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Addison County, VT Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Addison County detail |
|---|---|
| Court | Addison Probate Division |
| Courthouse address | 7 Mahady Court, Middlebury, VT 05753 |
| Mailing address | No separate mailing address is published. Use 7 Mahady Court, Middlebury, VT 05753. |
| Phone | 802-388-7741 |
| [email protected] | |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except observed holidays. Closed the first Friday of each month from 8:00 a.m. to noon for in-service training. |
| Filing fee | $50.00 for an estate of $10,000 or less, $110.00 from $10,001 to $50,000, rising to $3,250.00 above $10,000,000, under the statewide schedule in 32 V.S.A. § 1434(a), in force since July 1, 2015. |
| Addison-only forms | None. The Addison County Probate Division uses the Vermont Judiciary statewide probate forms. |
| E-filing | Vermont's courts, including the Probate Division, use a statewide e-filing system. The Judiciary is moving filers from Odyssey File & Serve to its new eFileVT platform, also called eFile & Serve. Attorneys and state agencies must e-file. A self-represented filer may e-file but is not required to, and may instead file in person, by mail or by email. |
| Case access | Vermont Judiciary Public Portal at portal.vtcourts.gov. Anonymous users can see Civil Division and Judicial Bureau case summaries remotely. Probate case information is available to the general public only at courthouse public access terminals. A party who registers and receives elevated access can view their own probate case, hearings and filed papers online. The free Addison County Probate Division hearing calendar for the next 90 days is published at www.vtcourts.gov/court-calendars. |
| Remote appearance | Remote hearings by Zoom are used across the Vermont courts. Your hearing notice says whether your hearing is remote or in person. You can notify the court in writing to appear remotely instead, or ask permission in writing to appear in person, so that the court and the other party receive it at least three days before the hearing. |
| Website | www.vtcourts.gov/court-locations/addison-probate-division |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file in Middlebury, identify the assets, debts, account holders and likely beneficiaries. Vermont estate settlement turns on a complete inventory, and the certificate of appointment is what banks, brokerages, insurers, employers and Social Security ask to see.
Sunset's 2,300-institution asset discovery helps families find accounts before the first Addison County filing. That matters because the court issues two certificates of appointment at no charge with the letters of administration, and extra certificates cost $5.00 each under 32 V.S.A. § 1434(c), part of the fee schedule in force since July 1, 2015.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Addison County Probate Division at 7 Mahady Court in Middlebury serves all of Addison County. Communities in the county include Vergennes and the towns of Addison, Bridport, Bristol, Cornwall, Ferrisburgh, Goshen, Granville, Hancock, Leicester, Lincoln, Middlebury, Monkton, New Haven, Orwell, Panton, Ripton, Salisbury, Shoreham, Starksboro, Waltham, Weybridge and Whiting.
For a Vermont resident, file in the county where the decedent lived at death, which places an Addison County resident's estate in the Addison County Probate Division (4 V.S.A. § 311a(1)). For a decedent who lived outside Vermont but owned property in Vermont, venue may lie in any district where the Vermont property is situated (4 V.S.A. § 311a(2)). Every Vermont county has its own Probate Division, and no county shares one.
The jurisdiction process
- Choose the correct statewide Vermont Judiciary probate packet. A full estate starts with form 700-00001. A small estate under 14 V.S.A. § 1901 starts with form 700-00001SM (09/2023). If the proposed executor or administrator lives outside Vermont, add the resident agent form required by 14 V.S.A. § 904.
- File with the Addison County Probate Division if the decedent lived in Addison County at death (4 V.S.A. § 311a(1)). You may file in person or use the drop box at 7 Mahady Court in Middlebury, mail the packet to that same address, email PDFs to [email protected] with the case number and court in the subject line, or e-file if you use the statewide system. If you plan to come to the counter, remember the first Friday monthly closure from 8:00 a.m. to noon.
- Pay the graduated statewide fee. The schedule begins at $50.00 for an estate of $10,000 or less, $110.00 from $10,001 to $50,000, and rises to $3,250.00 above $10,000,000, under 32 V.S.A. § 1434(a), in force since July 1, 2015. Checks and money orders are payable to Vermont Superior Court. Credit card payments carry a 2.39% credit card convenience fee at the counter or by phone, and 2.89% on the e-filing platform. Cash is accepted in person only.
- Give notice and gather consents. If all required people consent in writing, the will may be allowed without a hearing. If a small estate under 14 V.S.A. § 1901 has a non-consenting interested party, that person gets 14 days to object.
- Watch the hearing notice and the Addison calendar. The Vermont Judiciary publishes a live Addison County Probate Division calendar covering the next 90 days. In the window published on September 1, 2026, probate hearings in Addison County were scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in Superior Court Courtroom 3. Check the calendar for the current schedule.
- Use the remote-appearance rule if travel is difficult. The hearing notice says whether the hearing is remote or in person. To appear remotely for an in-person hearing, notify the court in writing. To appear in person for a remote hearing, ask permission in writing. In either case, the court and the other party must receive it at least three days before the hearing.
- Receive authority after appointment. Vermont issues letters of administration for both testate and intestate estates. The court also issues two certificates of appointment at no charge under 32 V.S.A. § 1434(b), part of the schedule in force since July 1, 2015. Extra certificates cost $5.00 each under 32 V.S.A. § 1434(c), part of that same July 1, 2015 schedule.
- Administer and close the estate. File the inventory on the Vermont Judiciary's timeline, handle creditor notices and claims, account as required, and apply for the Vermont tax clearance on Form E-2A. The Probate Division will not issue the final decree of distribution until it has the tax clearance from the Department of Taxes (32 V.S.A. § 7454; 14 V.S.A. § 1069(5)).
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Addison County
The Addison County Probate Division uses the Vermont Judiciary's statewide probate forms. There are no Addison-only probate forms and no Addison cover sheet. The same numbered 700-series and related forms are filed in all fourteen Vermont counties.
| Need | Common statewide forms |
|---|---|
| Open a full estate | 700-00001 Petition to Open Decedent's Estate, 700-00148 Notice of Appearance - Probate Division, 700-00002E List of Interested Persons for Estates, 700-00020 Estate Administration Bond, and 700-00008 Certificate of Service - Probate |
| Open a small estate under 14 V.S.A. § 1901 | 700-00001SM Petition to Open Small Estate (09/2023), 700-00148 Notice of Appearance - Probate Division, 700-0002E List of Interested Persons for Estates, 700-00030 Inventory Schedule, 700-00402 Affidavit of Paid & Outstanding Funeral Expenses and Debts for Small Estate, and 700-00020PESM Small Estate Administration Bond |
| Nonresident fiduciary | 700-00026 Appointment of Resident Agent, required for a nonresident fiduciary under 14 V.S.A. § 904 |
| Creditors | PE 32 Notice to Creditors or 700-00033 Motion to Waive Notice to Creditors |
| Sell real estate | 700-00035 Motion for License to Sell or Convey Real Estate |
| Close the estate | 700-00152 Fiduciary's Closing Report & Discharge, 700-00153 Receipt, and for a small estate under 14 V.S.A. § 1901, 700-00055 Report of Fiduciary of Small Estate |
| Guide | 700-00302 Probating a Vermont Estate (01/2026) |
Recent updates
Scenarios
| Situation | Addison County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with a co-owned home | File in Middlebury if the decedent lived in Addison County. A co-owned home may pass outside the estate, but the inventory still needs to separate probate assets from assets that pass another way. Spousal rights also depend on the notice and inventory clocks under 14 V.S.A. § 319. | Sunset finds accounts, policies and property interests before the inventory is signed, so the spouse can approach estate settlement with a complete asset picture. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a small estate | You can file with the Addison County Probate Division by mail or email before deciding whether travel to Middlebury is needed. A small estate proceeds under 14 V.S.A. § 1901. If you live in Florida, California, Texas or New York, the court has discretion to appoint you and you need a Vermont resident agent under 14 V.S.A. § 904. | Sunset assembles the packet remotely, identifies accounts before anyone books a trip, and helps organize the resident agent and filing steps. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Real estate means the family is in a full estate path rather than the small estate path under 14 V.S.A. § 1901. A sale needs a court license, and the motion for a license to sell real estate costs $100.00 under 32 V.S.A. § 1434(a)(26), part of the schedule in force since July 1, 2015. | Sunset helps locate and value estate assets before the motion is filed, and connects the family to a local probate attorney for the sale. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Access and Resource Center | An office of the Vermont courts offering free information about court processes, help with court forms, and information about getting an attorney. Staff do not provide legal advice. Case types include full and small estates under 14 V.S.A. § 1901. | 802-879-1185; [email protected]. Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed court holidays. In-person support is by appointment at the Costello Courthouse, 32 Cherry Street, Burlington, which is not in Addison County. |
| Vermont Judiciary Information Center | Call if you do not know the case number or which court has the case. | 802-652-1900 |
| Vermont Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service | Referrals to Vermont attorneys for an initial consultation under the Judiciary-listed referral program. | 800-639-7036 or the online referral form |
| Vermont Association for Justice Lawyer Referral Service | A Judiciary-listed lawyer referral service searchable by practice area and proximity to a ZIP code. | Listed on the Vermont Judiciary finding legal help page |
| VTLawHelp.org, Going Through Probate After Someone Died | Vermont legal-help website linked from the Judiciary's Estates, Wills, and Trusts page. | vtlawhelp.org/going-through-probate |
| Vermont Department of Taxes | Issues the tax clearance the Probate Division needs before the final decree of distribution. Use Form E-2A for tax clearance. | tax.vermont.gov |
When to hire an attorney
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 institutions to help identify bank accounts, investments, insurance, retirement accounts and other assets before the Addison County inventory and certificate requests drive the next estate settlement steps.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset helps organize the Vermont Judiciary forms, interested-person information, death certificate, will, inventory inputs and filing method so the packet is ready for the Addison County Probate Division in Middlebury.
Find a local probate attorney. When a license to sell real estate, a dispute, a resident agent issue or a tax clearance problem makes legal help important, Sunset can connect the family to a vetted Vermont probate attorney.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to understand the estate settlement path, gather information and prepare for the court process without paying Sunset.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Addison County, Vermont?
File with the Addison County Probate Division at 7 Mahady Court, Middlebury, VT 05753, if the decedent lived in Addison County at death (4 V.S.A. § 311a(1)). If the decedent lived outside Vermont but owned Vermont property, venue may be in any district where the Vermont property is located (4 V.S.A. § 311a(2)).
What are the counter hours at the Addison County Probate Division?
The Addison County Probate Division is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except observed holidays. It is closed the first Friday of each month from 8:00 a.m. to noon for in-service training.
Can I file by mail or email instead of driving to Middlebury?
Yes. You can mail filings to the Addison Probate Division at 7 Mahady Court, Middlebury, VT 05753, or email PDFs to [email protected]. You can also file in person, use the courthouse drop box, or use e-filing. Vermont is moving from Odyssey File & Serve to eFileVT, also called eFile & Serve. Attorneys and state agencies must e-file, while self-represented filers may choose mail, email, in-person filing or e-filing.
Can I view an Addison County probate case from home?
Not as an anonymous member of the public. The Vermont Judiciary Public Portal at portal.vtcourts.gov allows anonymous remote access to Civil Division and Judicial Bureau case summaries, while probate case information is available to the general public only at courthouse public access terminals. A party who registers and receives elevated access can view their own probate case, hearings and filed papers online.
When does the Addison County Probate Division hold hearings?
The Vermont Judiciary publishes a live Addison County Probate Division calendar covering the next 90 days. In the window published on September 1, 2026, probate hearings in Addison County were scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in Superior Court Courtroom 3. Check the calendar for the current schedule, because the calendar is not a fixed sitting schedule.
Do I have to appear in person, or can I appear remotely?
Your hearing notice tells you whether the hearing is remote by Zoom or in person. If an in-person hearing is scheduled and you want to appear remotely, notify the court in writing. If a remote hearing is scheduled and you want to appear in person, ask permission in writing. The court and the other party must receive the notice or request at least three days before the hearing.
Are there Addison County probate forms?
There are no Addison-only probate forms and no Addison cover sheet. The Addison County Probate Division uses the Vermont Judiciary statewide probate forms, including form 700-00001 for a full estate and form 700-00001SM (09/2023) for a small estate under 14 V.S.A. § 1901.
What does it cost to open an estate in Addison County?
The filing fee is statewide, not Addison-only. It is $50.00 for an estate of $10,000 or less, $110.00 from $10,001 to $50,000, and rises to $3,250.00 above $10,000,000, under 32 V.S.A. § 1434(a), in force since July 1, 2015.
I live out of state and my parent lived in Addison County. Do I have to travel to Vermont?
Not necessarily for the first filing. A self-represented filer may file by mail or email, and remote hearings by Zoom are used across the Vermont courts when the hearing notice says so. If you are appointed as a nonresident executor or administrator, the court has discretion over the appointment and you must designate a Vermont resident agent under 14 V.S.A. § 904.
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.