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Bristol Probate Court, RI Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Court | Bristol Probate Court |
| Courthouse address | Bristol Town Hall, 10 Court Street, Bristol, RI 02809. Probate sessions are held in the Conference Room at the same address. |
| Mailing | Use Bristol Town Hall, 10 Court Street, Bristol, RI 02809, unless the clerk gives you a different mailing instruction. |
| Phone | 401-253-7000, extension 121 |
| Fax | Call the clerk to confirm the current fax number before sending anything by fax. |
| Hours | Town Hall counter hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. These are not court session hours. |
| Sessions | Normally 9:15 a.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month, unless that day is a legal holiday. Rhode Island requires each probate court to publish local administrative rules that include session dates and times (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-29). |
| Filing fee | Set by state statute: one percent of the decedent's personal property, with a minimum of $30 and a maximum of $1,500, payable before the petition is filed and computed from the petitioner's own estimate (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21). Bristol's page, as posted in September 2026, lists a $34 minimum for an estate and adds its own records and advertising charges under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11. The one percent is recalculated against the inventory and the difference is billed or refunded. |
| Forms | Statewide PC probate forms are mandatory at the Bristol Probate Court. Rhode Island probate forms are prescribed and furnished without charge under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16. |
| E-filing status | Paper filing. Bristol's page does not offer an electronic filing link, and Rhode Island statutes assume paper filings, signed petitions, original wills and a written receipt (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-1, 33-24-2 and 33-22-21). |
| Case search | Bristol's probate page does not link an online case search. Probate records are kept by the town clerk of Bristol, who is the clerk of the probate court under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-6 and keeps probate papers under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-7. |
| Remote appearance | No remote option is published on Bristol's probate page. Call the clerk before the hearing if travel is an issue. |
| Website | Bristol Probate Court |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you choose a form or pay the first fee, make a practical estate settlement list: bank accounts, vehicles, personal property, debts, possible tax issues and whether any real estate has to be sold. In Bristol, that first estimate matters because the opening probate fee is calculated from the petitioner's estimate and later revised when the inventory is filed (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21 and 33-9-1).
Sunset's 2,300-institution asset discovery can help you find accounts before the Bristol filing, so the first petition, the inventory and the later estate settlement work are less likely to miss an asset.
Which court handles jurisdiction
File where the decedent lived. If the decedent's home was in Bristol, the Bristol Probate Court is the court, and no other Rhode Island probate court has jurisdiction over the estate (R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-9). If the decedent lived in a neighboring city or town, that municipality's own probate court is the place to file.
Rhode Island has no county probate courts and no county government. The Bristol Probate Court is the court for the town of Bristol and for no other municipality (R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-9). Bristol is in Bristol County, which matters in one respect only: an appeal from a decree of this court goes to the Superior Court for that county (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-23-1), and the Superior Court sits in four divisions statewide, with Providence and Bristol counties served together.
The jurisdiction process
- List the assets and debts first. The petition asks for an estimate of the personal property, and Rhode Island uses that estimate to calculate the fee before filing, subject to later revision (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21).
- Choose the statewide PC form. Bristol requires the statewide forms, and Rhode Island probate forms are furnished without charge under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16. Use the form that matches the estate, such as an administration petition for an intestate estate or a petition to probate a will for a testate estate.
- File with the Bristol Town Hall clerk's office at 10 Court Street. The town clerk of Bristol is the clerk of the probate court under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-6. Bristol's local rules say checks should be made payable to the Town of Bristol.
- Pay the state fee and Bristol's local charges. For a petition to probate a will or grant administration, Rhode Island charges one percent of the decedent's personal property, with a $30 minimum and a $1,500 maximum, paid before filing on your estimate (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21). Bristol's September 2026 page lists a $34 minimum for an estate and separate advertising charges under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11.
- Plan notice early. Bristol requires matters needing advertising to be filed, with fees paid, no later than the previous Tuesday of the week of publication. Publication runs in the Thursday Bristol Phoenix, three times before the hearing. Rhode Island notice by advertisement is governed by R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11.
- Use waivers when every interested person can sign. A waiver can reduce the Bristol advertising cost under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22. Bristol's September 2026 table lists Administration and Probate of Will at $154 without waiver and $94 with waiver.
- Attend the Bristol session. Sessions normally convene at 9:15 a.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month in the Conference Room at 10 Court Street. Bristol's rules say attorneys sign the docket in the Conference Room after Town Hall opens at 8 a.m., cases are heard in sign-in order, and contested matters are heard at the end of the session; Rhode Island also requires uncontested matters to be heard before contested matters (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-30).
- Get the authority document. When the court appoints you, ask the clerk for certificates of appointment. Rhode Island sets each certificate of appointment at $5 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21.
- File the inventory. An executor or administrator must file the inventory within 90 days after appointment, unless the probate court allows more time (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-9-1). The one percent fee is then recomputed against the inventory under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21.
- Close the estate. Bristol's local rules say no First and Final Accounting and no Affidavit of Completed Administration is accepted without a fiduciary affidavit certifying notice to all known and easily ascertainable creditors (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-11-5.1). Before the court will allow a final account, it must see that Rhode Island estate tax has been paid, extended or determined not to apply, and the Division of Taxation's certification settles that point (R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-36).
Executor duties
Bristol adds practical filing duties through its local administrative rules. No matter is heard until currently due fees have been paid, matters requiring advertising must be filed by Bristol's Tuesday deadline for the Thursday Bristol Phoenix publication cycle, and Bristol will not accept a First and Final Accounting or an Affidavit of Completed Administration without a fiduciary affidavit certifying notice to known and easily ascertainable creditors under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-11-5.1. Bristol's rules also place contested matters at the end of the regular docket, and Rhode Island authorizes special sessions for contested matters without additional fees (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-30).
Forms and documents
Probate forms at the Bristol Probate Court
Rhode Island probate forms are statewide. A legislative commission prescribes them and the Secretary of State publishes them free to the public, to lawyers and to the probate clerks (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16); they are numbered in the PC series and downloadable at sos.ri.gov. The Bristol Probate Court uses the same forms as every other Rhode Island probate court.
Bristol's own page says: "Probate Court Forms are available on the Rhode Island Secretary of State's website. Please Note: The use of these statewide forms is mandatory." No separate Bristol probate form is posted on the Bristol Probate Court page. A few Rhode Island forms are issued by the court rather than published online, so ask the Bristol clerk if a required form is not in the Secretary of State catalogue (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16).
Fees
Rhode Island sets probate fees by statute and the same schedule applies in all 39 cities and towns. For a petition to probate a will or to grant administration, the fee is one percent of the decedent's personal property over which the court has jurisdiction, with a floor of $30 and a ceiling of $1,500 (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21). Two things about that fee surprise people. First, it is due before the petition is filed and it is calculated from an estimate you supply on the petition itself, so the amount you pay at the counter is provisional: the statute requires the fee to be revised when the estimate turns out to be wrong, with a further payment or a refund, and the Bristol Probate Court recalculates it against the inventory you file within 90 days of your appointment (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-9-1). Second, the statutory fee is not the whole cost. Most petitions have to be advertised in a newspaper for two weeks, and the cost of that advertising is paid to the clerk in advance (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11); Bristol also charges its own records fee. If every interested party signs a waiver, the advertising requirement and its cost can fall away under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22. A separate $30 fee applies to a list of other petitions, including filing a will with no probate, an affidavit of complete administration and a petition to file a claim out of time (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-11-5 and 33-22-21), and each certificate of appointment costs $5 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21. Copies of anything on file are $1.50 a page with a $3 charge to certify under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21.
| Bristol item | Amount on Bristol page as of September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Minimum amount for an estate | $34 |
| Maximum amount for an estate | $1,500, matching the statutory ceiling in R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21 |
| Petition for Administration | $34, plus advertising if required under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11 |
| Petition for Probate of Will | $34, plus advertising if required under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11 |
| Administration with advertising | $154 without waiver, $94 with waiver, as posted in September 2026 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22 and 33-22-11 |
| Probate of Will with advertising | $154 without waiver, $94 with waiver, as posted in September 2026 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22 and 33-22-11 |
| Accounting advertising | $60, as posted in September 2026 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11 |
| Petition for Sale of Real Estate advertising | $60, as posted in September 2026 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11 |
| Certificate of appointment | $5 each under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21 |
| Certified copy of a probate document | $3 plus $1.50 per page under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21 |
Timeline
- Before filing, gather the asset estimate. The estimate controls the initial one percent fee, subject to the $30 floor and $1,500 ceiling, and later revision under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21.
- For a Bristol matter that needs advertising, file the petition and pay the fees no later than the previous Tuesday of the week of publication. Bristol publishes in the Thursday Bristol Phoenix, and Rhode Island notice by advertisement is governed by R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11.
- For a matter on waiver, file before the hearing date. Waivers are handled under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22, and Bristol's posted September 2026 fee table shows lower charges for Administration and Probate of Will when the waiver avoids advertising under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11.
- Attend the regular session at 9:15 a.m. on the first or third Tuesday of the month in the Conference Room at 10 Court Street. Bristol's local administrative rules publish this schedule under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-29.
- After appointment, file the inventory within 90 days unless the court allows more time (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-9-1). The estate settlement fee is then corrected under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21.
Local nuance
Bristol-specific considerations
| Local point | What it means in Bristol |
|---|---|
| Conference Room sessions | Bristol sessions normally start at 9:15 a.m. on the first and third Tuesday in the Conference Room at 10 Court Street. The local administrative rules supply the session schedule required by R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-29. |
| Sign-in order | Bristol's rules ask attorneys to sign the docket in the Conference Room after Town Hall opens at 8 a.m. Cases are heard in sign-in order, with contested matters at the end, consistent with R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-30. |
| Bristol Phoenix publication cycle | Matters requiring advertising must be filed with fees paid by the previous Tuesday of the week of publication. Publication runs in the Thursday Bristol Phoenix, three times before the hearing, under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11. |
| Mandatory statewide forms | Bristol's page states that use of the statewide forms is mandatory. Rhode Island makes the statewide probate form system free to the public under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16. |
| Name-change limit | Bristol's rules say adult name-change petitioners go through a criminal background check through the Rhode Island Attorney General, and that a minor's name change goes through Family Court rather than Bristol Probate Court. |
Recent updates
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely Bristol path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with a co-owned home | Start by separating nonprobate property from assets titled only in the decedent's name. If a Bristol probate filing is needed, use the statewide PC forms required by Bristol under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16 and ask whether all interested persons can sign a waiver under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22. Bristol's September 2026 page lists Administration and Probate of Will at $154 without waiver and $94 with waiver when advertising under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11 is avoided. | Sunset helps identify accounts, prepare the estate settlement checklist and organize the Bristol filing packet. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a small estate | If the Bristol decedent died without a will, an out-of-state child cannot act as voluntary administrator because R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1 requires Rhode Island residency. If the child is named executor in a will, the voluntary executor route may be available under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-2, with a resident agent appointed on PC-3.5 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-2. Bristol's September 2026 page lists voluntary informal administration and voluntary informal executor filings at $34 plus $5 per certified copy. | Sunset helps determine whether a full Bristol petition is needed, whether the R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24 route fits, and which local attorney can serve or advise if a resident agent is needed. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A home sale usually requires full administration and, if the property is in the estate, a petition connected to sale of real estate. Bristol's September 2026 page lists a Petition for Sale of Real Estate advertising charge of $60 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11. The estate also must address Rhode Island estate tax lien issues before closing, including any Notice of No Tax Due needed for the probate court (R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-36). | Sunset helps find accounts, assemble the real-estate sale documents for the estate settlement, and connect the family with a Bristol-area probate attorney. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it provides | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol Probate Court | Contact information, session schedule, local administrative rules under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-29 and Bristol's September 2026 fee tables | Bristol Probate Court |
| Rhode Island Secretary of State probate forms | The statewide PC probate forms catalogue, free to the public under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16 and mandatory for Bristol filings | Probate forms |
| Rhode Island Superior Court | The court that hears an appeal from a Bristol probate decree; Bristol appeals go to the Providence/Bristol County division under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-23-1 | Rhode Island Superior Court |
| Rhode Island Division of Taxation estate tax | Estate tax return information, Form RI-706 under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23 and lien-discharge materials that may be needed before the final account is allowed under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-36 | Estate tax |
When to hire an attorney
Consider getting probate counsel if the Bristol estate includes real property, a disputed heir, a contested matter, a creditor problem, a tax lien issue, an out-of-state fiduciary, or a sale that needs court approval. Rhode Island probate practice is municipal and deadline-driven, and Bristol has its own filing deadlines for advertised matters under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11. Sunset connects to a vetted probate attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset helps families identify financial accounts, insurance, retirement plans and other assets that belong in the estate settlement picture before the Bristol filing is made.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset helps organize the information needed for the statewide Rhode Island PC forms, Bristol's filing steps and the supporting documents the clerk will expect.
Find a local probate attorney. If the estate needs legal help, Sunset connects families with a vetted probate attorney who understands Rhode Island municipal probate practice and Bristol filing requirements.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to organize the estate settlement, understand the Bristol path and decide what help they need next.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate for someone who lived in Bristol, Rhode Island?
File at the Bristol Probate Court through Bristol Town Hall, 10 Court Street, Bristol, RI 02809. The town clerk of Bristol is the clerk of the probate court under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-6, and Bristol is the proper court when the decedent lived in the town of Bristol (R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-9).
When does the Bristol Probate Court meet?
Bristol sessions normally convene at 9:15 a.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month, unless that day is a legal holiday. The hearings are held in the Conference Room at 10 Court Street, and Bristol publishes that schedule in its local administrative rules under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-29.
Can I file a Bristol probate case electronically?
Bristol's probate page does not offer an electronic filing link. Rhode Island statutes assume paper probate filings: petitions are written and signed, the original will must reach the court when required, and the clerk issues a written receipt for the fee (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-1, 33-24-2 and 33-22-21).
How much does a Bristol probate filing cost?
For a petition to probate a will or grant administration, Rhode Island charges one percent of personal property, with a $30 minimum and $1,500 maximum, paid before filing on your estimate and revised later (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21). Bristol's September 2026 page lists a $34 minimum for an estate, Administration and Probate of Will at $154 without waiver and $94 with waiver when advertising under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11 applies, and a $5 certificate of appointment under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21.
Does Bristol require Rhode Island's statewide probate forms?
Yes. Bristol's page says use of the statewide forms is mandatory. Rhode Island probate forms are furnished without charge through the Secretary of State under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16.
Is there an online Bristol probate case search?
Bristol's probate page does not link an online case search. Probate records are kept by the town clerk of Bristol, who is the clerk of the probate court under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-6 and keeps probate papers under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-7.
Do I have to travel to Bristol for the hearing?
Bristol's page does not publish a remote option. If every interested person signs a waiver under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22, the matter may be simpler and may avoid advertising under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11, but you should call the clerk before assuming a hearing can be handled without travel.
What happens if someone contests the Bristol probate matter?
Bristol's rules say contested matters are heard at the end of the regular docket. Rhode Island also lets the probate court hold a special session for contested matters without an extra fee (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-30).
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.