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Clallam County, WA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | The Superior Court in Clallam County. There is no separate probate court in Washington; the superior court is the general trial court and handles probate as a case type under RCW Title 11. Clallam County has three superior court judges of its own (RCW 2.08.064) and shares no judge with another county, and the courts.wa.gov directory also lists a court commissioner. Some probate matters are presented on the daily ex parte calendar rather than at a contested hearing |
| Filing office | The Clallam County Clerk, the Clerk of the Superior Court. This is the office that takes the petition, lodges the will, issues letters, and keeps the county's estate records. The Clerk's Office states it is not qualified to tell you which forms your probate needs, and it cannot give legal advice |
| Courthouse address | Clallam County Courthouse, 223 East 4th Street, Suite 9, Port Angeles, WA 98362. Suite 9 is the County Clerk. Suite 8 in the same building is Superior Court administration and Suite 10 is the county's district court, which does not handle probate, so put the suite number on anything you send |
| Mailing address | Same as the street address: Clallam County Clerk, 223 East 4th Street, Suite 9, Port Angeles, WA 98362. The courts.wa.gov directory prints it as 98362-3015. Clallam does not use a PO Box, and the Clerk's Office accepts filings by United States mail |
| Phone | 360-417-2231, the Clallam County Clerk's line in Port Angeles. Superior Court administration, which handles calendars, bench copies, and special settings, is a separate line, 360-417-2386 |
| Fax | None for filing. The courts.wa.gov directory lists no fax for the Clallam County Clerk, and the Clerk's Office states plainly that it does not accept fax or email filings. The 360-417-2581 fax the directory lists belongs to Superior Court administration in Suite 8 and is not a filing channel |
| Office hours | The Clerk's counter is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., per the Clerk's own page, so the counter closes for a half hour at noon. The courthouse itself is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and closes on observed legal holidays. The Clerk's e-filing page describes office hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. because that is the window in which an e-filing is processed. Call 360-417-2231 before making a long drive from the west end of the county |
| Filing fee | $290 to open a probate, set by statute and the same in every county: a $200 filing fee plus a $40 surcharge and a $50 surcharge (RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), (6)); fee waivers are available for filers who cannot afford the fee (GR 34), and the Clerk publishes a Motion and Declaration for Waiver of Civil Filing Fees and Surcharges. Confirm the current schedule with the Clallam County Clerk. Clallam's own Superior Court Clerk's Fee Schedule 115-A, effective April 21, 2026, carries the same $290 total and adds local probate line items, which are set out in the fees section below |
| Payment accepted | The Clerk's Office accepts credit or debit cards and states that no personal checks will be accepted. An online payments portal is linked from the Clerk's e-filing page. The county's own guidance for self-represented filers is to check with the Clerk for acceptable forms of payment before you come in, which is worth one call if you are mailing a filing from out of state |
| Local forms | Yes, a few, though none of them is a probate petition. The Clerk publishes a Case Cover Sheet for Probate and Mental Health (case types 4 and 6), and states that a case information cover sheet is required for new case filings; its cause-of-action codes include EST for an estate, WLL for a will only, FNW for a foreign will, NNC for a non-probate notice to creditor, SWR for the sealed will repository, and TDR for a trust or estate dispute. The Clerk also publishes a Document Cover Sheet, the fee-waiver motion, a Guardianship Summary, a Letters of Guardianship form, and a general information handout for self-represented persons. Washington publishes no statewide probate form set, and Clallam publishes no local petition, order, oath, or notice forms for probate |
| E-filing | Available, not required. The Clallam County Clerk runs e-filing through eFileWA, hosted by Tyler Technologies, and the Clerk's own File Documents page states that documents may be submitted by e-filing, by United States mail, or on paper at the office. Nothing in the county's current local rules makes e-filing mandatory for attorneys or for anyone else. There is no charge to use eFileWA, though case and document filing fees and ecommerce transaction fees still apply, and registration runs through the eFileWA link on the Clerk's File Documents page. The probate limits matter: ex parte submissions cannot go through eFileWA at all, and letters of administration, letters testamentary, letters of guardianship, bonds in probate and guardianship cases, ex parte orders to be signed in chambers, and bench copies must all be filed on paper |
| Case search | Clallam County is one of the 37 counties covered by Odyssey Portal, the current public case search for Washington superior courts (https://odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov/odyportal), and the county's own Calendars page links the Portal and publishes a how-to for searching Clallam hearings by courtroom. The statewide index at https://dw.courts.wa.gov/ also reaches superior court cases, but it carries its own notice that dockets, judgments, document links, and case status may be inaccurate and directs users to Odyssey Portal or the court of record. Probate cases are indexed as superior court civil cases; document coverage varies, so for records in a Clallam County case contact the County Clerk |
| Hearing dates | Ex parte matters, civil and criminal, are heard every weekday at 1 p.m. in the appropriate courtroom under LCR 77(k)(4) of the Clallam County Superior Court local rules, and the Clerk's Office publishes an 11 a.m. filing deadline for that day's 1 p.m. calendar. Contested motion calendars are held on Fridays (LCR 77(k)(1)), with matters noted before the assigned judge and the Superior Court website carrying an updated schedule of which judge hears motions when (LCR 77(k)(3)). Trial settings are noted for 8:45 a.m. (LCR 77(k)(2)). Guardianship and conservatorship hearings under chapter 11.130 RCW are set for Fridays at 9 a.m. (LCR 94(a)). Daily calendars are posted on the county's Calendars page and are usually finalized by 5 p.m. for the next business day |
| Hearing confirmation | Required, and it is easy to miss. Every matter noted for a calendar must be confirmed with the Superior Court Clerk by noon of the second day before the hearing, and if it is not confirmed it is at the court's discretion whether the motion is heard at all (LCR 77(k)(7)); for a Friday hearing that means calling by noon on the Wednesday before. Supporting pleadings are due five court days before the hearing and responses by 4:30 p.m. on the second court day before (LCR 77(k)(8)) |
| Remote appearance | Available for most participants. The county's Superior Court publishes that it currently allows most participants to use video conferencing to attend hearings in Clallam County, and it publishes Zoom instructions for the court. No meeting link or passcode is reproduced here because they change; get the current instructions from the Superior Court page and confirm with Superior Court administration at 360-417-2386 before you rely on appearing remotely |
| Website | https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/200/County-Clerk-of-Superior-Court (the County Clerk's own page, with hours, contacts, the fee schedule, the local forms, and the calendars), https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/223/File-Documents (the Clerk's e-filing page, including the list of documents that cannot be e-filed), and https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/orgs/265.html (the courts.wa.gov directory entry for Clallam County) |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything with the Clallam County Clerk, know exactly what is in the estate. Which Washington 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 with letters testamentary or letters of administration, an unsupervised administration under nonintervention powers (RCW 11.68.011), and a small estate affidavit that opens no court case (RCW 11.62.010) are different routes with different filings. Those routes and their thresholds are statewide and are explained on the Washington state page. Identify the estate first so you, and if needed your attorney, file the right papers once. That matters more than usual in Clallam County, where the Clerk's counter takes only original documents with original signatures, and where a filer from Forks, Clallam Bay, or Neah Bay is more than fifty miles from Port Angeles.
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. How each asset is titled decides which route you need: the small estate affidavit reaches personal property only, while a house in Sequim, waterfront on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, or timber ground on the west end generally requires a probate in the superior court so that a personal representative has authority to sign a deed. Knowing the debts matters too, because nonintervention powers are granted only if the court finds the estate solvent (RCW 11.68.011). Sunset's asset discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Clallam County Clerk, the Clerk of the Superior Court, is the single probate filing office for all of Clallam County, at one counter in Suite 9 of the Clallam County Courthouse at 223 East 4th Street in Port Angeles. There is no second probate counter and no west-end branch for superior court filings. The office serves the entire county: Port Angeles, the county seat on the Strait of Juan de Fuca; Sequim and the Dungeness Valley to the east, with Carlsborg and Blyn; Joyce and the Elwha valley west of town; and the whole west end, including Forks, Beaver, Clallam Bay, Sekiu, Neah Bay, and La Push, out to the Pacific coast and around Olympic National Park. It also serves the reservation communities of the Lower Elwha Klallam, Jamestown S'Klallam, Makah, and Quileute tribes. Estates from every part of the county are filed in Port Angeles, in person at the counter, by United States mail, or through the Clerk's eFileWA system, with the paper-only exceptions noted below. Clallam County District Court sits in Port Angeles and in Forks, but courts of limited jurisdiction do not handle probate, so a Forks estate is still a Port Angeles filing.
Clallam County has three superior court judges of its own (RCW 2.08.064) and is not part of a joint judicial district, so no estate here waits on a judge's rotation between counties. What the three-judge bench changes is which calendar you use. Ex parte matters are heard every weekday at 1 p.m. in the appropriate courtroom (LCR 77(k)(4)) with an 11 a.m. filing deadline published by the Clerk, and that daily calendar is where most uncontested probate orders are presented. Contested motions are heard on Fridays, noted before the assigned judge, and the Superior Court website carries an updated schedule of which judge hears motions when (LCR 77(k)(1), (3)). Anything noted for a calendar has to be confirmed with the Superior Court Clerk by noon of the second day before the hearing, or the court has discretion not to hear it (LCR 77(k)(7)).
Washington law lets the petitioner file a probate in the superior court of any county in the state (RCW 11.96A.050(4)), but in practice you file in the county where the decedent lived: an interested party can move venue there within four months of the notice of appointment, and if the probate is filed outside the county of residence the creditor notice must still be published in the county of residence (RCW 11.40.020(2)). Clallam's own fee schedule shows why that second point is not theoretical: the Clerk charges $20 to file a notice to creditors where the probate was filed in another county. So if the person who died lived in Clallam County, file with the Clallam County Clerk. One narrow exception is not optional: a petitioner who seeks appointment under RCW 11.28.120(3), the route for a person not otherwise entitled that opens only after 90 days, must file where the decedent resided, or, for a nonresident, in a county where estate property is. Once letters have been granted, the rest of the probate stays in that county (RCW 11.96A.050(5)).
The jurisdiction process
- Gather the documents. Collect the original signed will if there is one, a certified copy of the death certificate, the proposed personal representative's contact information and identification, the names, ages, and addresses of the heirs, legatees, and devisees, and a list of the assets and debts with values. Washington's term for the person who settles the estate is personal representative: a will-named personal representative is often called an executor and a court-appointed one an administrator, but the statutory term is the same for both. The Clallam County Clerk's Office takes only original documents with original signatures, so keep the original will intact and unstapled.
- Decide what you are asking the court for. With a will, the petition asks the court to admit the will to probate and issue letters testamentary, and the court may hear the proofs and enter an order establishing the will (RCW 11.20.020). With no will, the application asks for letters of administration in the priority order set by RCW 11.28.120(1), and since June 11, 2026 the application must also set out the details of the applicant's reasonable search for the heirs (RCW 11.28.110, as amended by 2026 c 204). Most Washington personal representatives also ask for nonintervention powers, which let a solvent estate be administered and closed without further court supervision (RCW 11.68.011). These statewide routes are covered on the Washington state page.
- Prepare the papers, including the local cover sheet. Washington has no statewide probate form set, so the petition, the order, the oath, and the notices are drafted documents rather than fill-in forms, and Clallam County publishes no local probate petition or order either. One local form is required: the Clerk's Case Cover Sheet for Probate and Mental Health, which the Clerk's Office describes as required for new case filings. Pick the cause-of-action code that fits, EST for an estate, WLL for a will only, FNW for a foreign will, NNC for a non-probate notice to creditor, SWR for the sealed will repository. Fill everything out typed or in black ink, not pencil, per the county's guidance for self-represented filers, and bring copies you want conformed. WashingtonLawHelp publishes the plain-language packets a self-represented filer can work from, including the small estate affidavit kit.
- File with the Clallam County Clerk. You have three channels. Take the papers to the Clerk's counter in Suite 9 of the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 East 4th Street in Port Angeles, open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; mail them to the Clallam County Clerk at the same address; or e-file through eFileWA, the Clerk's e-filing system, after registering through the eFileWA link on the Clerk's File Documents page. The Clerk's Office does not accept fax or email filings. An e-filed document is treated as filed when it is received during the Clerk's business hours, and otherwise at the beginning of the next business day. Several probate documents cannot be e-filed and must come in on paper: ex parte orders to be signed by a judge in chambers, bonds in probate and guardianship cases, letters of administration, letters testamentary, letters of guardianship, and bench copies for the judge.
- Pay the filing fee. Opening a probate costs $290, set by statute and the same in every Washington county: a $200 filing fee plus a $40 surcharge and a $50 surcharge (RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), (6)), and Clallam's own Superior Court Clerk's Fee Schedule 115-A, effective April 21, 2026, prints the same total with the same three citations. A filer who cannot afford the fee can ask the court to waive it under GR 34, using the Clerk's Motion and Declaration for Waiver of Civil Filing Fees and Surcharges. The Clerk's Office accepts credit or debit cards and does not accept personal checks, and an online payments portal is linked from the Clerk's e-filing page. Confirm acceptable forms of payment with the Clerk before you mail a filing. The small estate affidavit route under RCW 11.62.010 opens no court case, but note that Clallam charges $20 to file one with the Clerk if you choose to.
- Get the appointment order signed. Most uncontested probate orders in Clallam County are presented ex parte rather than at a contested hearing. Ex parte matters are heard every weekday at 1 p.m. in the appropriate courtroom (LCR 77(k)(4)), and the Clerk's Office publishes an 11 a.m. filing deadline for that day's calendar. You do not have to appear in person to present an agreed or ex parte order based on the record: under LCR 54(f)(1) such orders may be presented by United States mail addressed to the Court or to the Clerk, the judge or commissioner files the signed order with the Clerk, and if an order is rejected the court administrator notifies the parties so the matter can be scheduled for presentation. The Clerk's e-filing page gives the practical instruction for a mailed ex parte submission: send the original documents plus any copies you want conformed after signature, and include a postage paid, self-addressed envelope so they can be mailed back. Ex parte submissions cannot be e-filed.
- Receive the letters. On appointment the court issues letters testamentary where there is a will, or letters of administration where there is not, and the Clallam County Clerk issues certified copies. Letters cannot be e-filed here, so they are handled on paper. 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 certificate of qualification or a certified copy of letters is $5 (RCW 36.18.016(9)), and a certified copy of any other document is $5 for the first page plus $1 for each additional page (RCW 36.18.016(4)).
- Give the required notices. Within 20 days after appointment the personal representative or the estate's attorney must mail or personally serve written notice of the appointment and the pendency of the probate on each heir, legatee, and devisee, and on each known beneficiary or transferee of a nonprobate asset, and file proof of mailing with the Clallam County Clerk (RCW 11.28.237(1)). If you give notice to creditors, the notice is filed with the court and published once each week for three successive weeks in a legal newspaper in the county where the estate is administered (RCW 11.40.020(1)). The Peninsula Daily News, the daily newspaper published in Port Angeles for Clallam and Jefferson counties, takes legal notices; confirm that the paper you use qualifies as a legal newspaper in the county, and confirm the schedule and cost, before you count on a date, because first publication starts the four-month claim period (RCW 11.40.051).
- If a matter has to be argued, get it on the Friday calendar. Contested motions are heard on Fridays, noted before the assigned judge, with the Superior Court website carrying an updated schedule of which judge hears motions when (LCR 77(k)(1), (3)). Note the two deadlines that trip people up: supporting pleadings must be filed and served no later than five court days before the hearing, and responses by 4:30 p.m. on the second court day before (LCR 77(k)(8)); and every noted matter must be confirmed with the Superior Court Clerk by noon of the second day before the hearing, which for a Friday hearing means noon on Wednesday, or it is discretionary whether the motion is heard (LCR 77(k)(7)). A bench copy is required with the original pleading whenever the hearing is within five days of filing, labeled bench copy with the date and time (LCR 0.1); the Clerk's e-filing page states that eFileWA does not support bench copies and asks that they be delivered at least 24 hours before the hearing, and the Superior Court asks that they go to Superior Court administration. To appear by video, use the county's published Zoom instructions and confirm with Superior Court administration at 360-417-2386.
- Administer and close. Inventory the assets, pay valid claims in the order set by law, handle the four-month creditor period (RCW 11.40.051), file any Washington estate tax return that is required (chapter 83.100 RCW), distribute what remains, and close the estate. A personal representative with nonintervention powers closes by declaration of completion rather than by a court accounting (RCW 11.68), while a supervised estate returns to the court for approval.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Clallam County
Washington publishes no statewide probate form set, and Clallam County publishes no local probate petition, order, oath, or notice forms either. That is worth stating plainly, because filers arrive expecting a packet. The courts.wa.gov Court Forms index has categories for family law, guardianships and conservatorships, criminal, behavioral health, juvenile, financial, protection orders, and access to the courts, among others, and no probate category (verified July 2026). Washington probate pleadings, the petition, the order admitting the will, the oath, the notice of appointment, and the declaration of completion, are drafted by the filer or the attorney. The Clerk's Office says so in its own words: it is not qualified to tell you which forms your probate needs, and it cannot give legal advice.
One local form is required, and Clallam's version is genuinely its own. The Clerk publishes a Case Cover Sheet for Probate and Mental Health covering case types 4 and 6, and states that a case information cover sheet is required for new case filings. Its cause-of-action codes are the ones a probate filer chooses among: EST for an estate, WLL for a will only, FNW for a foreign will already proved in another state or country, NNC for a non-probate notice to creditor, SWR for the sealed will repository, TDR for a trust or estate dispute resolution matter, and MSC 4 for a miscellaneous probate filing. The Clerk also publishes a Document Cover Sheet, the GR 34 fee-waiver motion, a Guardianship Summary, a Letters of Guardianship form, and a general information handout for self-represented persons that sets out the counter's rules: original documents with original signatures only, typed or in black ink, and bring copies you want conformed.
One caution about the county's own links. The Clerk's quick links include an entry labeled Probate Forms that resolves to a private, non-government website rather than to a court or state resource. It is not linked here. For plain-language Washington probate self-help, including the small estate affidavit packet for the route that opens no court case (RCW 11.62.010), use WashingtonLawHelp, published by the Northwest Justice Project. Ask the Clallam County Clerk at 360-417-2231 what the office wants on intake before you file.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Clallam County Clerk forms, documents, and legal kits (clallamcountywa.gov) | The Clerk's own form list: the probate and mental health case cover sheet, the document cover sheet, the fee-waiver motion, the guardianship summary and letters of guardianship forms, the fee schedule, and the general information handout for self-represented persons |
| Case cover sheet, probate and mental health, case types 4 and 6 (clallamcountywa.gov) | The cover sheet the Clerk requires with a new probate filing, with the cause-of-action codes for an estate, a will only, a foreign will, a non-probate notice to creditor, the sealed will repository, and a trust or estate dispute |
| Clallam County Clerk file documents and e-filing (clallamcountywa.gov) | How to register for eFileWA, how filing times are treated, the GR 14 formatting rule, the GR 17(2) declaration rule, and the list of documents that cannot be e-filed, including letters and probate bonds |
| Clallam County Superior Court Clerk's fee schedule 115-A (clallamcountywa.gov) | The county's current published schedule, effective April 21, 2026, with the $290 probate filing total and the local probate line items set out in the fees section above |
| Clallam County Superior Court local rules (courts.wa.gov) | The current adopted local rules published by the Administrative Office of the Courts, including LCR 0.1 on bench copies, LCR 54(f) on presenting agreed and ex parte orders by mail, and LCR 77(k) on the ex parte and Friday motion calendars. There is no probate-specific local rule |
| Washington Courts court forms (courts.wa.gov) | The statewide forms index and the GR 34 fee-waiver forms. There is no probate category here, which is the point: Washington has no statewide probate forms |
| WashingtonLawHelp (washingtonlawhelp.org) | Plain-language Washington probate self-help, including the guide to managing a small estate yourself and the small estate affidavit packet (RCW 11.62.010) |
Fees
The $290 fee to open a probate is statutory and identical in every Washington county (RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), (6)). What Clallam County adds are line items on its own published schedule, and two of them reach situations no other fee normally covers: filing a small estate affidavit, which is a route that opens no court case, and filing a will after death when nobody intends to probate it. Every figure below is read from the Clallam County Superior Court Clerk's Fee Schedule 115-A, effective April 21, 2026, which the Clerk links from its own page as the current schedule. These are Clallam's own figures and should not be assumed to apply in another Washington county. Fee waivers are available under GR 34, and the Clerk publishes a Motion and Declaration for Waiver of Civil Filing Fees and Surcharges for that request. Confirm any figure with the Clerk before you pay, and note that the office takes credit or debit cards and does not take personal checks.
| Charge | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Filing an estate probate | $290, as $200 plus a $40 judicial surcharge plus a $50 surcharge (RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), (6)) | Opening the probate. Statutory and the same statewide; Clallam's schedule prints the same total with the same three citations |
| Filing a small estate affidavit | $20 (Clallam's schedule, citing RCW 11.62.010 and RCW 36.18.050) | Filing the affidavit that lets a claiming successor collect personal property without a court case. The statutory route itself requires no filing at all, so this charge applies only if you choose to file the affidavit with the Clerk. Clallam's own line item, not a statewide fee |
| Filing a will or codicil after death, no probate contemplated | $20 (Clallam's schedule; the statutory will-filing fee is RCW 36.18.016(27)) | Lodging a will with the Clerk when the family does not intend to open a probate, so the document is on record. Clallam publishes this as its own line item |
| Filing a will or codicil before death, under seal | $20 for each will or codicil (Clallam's schedule; RCW 36.18.016) | Depositing a will with the Clerk for safekeeping during the testator's lifetime, the sealed will repository the local cover sheet codes as SWR |
| Filing a notice to creditors when the probate was filed in another county | $20 (Clallam's schedule, citing RCW 11.40.020(2) and RCW 36.18.050) | The situation Washington's broad venue rule creates: the probate is open elsewhere but the decedent lived in Clallam County, so the creditor notice has to be published and filed here |
| Non-probate notice to creditors, no probate filed in the state | $290 (RCW 11.42.010(3)(a) with RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), (6)) | The chapter 11.42 RCW route, where a notice agent settles the estate by nonprobate notice to creditors instead of opening a probate |
| Petition contesting a will, admitting a rejected will, or objecting to a nonjudicial resolution | $290 each (RCW 36.18.020(2)(g) with the two surcharges) | Contested filings in or alongside an estate. A petition, agreement, or memorandum filed in an existing case under RCW 11.96A.220 is $20 instead |
| Certificate of qualification or certified copy of letters | $5 (RCW 36.18.016(9)) | The certified proof of authority a bank, transfer agent, or title company asks for. Clallam's schedule lists the certificate and the certified copy of letters as two separate $5 items |
| Certified copy of a document | $5 for the first page plus $1 per additional page (RCW 36.18.016(4)) | Certified copies of the order, the inventory, or anything else in the estate file. A plain copy from the file, including one sent by email, is $0.50 per page |
| Executing a certificate with or without a seal | $2 (RCW 36.18.016(5)) | The item Clallam's schedule labels form k. Name this one by function, because two different statutory lines get that nickname |
| Clerk's services: presentation of orders, record searches, statistical reports | $30 per hour or portion thereof (RCW 36.18.016(11), (12) and RCW 36.18.050) | Asking the Clerk to present an order or to run a records search rather than doing it yourself. This is the ex parte fee the local rule on mailed presentation of orders refers to (LCR 54(f)(1)) |
| Postage and handling on a mailed request | Actual postage plus a $2 handling fee (RCW 36.18.016(4)) | Anything the Clerk mails back to you. Sending a postage paid, self-addressed envelope with a mailed ex parte submission is what the Clerk's own e-filing page asks for |
| Returned payment | $40 (a nonstatutory local charge under the county's own fee schedule 111A; RCW 36.18.016(23) lets the clerk charge for nonstatutory services under local ordinance or policy) | A payment that does not clear. Miscellaneous copies at $0.15 per page are the other nonstatutory local charge on the schedule |
| Filing papers not related to litigation with no other amount specified | $20 (RCW 36.18.012(3)) | A catch-all the Clerk applies to filings that do not fit another line |
Recent updates
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| April 21, 2026 | Clallam County's Superior Court Clerk's Fee Schedule 115-A took effect. It carries the $290 probate filing total with the RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), and (6) authority, and the county's probate line items, including $20 to file a small estate affidavit, $20 to file a will after death where no probate is contemplated, $20 to file a will before death under seal, $20 to file a notice to creditors where the probate was filed in another county, and $30 per hour for clerk's services such as presentation of orders. Confirm any figure against the current schedule before paying. | Superior Court Clerk's Fee Schedule 115-A, clallamcountywa.gov |
| 2026 | The Clallam County Law Library and the North Olympic Library System launched a partnership that moved public legal research access to library branches: Lexis Plus terminals at the Port Angeles Main Library and the Forks Branch Library, plus a legal eBook collection usable remotely with a free library card. Library staff cannot give legal advice. | Law Library Board, clallamcountywa.gov, and nols.org |
| September 1, 2024 | The current Clallam County Superior Court local rules on filing and calendaring took effect in their present form, including LCR 0.1 on bench copies, LCR 54(f) on presenting agreed and ex parte orders by mail, and the LCR 77(k) revisions covering the Friday motion calendars, the daily 1 p.m. ex parte calendar, the noon confirmation deadline two days before a hearing, and the five-court-day pleading deadline. | Clallam County Superior Court local rules, courts.wa.gov |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Clallam County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Sequim or Port Angeles home was community property covered by a community property agreement (RCW 26.16.120), or was held with a right of survivorship, it can pass to the surviving spouse without a probate. If assets stood in the decedent's sole name and there is a will, the spouse petitions the Superior Court in Clallam County to admit the will and issue letters testamentary; with no will, the surviving spouse has first priority for letters of administration (RCW 11.28.120(1)). Either way the spouse can ask for nonintervention powers so a solvent estate is administered without further court supervision (RCW 11.68.011). The petition goes to the Clallam County Clerk in Suite 9 with the probate case cover sheet, and the appointment order is usually presented on the daily 1 p.m. ex parte calendar, which has an 11 a.m. filing deadline. | Asset discovery to confirm how the home and the accounts are titled and what actually has to go through the court. Packet generation for the filing with the Clallam County Clerk, including the local cover sheet. A vetted attorney referral if a dispute arises. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | Where the estate is personal property only, the probate estate less liens and encumbrances does not exceed $100,000, and 40 days have passed since death, a claiming successor can often collect the property with a small estate affidavit instead of a court case (RCW 11.62.010); Clallam charges $20 if you choose to file that affidavit with the Clerk. If a probate is needed, an out-of-state filer can mail the petition to the Clallam County Clerk at 223 East 4th Street, Suite 9, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or e-file it through eFileWA, and can mail an ex parte order for signature with a postage paid, self-addressed envelope so the conformed copies come back. Check acceptable forms of payment first: the Clerk takes credit or debit cards and no personal checks. | Asset discovery to confirm the estate qualifies and to locate accounts from out of state. Packet generation for the affidavit or the probate petition, prepared so an out-of-state filer can proceed by mail or through the Clerk's e-filing system. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because the estate holds real property that has to be sold, the affidavit route does not reach it and the estate goes through probate: with no will the parent petitions for letters of administration in the priority order of RCW 11.28.120(1) and now must also describe the search for the heirs (RCW 11.28.110); with a will the parent probates it and receives letters testamentary. With nonintervention powers the personal representative can sell the Clallam County house and distribute the proceeds without returning to court for approval (RCW 11.68.011). Certified copies of the letters are what the title company will want, at $5 each (RCW 36.18.016(9)). If anything turns contested, it goes to a Friday motion calendar, which means five court days for the supporting pleadings and confirmation with the Superior Court Clerk by noon on the Wednesday before. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts, property, and debts. Packet generation for the probate petition and the notices. Attorney referral if the sale or a dispute among heirs turns contested. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Clallam County Clerk of Superior Court (clallamcountywa.gov), 360-417-2231 | The filing office for probate: hours, the counter in Suite 9 at 223 East 4th Street in Port Angeles, the local forms, the fee schedule, the daily ex parte and Friday motion calendar information, and the accepted forms of payment. Clerk staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice or tell you which forms your probate needs |
| Clallam County Clerk file documents and e-filing (clallamcountywa.gov) | Registration for eFileWA, how e-filing times are treated, and the list of documents that must still be filed on paper, including letters of administration, letters testamentary, probate bonds, ex parte orders signed in chambers, and bench copies |
| Clallam County Superior Court (clallamcountywa.gov), 360-417-2386 | The court's own page: the daily 1 p.m. civil ex parte calendar, the Friday contested motion calendars, bench copy instructions, the Zoom instructions for appearing by video, and the court records policy |
| Clallam County Superior Court calendars (clallamcountywa.gov) | Daily courtroom calendars, usually finalized by 5 p.m. for the next business day, the Friday bench assignment schedule, and the county's own how-to for searching Clallam hearings by courtroom in Odyssey Portal |
| Clallam County Superior Court local rules (courts.wa.gov) | The current adopted local rules from the Administrative Office of the Courts: LCR 0.1 bench copies, LCR 54(f) presenting agreed and ex parte orders by mail, LCR 77(k) the ex parte and Friday motion calendars and the confirmation deadline |
| Odyssey Portal (odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov) | The public case search for Washington superior courts, including Clallam County, with a hearing search that can be filtered to a Clallam courtroom. Probate cases appear as superior court civil cases; document coverage varies |
| Washington Courts case search (dw.courts.wa.gov) | The statewide pointer index across municipal, district, superior, and appellate courts. Useful for finding a case number, but its own notice warns that dockets and case status may be inaccurate and points to Odyssey Portal |
| WashingtonLawHelp (washingtonlawhelp.org) | Washington's main plain-language legal self-help publisher, with probate and small estate guides and the small estate affidavit packet (RCW 11.62.010) |
| Clallam County Law Library (clallamcountywa.gov), 360-417-2233, and the library system's law library page (nols.org) | Free legal research for Clallam County residents, now delivered with the North Olympic Library System: Lexis Plus terminals at the Port Angeles Main Library and the Forks Branch Library, plus a legal eBook collection you can use remotely with a free library card. Library staff cannot give legal advice |
| Northwest Justice Project, 1020 W Caroline Street, Port Angeles, 360-452-9137 or 866-402-4452, and CLEAR at 1-888-201-1014, nwjustice.org | Free civil legal aid, with a staffed office in Port Angeles listed on the Clerk's own page. CLEAR is the statewide intake line for low-income Washington residents, and callers 60 and over can use CLEAR Sr at 1-888-387-7111. CLEAR targets basic-needs civil problems, so ask whether an estate matter qualifies |
| Clallam County Pro Bono Lawyers, 528 W 8th Street or PO Box 901, Port Angeles, 360-504-2422 | The local volunteer lawyer program the County Clerk's page lists for residents who cannot afford counsel. Ask whether it takes probate matters, because volunteer programs limit their case types |
| Washington Courts court directory (courts.wa.gov) | The government directory of superior court and county clerk addresses and phones, including the separate Superior Court, County Clerk, and district court listings for Clallam County |
| Washington State Bar Association, find legal help (wsba.org) | Lawyer referral and public resources for finding a Washington probate attorney who covers Clallam County |
When to hire an attorney
Many Clallam County estates are uncontested, and a personal representative granted nonintervention powers administers and closes a solvent estate without further court supervision (RCW 11.68.011), which is why plenty of families here get through probate with limited legal help. The county's own Clerk's Office is direct about its limits: it maintains the records and takes the filings, but it is not qualified to tell you which forms your probate needs, and the court facilitator the county staffs handles family law matters, not probate. 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, when a business, timber ground, waterfront, or property in another state has to be valued or divided, when the estate is large enough to owe Washington estate tax under chapter 83.100 RCW, or when no one entitled to appointment has come forward and the petition has to be made under RCW 11.28.120(3). Local practice is its own reason: a matter that has to be argued lands on a Friday motion calendar with a five-court-day pleading deadline and a confirmation call due by noon on the Wednesday before (LCR 77(k)(7), (8)), and an attorney who already appears in Port Angeles can present an order on the daily ex parte calendar without an extra trip from the west end. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Washington probate attorney serving Clallam County.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and public records to surface bank and credit union accounts, retirement plans, brokerage holdings, life insurance, Clallam County real estate, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Washington estate settlement route fits before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the paperwork for your route, whether a probate with letters testamentary or letters of administration, a request for nonintervention powers, or a small estate affidavit, ready to file with the Clallam County Clerk at the counter in Port Angeles, by mail, or through the Clerk's eFileWA system.
Find a local probate attorney. When a matter is contested or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Washington probate attorney serving Clallam 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 Clallam County?
With the Clallam County Clerk, the Clerk of the Superior Court, in Suite 9 of the Clallam County Courthouse at 223 East 4th Street in Port Angeles, WA 98362. Mail goes to the same address, and Clallam does not use a PO Box. Washington has no separate probate court: the Superior Court in Clallam County handles probate as a case type under RCW Title 11, and the County Clerk is the filing office. Watch the suite number, because Suite 8 is Superior Court administration and Suite 10 is the county's district court, which does not handle probate. Washington law lets a petitioner file in any county (RCW 11.96A.050(4)), but file where the decedent lived, because venue can be moved there within four months of the notice of appointment and the creditor notice must be published in the county of residence anyway (RCW 11.40.020(2)).
Can I e-file a probate in Clallam County?
Yes, but not all of it. The Clallam County Clerk runs e-filing through eFileWA, hosted by Tyler Technologies, and it is available rather than mandatory: the Clerk's own page says documents may be submitted by e-filing, by United States mail, or on paper at the office, and nothing in the county's current local rules requires e-filing of attorneys or self-represented filers. Registration goes through the eFileWA link on the Clerk's File Documents page, and there is no charge for eFileWA itself, though filing fees and ecommerce transaction fees apply. Formatting follows GR 14, and an e-filed declaration follows GR 17(2). The probate exceptions are the important part: ex parte submissions cannot go through eFileWA at all, and letters of administration, letters testamentary, letters of guardianship, bonds in probate and guardianship cases, ex parte orders to be signed in chambers, and bench copies must be filed on paper. The Clerk's Office also does not accept fax or email filings.
How does a probate order get signed in Clallam County?
Usually on the daily ex parte calendar, without a contested hearing. Under LCR 77(k)(4) of the county's local rules, all ex parte matters, civil and criminal, are heard at 1 p.m. each weekday in the appropriate courtroom, and the Clerk's Office publishes an 11 a.m. filing deadline for that day's calendar. You do not necessarily have to be there: LCR 54(f)(1) lets agreed and ex parte orders based on the record in the file be presented by United States mail addressed to the Court or to the Clerk, after which the judge or commissioner files the signed order with the Clerk, and the court administrator notifies the parties if an order is rejected so it can be scheduled for presentation. The Clerk's e-filing page spells out how to do it: mail the original documents with any copies you want conformed after signature, and include a postage paid, self-addressed envelope for the return. The Clerk's fee schedule lists clerk's services, including presentation of orders, at $30 per hour or portion thereof (RCW 36.18.016(11), (12)).
When are contested probate matters heard in Clallam County?
On Fridays. Motion calendars are held on Friday under LCR 77(k)(1), matters are noted before the assigned judge, and the Superior Court website carries an updated schedule of which judge hears motions when (LCR 77(k)(3)). Two deadlines matter more than the date. Supporting pleadings must be filed and served no later than five court days before the hearing, and responsive pleadings by 4:30 p.m. on the second court day before (LCR 77(k)(8)). And every matter noted for a calendar must be confirmed with the Superior Court Clerk by noon of the second day before the hearing, which for a Friday hearing means noon on Wednesday; if it is not confirmed, it is at the court's discretion whether the motion is heard (LCR 77(k)(7)). Daily calendars are posted on the county's Calendars page and are usually finalized by 5 p.m. for the next business day. Guardianship and conservatorship hearings under chapter 11.130 RCW are set for Fridays at 9 a.m. (LCR 94(a)).
Can I appear by phone or video in a Clallam County probate?
By video, usually yes. Clallam County Superior Court publishes that it currently allows most participants to use video conferencing to attend hearings, and it publishes Zoom instructions on its own Superior Court page. No meeting link or passcode is reproduced here because they change, so get the current instructions from that page and confirm with Superior Court administration at 360-417-2386 before you rely on appearing remotely. Remember that appearing remotely does not replace the confirmation call: a noted matter still has to be confirmed with the Superior Court Clerk by noon of the second day before the hearing (LCR 77(k)(7)).
How do I look up a Clallam County probate case online?
Use Odyssey Portal, the public case search for Washington superior courts, which covers Clallam County. The county's own Calendars page links the Portal and publishes a how-to for searching Clallam hearings by courtroom, which is useful when you want to know whether your matter made the calendar. The statewide index at dw.courts.wa.gov will also find a case, but it carries its own notice that dockets, judgments, document links, and case status may be inaccurate and directs users to Odyssey Portal or the court of record. Probate cases are indexed as superior court civil cases and document images are not guaranteed, so for the file itself contact the Clallam County Clerk at 360-417-2231.
Are there local Clallam County probate forms?
One required cover sheet, and no petition forms. Washington publishes no statewide probate form set: the courts.wa.gov forms index has no probate category (verified July 2026), so the petition, the order, the oath, and the notices are drafted documents. Clallam County does publish a Case Cover Sheet for Probate and Mental Health covering case types 4 and 6, and the Clerk's Office states that a case information cover sheet is required for new case filings; its codes include EST for an estate, WLL for a will only, FNW for a foreign will, NNC for a non-probate notice to creditor, and SWR for the sealed will repository. The Clerk also publishes a document cover sheet, the GR 34 fee-waiver motion, guardianship forms, and a general information handout for self-represented persons. One caution: the Clerk's quick links include a Probate Forms entry that goes to a private, non-government website. For plain-language packets, including the small estate affidavit kit for the route that opens no court case (RCW 11.62.010), use WashingtonLawHelp instead.
How much does it cost to file probate in Clallam County?
$290 to open the probate, set by statute and the same in every Washington county: a $200 filing fee plus a $40 surcharge and a $50 surcharge (RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), (6)). Clallam's own Superior Court Clerk's Fee Schedule 115-A, effective April 21, 2026, prints the same total with the same three citations, so there is no Clallam add-on to the filing fee itself. What Clallam does add are probate line items other counties may not have, including $20 to file a small estate affidavit under RCW 11.62.010, $20 to file a will after death when no probate is contemplated, $20 to file a will before death under seal, and $20 to file a notice to creditors when the probate was filed in another county. Budget separately for certified copies, at $5 for a certificate of qualification or a certified copy of letters (RCW 36.18.016(9)) and $5 for the first page plus $1 per additional page of any other certified copy (RCW 36.18.016(4)), and for publishing the creditor notice. A filer who cannot afford the fee can ask the court to waive it under GR 34 using the Clerk's fee-waiver motion.
Can I file a Clallam County probate by mail, and how do I pay?
Yes, mail is one of the three channels the Clerk publishes, alongside the counter and eFileWA. Send the papers to the Clallam County Clerk, 223 East 4th Street, Suite 9, Port Angeles, WA 98362. Payment is the part to check first: the Clerk's Office accepts credit or debit cards and states that no personal checks will be accepted, and an online payments portal is linked from the Clerk's e-filing page, so call 360-417-2231 and confirm what the office will take before you mail anything. Two more mail details worth knowing. The Clerk's Office takes only original documents with original signatures, so send originals and include the copies you want conformed. And if you are mailing something for ex parte review in chambers, include a postage paid, self-addressed envelope so the signed and conformed documents can come back to you.
Do I have to travel to Port Angeles to settle an estate in Clallam County?
Often not, or not more than once, which matters if you are coming from Forks, Clallam Bay, or Neah Bay, more than fifty miles west. The petition and later filings can be mailed to the Clallam County Clerk in Suite 9 or e-filed through eFileWA, agreed and ex parte orders based on the record can be presented by mail under LCR 54(f)(1) with a postage paid return envelope, most participants can attend a hearing by video using the court's published Zoom instructions, and a personal representative granted nonintervention powers administers and closes a solvent estate without returning to court for supervision (RCW 11.68.011). Distance matters most for the paper-only items, which include the letters themselves and any probate bond, and for a contested matter, which is heard in Port Angeles on a Friday motion calendar.
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.