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Pawtucket Probate Court, RI Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Court | Pawtucket Probate Court |
| Courthouse | Pawtucket City Hall, 137 Roosevelt Avenue, third floor, Pawtucket, RI 02860 |
| Where you file | City Clerk's Office, Rooms 300-302, third floor. The city clerk of Pawtucket is the clerk of the probate court under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-6. |
| Where the court sits | City Council Chambers, third floor |
| Mailing | The city publishes no separate probate mailing address. Use the City Clerk's Office, third floor, 137 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02860. |
| Phone | (401) 728-0500, extension 259 |
| Fax | (401) 728-8932, the city clerk's fax |
| No probate role mailbox is published. Call the clerk's office. | |
| Clerk's office hours | Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
| Court sessions | The court's published administrative rules under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-29 state that sessions convene at 2:00 p.m. on the first, second and third Wednesday of each month, unless that date is a legal holiday. Confirm the next date with the clerk. |
| 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. Those statutory amounts are current and unchanged since at least 1996 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21. Pawtucket adds its own records and advertising charges; its published schedule, read September 2026, prices an administration or a will at $124.00 with advertisement and $79.00 on waiver, a voluntary informal filing at $39.00, an affidavit of completed administration or a file-and-record-only filing at $34.00, an account at $45.00, a petition to sell real estate at $79.00, and a certificate of appointment at $5.00. The one percent is recalculated against the inventory and the difference is billed or refunded. |
| Local forms | No Pawtucket-only probate form is published. Pawtucket uses the statewide PC probate forms, required when available under its own rules and published free by the Secretary of State under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16. |
| Electronic filing | Paper filing. Pawtucket's probate website does not offer electronic filing, and Rhode Island probate statutes assume paper filing with the clerk. |
| Case search | No online Pawtucket probate estate index or searchable docket is published. Probate records are kept by the city clerk under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-7. |
| Website | https://pawtucketri.gov/city-clerks-office/probate-court/ |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before filing in Pawtucket, make a working list of accounts, personal property, debts, real estate and likely heirs or beneficiaries. The first fee is based on an estimate you provide, and estate settlement goes more smoothly when the petition, waivers, notice list and fee calculation all start from a complete asset picture.
Sunset can help identify accounts and assets across 2,300 institutions before you prepare the Pawtucket packet. That asset discovery helps you decide whether the estate belongs in a full administration, a voluntary informal filing under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24, or a real-estate sale path that needs more court approval.
Which court handles jurisdiction
File where the decedent lived. If the decedent's home was in Pawtucket, the Pawtucket Probate Court is the court, and no other Rhode Island probate court has jurisdiction over the estate under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-9. If the decedent lived in another Rhode Island city or town, that municipality's own probate court is the one to file in.
Rhode Island has no county probate courts and no county government. The Pawtucket Probate Court is the court for the city of Pawtucket and for no other municipality under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-9. Pawtucket is in Providence County, which matters in one respect only: an appeal from a decree of this court goes to the Superior Court for that county under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-23-1, and the Superior Court sits in four divisions statewide, with Providence and Bristol counties served together.
A Pawtucket appeal has two separate deadlines under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-23-1: within 20 days after execution of the decree, the claim of appeal is filed with the Pawtucket probate clerk, and within 30 days after entry of the decree, the certified claim and reasons of appeal are filed in the Superior Court. Both deadlines are jurisdictional and the appeal is heard de novo.
The jurisdiction process
- List the assets and liabilities first. Pawtucket's opening fee is tied to the personal property estimate you put on the petition, and that estimate is later revised under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21.
- Choose the filing path. Use the statewide PC probate forms published by the Secretary of State under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16, including PC-1.1 for an administration under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-8-8, PC-1.5 for a will, PC-1.10 for a voluntary administrator under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1, or PC-1.9 for a voluntary executor under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-2.
- File with the city clerk of Pawtucket, who is the clerk of the probate court under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-6. The filing counter is the City Clerk's Office, Rooms 300-302, third floor, Pawtucket City Hall, 137 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02860.
- Pay before the petition is filed. For a will or administration petition, Rhode Island charges one percent of the decedent's personal property, with a $30 floor and a $1,500 ceiling on the petitioner's estimate (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21); Pawtucket's published schedule adds its own records and advertising charges, $124.00 with advertisement or $79.00 on waiver for an administration or a will as at September 2026. Checks are payable to the City of Pawtucket. The clerk issues a written receipt and, where a hearing is needed, notes the hearing date on it.
- Deal with notice. Either advertise, once a week for at least two weeks with the first advertisement at least 14 days before the hearing date in an English-language newspaper published in the county or a Providence newspaper of general circulation (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11), or collect waivers from every interested party and save the advertising cost. Pawtucket's rules define the interested parties as the heirs at law in an administration and the beneficiaries in a testate proceeding, plus creditors who have filed claims.
- Meet Pawtucket's own filing deadlines: a matter that has to be advertised is filed and its fees paid no later than the Wednesday before the week of publication, and a matter on waiver is filed 48 hours before the hearing date.
- Provide notice of the estate to the state health and human services agency and be ready to show the court proof of it. Pawtucket requires this and asks for the evidence at the hearing on allowance of a will or appointment of an administrator.
- Attend the session if there is one. The court sits at 2:00 p.m. on the first, second and third Wednesday of each month in the City Council Chambers on the third floor of City Hall. Sign the docket sheet in the City Clerk's Office on the day of the session; formal and uncontested matters are called first, in order of sign-in (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-30).
- Collect your authority. The probate clerk issues a certificate of your appointment at $5.00 each (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21); Pawtucket's rules say certificates are issued solely by the court and that reissuing a lost one after significant time is at the court's discretion, so ask for as many as you expect to need.
- File the inventory of personal property within 90 days of your appointment (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-9-1), or petition the court for more time, which Pawtucket's rules expressly invite. This is where the one percent is recomputed against real numbers.
- If the estate owned a house, petition to sell or mortgage on PC-4.2, and expect Pawtucket to want a copy of the purchase and sales agreement before it grants a sale and an independent appraisal that does not come from the listing or the buyer's agent.
- Handle the estate tax. Rhode Island puts an automatic statutory lien on every parcel a decedent owned at death and it is noted in the land records of the city where the property sits (R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-12); Form RI-706 clears it and Form T-77 requests the discharge on real property, and a non-taxable estate files anyway to get the Division of Taxation's Notice of No Tax Due for the probate court.
- Let the six-month claims period run from the first publication (R.I. Gen. Laws 33-11-5) and file the affidavit of notice to creditors that Pawtucket requires with any final account or affidavit of complete administration.
- Close it. The Pawtucket Probate Court will not allow a final account until it sees that the estate tax has been paid, extended or determined not to apply (R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-36). An account must be certified by you together with the attorney for the estate or the accountant who prepared it, and a certificate of accounting goes with the final account. An affidavit of complete administration needs the original releases, the original paid funeral bill, the claim releases, the creditor notice certification, the estate tax discharge, proof of the health and human services notice, and either a recorded certificate of devise or descent or an affidavit that the decedent owned no real estate. Pawtucket handles that affidavit administratively in the clerk's office, off the docket.
Executor duties
Pawtucket adds several practical requirements to the statewide duties of a personal representative. If you cannot file the inventory within 90 days after appointment under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-9-1, Pawtucket's rules tell you to petition the court for more time rather than simply filing late.
| Duty | Pawtucket requirement |
|---|---|
| Accounts | Pawtucket's rules state that accounts are filed yearly and that an account must be certified by the fiduciary together with the attorney for the estate or the certified public accountant who prepared it. A certificate of accounting goes with the final account, and the final account cannot be allowed until the estate tax position is resolved under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-36. |
| Sale proceeds | An account showing proceeds from a real-estate sale must include the settlement statement. A petition to sell real estate also needs the purchase and sales agreement and an independent appraisal. |
| Creditor notice | No final account or affidavit of complete administration will be accepted without an affidavit showing notice to known or easily located creditors under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-11-5.1 and the claims rules in R.I. Gen. Laws 33-11-5. |
| Health and human services notice | Pawtucket requires notice to the state health and human services agency in a decedent's estate and expects proof for the court. Because the court's rules state the scope in more than one way, ask the clerk which version applies. |
| Real estate at closing | Pawtucket requires either a certificate of devise or descent that is recorded in the land records, with a recorded copy filed back into the estate, or an affidavit that the decedent owned no real estate. |
| Complete administration | The closing checklist includes releases, the original paid funeral bill, claim releases, notice certifications, estate tax discharge paperwork under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-36, proof of the health and human services notice, current fees, and the real-estate item above. |
Forms and documents
Probate forms at the Pawtucket Probate Court
Rhode Island probate forms are statewide. A legislative commission prescribes them and the Secretary of State publishes them free to the public, lawyers and probate clerks under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16. Pawtucket's own administrative rules under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-29 state that use of statewide forms is required when available.
The Pawtucket Probate Court's own website publishes no Pawtucket-only probate form. It links the statewide probate forms catalogue at www.sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-services/probate-forms/ under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16 and highlights four statewide forms: PC-1.10 Petition for Voluntary Informal Administrator under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1, PC-1.9 Petition for Voluntary Informal Executor under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-2, PC-8.1 Change of Name, and PC-10.1 Entry of Appearance.
Some items Pawtucket requires are not separate local forms. They include the affidavit of notice to creditors tied to R.I. Gen. Laws 33-11-5.1, a recorded certificate of devise or descent or an affidavit that there was no real estate, the certificate of accounting with a final account under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-36, releases, the paid funeral bill, claim releases, proof of required state-agency notice, and a paid funeral receipt for a voluntary informal filing under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24.
Fees
Rhode Island sets probate fees by statute and the same statutory 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. Those statutory amounts are current and unchanged since at least 1996 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21.
Two parts surprise people. First, the fee is due before the petition is filed and is calculated from the estimate you supply on the petition itself. It is provisional: R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21 requires revision when the estimate turns out to be wrong, with a further payment or a rebate, and the amount is checked against the inventory filed within 90 days under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-9-1. Second, the statutory fee is not the whole cost. Notice by newspaper advertisement is paid through the clerk in advance under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11, and Pawtucket adds local records charges.
| Filing or copy | Pawtucket charge |
|---|---|
| Administration with advertisement, as published September 2026 | $124.00 |
| Administration on waiver, as published September 2026 | $79.00 |
| Will with advertisement, as published September 2026 | $124.00 |
| Will on waiver, as published September 2026 | $79.00 |
| Account, as published September 2026 | $45.00 |
| Sale of real estate, as published September 2026 | $79.00 |
| File and record only, as published September 2026 | $34.00 |
| Voluntary informal filing under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24, as published September 2026 | $39.00 |
| Affidavit of completed administration, as published September 2026 | $34.00 |
| Certificate of appointment, current statutory charge under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21 | $5.00 |
| Copies, current statutory charge under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21 | $1.50 per page |
| Certification, current statutory charge under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21 | $3.00 plus $1.50 per page |
The practical waiver saving is $45.00, as published September 2026: Pawtucket charges $124.00 with advertisement and $79.00 on waiver for both an administration and a will. A special session for a contested matter carries no additional fee under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-30, and Pawtucket's rules say the same.
Timeline
- Before filing, collect asset information for the petition estimate because the opening fee is calculated under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21 and later checked against the inventory under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-9-1.
- If notice by newspaper advertisement is needed under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11, Pawtucket's rules say the matter and fees should be filed no later than the Wednesday before the week of publication.
- If every interested party signs a waiver under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22, Pawtucket's rules say the matter should be filed 48 hours before the hearing date.
- For matters where the statutes are not specific, Pawtucket's rules require ten days' written notice by regular mail to interested parties or their counsel.
- The court's administrative rules under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-29 set sessions at 2:00 p.m. on the first, second and third Wednesday of each month, unless the date is a legal holiday. Confirm the next session with the clerk because the published rules are dated July 22, 2019.
- On the session day, sign the docket sheet in the City Clerk's Office. Formal and uncontested matters are called first under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-30, in order of sign-in.
- After appointment, file the inventory of personal property within 90 days, or petition for more time, under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-9-1.
- Creditor claims run from the first publication under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-11-5, and Pawtucket requires an affidavit of notice to creditors before a final account or affidavit of complete administration is accepted.
- Before closing, resolve the estate tax position. The final account cannot be allowed until the tax has been paid, extended or determined not to apply under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-36.
Local nuance
Pawtucket-specific considerations
| Local point | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| One building, two rooms | File in the City Clerk's Office, Rooms 300-302, third floor. Hearings are in the City Council Chambers on the same floor. The city clerk of Pawtucket is the clerk of the probate court under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-6. |
| Three monthly sessions | The court's administrative rules under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-29 state that sessions convene at 2:00 p.m. on the first, second and third Wednesday of each month, unless the date is a legal holiday. |
| Sign-in order | On a hearing day, Pawtucket requires counselors and self-represented litigants to sign the docket sheet in the City Clerk's Office. Formal and uncontested matters are heard first under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-30, in order of sign-in. |
| Acting judge rule | The court's own rules state, citing the city charter, that if the probate judge has a conflict, sickness, absence from the city or other disability or ineligibility, the mayor may appoint the city solicitor as acting judge. Do not rely on that rule without calling the clerk if it matters to a contested case. |
| Affidavit of complete administration | Pawtucket handles an affidavit of complete administration administratively in the clerk's office, off the docket under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-30. |
| Real-estate closing step | Pawtucket requires either a recorded certificate of devise or descent, with a recorded copy returned to the estate, or an affidavit that the decedent owned no real estate. |
| Privacy | Pawtucket's rules state that the court seals medical records and Social Security numbers in probate proceedings. |
| Friday hours | The filing counter closes at 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Land evidence recordings stop earlier than general counter hours, so ask the clerk before bringing a deed, certificate or other recording tied to an estate settlement. |
Small-estate Alternatives
Pawtucket has two local details for voluntary informal filings under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24. First, the city links both statewide forms directly: PC-1.10 for a voluntary administrator under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1 and PC-1.9 for a voluntary executor under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-2. Second, Pawtucket's fee table, read September 2026, prices a voluntary informal filing under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24 at $39.00.
Pawtucket's rules also require a paid funeral receipt on filing, or with good cause within 30 days after the petition is granted under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24. The statewide limits still control: for the R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1 route, the $15,000 figure excludes tangible personal property, any real estate blocks the route, and the person acting must meet the statute's Rhode Island residency rule.
Recent updates
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely Pawtucket path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with a co-owned home | If the home was co-owned, some title work may happen outside the estate, but a Pawtucket probate filing may still be needed for accounts or other personal property. Pawtucket charges $124.00 with advertisement and $79.00 on waiver for an administration or a will, as published September 2026; waiver practice is tied to R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22 and notice by advertisement is tied to R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11. Any Rhode Island real-property estate tax lien is handled through the estate tax process under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-12 and 44-23-36. | Sunset helps assemble the asset list, identify accounts that still need authority, and generate a Pawtucket packet that includes waiver planning when the family is aligned. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a small estate | If the parent died without a will, an out-of-state child cannot be the voluntary administrator under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1 because that statute requires the affiant to be a Rhode Island resident. If a will names the child as executor, R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-2 may allow the child to act from out of state by appointing a resident agent on PC-3.5 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-2. Pawtucket prices the voluntary informal filing at $39.00 as published September 2026 and requires a paid funeral receipt on filing or with good cause within 30 days after the petition is granted under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24. | Sunset helps sort the will, account list and family contacts, then flags whether a Rhode Island resident or resident agent may be needed before a trip or mailing is planned. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate when a home must be sold | Real estate takes the estate out of the R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24 voluntary informal route. Use a full estate filing, then PC-4.2 for sale or mortgage approval. Pawtucket charges $79.00 for a sale-of-real-estate petition as published September 2026, and its rules require a purchase and sales agreement before a sale is granted plus an independent appraisal that does not come from the listing agent or the buyer's agent. Form RI-706 and Form T-77 are part of clearing the Rhode Island estate tax lien on real property under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-12 and 44-23-36. | Sunset helps collect account information, prepare the court packet, and connect the family with a local probate attorney for the sale petition and lien-clearing steps. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it provides | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Pawtucket Probate Court | Case-type list, fee table, administrative rules under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-29, and the four probate forms the city highlights | https://pawtucketri.gov/city-clerks-office/probate-court/ |
| Pawtucket City Clerk's Office | Filing location, Rooms 300-302 on the third floor, the probate phone extension and the city clerk's fax. The city clerk is the clerk of the probate court under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-6. | https://pawtucketri.gov/city-clerks-office/ |
| Pawtucket City Hall hours | Counter hours, including Thursday evening hours and the Friday close at 12:30 p.m. | https://pawtucketri.gov/hours/ |
| Pawtucket land evidence records | Land records search, recording hours and recording-fee information for documents that must be recorded after a real-property estate step | https://pawtucketri.gov/city-clerks-office/real-estate-records/ |
| Rhode Island Secretary of State, probate forms | Statewide PC probate forms, free under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16 | https://www.sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-services/probate-forms/ |
| Rhode Island Division of Taxation, estate tax | Form RI-706, Form T-77, Form T-79 for securities, the estate tax lien process under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-12, and Notice of No Tax Due information for probate court purposes under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-36 | https://tax.ri.gov/tax-sections/estate-tax |
| Rhode Island General Laws | Rhode Island probate statutes, including R.I. Gen. Laws title 33 and chapter 8-9 | https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE33/INDEX.htm |
| Rhode Island Superior Court | Appeal court information for a Pawtucket probate decree under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-23-1, in the Providence/Bristol County division | https://www.courts.ri.gov/Courts/SuperiorCourt/Pages/default.aspx |
When to hire an attorney
Probate counsel can be especially useful in Pawtucket when the estate includes a contested matter, a real-estate sale, Rhode Island estate tax lien work under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-12 and 44-23-36, an account that must be certified under the court's rules, or an appeal under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-23-1. Rhode Island probate judges must be attorneys admitted before the Rhode Island Supreme Court and in active practice under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-2.1, and Pawtucket's own account rules assume help from an attorney or certified public accountant at that step. Sunset connects families with a vetted probate attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset helps families identify bank, brokerage, retirement, insurance and other accounts so the Pawtucket filing starts with a clearer asset picture. That makes estate settlement less dependent on guesswork at the counter.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the information you provide into an organized Pawtucket probate packet using the statewide PC forms published under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16, with local filing notes for Rooms 300-302, the waiver deadline and the hearing sign-in step.
Find a local probate attorney. When the estate involves real estate, contested issues, an appeal under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-23-1, estate tax clearance under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23, or a Pawtucket account certification, Sunset can connect you with a local probate attorney.
Sunset is free for families. Sunset assembles the information, forms and attorney connection at no cost to families, so you can focus on estate settlement instead of searching across offices and forms.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Pawtucket, Rhode Island?
File with the city clerk of Pawtucket, who is the clerk of the probate court under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-6. The filing counter is the City Clerk's Office, Rooms 300-302, third floor, Pawtucket City Hall, 137 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02860.
When does the Pawtucket Probate Court sit?
The court's administrative rules under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-29 state that sessions convene at 2:00 p.m. on the first, second and third Wednesday of each month, unless the date is a legal holiday. The session is in the City Council Chambers on the third floor of City Hall. Call (401) 728-0500, extension 259, to confirm the next date because the published rules are dated July 22, 2019.
What does it cost to open an estate in Pawtucket?
For a will or administration petition, the statutory fee is one percent of personal property, with a $30 floor and a $1,500 ceiling, current and unchanged since at least 1996 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21. Pawtucket's local schedule, read September 2026, adds local charges: $124.00 with advertisement and $79.00 on waiver for an administration or a will. The amount paid at filing is based on your estimate and is revised after the inventory under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-9-1.
Can I file a Pawtucket probate case online?
Plan on paper filing with the City Clerk's Office. Pawtucket's probate website does not offer electronic filing, and the statutes assume paper: the petition is in writing and signed, the original will must reach the court when required by R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-2, and the fee is paid before filing with a written receipt under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21.
Can I look up a Pawtucket estate online?
The Pawtucket Probate Court's own website does not publish an online estate index or searchable probate docket. Probate records are kept by the city clerk under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-7. To check a Pawtucket file, call (401) 728-0500, extension 259, or visit Rooms 300-302 on the third floor of City Hall. Copies cost $1.50 per page, with $3.00 to certify, current statutory charges under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-21.
Does the Pawtucket Probate Court have its own forms?
No Pawtucket-only probate form is published on the court's website. Pawtucket uses the statewide PC probate forms, which the Secretary of State publishes free under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-16, and Pawtucket's rules require statewide forms when available. Its own page highlights PC-1.10 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-1, PC-1.9 under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-24-2, PC-8.1 and PC-10.1.
Do I have to come to a hearing to close an estate in Pawtucket?
Not always. Pawtucket's rules state that an affidavit of complete administration is handled administratively in the Probate Clerk's office and does not appear on the docket under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-30. That closing path still requires the documents Pawtucket lists, including creditor notice paperwork under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-11-5.1 and estate tax clearance under R.I. Gen. Laws 44-23-36.
How do I avoid the newspaper advertisement in a Pawtucket probate matter?
Use waiver practice when every interested party signs. Pawtucket's rules state that notice may be waived by the parties, and waiver is tied to R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22. Pawtucket's September 2026 schedule shows the money difference: $124.00 with advertisement under R.I. Gen. Laws 33-22-11 and $79.00 on waiver for an administration or a will.
What if the decedent lived in a different Rhode Island city or town?
File where the decedent lived. Pawtucket Probate Court serves only the city of Pawtucket under R.I. Gen. Laws 8-9-9. If the decedent lived in another Rhode Island municipality, that municipality's probate court is the filing court.
How do I appeal a decision of the Pawtucket Probate Court?
R.I. Gen. Laws 33-23-1 has two jurisdictional deadlines. Within 20 days after execution of the decree, file the claim of appeal with the Pawtucket probate clerk. Within 30 days after entry of the decree, file the certified claim and reasons of appeal in the Superior Court. The appeal is heard de novo, and no dollar amount for the Superior Court filing fee is stated here.
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.