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Union County, OR Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | The Union County Circuit Court, Oregon's general-jurisdiction trial court for this county and a state court funded and administered by the Oregon Judicial Department. Union is not one of the six counties where probate sits in a county court, so probate jurisdiction here is in the circuit court (ORS 111.075), governed by Title 12 of the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS chapters 111 to 118). The court states that it is the 10th Judicial District of Oregon, sharing judges with Wallowa County, and that the district has two elected judges (ORS 3.012 groups Oregon's circuit courts into 27 judicial districts) |
| Filing office | The court's Office of the Trial Court Administrator, at the Union County Courthouse in La Grande. Union publishes no separate probate department, unlike the metro courts, but its own Telephone Directory lists an estate extension. Do not confuse the court with the Union County Clerk and Recorder at 1001 Fourth Street, Suite D, who handles recording, elections, marriage licenses, birth certificates and passports and publishes nothing about probate, or with the Union County Justice Court at 10605 Island Avenue in Island City, which has no probate jurisdiction |
| Courthouse address | Union County Courthouse, 1105 K Ave, La Grande, OR 97850. The court publishes no suite, room or floor for the filing counter, and SLR 9.081 gives the same street address as the Union County location for an oral objection in a protective proceeding. The court states that the courthouse was built in 2016, modeled after the original 1905 building, and that you must pass through a security checkpoint to enter |
| Mailing address | Union County Circuit Court, 1105 K Ave, La Grande, OR 97850. The mailing address is the street address; this court publishes no post office box, so nothing needs to be addressed differently for mail |
| Phone | 541-962-9500, extension 43 for estate matters. The court's Telephone Directory publishes department extensions behind the main number and lists Estate Matters, covering probate, guardianship and conservatorship, at extension 43 (verified July 2026); the same extension serves restraining orders, stalking and evictions, which is normal in a court this size. Other extensions include civil litigation and small claims at 41, family law at 42, criminal at 31 and adoptions and juvenile matters at 44. The directory asks callers not to try to reach a judge, because Oregon law prohibits a judge from discussing court matters outside a courtroom |
| Fax and email | No fax and no filing mailbox are published. The court publishes one department email address, [email protected], and it is for questions about a remote hearing, not for filings or probate questions. The local rules separately forbid emailing a judge about a specific case (SLR 2.081(1)). Call 541-962-9500 extension 43 rather than assuming a filing can be faxed or emailed |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, which the court publishes as its courthouse hours (verified July 2026). The counter closes over the middle of the day, and the court adds that all public service counters are closed from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. while courtrooms continue to run until 5:00 p.m. There is a drop box at 1105 K Avenue: the court checks it daily at 5:00 p.m., an item left between 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. is received that same business day, and anything left after 5:00 p.m. counts as received the following business day. Oregon courts are closed on legal holidays. An electronic filing is timely if submitted by 11:59:59 p.m. in the court's time zone (UTCR 21.080(2)) |
| 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. Payment must be in U.S. dollars and credit cards may be used, with card fees as provided in ORS 1.005 (SLR 1.034; SLR 1.035). Confirm the current schedule with the court at 541-962-9500 extension 43 |
| Local forms | None for probate, checked directly. Nineteen forms are scoped to Union County in the Oregon Judicial Department forms library and not one of them is a probate form: they are family law, general, court records, jury and criminal forms. The court's own Self Help forms page says it contains many forms specific to Union County Circuit Court, warns that where two versions of a form exist you should select the Union version, and lists its local categories as criminal and traffic, family law and general court forms, with no probate category. Two general Union County forms are still worth knowing about in an estate: a Motion for Remote Appearance and a Records Request. There is no local or statewide petition to open a probate |
| E-filing | Available and used, mandatory for attorneys. 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 holds a waiver (UTCR 21.140(1)), and the district restates that mandate in SLR 1.161. A self-represented filer may register and e-file but is not required to, and may file at the counter, in the drop box or by mail instead. The original will still goes in on paper, because a document required by law to be filed in original form must be filed conventionally (UTCR 21.070(3)(h)). The 10th District's local rules contain no SLR 2.501, so this district adds nothing to the statewide conventional-filing list |
| Case search | Through the free Oregon Judicial Department Records and Calendar Search, which covers Oregon's circuit courts and therefore covers Union County. 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 ORS 7.020 register record, and that documents are not available through the service. For documents, the court says that newer cases can be reviewed on the kiosk computers in the courthouse lobby and that older, undigitized files have to be retrieved on request; a paid OJCIN OnLine subscription is the remote equivalent. Decedents' estate cases are public |
| Remote appearance | Set by the court's notice, not by a default. The court's standing notice is that any court notice in hand or forthcoming will designate the mode of appearance and will not be changed unless other arrangements are approved through the court, and that any notice silent on mode of appearance will be presumed in person. SLR 7.015 matches it: where the notice indicates remote appearance no request is needed, and where it requires litigants in person, the parties must obtain permission in writing to appear remotely. The court runs remote hearings on Webex and publishes litigant, witness, attorney and public access guides. Exhibits for a remote or hybrid proceeding must be bookmarked, submitted as Chief Justice Order 23-028 requires, and shown to have been copied to all parties, or they will be rejected in File and Serve (SLR 7.015(4)) |
| Website | https://www.courts.oregon.gov/courts/union/Pages/default.aspx (the court's home page, with its address, hours, drop box and mode of appearance notice), https://www.courts.oregon.gov/courts/union/resources/Pages/phone-directory.aspx (the Telephone Directory with the estate extension), https://www.courts.oregon.gov/courts/union/help/Pages/forms.aspx (the Union County forms) and https://www.courts.oregon.gov/courts/union/records/Pages/requests.aspx (court records requests) |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in La Grande, know exactly what the estate holds. Which Oregon route fits depends on whether there is a will, on who is entitled to be appointed, and on the value and type of the assets, because a full probate that ends in letters testamentary or letters of administration and a simple estate affidavit under ORS 114.505 to 114.560 are different filings with different fees, different waiting periods and different consequences. Those routes and their dollar caps are statewide and are explained on the Oregon state page. Two Union specifics make the homework worth doing first: this is a two-judge district with no probate department to walk a filer through a correction, and the public counter is open only from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., so a return trip costs a day rather than an hour.
Identify every bank and credit union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life insurance policy, vehicle and parcel of real property, along with every debt, before you file. In Oregon that is a filing requirement rather than good practice: the petition must state the extent and nature of the estate's assets so the court can set the bond (ORS 113.035), and the caption must state the value of the estate because the filing fee is tiered by that value (ORS 21.105(1); ORS 21.170(1)). If an amended pleading raises the value, the court collects the difference (ORS 21.105(2)). One local rule pushes the same way: if wrongful death or personal injury proceeds are among the assets but are not the only assets, that has to be alleged in a separate titled paragraph of the initial petition (SLR 9.052(1)). Sunset's asset discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step, so the petition you file at 1105 K Avenue states the estate accurately the first time.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Union County Circuit Court, at the Union County Courthouse, 1105 K Ave, La Grande, is the only probate filing location for the county. There is no branch courthouse and no second counter. The court serves all of Union County, an area the county describes as 2,038 square miles lying between the Blue and Wallowa Mountains, bordered by Wallowa County on the east and north, Umatilla County on the west, and Grant and Baker Counties on the south, with a population of 26,196 at the 2020 Census. La Grande is the county seat and by far the largest community; the Grande Ronde Valley towns and the ranch and forest country around them are all served from the same counter, and the county's own Justice Court sits separately at Island City. Plan the filing around the mail, the drop box, the electronic filing system and the phone, and treat the trip to La Grande as the one for originals and for any hearing.
Union County Circuit Court is one half of the 10th Judicial District, which it shares with Wallowa County, and the court's own page says the district has two elected judges. A shared district is an administrative fact about judges, staff and rules, not about where you file. The two counties share one set of supplementary local rules and one trial court administrator, and the shared rule on oral objections names both counters separately, 1105 K Avenue in La Grande for Union County and 101 S River Street, 2nd floor, in Enterprise for Wallowa County (SLR 9.081). A Union County estate is filed in Union County. Probate here also sits in the circuit court, not a county court: ORS 111.075 vests probate jurisdiction in the county courts of Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Sherman and Wheeler Counties and in the circuit court for each other county, and Union is one of the others. The practical consequence is that everything statewide applies here, including OJD eFile and the Oregon Judicial Department's online case search, neither of which reaches those six county courts.
Two other offices in the county handle things families often confuse with probate. The Union County Clerk and Recorder, at 1001 Fourth Street, Suite D, La Grande, 541-963-1006, is the county's recording officer and describes itself as the office of origination for property transfers, where deeds, mortgages and assignments are filed or recorded; it also runs elections and issues marriage licenses, birth certificates and passports. It matters to an estate for one thing, recording the deed when Union County real property is sold or transferred, and it takes no probate filings. The Union County Justice Court, at 10605 Island Avenue in Island City, 541-962-2997, is a separate county court of limited jurisdiction whose page covers citation payments, and Oregon justice courts have no probate jurisdiction. Probate filings go to the Circuit Court at 1105 K Avenue.
Venue is broad. 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 starts, in the county where the decedent died, or in the county where a personal injury or wrongful death claim could be brought (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)). So if the person who died lived in Union County, file in La Grande, not in Enterprise and not somewhere else in the district. If proceedings are started in more than one county, all but the first are stayed until venue is settled, and the court may transfer the matter for the best interest of the estate (ORS 113.025).
The jurisdiction process
- Gather the documents. Collect the original signed will if there is one, with the affidavit of an attesting witness or other evidence of the decedent's signature, a certified copy of the death certificate, the proposed personal representative's address and qualifications, the names and addresses of the heirs and devisees with the ages of any minors, and a list of assets and debts with values. Oregon's statutory term for the person who settles an estate is personal representative; executor and administrator are informal usages for the will-named and the court-appointed version of the same role.
- Decide what you are asking the court for. A probate proceeding is commenced by filing a petition (ORS 111.205(1)), and the court then appoints a qualified and suitable personal representative in the order of preference set by ORS 113.085(1), starting with the person named in the will and then the surviving spouse or the spouse's nominee where the spouse is a distributee. Where the estate is small enough, the alternative is a simple estate affidavit filed with the clerk of the probate court in a county where there is venue (ORS 114.515(1)), which in Union County means the Union County Circuit Court. The caps, the waiting period and the two-year review window for that route are statewide and are covered on the Oregon state page.
- Draft the petition, because no form exists. Oregon prescribes no pleading forms for probate: no particular pleadings or forms of pleadings are required in the exercise of the jurisdiction of probate courts (ORS 111.205(2)), and there is no statewide or Union County petition, inventory or letters form. 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. The petition must state the decedent's name, age, domicile, address and date and place of death, whether the decedent died testate or intestate, the facts relied on to establish venue, the proposed personal representative's address and qualifications, the heirs and devisees, a statement that reasonable efforts have been made to identify and locate all heirs, whether the original will accompanies the petition, and a statement of the extent and nature of the assets so the court can set the bond (ORS 113.035). Put the value of the estate in the caption (ORS 21.105(1)). One local requirement belongs in this draft: if wrongful death or personal injury proceeds are estate assets but are not the only assets, say so in a separate titled paragraph of the initial petition, and indicate whether there will be more than one claim in litigation (SLR 9.052).
- Collect the forms that do exist. Union County publishes no probate form of its own; its 19 local forms are family law, general, court records, jury and criminal forms, and the court's Self Help forms page lists no probate category. The Oregon Judicial Department publishes the statewide Simple Estate Affidavit packet with instructions, a Claim Against Estate form and a statewide Accounting form. Read the accounting rule before you use anything else for that step: in this district the statewide format is mandatory rather than optional, with local additions (SLR 9.161; UTCR 9.160).
- File with the Union County Circuit Court, electronically or on paper. An active Oregon State Bar licensee must use OJD eFile, the statewide system run as Odyssey File and Serve, unless the document must be filed conventionally or the filer holds a waiver (UTCR 21.140(1); SLR 1.161); a self-represented filer may register and e-file but may also file at the counter at 1105 K Ave, La Grande, by mail to the same address, or in the courthouse drop box. The counter is open 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and all public service counters close at 4:30 p.m. even though courtrooms run to 5:00 p.m. The drop box is checked daily at 5:00 p.m., an item left between 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. is received that same business day, and anything left after 5:00 p.m. is treated as received the next business day. The original will is the exception either way: a document required by law to be filed in original form must be filed conventionally (UTCR 21.070(3)(h)), and if you e-file the rest, e-file an image of the will and then deliver the original within seven business days with a filing comment saying so, in which case it counts as filed on the date the image went in (UTCR 21.070(3)(h)(i)). An electronic filing is timely to 11:59:59 p.m. in the court's time zone (UTCR 21.080(2)). Call 541-962-9500 extension 43 before mailing an original will.
- Pay the filing fee. Opening a probate costs $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, with no fee for an amended affidavit (ORS 21.145(4); ORS 114.515(5)). Fees are payable in advance and are not refundable (ORS 21.100), and the statutory filing fee is the only charge collectible for the filing, which is why Union County adds no local surcharge. Payment must be in U.S. dollars, and credit cards may be used with fees as provided in ORS 1.005 (SLR 1.034; SLR 1.035). Fee waivers and deferrals are available through the Oregon Judicial Department's fee deferral and waiver packet.
- Take the appointment and collect the letters. The court issues letters testamentary where there is a will or letters of administration where there is not, once any bond the court requires is filed with the clerk of the court (ORS 113.105; ORS 113.125). Bond is not required where the will waives it, where the personal representative is the sole heir or devisee, or where the petition states that no assets are known, though the court may still require one for good cause. In this district an uncontested appointment may be handled by a probate commissioner rather than a judge: SLR 9.135 empowers a probate commissioner appointed by the court to act on uncontested petitions for probate of wills and for appointment of fiduciaries, to enter the orders admitting a will and appointing a personal representative, and to set and approve the bond, which tracks ORS 111.175 and ORS 111.185. A certified copy of the letters is what banks, transfer agents and title companies rely on, so order enough for the institutions the estate deals with: a certified copy of letters is $5 plus 25 cents per page in paper form and $0 if delivered electronically (ORS 21.258; Chief Justice Order 23-016; fee schedule effective January 1, 2026). If an out-of-state institution or a foreign registry wants an exemplified copy, the court's records page describes that three-way certificate and says it takes two to three additional days, so ask for it early.
- Give the required information and notices. Upon appointment the personal representative must deliver or mail the statutory information to the devisees, heirs and the other persons named in the petition, file proof of that delivery or mailing within 30 days after appointment, and mail the same information with a copy of the death record to the Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority (ORS 113.145). The notice to interested persons is published once, not once a week for three weeks, in a newspaper published in the county where the estate proceeding is pending, or in a newspaper the court designates if none is published there (ORS 113.155(1)), and it must require all persons having claims to present them within four months after the date of publication. Neither Union County nor the court publishes a designated newspaper, so confirm the paper and the schedule with the court at 541-962-9500 extension 43 and with the newspaper before you rely on a date, because publication starts the four-month claim period.
- Search for creditors, then handle claims. During the three months following appointment the personal representative must make reasonably diligent efforts to investigate the decedent's financial records and affairs to identify claimants, must mail or deliver a notice to each known claimant not later than 30 days after that period stating that claims not presented within 45 days of the notice may be barred, and must file proof of compliance not later than 60 days after the period (ORS 115.003). Claims are presented to the personal representative, not filed with the court, and filing a claim with the court does not count as presentation (ORS 115.005(1)(a)). A claim is barred if not presented before the later of four months after publication or 45 days after a notice to a known claimant (ORS 115.005(2)), with narrow exceptions.
- File the inventory within 90 days. The personal representative must file an inventory of all estate property that has come into their possession or knowledge within 90 days after the date of appointment unless the court grants longer, showing estimated fair market values as of the date of death (ORS 113.165). If no property has come in, an inventory saying so must still be filed, and property found later goes into a supplemental inventory within 30 days or into the next accounting (ORS 113.175). Keep the inventory current for a second local reason: this district will not entertain a request for a partial distribution unless the inventory is already in the case record (SLR 9.164).
- Account in the district's format, and add the local summary section. Unless the court orders otherwise, an account is filed annually within 60 days after the anniversary of appointment, and again when the estate is ready for final settlement and distribution (ORS 116.083(1)); a statement in lieu of an annual or a final account is possible where the distributees consent in writing and, for the final account, where creditors other than those owed administrative expenses have been paid in full (ORS 116.083(3) and (5)). In the 10th Judicial District the accounting format is mandatory: accountings required under ORS chapters 116 and 125 must be in the form prescribed by UTCR 9.160 with the additions set out in SLR 9.161(2), which are a section summarizing the sums identified in ORS 116.083, placed directly after the paragraph identifying the period covered, giving the beginning balance, the revenue and property receipts, the disbursements and the ending balance. Oregon charges to file an accounting, on the same value bands as the filing fee: $35, $298, $591 and $1,176 (ORS 21.170(2)). If the estate has been open a year and has no wrongful death claim, the annual accounting must also carry a statement of the status of the estate and the date you anticipate closing it (SLR 9.165).
- Close the estate. On filing the final account and the petition for a judgment of distribution, mail the account, the petition and notice of the time for objections to each distributee and each unpaid creditor at least 20 days beforehand (ORS 116.093(1)); if no objections are filed, the court enters a general judgment of final distribution (ORS 116.113). If you need to distribute something before final settlement, do it by petition under ORS 116.013 with the inventory already in the record, and give the same notice ORS 116.093 requires (SLR 9.164). Where Oregon real property passes, record the deed with the Union County Clerk and Recorder at 1001 Fourth Street, Suite D, La Grande, the county's recording officer.
Executor duties
A personal representative appointed in Union County carries the statewide duties, plus three local ones that come from the 10th Judicial District's own rules. The statewide obligations are the notices and proof of mailing within 30 days of appointment (ORS 113.145), publication of the notice to interested persons once (ORS 113.155(1)), the creditor search and known-claimant notices (ORS 115.003), the inventory within 90 days (ORS 113.165) and the annual and final accountings (ORS 116.083). What is local is the format of those accountings, a status statement once the estate has been open a year, and the way a partial distribution has to be asked for. There is no local fiduciary education class in this district.
| Local duty | What Union County requires |
|---|---|
| Accountings in the mandatory local format | SLR 9.161(1) provides that accountings required under ORS chapters 116 and 125 shall be in the form prescribed by UTCR 9.160, with additions. UTCR 9.160 makes that statewide format acceptable in every judicial district and allows a district to make it mandatory by local rule, and this district has done so, which means the statewide Accounting form is the starting point rather than one option among several. Oregon also charges a fee for each annual or final accounting, tiered by the value of the estate at $35, $298, $591 and $1,176 (ORS 21.170(2)) |
| The local summary section inside each accounting | SLR 9.161(2) requires a section summarizing the sums identified in ORS 116.083, appearing directly after the paragraph identifying the period the accounting covers. It must state the beginning balance, which must equal the total value of the property the fiduciary is chargeable with according to the inventory or, if there was a prior accounting, that accounting's ending balance; the revenue and property receipts, meaning the value of all money and property received during the period; the disbursements, meaning the value of all disbursements of funds and property made during the period; and the ending balance of the accounting |
| A status statement once the estate has been open a year | SLR 9.165 provides that when one year has elapsed after the initial filing of a decedent's estate that does not include a wrongful death claim, the personal representative shall file, in the annual accounting, a statement advising the court of the status of the estate, indicating the date the personal representative anticipates closing it |
| Partial distributions by petition, with the inventory on file | SLR 9.164 provides that partial distributions before final settlement shall be in the form of a petition under ORS 116.013, that inventories must be in the court case record when a partial distribution is requested, that such petitions are subject to notices as prescribed by the court, and that a partial distribution is subject to the same notice requirement set out in ORS 116.093 |
| Wrongful death or personal injury proceeds pleaded separately | SLR 9.052(1) requires that where wrongful death or personal injury proceeds are not the only assets in a probate, conservatorship or guardianship proceeding, that fact be alleged in a separate titled paragraph in the initial petition, and SLR 9.052(2) asks the filer to indicate whether there will be more than one claim in litigation. That also interacts with the one-year rule above, which applies only to estates without a wrongful death claim |
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Union County
Union County publishes no local probate forms, and that is a checked fact rather than an assumption. Nineteen forms are scoped to Union County in the Oregon Judicial Department forms library, and none of them is in the probate category: they are family law forms including the Union Wallowa Standard Parenting Plan and the joint statement of assets and liabilities under SLR 8.011, general forms including a Motion for Remote Appearance, a Motion to Continue and a Certificate of Service Mailing, court records forms, jury instructions and criminal forms. The court's own Self Help forms page says the same from the other direction: it states that the page contains many forms specific to Union County Circuit Court, tells filers that if there are two versions of any form they should select the Union version, and lists the categories that may contain a local version as criminal and traffic, family law and general court forms. Probate is not among them. Two of the general Union County forms still matter in an estate: the Motion for Remote Appearance, which is how you ask to change the mode of appearance the court's notice sets (SLR 7.015(2)), and the Records Request.
There is no statewide Oregon petition to open a probate either, and that is by design rather than an oversight. No particular pleadings or forms of pleadings are required in the exercise of the jurisdiction of probate courts (ORS 111.205(2)), so the petition, the order, the notices and the inventory are drafted documents rather than fill-in forms, each carrying a declaration under penalty of perjury in the form required by ORCP 1 E. What the Oregon Judicial Department does publish statewide, free, is the Simple Estate Affidavit packet with instructions, in English with Spanish and Vietnamese translations still titled small estate affidavit; a Claim Against Estate form covering presentation of a claim to a personal representative, to a simple estate affiant, to a conservator or to a trustee; and an Accounting form. The Forms Center states its own rule: any statewide form will be accepted in all circuit courts, statewide forms are not available for all circumstances, and additional forms may be available through local courts.
The accounting form is the one place where Union County's answer differs from the statewide default. UTCR 9.160 makes the statewide accounting format acceptable everywhere and allows a judicial district to make it mandatory by local rule, and the 10th District has: accountings under ORS chapters 116 and 125 must use that format, with the extra summary section SLR 9.161(2) sets out. One tool that does not help here at all: the Oregon Judicial Department's Guide and File interactive forms service does not cover probate or simple estates, so there is no guided interview for an estate in Union County or anywhere else in Oregon. If you e-file, remember the original will still goes in on paper (UTCR 21.070(3)(h)). Call 541-962-9500 extension 43 to ask what the court wants on intake before you file.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Union County Circuit Court forms (courts.oregon.gov) | The court's own forms page, with the Union County criminal and traffic, family law and general court forms, including the Motion for Remote Appearance and the Records Request. There is no probate category. The page renders its lists through a script, so allow it to load |
| Union and Wallowa County supplementary local rules (courts.oregon.gov) | The 10th Judicial District's local rules effective February 1, 2026, including Chapter 9 on probate: SLR 9.052 on wrongful death and personal injury proceeds, SLR 9.135 on probate commissioners, SLR 9.161 on the mandatory accounting format, SLR 9.164 on partial distributions and SLR 9.165 on estates open past a year |
| Oregon Judicial Department estate forms (courts.oregon.gov) | The statewide Simple Estate Affidavit packet with instructions and the Claim Against Estate form. There is no statewide petition to open a probate |
| Oregon Judicial Department probate accounting forms (courts.oregon.gov) | The statewide accounting packet. In the 10th Judicial District this format is not optional: SLR 9.161(1) requires accountings under ORS chapters 116 and 125 to be in the form prescribed by UTCR 9.160, with the local additions in SLR 9.161(2) |
| Statewide records request form (courts.oregon.gov) | The form for obtaining access to a court file, copies from a file, or audio of a proceeding, including certified and exemplified copies. Union County also publishes its own Records Request and Audio Requests forms |
| Oregon Judicial Department fee deferral and waiver (courts.oregon.gov) | The packet for asking that a filing fee be deferred or waived, for a filer who cannot afford the amount set by ORS 21.170(1) |
Local nuance
Union County-specific considerations
A small court with an unusually detailed probate chapter. Union County Circuit Court shares the 10th Judicial District, its two elected judges, its trial court administrator and its local rules with Wallowa County, and it has no probate department, no probate docket and no probate page on the Oregon Judicial Department site; the usual Oregon Judicial Department probate and contacts addresses for this county both return a page not found, and there is no business hours PDF. What the district does publish is a 26-page supplementary local rule set effective February 1, 2026 whose Chapter 9 covers decedents' estates in more detail than most rural Oregon districts manage: SLR 9.052 on wrongful death and personal injury proceeds, SLR 9.135 on probate commissioners, SLR 9.161 on the mandatory accounting format, SLR 9.164 on partial distributions and SLR 9.165 on estates that stay open past a year. Read Chapter 9 before you assume a statewide answer.
Accountings are the local trap. UTCR 9.160 makes the statewide accounting format acceptable in every judicial district and lets a district make that format mandatory by local rule, and the 10th District has done so: accountings required under ORS chapters 116 and 125 must be in the form prescribed by UTCR 9.160, with additions (SLR 9.161(1)). The addition is a summary section covering the sums identified in ORS 116.083, placed directly after the paragraph identifying the accounting period, and it must show the beginning balance, which has to equal the total value of the property the fiduciary is chargeable with according to the inventory or the ending balance of the prior accounting, the revenue and property receipts for the period, the disbursements for the period, and the ending balance (SLR 9.161(2)). An estate that has been open for a year and does not include a wrongful death claim owes one more thing in the annual accounting: a statement of the status of the estate naming the date the personal representative expects to close it (SLR 9.165).
Mode of appearance is decided by the notice, and changing it takes permission in writing. The court's standing notice says that any court notice in hand or forthcoming will designate the mode of appearance and will not be changed unless other arrangements are made and approved through the court, and that any notice silent on mode of appearance is presumed in person. SLR 7.015(1) and (2) say the same: where remote appearance is indicated on the notice, no request is needed, and where the notice requires litigants in person, the parties must obtain permission in writing to appear remotely. The court publishes a Union County Motion for Remote Appearance form in its general forms group, runs remote hearings on Webex, and directs remote-hearing questions to 541-962-9500 or [email protected]. If a proceeding is remote or hybrid, exhibits must be bookmarked, submitted as Chief Justice Order 23-028 requires and shown to have gone to all parties under UTCR 2.080, or they will be rejected in File and Serve (SLR 7.015(4)). Nothing published makes probate hearings remote by default.
The counter, the drop box and the records kiosks are the practical facts of filing here. Public service counters are open 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and close at 4:30 p.m. even though courtrooms run until 5:00 p.m. The court publishes a drop box at 1105 K Avenue that it checks daily at 5:00 p.m., with anything left between 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. received that same business day and anything later treated as the next business day, which is the difference between two filing dates when a deadline lands on a Friday. Records requests are handled first come, first served; documents in newer cases can be reviewed on the kiosk computers in the courthouse lobby, older undigitized files have to be retrieved on request, and an exemplified copy, the three-way certificate other states and countries often ask for, takes two to three additional days. You must pass through a security checkpoint to enter the courthouse, which the court says was built in 2016 and modeled after the 1905 original.
One rule this district does not have, which several Oregon districts do. There is no fiduciary education requirement in the 10th Judicial District. Multnomah, Clackamas, Jackson, Deschutes, Marion and Baker have each adopted a local rule requiring a non-professional fiduciary, in most of them expressly including a personal representative, to complete a court education class within a set number of days of appointment, and Umatilla has done the same by presiding judge order. Chapter 9 of the Union and Wallowa rules contains no such rule, so a personal representative appointed in La Grande owes the statewide duties and the local accounting, status and distribution rules above, and no class.
Recent updates
| Change | What it means in Union County |
|---|---|
| Union and Wallowa County supplementary local rules, effective February 1, 2026, replaced the 2025 edition, and Chapter 9 carried forward unchanged | The Oregon Judicial Department lists the February 1, 2026 edition as the current rules for the 10th Judicial District, certified December 3, 2025 by the court administrator for the district. Compared line by line with the 2025 edition, the changes are clerical: a corrected cross-reference in SLR 6.035(3), which now points to UTCR 6.030 for the format of a motion to postpone, a spelling fix in the heading of SLR 7.015 on mode of appearance, and two small wording cleanups. Every probate rule stayed the same, so SLR 9.052, 9.081, 9.135, 9.161, 9.164 and 9.165 read in 2026 exactly as they did in 2025. Practical effect for an estate: the accounting format requirement, the one-year status statement and the partial distribution rule are all still in force, and the district still has no fiduciary education rule |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Union County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the home in La Grande or elsewhere in the Grande Ronde Valley was held with a right of survivorship, or passes by a beneficiary or transfer on death designation, it goes to the survivor without a probate and the court is not involved in the house itself. If assets stood in the decedent's sole name and there is a will, the spouse petitions the Union County Circuit Court to admit the will and issue letters testamentary; with no will, a surviving spouse who is a distributee, or the spouse's nominee, has preference for appointment after any personal representative named in a will (ORS 113.085(1)). Bond often falls away where the personal representative is the sole heir or devisee (ORS 113.105), and an uncontested appointment may be signed by a probate commissioner under SLR 9.135. There is no local fiduciary education class to complete in this district. | Asset discovery to confirm how the home and the accounts are titled and what actually has to reach the court. Packet generation for the petition and the notices, ready to file at 1105 K Avenue or through OJD eFile. A vetted attorney referral if title or a claim turns out to be contested. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | Where the estate is small enough for the simple estate affidavit route under ORS 114.505 to 114.560, the affidavit is filed with the clerk of the probate court in a county where there is venue (ORS 114.515(1)), which here is the Union County Circuit Court, for a $124 fee (ORS 21.145(4)). No personal representative is appointed and no letters issue on that route. A filer living out of state can register for OJD eFile and file from home, or mail the papers to 1105 K Ave, La Grande, OR 97850, and can look the case up afterwards in the free Oregon Judicial Department records search, which shows the register of actions but not the documents. If an out-of-state bank wants an exemplified copy of a document, allow the two to three extra days the court's records page describes. | Asset discovery to establish the estate's value from out of state and confirm which route it qualifies for. Packet generation for the affidavit or the petition, assembled so it can be e-filed or mailed to La Grande and accepted the first time. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because real property has to be sold, this normally means a full probate: with no will the parent petitions the Union County Circuit Court for appointment as personal representative in the preference order of ORS 113.085(1), receiving letters of administration; with a will the parent probates it and receives letters testamentary. The inventory follows within 90 days (ORS 113.165), the notice to interested persons is published once in a newspaper published in the county (ORS 113.155(1)), and claims are presented to the personal representative rather than filed with the court (ORS 115.005). Accountings must use the statewide format with this district's added summary section (SLR 9.161), and if the estate is still open a year in, the annual accounting has to say when the parent expects to close it (SLR 9.165). Where a sale has to fund a distribution before final settlement, that goes in as a petition under ORS 116.013 with the inventory already on file (SLR 9.164). The deed on the sale is recorded with the Union County Clerk and Recorder at 1001 Fourth Street, Suite D, and the estate closes with a final account and a general judgment of final distribution (ORS 116.083; ORS 116.113). | Asset discovery for the child's accounts, insurance, real property and debts. Packet generation for the petition, the inventory and the notices. Attorney referral where the sale, a mortgage payoff or a dispute among heirs makes counsel worthwhile. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Union County Circuit Court (courts.oregon.gov), 541-962-9500 | The court itself: the Union County Courthouse at 1105 K Ave, La Grande, courthouse hours of 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, the 4:30 p.m. counter close, the drop box and its 5:00 p.m. check, and the standing notice that the mode of appearance is set by the court's notice. Court staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice |
| Union County Circuit Court telephone directory (courts.oregon.gov) | The department extensions behind 541-962-9500, including estate matters, covering probate, guardianship and conservatorship, at extension 43, civil litigation and small claims at 41 and family law at 42. The court asks callers to speak with staff rather than a judge |
| Union County Circuit Court forms (courts.oregon.gov) | The Union County forms, in criminal and traffic, family law and general court categories, with the court's warning to select the Union version where two versions of a form exist. There is no probate category |
| Union County Circuit Court records requests (courts.oregon.gov) | How to see and copy a court file: first come, first served handling, the kiosk computers in the courthouse lobby for newer cases, retrieval for older undigitized files, the court's Records Request and Audio Requests forms, and the difference between copies, certified copies and exemplified copies, the last of which takes two to three additional days |
| Union and Wallowa County supplementary local rules (courts.oregon.gov) | The 10th Judicial District's rules effective February 1, 2026. For an estate, read SLR 9.161 on the mandatory accounting format and its added summary section, SLR 9.165 on estates open more than a year, SLR 9.164 on partial distributions, SLR 9.052 on wrongful death and personal injury proceeds, SLR 9.135 on probate commissioners, SLR 7.015 on mode of appearance and SLR 1.161 on mandatory electronic filing |
| Union County Circuit Court local remote hearings (courts.oregon.gov), 541-962-9500 | How a Webex hearing works, the Oregon Judicial Department litigant, witness, attorney and public access guides, and the court's own contact for remote hearing questions, [email protected]. That mailbox is for scheduling questions, not for filings |
| Union County Circuit Court calendars and live stream (courts.oregon.gov) | The daily circuit court calendars, which the Oregon Judicial Department updates as changes are made and tells you to check before an appearance, and the live stream listings for proceedings open to public viewing |
| Oregon Judicial Department estate forms (courts.oregon.gov) | The free statewide Simple Estate Affidavit packet with instructions and the Claim Against Estate form. Oregon publishes no statewide petition to open a probate |
| Oregon Judicial Department court fees (courts.oregon.gov) | The current fee schedule, effective January 1, 2026, with the ORS 21.170(1) probate tiers. The schedule itself is at https://www.courts.oregon.gov/Documents/2026_CircuitFeeSchedule_public_eff-2026-01-01.pdf |
| OJD eFile (courts.oregon.gov) | The statewide electronic filing system, run as Odyssey File and Serve. Mandatory for active Oregon State Bar licensees (UTCR 21.140(1), restated locally at SLR 1.161) and open to self-represented filers who register |
| Oregon Judicial Department records and calendar search (courts.oregon.gov) | The free statewide case index and register of actions for Oregon's circuit courts, which includes Union County. Documents are not available through it; the paid subscription alternative is https://www.courts.oregon.gov/services/online/Pages/ojcin.aspx |
| Oregon State Bar, what is probate (osbar.org) | Plain-language explanation of Oregon probate from the state bar. Not a government agency, but a reputable non-government source |
| Oregon State Bar lawyer referral service (osbar.org), 503-684-3763 or 800-452-7636 in Oregon | Referrals to Oregon probate attorneys and the Bar's Modest Means Program, useful in a county with a small local bar |
| Legal Aid Services of Oregon, Pendleton regional office (lasoregon.org), (541) 276-6685 or 1-800-843-1115 | The legal aid program whose own page states it serves Gilliam, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa and Wheeler counties, at its new address, 202 SE Dorion Ave, Ste. #102, Pendleton. Walk-in hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., with Mondays and Fridays by appointment, and phone applications run 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Its published legal areas do not include estates, so ask whether it can take an estate matter |
| Oregon Law Help (oregonlawhelp.org) | Oregon's legal aid information site. It publishes no probate topic, so use it to confirm which legal aid program covers Union County and how to apply |
| Union County Clerk and Recorder (unioncountyor.gov), 541-963-1006 | Not the probate office. The Clerk and Recorder, at 1001 Fourth Street, Suite D, La Grande, describes itself as the office of origination for property transfers, where deeds, mortgages and assignments are filed or recorded, and also runs elections and issues marriage licenses, birth certificates and passports. It is where a deed is recorded when estate real property changes hands. Its hours are Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed for lunch 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. |
When to hire an attorney
Many Union County estates are uncontested, and a family that knows what the estate holds can often open one and see it through with limited legal help. Three local facts push the other way. Oregon prescribes no petition form (ORS 111.205(2)), so a self-represented filer is drafting the petition, the order, the notices and the inventory from scratch, and this district adds pleading and accounting requirements of its own that no statewide form anticipates: the wrongful death paragraph in the initial petition (SLR 9.052), the mandatory accounting format with its added summary section (SLR 9.161), the one-year status statement (SLR 9.165) and the partial distribution petition (SLR 9.164). This is a two-county district with no probate department, so there is no counter specialist to walk a correction through. And the mode of appearance for any hearing is fixed by the court's notice, with a written request needed to change it (SLR 7.015). Consider counsel when a will is contested or a dispute among heirs is likely, when the estate is insolvent or a creditor is pressing a claim inside the four-month window (ORS 115.005), when ranch ground, timber, water rights, a business or out-of-state property has to be valued, sold or divided, when a wrongful death or personal injury claim is part of the estate, when a conservatorship or guardianship has to run alongside the estate, or when a matter looks likely to be set for a contested hearing or trial. Court staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Oregon probate attorney serving Union County.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset supports estate settlement by searching 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 property and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value before you file. That matters here twice over: the petition must state the extent and nature of the assets (ORS 113.035) and the caption must state the value of the estate, because the filing fee is tiered by it (ORS 21.105(1)).
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the paperwork for your route, whether a petition for appointment of a personal representative or a simple estate affidavit, ready to submit through OJD eFile or to file on paper at the counter at 1105 K Avenue, in the courthouse drop box, or by mail to La Grande.
Find a local probate attorney. When a matter is contested or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Oregon 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?
With the Union County Circuit Court, at the Union County Courthouse, 1105 K Ave, La Grande, OR 97850. There is one filing location for the county and the mailing address is the same street address, so you can file at the counter, in the courthouse drop box, by mail, or electronically through OJD eFile. Probate here sits in the circuit court rather than a county court, because ORS 111.075 vests probate jurisdiction in the county courts of only six named counties and in the circuit court for every other county. Call 541-962-9500 extension 43 with a filing question. File in Union County if the person who died lived here, because that is where the notice to interested persons is published (ORS 113.155(1)), although Oregon's venue rule is broader and filing elsewhere is not a jurisdictional defect (ORS 113.015).
Union County shares a judicial district with Wallowa County. Does that change where I file?
No. The Union County Circuit Court is the 10th Judicial District of Oregon and shares two elected judges, a trial court administrator and one set of supplementary local rules with Wallowa County, but that is an administrative arrangement. Venue is by county under ORS 113.015, so a Union County estate is filed at the Union County Courthouse in La Grande, not in Enterprise and not somewhere called the district. The shared rules make the same point where they name a counter: SLR 9.081 lists the Union County location as 1105 K Avenue, La Grande and the Wallowa County location as 101 S River Street, 2nd floor, Enterprise, separately. Where the shared district does matter is that the local rules you have to follow are the 10th District's, and its probate chapter has real requirements in it.
Can I e-file a probate case in Union County?
Yes. OJD eFile, the statewide electronic filing system run as Odyssey File and Serve, covers Oregon's circuit courts, which includes Union County. An active licensee of the Oregon State Bar must use it unless the document has to be filed conventionally or the filer holds a waiver (UTCR 21.140(1)), and the district restates that mandate in SLR 1.161. A self-represented filer may register and e-file but is not required to, and can file at the counter, in the drop box or by mail instead. The original will is the exception: a document required by law to be filed in original form must be filed conventionally (UTCR 21.070(3)(h)), so e-file an image of it and deliver the original within seven business days with a filing comment saying so, and it counts as filed on the date the image went in (UTCR 21.070(3)(h)(i)). The 10th District's rules contain no SLR 2.501, so nothing else is added to the conventional filing list here. An electronic filing is timely to 11:59:59 p.m. in the court's time zone (UTCR 21.080(2)).
How much does it cost to open a probate in Union County?
The fee is statutory and 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, and there is no fee for an amended affidavit (ORS 21.145(4); ORS 114.515(5)). Oregon also charges for each annual or final accounting, at $35, $298, $591 and $1,176 on the same value bands (ORS 21.170(2)), and $281 for any other appearance in a probate proceeding (ORS 21.135(1) and (2)(g); ORS 21.170(4)). Fees are payable in advance and are not refundable (ORS 21.100), Union County adds no local surcharge, and fee waivers and deferrals are available. Payment must be in U.S. dollars and credit cards may be used, with card fees as provided in ORS 1.005 (SLR 1.034; SLR 1.035). Confirm the amount with the court at 541-962-9500 extension 43.
Does Union County have local probate forms?
No. Nineteen forms are scoped to Union County in the Oregon Judicial Department forms library and none of them is a probate form; they are family law, general, court records, jury and criminal forms. The court's own forms page lists its local categories as criminal and traffic, family law and general court forms, with no probate category, and warns that where two versions of a form exist you should select the Union version. Nobody publishes a petition to open a probate: Oregon requires no particular pleadings or forms of pleadings in the exercise of the jurisdiction of probate courts (ORS 111.205(2)), so the petition, the order, the inventory and the notices are drafted documents. The Oregon Judicial Department does publish a free statewide Simple Estate Affidavit packet, a Claim Against Estate form and an Accounting form, and in this district that accounting format is mandatory rather than optional (SLR 9.161; UTCR 9.160).
Is there a special way to file an accounting in Union County?
Yes, and it is the local rule most likely to catch a personal representative out. SLR 9.161(1) provides that accountings required under ORS chapters 116 and 125 shall be in the form prescribed by UTCR 9.160, with additions. UTCR 9.160 makes that statewide format acceptable in every judicial district and lets a district make it mandatory, and the 10th District has done so. The addition, in SLR 9.161(2), is a section summarizing the sums identified in ORS 116.083, placed directly after the paragraph identifying the accounting period, showing the beginning balance, which must equal the inventory total or the prior accounting's ending balance, the revenue and property receipts for the period, the disbursements for the period, and the ending balance. Remember Oregon charges a fee for each annual or final accounting, tiered at $35, $298, $591 and $1,176 by the value of the estate (ORS 21.170(2)).
What happens if a Union County estate stays open more than a year?
The court asks for a status report inside the annual accounting. SLR 9.165 provides that when one year has elapsed after the initial filing of a decedent's estate that does not include a wrongful death claim, the personal representative shall file, in the annual accounting, a statement advising the court of the status of the estate, and that statement must indicate the date the personal representative anticipates closing it. That is on top of the statewide rule that an account is filed annually within 60 days after the anniversary of appointment unless the court orders otherwise (ORS 116.083(1)). If you need to pay out part of the estate before final settlement, that is a petition under ORS 116.013, the inventory has to be in the case record first, and the same notice ORS 116.093 requires applies (SLR 9.164).
Can I appear by phone or video in a Union County probate matter?
It depends on what your notice says, and you cannot simply decide. The court's standing notice is that any court notice in hand or forthcoming will designate the mode of appearance and will not be changed unless other arrangements are made and approved through the court, and that any notice silent on mode of appearance will be presumed in person. SLR 7.015(1) and (2) match: where remote appearance is indicated on the notice no request is needed, and where the notice requires litigants in person, the parties must obtain permission in writing to appear remotely. The court publishes a Union County Motion for Remote Appearance form, runs remote hearings on Webex with litigant, witness, attorney and public access guides, and takes remote hearing questions at 541-962-9500 or [email protected]. If a proceeding is remote or hybrid, exhibits must be bookmarked, submitted as Chief Justice Order 23-028 requires and shown to have gone to all parties, or they will be rejected in File and Serve (SLR 7.015(4)). Nothing published makes probate hearings remote by default.
How do I look up a Union County probate case or get copies?
The free Oregon Judicial Department Records and Calendar Search covers Oregon's circuit courts, so a Union County estate case appears there. 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 ORS 7.020 register record, and that documents are not available through the service. For documents, the court says that records requests are handled first come, first served, that documents in newer court cases can be reviewed using the kiosk computers in the courthouse lobby, and that older case files that have not been digitized can be reviewed by requesting the file be retrieved. The remote route to documents is a paid OJCIN OnLine subscription. An exemplified copy, the three-way certificate other states and countries often require, takes two to three additional days to process.
What are the Union County Circuit Court's hours, and is there a filing cutoff?
The court publishes courthouse hours of 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (verified July 2026), so the counter closes over the middle of the day, and it adds that all public service counters are closed from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. while courtrooms keep running to 5:00 p.m. There is a drop box at 1105 K Avenue: the court checks it daily at 5:00 p.m., an item left between 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. is received that same business day, and anything left after 5:00 p.m. is treated as received the following business day. Oregon courts are closed on legal holidays. If you e-file instead, the deadline is later: an electronic filing is timely if submitted by 11:59:59 p.m. in the court's time zone (UTCR 21.080(2)).
Is probate in Union County handled by the county clerk or a county court?
Neither. Union is a circuit-court county. ORS 111.075 vests probate jurisdiction in the county courts of Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Sherman and Wheeler Counties and in the circuit court for each other county, so a Union County estate belongs to the Union County Circuit Court at 1105 K Ave. The Union County Clerk and Recorder, at 1001 Fourth Street, Suite D, La Grande, 541-963-1006, is the county's recording officer for deeds, mortgages and assignments and also handles elections, marriage licenses, birth certificates and passports; it publishes nothing about probate and matters to an estate only when a deed has to be recorded. The Union County Justice Court, at 10605 Island Avenue in Island City, has no probate jurisdiction.
Does Union County require a personal representative to take a court class?
No. Several Oregon judicial districts have adopted a local rule requiring a non-professional fiduciary, sometimes expressly including a personal representative, to complete a court-prescribed education class within a set number of days of appointment. The 10th Judicial District has not. Chapter 9 of the Union and Wallowa County supplementary local rules effective February 1, 2026 contains rules on service on a minor's parents, wrongful death and personal injury proceeds, oral objections, probate commissioners, court visitors, reports, accountings, partial distributions and estates open past a year, and no fiduciary education requirement. What a personal representative appointed in La Grande owes is the statewide set of duties plus this district's accounting, status and distribution rules.
Do I have to travel to La Grande to settle an estate in Union County?
Often not at all. A self-represented filer can register for OJD eFile and submit the petition and the later filings electronically, or mail them to the court at 1105 K Ave, La Grande, OR 97850, and certified copies of the letters can be mailed back at $5 plus 25 cents per page in paper form or $0 delivered electronically (ORS 21.258; Chief Justice Order 23-016; fee schedule effective January 1, 2026). The two things that pull you to the courthouse are the original will, which must be filed conventionally (UTCR 21.070(3)(h)), and any hearing whose notice designates an in-person appearance, since changing that takes permission in writing under SLR 7.015(2). The kiosk computers in the courthouse lobby are also the only free way to see filed documents, so a local agent or a records request is the alternative for an out-of-state filer.
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.