter wait times, so what follows is what actually controls the timing rather than a promise. An uncontested petition can be acted on by the court's Probate Commissioner without a hearing (ORS 111.185; General Order 24-08), and a probate order is treated as an ex parte matter that may be presented in person or left with the court clerk or a judge's judicial assistant for presentation to the judge in due course (SLR 5.062), so nothing has to wait for a docket day; the court's civil motion rules say only that it announces its calendar annually (SLR 5.061(3)). Letters themselves do not issue until any bond the court required is filed with the clerk of the court (ORS 113.125), and if the court restricts assets instead, the acknowledgment of restriction of assets has to be filed (SLR 9.051). Once letters issue, certified copies, which is what a bank asks for, are $5 plus 25 cents per page in paper and nothing delivered electronically (ORS 21.258; Oregon Judicial Department Circuit Court Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2026). Ask the probate extension, 35045, where your matter stands.
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.