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Columbia County, WA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | The Superior Court in Columbia 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. One superior court judge serves Asotin, Columbia, and Garfield counties jointly (RCW 2.08.064) and, as the county's own Superior Court page puts it, alternates between the three county seats. The three counties share one set of joint local court rules, cited on this page as LCR. Court commissioners also sit, and some matters are heard at the daily ex parte opening of court |
| Filing office | The Columbia 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 county describes the clerk as an elected position and as the administrative and financial officer of the Superior Court. A shared judge changes nothing about where you file: filing stays with the Columbia County Clerk |
| Courthouse | Columbia County Courthouse, 341 East Main Street, Suite 2, Dayton, WA 99328. The county dates the building to 1887 and calls it the oldest working courthouse of Washington's 39 counties. The Superior Court and the County Clerk share Suite 2; the county's district court, which does not handle probate, is in Suite 4 of the same building |
| Mailing address | 341 East Main Street, Suite 2, Dayton, WA 99328. Columbia County uses no PO Box: mail goes to the same street address as the counter |
| Phone | (509) 382-4321, the Columbia County Clerk and Superior Court line in Dayton. This is the county's own line, not a statewide call center |
| Fax | Confirm before you use one. The county's own Clerk and Superior Court pages publish (509) 382-2490, while the courts.wa.gov court directory lists (509) 382-4830 for the Superior Court and the County Clerk and lists (509) 382-2490 as the fax for the county's district court in Suite 4. Two government sources disagree, so call (509) 382-4321 to confirm, and do not treat a fax as a filing without asking |
| [email protected], the office mailbox the county publishes as the contact for the Superior Court and the Clerk's Office. Ask the clerk before emailing anything you intend as a filing or a formal request; e-filing, not email, is the electronic route for documents | |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch, per the county's own Clerk and Superior Court pages. Electronic filing hours match: the Clerk publishes filing hours for court documents of Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific time excluding court holidays, and anything received outside those hours, on paper or electronically, is treated as received and filed at the beginning of the next business day. This is a one-counter office with a small staff, so call (509) 382-4321 to confirm before making a trip to Dayton |
| 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). Confirm the current schedule with the Columbia County Clerk, which publishes its own fee schedule effective June 11, 2026 showing the estate probate filing line at that $290 total. The same schedule carries the smaller probate-adjacent items: $20 to file a small estate affidavit (RCW 11.62.010), $20 to file a will after death where no probate is contemplated, $20 to deposit a will before death, $20 to file a creditor notice when the probate was filed in a county other than where the decedent resided (RCW 11.40.020(2)), $5 to issue a certificate of qualification and $5 per document for a certified copy of letters of administration or letters testamentary (RCW 36.18.016(9)), and $5 for the first page plus $1 for each additional page of a certified copy (RCW 36.18.016(4)) |
| Local forms | None. Columbia County publishes no local probate forms, and Washington publishes no statewide probate form set either (verified July 2026 on the courts.wa.gov Court Forms index, which has no probate category). One form is mandatory: under LCR 1(b) of the joint local rules, every case filed with the Clerk's Office shall use the statewide form coversheets posted on the courts.wa.gov forms pages, and the rule names a specific Probate Cases cover sheet (06/2025). The Clerk's own Legal Resources and Rules page points filers to the statewide forms site, to WashingtonLawHelp, to a state information packet for self-represented persons, and to purchasable form packets from a law library |
| E-filing | Available and encouraged, not required, and this is the Columbia County distinctive. The Clerk's Office accepts electronic filing and service through eFile WA, the Odyssey eFile WA service hosted by Tyler Technologies, and the county's own page states that parties are encouraged to e-file but are not required to do so. Columbia County is the only one of the three counties sharing this bench where that is true: LCR 5(e)(1) of the joint local rules says the counties do not accept e-filings, and LCR 5.1 carves out Columbia County alone, so Asotin and Garfield remain paper. There is no fee for using eFile and Serve itself; you pay the statutory filing fee plus a convenience fee on each card payment. Register at eFile WA, and the Clerk strongly recommends taking one of the training webinars first. Some documents must still be filed on paper, and the first one on the county's list is the one that matters most in probate: original wills and codicils, including will-only filings and new probate cases that include an original will or codicil, certified records of proceedings for an appeal, documents of foreign governments under official seal, administrative law review petitions, interpleader or surplus funds petitions, documents presented for filing during a hearing or trial, new cases or fee-based documents filed with an order waiving fees under GR 34, new case filings that request immediate relief, and affidavits for writs of garnishment and writs of execution. Tyler provides the technical support ([email protected], 1-800-297-5377, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time); the Clerk's Office at (509) 382-4321 answers questions about local filing policy |
| Case search | Columbia County is one of the counties covered by Odyssey Portal, the current public case search for Washington superior courts (https://odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov/odyportal). The statewide index at https://dw.courts.wa.gov/ also reaches superior court cases and names Columbia among the Odyssey Portal counties, but it carries its own notice that dockets and case status may be inaccurate. For documents, the Clerk publishes two routes of its own. An infrequent or one-time user buys copies through the Washington State Digital Archives, which carries the county's civil, criminal, domestic, and probate or guardianship records: non-certified copies are $0.25 per page plus a $1 archives service charge per document, and certified copies are $5 for the first page plus $1 for each additional page plus the same $1 charge. A frequent user can instead subscribe to the Clerk's Odyssey Portal access, which takes an original signed master registration form and subscription agreement delivered on paper, because the Clerk does not accept emailed or faxed contracts, plus a tiered annual fee running from $100 for one to three employees to $600 for more than ten |
| Hearing dates | The judge does not sit in Dayton every day. Under LCR 77(f) of the Asotin, Garfield, and Columbia counties joint local rules, the court is in session on all judicial days from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and each county's regular docket days are posted on the shared court calendar. Columbia County also publishes its own law and motion docket times, which set civil matters at 11:15 a.m. and other case types at other hours; the published schedule lists no separate probate time, so ask the County Clerk which docket a probate matter goes on and when the next date is. Docket matters are limited to those needing no more than ten minutes, and anything longer is specially set through the Court Administrator at (509) 243-2082 Ext 1230. Ex parte and emergency matters are considered at the opening of court each day, and a non-emergency matter is left with the Clerk for the judge or court commissioner to consider when available (LCR 77(f)(4)) |
| Remote appearance | Arranged in advance, not automatic. Under LCR 7(5) of the joint local rules, arguments on motions may be conducted in person or via Zoom, and arrangements may also be made for telephonic appearance; all arrangements should be made directly with the Clerk's office by noon at least two business days ahead. The county's posted courtroom conduct rules include a virtual appearance section that treats a Zoom, Webex, or telephonic appearance as being in court, and note that proceedings are audio recorded. The county also publishes a virtual courtroom access channel for watching proceedings, which is for observing rather than appearing |
| Website | https://www.columbiaco.com/76/County-Clerk (the Columbia County Clerk of Superior Court page, with hours, contacts, the fee schedule, e-filing, court records access, and the local rules) and https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/orgs/267.html (the courts.wa.gov directory entry for Columbia County) |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything with the Columbia 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. Columbia County lets you file electronically, which saves a trip to Dayton, but it does not save you from filing the wrong petition.
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 Columbia County wheat ground, a house in Dayton, or any other real property 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 Columbia County Clerk, the Clerk of the Superior Court, is the single probate filing office for all of Columbia County, at one counter in Suite 2 at 341 East Main Street in Dayton. There is no second location and no branch counter. The office serves the entire county, including Dayton, the county seat and largest town, and Starbuck, the county's only other incorporated town, on the Tucannon River about 20 miles northwest of Dayton, along with the unincorporated wheat, pea, and asparagus country between them: north to the Snake River and the Whitman County line, west to Walla Walla County, east to Garfield County, and south into the Blue Mountains, which rise to 6,401 feet at Oregon Butte inside the county. Estates from every part of the county are filed here, at the counter, by mail to 341 East Main Street, Suite 2, Dayton, WA 99328, or electronically through eFile WA.
One superior court judge serves Asotin, Columbia, and Garfield counties jointly (RCW 2.08.064), and the county's own Superior Court page explains that the judge alternates between the three county seats. The three counties also share one set of joint local court rules. That is an administrative fact about the bench, not about the counter: you do not file in Asotin or Pomeroy. A Columbia County estate is filed with the Columbia County Clerk, keeps a Columbia County case number, and stays in the Columbia County records. What the shared judge changes is scheduling. The court is in session on all judicial days from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., each county's regular docket days are posted on the shared court calendar, and a matter expected to take more than ten minutes is specially set through the Court Administrator at (509) 243-2082 Ext 1230 (LCR 77(f)); ex parte and emergency matters are considered at the opening of court each day, and non-emergency matters are left with the Clerk for the judge or court commissioner to consider when available (LCR 77(f)(4)). Columbia County publishes its own law and motion docket times, so use that posted schedule, or ask the County Clerk, for the next available date. The joint rules also set Columbia County apart in one practical way: LCR 5(e)(1) says the three counties do not accept e-filings, and LCR 5.1 makes Columbia County the exception, so this is the one courthouse of the three where a probate can be filed electronically.
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)). The Columbia County Clerk's own fee schedule even carries a $20 line for filing that out-of-county creditor notice, which is a good sign of how often it comes up. So if the person who died lived in Columbia County, file with the Columbia 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.
- 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. 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 Columbia County publishes no local probate forms of its own. One form is mandatory: under LCR 1(b) of the Asotin, Garfield, and Columbia counties joint local rules, every case filed with the Clerk's Office shall use the statewide form coversheets posted on the courts.wa.gov forms pages, and the rule names a specific Probate Cases cover sheet (06/2025). WashingtonLawHelp publishes the plain-language packets a self-represented filer can work from, including the small estate affidavit kit.
- Choose paper or electronic filing, and watch the original will. Columbia County is the one county of the three sharing this bench that accepts electronic filing and service: the Clerk's Office takes e-filings through eFile WA, and parties are encouraged but not required to use it (LCR 5.1 of the joint local rules; LCR 5(e)(1) keeps Asotin and Garfield on paper). Register at eFile WA first, and take one of the Clerk's training webinars if you have not used the system. The catch matters for probate: certain documents must still be filed on paper, starting with original wills and codicils, including will-only filings and new probate cases that include an original will or codicil, certified records of proceedings for an appeal, documents of foreign governments under official seal, administrative law review petitions, interpleader or surplus funds petitions, documents presented for filing during a hearing or trial, new cases or fee-based documents filed with an order waiving fees under GR 34, new case filings that request immediate relief, and affidavits for writs of garnishment and writs of execution. In plain terms, a probate that opens with an original will cannot be started electronically, so plan to deliver or mail the original.
- File with the Columbia County Clerk. Take the papers to the counter in Suite 2 at 341 East Main Street in Dayton, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closed from noon to 1 p.m., mail them to the Columbia County Clerk at 341 East Main Street, Suite 2, Dayton, WA 99328, or e-file what the rules allow. Filing hours for court documents are the same 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific window excluding court holidays, and anything received outside it is treated as filed at the start of the next business day. Call (509) 382-4321 before you mail original documents, and ask then what the office wants on intake.
- 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)). The Columbia County Clerk's own fee schedule, effective June 11, 2026, shows the same $290 total for an estate probate filing. A filer who cannot afford the fee can ask the court to waive it under GR 34, though a new case filed with a GR 34 waiver order is one of the filings that cannot be e-filed. eFile WA itself costs nothing to use; card payments carry a convenience fee. The small estate affidavit route under RCW 11.62.010 opens no court case, but the Columbia County Clerk does charge $20 to file the affidavit.
- 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 Columbia 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)); in Columbia County the newspaper of record is the Dayton Chronicle, published in Dayton since 1878. Confirm the publication schedule and cost with the newspaper before you count on a date, because publishing starts the four-month claim period (RCW 11.40.051).
- Get on a court date if your matter needs one. Many probate orders are presented ex parte rather than at a contested hearing: under the joint local rules, ex parte and emergency matters are considered at the opening of court each day, and a non-emergency matter can be left with the Clerk for the judge or court commissioner to consider when available (LCR 77(f)(4)). Anything set for argument goes on a docket day: the court sits on judicial days from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., each county's docket days are posted on the shared court calendar, Columbia County publishes its own law and motion docket times with civil matters at 11:15 a.m., and a matter needing more than ten minutes is specially set through the Court Administrator at (509) 243-2082 Ext 1230 (LCR 77(f)). Ask the County Clerk which docket a probate matter goes on. To appear remotely, motion argument may be in person or via Zoom, and telephonic appearance can be arranged, with all arrangements made directly with the Clerk's office by noon at least two business days ahead (LCR 7(5)).
- 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 Columbia County Clerk issues certified copies. 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: the county's schedule charges $5 to issue a certificate of qualification and $5 per document for a certified copy of letters (RCW 36.18.016(9)), and $5 for the first page plus $1 for each additional page of a certified copy of anything else in the file (RCW 36.18.016(4)).
- 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 Columbia County
Columbia County publishes no local probate forms, and Washington publishes no statewide probate form set 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 county's own Superior Court page carries a frequently asked question about court forms for civil matters including probates, and the answer points filers to those outside sources rather than to a county packet.
Two things do come from a form, and one of them is required. Under LCR 1(b) of the Asotin, Garfield, and Columbia counties joint local rules, every case filed with the Superior Court Clerk's Office shall use the statewide form coversheets posted on the courts.wa.gov forms pages, and the rule names a specific Probate Cases cover sheet (06/2025), so the Case Information Cover Sheet is a mandatory part of a new probate filing here. The GR 34 fee waiver forms are on the same courts.wa.gov forms pages if you cannot afford the $290 filing fee (RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), (6)), though a new case filed with a GR 34 waiver order has to go in on paper rather than through eFile WA. WashingtonLawHelp publishes the practical self-help packets, including the small estate affidavit kit for the no-court-case route under RCW 11.62.010, and the Clerk's Legal Resources and Rules page adds a state information packet for self-represented persons and a pointer to purchasable form packets from a law library. Ask the Columbia County Clerk at (509) 382-4321 what the office wants on intake before you file, because a one-counter office can tell you in one call.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Columbia County Clerk of Superior Court (columbiaco.com) | The filing office's own page: hours, contacts, the fee schedule, electronic filing, court records access, and the local court rules |
| Washington Courts court forms (courts.wa.gov) | The statewide case cover sheets that LCR 1(b) makes mandatory for every new case, including the Probate Cases cover sheet (06/2025), and the GR 34 fee waiver forms. There is no probate category here, which is the point: Washington has no statewide probate forms |
| Columbia County electronic filing (eFile) information | The Clerk's own e-filing page: how to register at eFile WA, the filing hours, the fee and convenience-fee rules, the technical support contacts, and the list of documents that must still be filed on paper, starting with original wills and codicils |
| Columbia County legal resources and rules (columbiaco.com) | The Clerk's links to the Asotin, Columbia, and Garfield counties joint local court rules, the state information packet for self-represented persons, WashingtonLawHelp, and purchasable form packets |
| 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) |
| Washington Courts directory: Columbia County (courts.wa.gov) | The government listing that confirms the Columbia County Clerk's address, suite, and phone |
Recent updates
| Change | What it means for a Columbia County probate |
|---|---|
| County Clerk fee schedule effective June 11, 2026 | The Columbia County Clerk publishes its own fee schedule dated effective June 11, 2026, which states that under RCW 36.18.020(6) (SHB 1207) there is a $50 increase in some civil, domestic, probate, and guardianship filing fees. Its estate probate filing line now comes to the $290 total this page uses (RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), (6)). Older summaries of the Columbia County probate fee are out of date |
| Electronic filing and service at the Clerk's Office | The Clerk's Office accepts e-filing and service through eFile WA, the Odyssey eFile WA service hosted by Tyler Technologies, and parties are encouraged but not required to use it. In the Asotin, Garfield, and Columbia counties joint local rules this is the LCR 5.1 exception to LCR 5(e)(1), which keeps Asotin and Garfield on paper. The county publishes no start date for the service. Original wills and codicils, and new probate cases that include one, must still be filed on paper |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Columbia County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Dayton 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 Columbia 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 is filed with the Columbia County Clerk in Suite 2 at 341 East Main Street in Dayton, and because a new probate that includes the original will cannot be e-filed, the original document goes to the counter or in the mail even if later papers are filed electronically. | 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 Columbia County Clerk. 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); the Columbia County Clerk charges $20 to file that affidavit. If a probate is needed, distance matters less here than it would across the county line in Asotin or Garfield, which take paper only: after registering at eFile WA, an out-of-state filer can e-file most documents, and anything on the paper-only list, an original will above all, can be mailed to the Columbia County Clerk at 341 East Main Street, Suite 2, Dayton, WA 99328. The case can be opened without flying into southeastern Washington. | 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 e-file or mail it. |
| 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 Columbia County house and distribute the proceeds without returning to court for approval (RCW 11.68.011). Any hearing is heard by the judge who serves Asotin, Columbia, and Garfield counties and alternates between the three county seats, on the docket dates posted for Dayton. | 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 |
|---|---|
| Columbia County Clerk of Superior Court (columbiaco.com), (509) 382-4321 | The filing office for probate: hours, the counter in Suite 2 at 341 East Main Street in Dayton, the fee schedule, e-filing, and court records access. Clerk staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice, and the county publishes its own list of what staff may and may not do |
| Columbia County Superior Court (columbiaco.com) | The court's own page: the shared judge who alternates between the three county seats, the law and motion docket times, the current court docket, the courtroom conduct rules including virtual appearances, and the virtual courtroom access channel |
| Columbia County legal resources and rules (columbiaco.com) | The Asotin, Columbia, and Garfield counties joint local court rules as the Clerk publishes them, plus the state information packet for self-represented persons and links to free and purchasable forms |
| Washington Courts court directory (courts.wa.gov) | The government directory of superior court and county clerk addresses, phones, and faxes, including the Columbia County listing |
| 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) |
| Odyssey Portal (odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov) | The public case search for Washington superior courts, including Columbia County. Probate cases appear as superior court civil cases; document coverage varies |
| Columbia County access to court records (columbiaco.com) | The Clerk's two published routes to documents: the Washington State Digital Archives for one-time users, with per-page copy charges, and a paid annual Odyssey Portal subscription for frequent users |
| 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 case status may be inaccurate |
| Washington Courts court forms (courts.wa.gov) | The statewide Case Information Cover Sheet and the GR 34 fee waiver forms. There is no statewide probate forms category |
| Northwest Justice Project CLEAR, 1-888-201-1014, nwjustice.org | Free civil legal aid intake for low-income Washington residents, Monday to Friday mornings; 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 |
| Washington State Bar Association, find legal help (wsba.org) | Lawyer referral and public resources for finding a Washington probate attorney who covers Columbia County |
| Washington State Law Library (courts.wa.gov), (360) 357-2136 | Legal reference help by phone and email for anyone in the state, useful because Columbia County lists no law library among its departments |
When to hire an attorney
Many Columbia 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. 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 wheat ground, a business, 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). Distance and the calendar are their own reasons: because the judge who serves Asotin, Columbia, and Garfield counties alternates between the three county seats, a lawyer who already appears on that rotation can present an order without an extra trip to Dayton, and an attorney who already files through eFile WA does not have to learn the system to meet a deadline. The Columbia County Clerk can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Washington probate attorney serving Columbia 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, Columbia County real estate, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Washington route fits before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the paperwork for your estate settlement 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 Columbia County Clerk at the counter in Dayton, by mail, or through eFile WA.
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 Columbia 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 Columbia County?
With the Columbia County Clerk, the Clerk of the Superior Court, at the counter in Suite 2 at 341 East Main Street in Dayton, by mail to the same address, or electronically through eFile WA for the documents the rules allow. Washington has no separate probate court: the Superior Court in Columbia County handles probate as a case type under RCW Title 11, and the County Clerk is the filing office. 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 Columbia County?
Yes, for most documents. The Clerk's Office accepts electronic filing and service through eFile WA, the Odyssey eFile WA service hosted by Tyler Technologies, and the county states that parties are encouraged to e-file but are not required to do so. In the Asotin, Garfield, and Columbia counties joint local rules, LCR 5(e)(1) says the counties do not accept e-filings and LCR 5.1 carves out Columbia County alone, so Asotin and Garfield are paper while Dayton is not. Register at eFile WA before you file and take one of the Clerk's training webinars if the system is new to you. Using eFile and Serve costs nothing beyond the statutory filing fee, plus a convenience fee on each card payment. Electronic filing hours run Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Pacific time excluding court holidays, and anything received outside that window is treated as filed at the beginning of the next business day.
Can I e-file the original will in Columbia County?
No. The original will is the main exception to Columbia County's e-filing rule. The Clerk's published list of documents that must be filed on paper begins with original wills and codicils, including will-only filings and new probate cases that include an original will or codicil, so a probate that opens with a will has to reach the counter or the mailbox as a paper document. The rest of the paper-only list covers certified records of proceedings for an appeal, documents of foreign governments under official seal, administrative law review petitions, interpleader or surplus funds petitions, documents presented for filing during a hearing or trial, new cases or fee-based documents filed with a GR 34 fee waiver order, new case filings that request immediate relief, and affidavits for writs of garnishment and writs of execution. Practical approach: deliver or mail the original will and the opening papers, then use eFile WA for what follows. Call (509) 382-4321 before you mail an original will.
When does the superior court judge sit in Dayton?
On posted docket dates rather than every day. One superior court judge serves Asotin, Columbia, and Garfield counties (RCW 2.08.064), and the county's own Superior Court page explains that the judge alternates between the three county seats. Under the counties' joint local rules the court is in session on all judicial days from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., with each county's regular docket days posted on the shared court calendar (LCR 77(f)). Columbia County also publishes its own law and motion docket times, which put civil matters at 11:15 a.m.; the published schedule lists no separate probate time, so call the County Clerk at (509) 382-4321 to confirm which docket a probate matter goes on and when the next date is. Docket matters are limited to those needing no more than ten minutes, and anything longer is specially set through the Court Administrator at (509) 243-2082 Ext 1230. Many probate orders never need a docket date at all: ex parte and emergency matters are considered at the opening of court each day, and a non-emergency order can be left with the Clerk for the judge or court commissioner to consider when available (LCR 77(f)(4)).
Can I appear by phone or video in a Columbia County probate?
Yes, if you arrange it in advance. Under LCR 7(5) of the counties' joint local rules, arguments on motions may be conducted in person or via Zoom, and arrangements may also be made for telephonic appearance; all arrangements should be made directly with the Clerk's office by noon at least two business days before the hearing. The county's posted courtroom conduct rules have a virtual appearance section confirming that a Zoom, Webex, or telephonic appearance is still an appearance in court, and note that proceedings are audio recorded. The county also publishes a virtual courtroom access channel, but that is for watching proceedings rather than taking part in them. Remote appearance is arranged, not automatic, so call the Clerk's office at (509) 382-4321 rather than assuming a hearing can be handled from home.
How do I look up a Columbia County probate case online?
Use Odyssey Portal, the public case search for Washington superior courts, which covers Columbia County. The statewide index at dw.courts.wa.gov will also find a case, but it carries its own notice that dockets and case status may be inaccurate and directs users to Odyssey Portal or the court of record. For the documents themselves the Clerk publishes two routes. If you need a copy once, buy it through the Washington State Digital Archives, which carries the county's probate and guardianship records along with civil, criminal, and domestic files: non-certified copies are $0.25 per page plus a $1 archives service charge per document, and certified copies are $5 for the first page plus $1 for each additional page plus the same $1 charge. If you use court records regularly, the Clerk sells an annual Odyssey Portal subscription, which takes an original signed master registration form and subscription agreement delivered on paper, because emailed and faxed contracts are not accepted, and an annual fee running from $100 for one to three employees to $600 for more than ten.
Are there local Columbia County probate forms?
No. Columbia County publishes no local probate forms, and Washington has no statewide probate form set either: the courts.wa.gov forms index has no probate category (verified July 2026). The petition, the order, the oath, and the notices are drafted documents. One statewide form is mandatory here: under LCR 1(b) of the counties' joint local rules, every case filed with the Clerk's Office shall use the form coversheets posted on courts.wa.gov, and the rule names a specific Probate Cases cover sheet (06/2025). The GR 34 fee waiver forms are on the same courts.wa.gov pages, and WashingtonLawHelp publishes the plain-language packets, including the small estate affidavit kit for the route that opens no court case (RCW 11.62.010). The Clerk's own legal resources page adds a state information packet for self-represented persons and a pointer to purchasable form packets from a law library.
How much does it cost to file probate in Columbia 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)). The Columbia County Clerk's own fee schedule, effective June 11, 2026, shows the same $290 total. A filer who cannot afford the fee can ask the court to waive it under GR 34, but a new case filed with a waiver order has to be filed on paper. The county's schedule also carries the smaller probate items: $20 to file a small estate affidavit (RCW 11.62.010), $20 to file a will after death where no probate is contemplated, $20 to deposit a will before death, $20 to file a creditor notice when the probate was filed outside the county where the decedent resided (RCW 11.40.020(2)), $5 to issue a certificate of qualification and $5 per document for a certified copy of letters (RCW 36.18.016(9)), and $5 for the first page plus $1 for each additional page of a certified copy (RCW 36.18.016(4)). Budget separately for publishing the creditor notice. Confirm the current schedule with the Columbia County Clerk.
Where is the creditor notice published for a Columbia County estate?
In a legal newspaper in the county where the estate is being administered, once each week for three successive weeks (RCW 11.40.020(1)). Columbia County's newspaper of record is the Dayton Chronicle, published in Dayton since 1878; the County Commissioners accepted its bid for the county's legal printing for the year beginning July 1, 2026 in April 2026. If the probate was filed somewhere other than the county where the decedent lived, publication still goes in the county of residence and the notice is filed where the case was commenced (RCW 11.40.020(2)), and the Columbia County Clerk charges $20 to file that out-of-county notice. Confirm the schedule and cost with the newspaper before you rely on a date, because first publication starts the four-month period for creditor claims (RCW 11.40.051).
Do I have to travel to Dayton to settle an estate in Columbia County?
Often not. Columbia County is the one county of the three sharing this bench that accepts electronic filing, so once you register at eFile WA most documents can be filed from anywhere, and the papers that cannot be e-filed, the original will above all, can be mailed to the Columbia County Clerk at 341 East Main Street, Suite 2, Dayton, WA 99328. A personal representative granted nonintervention powers then administers and closes a solvent estate without returning to court for supervision (RCW 11.68.011). Where an appearance is needed, motion argument may be conducted via Zoom, and telephonic appearance can be arranged, with arrangements made directly with the Clerk's office by noon at least two business days ahead (LCR 7(5) of the counties' joint local rules). Distance matters most for a contested matter, which is heard in the courtroom in Dayton on the posted docket dates.
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