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Franklin County, WA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | The Superior Court in Franklin 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. Benton and Franklin counties have seven superior court judges jointly (RCW 2.08.064) and share one bench that publishes a single joint set of local court rules as the Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court rules, cited on this page as LGR, LCR, and LSPR. Court commissioners hear many probate matters, including the daily ex parte docket, and a commissioner's ruling can be taken to a judge on a motion for revision filed within ten days (LGR 11) |
| Filing office | The Franklin 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 issuing letters testamentary as one of the Clerk's own quasi-judicial functions. The County Clerk is an independently elected Franklin County constitutional officer, elected to a four-year term, and is the Clerk of the Superior Court by virtue of that office (Washington Constitution, Article IV, Section 26). A shared bench changes nothing about where you file: filing stays with the Franklin County Clerk |
| Courthouse | Franklin County Courthouse, 1016 N 4th Avenue, Room B306, Pasco, WA 99301. This is the county's only clerk counter for probate; there is no branch office. The courts.wa.gov directory prints the same address as Suite 306, and Local General Rule 1 of the joint local rules prints the street as North 4th Street, but the county and the directory both use 4th Avenue. Other courts share the building at other room numbers, among them the Franklin County District Court at B218, a court of limited jurisdiction that does not handle probate |
| Mailing address | Franklin County Clerk, 1016 N 4th Avenue, B306, Pasco, WA 99301. Franklin County is not one of the Washington counties that files clerk mail to a PO Box, so the street address serves for both counter filing and mail |
| Phone | (509) 545-3525, the Franklin County Clerk's line. The county publishes a menu on that number and Option 2 is Civil, Probate, and Guardianships, so use Option 2 for an estate. Court Administration, which handles calendars, special settings, and bench copies for the joint court, is a separate number, (509) 736-3071 |
| Fax | None published for the Clerk's Office. The courts.wa.gov directory entry for Franklin County lists no fax for the County Clerk, and lists (509) 736-3057 only for the Superior Court itself, which is Court Administration rather than the filing counter. Do not treat a fax as a way to file a probate here; ask the clerk first |
| [email protected], the office mailbox the county publishes for Superior Court Clerk records questions and for the clerk's enhanced Odyssey portal. It is an office address, not an individual's. Ask the clerk before emailing anything you intend as a filing or a formal request | |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The counter closes over the noon hour and closes at 4, not 4:30. Passport acceptance runs on a narrower window, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Court hours are separate again: under LCR 77, amended effective September 1, 2025, court is in session on judicial days from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with a noon to 1:00 p.m. closure, and Court Administration is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with the same closure. Call (509) 545-3525 and choose Option 2 to confirm before making a trip |
| 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's own fee exemptions page also cites RCW 36.18.022). The Franklin County Clerk's Probate / Guardianship fee page lists Probate Filing at $290 with the authority RCW 36.18.020(2,5,6). Confirm the current schedule with the Franklin County Clerk |
| Local forms | No local probate pleading 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). Franklin County does publish general clerk forms on its Court Forms page, including a GR 34 fee waiver packet, a notice of hearing, a certificate of service, a return of service, a notice of address change, and the GR 14 pleading format rules, and the clerk directs new-case filers to the case cover sheet there. Two joint-court forms matter for a probate hearing: the one-page Read First that LGR 2 requires for the probate and guardianship dockets, and the ex parte attestation about affidavits of prejudice, both in the court's Forms Center or at the Court Administration window |
| E-filing | Available through eFileWA, the Tyler Technologies system the Franklin County Clerk publishes for superior court case filings, and the clerk states there is no fee to use the service, although filing fees and ecommerce transaction fees still apply. Filings must follow the eFileWA document order. Two limits matter for probate: ex parte filings are not allowed through eFileWA, so an uncontested order still goes through the ex parte process, and eFileWA does not support judicial working copies, which go through the local bench copy process instead. Neither the clerk's page nor the counties' current local rules make e-filing mandatory, and paper filing at the counter or by mail is still accepted. Note that the Benton County Clerk uses a different vendor, so Benton's e-filing instructions do not apply to a Franklin County case |
| Case search | Franklin 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, but it carries its own notice that dockets, document links, and case status may be inaccurate and directs users to Odyssey Portal or the court of record. The Franklin County Clerk separately offers an enhanced Odyssey portal by subscription, which requires a portal master registration form and a signed confidentiality agreement for each person. Probate cases are indexed as superior court civil cases; for the file itself, use the clerk's Superior Court records request form |
| Hearing dates | Published, and probate has its own docket. The court's weekly docket schedule puts the Franklin County probate and guardianship docket on Thursdays at 8:30 a.m., and the Franklin County ex parte docket runs every weekday from 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., which is where most uncontested probate orders are presented. Motion timelines come from LGR 3: motions and supporting materials at least 21 calendar days before the hearing, responses at least 11, replies at least 5. Under LGR 2 the moving party on the probate and guardianship docket must also provide a one-page Read First at least five calendar days ahead to confirm the matter, or it can be stricken. Courtroom assignments are on the court's daily schedule and change often |
| Remote appearance | By WebEx, arranged under published rules rather than automatically, and not for ex parte. Attorneys and litigants with matters on the docket may appear by WebEx under requirements effective April 22, 2025 and updated January 7, 2026: litigants must display first and last name and the case number, attorneys their name and the word Attorney, no entry is granted if the name does not match the docket, and no one is admitted after roll call. Phone-only access requires an approved Request for Exception to Appear Remotely or Telephonically filed seven calendar days ahead, and the same form and deadline govern remote appearance at settlement conferences, evidentiary hearings, trials, and special sets, which are otherwise in person. WebEx is not available for the ex parte docket in either county, and the court's Live Stream does not cover it either |
| Website | https://www.franklincountywa.gov/clerk (the Franklin County Clerk's own pages: address, hours, phone menu, fee schedule, court forms, dockets, records requests, and eFileWA) and https://www.bentoncountywa.gov/departments/courts_and_judicial_services/superior_court/index.php (the joint Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court site, which hosts the current local court rules, the weekly docket schedule, the ex parte procedure, and the WebEx rules). The courts.wa.gov directory entry for Franklin County is at https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/orgs/271.html |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything with the Franklin County Clerk, know exactly what the estate holds and what it owes. 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 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 covered on the Washington state page. Getting it right the first time matters more here than it looks, because the help available at the courthouse is narrower than families expect: Franklin County's clerk facilitator program is a family law facilitator, and its own page lists probate, wills, and guardianships among the matters it cannot assist with.
Identify every bank and credit union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life insurance policy, vehicle, business interest, and parcel of real property, along with every debt, before you file. How each asset is titled decides the route: the small estate affidavit reaches personal property only, so a house in Pasco, a place in Connell or Kahlotus, or circle-irrigated ground out toward Basin City or Eltopia generally requires a probate so that a personal representative has authority to sign a deed. Knowing the debts matters too, because the court grants nonintervention powers only on a finding that the estate is solvent (RCW 11.68.011), and since June 11, 2026 an application for letters of administration must describe the applicant's reasonable search for the heirs and, in most cases, the major probate assets (RCW 11.28.110). Sunset's asset discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Franklin County Clerk, the Clerk of the Superior Court, is the single probate filing office for all of Franklin County, at one counter in Room B306 of the Franklin County Courthouse at 1016 N 4th Avenue in Pasco. There is no branch counter and no second location, which is one of the real differences between Franklin County and neighboring Benton County across the river. The office serves the entire county: Pasco, the county seat and largest city and the Washington side of the Tri-Cities, together with Connell, Mesa, and Kahlotus and the unincorporated communities and farm country beyond them, among them Basin City, Eltopia, Ringold, Sagemoor, and Levey, north through the Esquatzel Coulee and east toward the Palouse breaks. Estates from every part of the county are filed here, in person at the counter during clerk hours, by mail to the same street address, or electronically through eFileWA. Anyone who needs to reach the court's site or its bench copy system can use the free public computer terminal the joint local rules place outside the Superior Court Clerk's office in the courthouse (LGR 1).
Benton and Franklin counties have seven superior court judges jointly (RCW 2.08.064), and the two counties share one bench, one court administration office, and one set of local court rules published as the Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court rules. The Franklin County Clerk's own page describes the office as providing support staff for seven superior court judges and five court commissioners. That is an administrative fact about the bench, not about the counter: you do not file in Kennewick or Prosser. A Franklin County estate is filed with the Franklin County Clerk, keeps a Franklin County cause number, stays in the Franklin County records, and is called on the Franklin County dockets in Pasco. What the shared bench does change is the rulebook and the calendar. The rules that govern a Pasco probate hearing are the joint rules, and the current set is the one effective September 1, 2025, as amended by emergency local court rules adopted effective January 1, 2026 and modified effective June 1, 2026, with a further set posted as effective September 1, 2026. The court publishes separate Franklin County dockets: the probate and guardianship docket on Thursdays at 8:30 a.m. and an ex parte docket every weekday from 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Check the court's daily schedule for the courtroom, because assignments change often. One caution for anyone reading rule numbers: the local rules PDF posted on the courts.wa.gov court rules pages for these counties is the September 1, 2023 set and is out of date, so use the court's own local rules pages.
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)). So if the person who died lived in Franklin County, file with the Franklin 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 Franklin County publishes no local probate pleading forms of its own. Use the GR 14 pleading format rules the clerk publishes, and take the case cover sheet and the other general clerk forms from the county's Court Forms page. WashingtonLawHelp publishes the plain-language packets a self-represented filer can work from, including the small estate affidavit kit. If you plan to ask for a hearing later, note now that the probate and guardianship docket requires a one-page Read First (LGR 2).
- File with the Franklin County Clerk. Take the papers to the clerk's counter in Room B306 of the Franklin County Courthouse, 1016 N 4th Avenue in Pasco, open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., or mail them to the Franklin County Clerk at the same address, or file electronically through eFileWA, the Tyler Technologies system the clerk publishes for superior court case filings. The clerk states there is no fee to use eFileWA itself, filings must follow the eFileWA document order, and Tyler provides the technical support. Two eFileWA limits matter here: ex parte filings are not accepted through it, and it does not carry bench copies. Call (509) 545-3525 and choose Option 2 for civil, probate, and guardianship questions before you mail original documents, including an original will.
- 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 the Franklin County Clerk's own Probate / Guardianship fee page lists Probate Filing at $290 with that authority. A filer who cannot afford the fee can ask the court to waive it under GR 34, and the clerk's fee exemptions page also cites the in forma pauperis waiver at RCW 36.18.022; the county publishes a GR 34 packet on its Court Forms page. The clerk takes payment at the counter and publishes an online payment option, and note that for records requests specifically it accepts a cashier's check or money order and not personal checks. The small estate affidavit route under RCW 11.62.010 is not filed with the clerk at all, so it carries no court filing fee.
- 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County Clerk names the Franklin County Graphic, (509) 234-3181, as the county's legal newspaper. Confirm the publication schedule and cost with the newspaper before you count on a date, because first publication starts the four-month claim period (RCW 11.40.051).
- Present an uncontested order on the ex parte docket. Most probate orders in Franklin County are signed here rather than at a contested hearing. The docket begins at 1:00 p.m. each weekday and concludes at 1:30 p.m. Place the matter in the clearly marked ex parte box in the courtroom no later than the concluding time, then take a seat on the benches; after review the Clerk announces that the matter has been signed, or the Judge calls you forward with questions. Bring conforming copies, because copies of signed documents may not be available until the next business day. Two attestation rules apply: under Judicial Resolution 17-002, updated July 9, 2025, every ex parte order request, whether presented by an attorney or a self-represented litigant, must carry an attestation about whether an affidavit of prejudice has been filed against any judicial officer (RCW 4.12.040, RCW 4.12.050), and under LGR 6 an attestation about recusal or disqualification accompanies all ex parte matters, with notice or good faith efforts at notice required before an unagreed matter is presented. Forms are at the Court Administration window and on the court's site. WebEx is not available for ex parte in either county, and the court's Live Stream does not carry the docket.
- Set a hearing if your matter needs argument. Contested and noted matters go on the Franklin County probate and guardianship docket, which the court publishes for Thursdays at 8:30 a.m. Under LGR 3 the motion and supporting materials are filed and served at least 21 calendar days before the hearing, any response at least 11 days before, and any reply at least 5 days before, and a motion to shorten time is required to be heard sooner. Under LGR 2 bench copies go to the judicial officer through eMotion, the system Franklin County's own technology services department built for both counties, at least five calendar days ahead, or as hard copies to Court Administration at least three court days ahead without eMotion access; submitting through eMotion is not filing, so the original still goes to the Clerk. The same rule requires the moving party on this docket to provide a one-page Read First at least five calendar days ahead to confirm the matter, and a matter without one can be stricken. To appear by WebEx, follow the court's published appearance rules; phone-only access needs an approved request seven calendar days ahead. Court Administration, (509) 736-3071, handles calendars and special settings.
- 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 Franklin County Clerk issues certified copies; the county describes issuing letters as one of the Clerk's own functions. 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 clerk's schedule charges $5 for letters of administration, testamentary, or guardianship (RCW 36.18.016(9)) and $5 for the first page of a certified copy plus $1 for each additional page (RCW 36.18.016(4)(a)). Certified copies are mailed rather than emailed, mailed copies carry a $2.50 postage fee and a $2.00 handling fee, and the clerk asks for seven days to process a records request.
- 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 Franklin County
Franklin County publishes no local probate pleading 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, following the GR 14 pleading format rules the Franklin County Clerk publishes on its own Court Forms page.
What the county does publish is a set of general clerk forms and two joint-court forms that a probate hearing actually needs. On the clerk's Court Forms page: a GR 34 packet and a waiver of civil filing fees form for a filer who cannot afford the $290 fee (RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), (6)), a notice of hearing, a certificate of service, a return of service, a notice of address change, a declaration form, and the format and style rules for mandatory forms. The clerk's eFileWA page directs new-case filers to the case cover sheet on that same page, so ask the clerk what it wants on intake before you file. From the joint court's Forms Center: the one-page Read First that LGR 2 requires for the probate and guardianship dockets, and the attestation about affidavits of prejudice that Judicial Resolution 17-002 and LGR 6 require with every ex parte presentation, which is also available at the Court Administration window. 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 Franklin County's own fee page points there for it.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Franklin County Clerk court forms (franklincountywa.gov) | The clerk's own general forms: the GR 34 packet and waiver of civil filing fees form, notice of hearing, certificate of service, return of service, notice of address change, declaration, the GR 14 pleading format rules, and the case cover sheet the clerk directs new-case filers to |
| Forms Center, Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court (bentoncountywa.gov) | The joint court's required forms, including the one-page Read First that LGR 2 requires on the probate and guardianship dockets, the special set request form, and the notice of address change |
| Probate and guardianship fee schedule, Franklin County Clerk (franklincountywa.gov) | The county's own probate line items with their RCW authority, including the $290 probate filing, the $5 letters fee, the $20 will-only and will repository filings, and a note that the small estate affidavit is not filed with the clerk |
| Washington Courts court forms (courts.wa.gov) | The statewide case cover sheets 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) |
| Local court rules, Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court (bentoncountywa.gov) | The current joint rules, effective September 1, 2025 as amended by emergency rules effective January 1, 2026 and modified June 1, 2026, with a further set posted as effective September 1, 2026. Use these rather than the older set posted on the courts.wa.gov court rules pages |
| Washington Courts directory: Franklin County (courts.wa.gov) | The government listing that confirms the Franklin County Clerk's address and phone, and the separate Superior Court and Court Administration numbers |
Fees
The $290 that opens a probate is statutory and identical in every Washington county (RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), (6)). What varies is everything around it, and Franklin County publishes its own schedule rather than sharing Benton County's, so the figures below come from the Franklin County Clerk's own Probate / Guardianship and Miscellaneous fee pages, read in July 2026. Several of these lines exist precisely because a family does not need a full probate: filing a will after death where no probate is contemplated, or depositing a will in the clerk's repository, is a $20 filing rather than a $290 case.
| Item | Franklin County charge |
|---|---|
| Probate filing | $290, the statutory total (RCW 36.18.020(2,5,6) on the clerk's own page: $200 under RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), a $40 surcharge under (5)(c), and a $50 surcharge under (6)) |
| Petition admitting a rejected will, contesting a will, or objecting to a written agreement or memorandum | $290 (RCW 36.18.020(2,5,6)) |
| Notice to creditors where no probate is filed | $290 (RCW 36.18.020(2,5,6)), the nonprobate notice route under chapter 11.42 RCW |
| Letters of administration, testamentary, or guardianship | $5 (RCW 36.18.016(9)). Named by function here because two different RCW 36.18.016 lines attract the same nickname |
| Will only, no probate of the decedent's estate | $20 (RCW 36.18.012(7)). This is the line for lodging a will after death when no probate is contemplated |
| Will repository | $20 (RCW 36.18.016(27)), for depositing a will with the clerk |
| Appointment of a special representative | $20 (RCW 11.96A.160, RCW 36.18.050) |
| Nonjudicial binding agreement under the Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution Act | $20 in an existing case, $290 as a new case (RCW 36.18.012(8), RCW 36.18.020(2,5,6)) |
| Escheat probate proceedings | $290, plus $2 to file the Department of Revenue affidavit (RCW 36.18.020(2,5,6), RCW 11.08.300) |
| Registration of a trust | $290 (RCW 36.18.020(2,5,6), RCW 11.98.055). Certification of a trust is $20 (RCW 36.18.012(3)) |
| Small estate affidavit | No clerk fee, because it is not filed with the clerk at all. Franklin County's own fee page says so and points to the WashingtonLawHelp small estate guide (RCW 11.62.010) |
| Certified copies | $5 for the first page of each document plus $1 for each additional page (RCW 36.18.016(4)(a)). An authenticated or exemplified certificate adds $3 per seal (RCW 36.18.016(4)). Executing a certificate with or without a seal is $2 (RCW 36.18.016(5)) |
| Uncertified copies | $0.50 per page, from the file or by email (RCW 36.18.016(4)(c)) |
| Ex parte and expedited clerk services | $30 per hour or portion of an hour for the clerk's presentation of orders, record searches, and statistical reports (RCW 36.18.016(12)), and a $30 expedited record services fee. A $30 search fee also applies to cases from 1983 and older and to large copy jobs |
| Mailing and handling | $2.50 postage plus a $2.00 handling fee on mailed copies, and a $2 handling fee for mailing items when no self addressed stamped envelope is provided (RCW 36.18.016(4)(g)) |
| Enhanced Odyssey portal | $50 for each portal modification form, on top of the registration the clerk requires. The public Odyssey Portal is free |
| Fee waiver | Available. GR 34 governs, the county publishes a GR 34 packet and a waiver of civil filing fees form, and the clerk's fee exemptions page also lists the in forma pauperis waiver for financial hardship (RCW 36.18.022) |
| Payment | At the counter or through the clerk's online payment page. For records requests specifically the clerk requires a cashier's check or money order and does not accept personal checks |
Budget for the things that are not clerk fees at all. Publishing the notice to creditors once a week for three successive weeks in the county's legal newspaper is a newspaper charge (RCW 11.40.020(1)), and e-filing through eFileWA carries no service fee from the clerk but can carry an ecommerce transaction fee on the payment. Confirm every figure with the Franklin County Clerk before you rely on it, because a county fee schedule can change between reviews.
Timeline
- Filing to appointment, when nothing is contested: the petition and the proposed order go to the Franklin County Clerk, and the order is then presented on the ex parte docket rather than waiting for a hearing date. That docket runs every weekday from 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and a matter must be in the marked ex parte box in the courtroom by the concluding time. Ex parte filings do not travel through eFileWA, so plan on the counter for anything you need signed there. The court publishes no filing-to-signature wait, so ask the clerk at (509) 545-3525, Option 2, what to expect on the day you file.
- Conformed copies from the ex parte docket are not instant. Approved orders are conformed by the Clerk, but copy requests for signed documents go through the normal copy request process and may not be available for purchase until the next business day, so the court encourages parties to bring their own conforming copies.
- Attestations are due with the ex parte presentation itself, not afterward. Judicial Resolution 17-002, updated July 9, 2025, requires an attestation about whether an affidavit of prejudice has been filed against any judicial officer with every ex parte order request, from attorneys and self-represented litigants alike, and LGR 6 requires an attestation about recusal or disqualification with all ex parte matters. Pick up the form at the Court Administration window or from the court's site before you go.
- A noted probate hearing goes on Thursday morning. The court's weekly docket schedule sets the Franklin County probate and guardianship docket at 8:30 a.m. on Thursdays. Courtroom assignments are published on the court's daily schedule and change frequently.
- Working back from that Thursday, LGR 3 sets the paper deadlines: the motion and supporting materials are filed and served at least 21 calendar days before the hearing, any response at least 11 calendar days before, and any reply at least 5 calendar days before. Getting heard sooner takes an order shortening time.
- Five calendar days before the hearing, two things are due to the judicial officer rather than the Clerk. Bench copies go up through eMotion at least five calendar days ahead under LGR 2, or as hard copies to Court Administration at least three court days ahead if you have no eMotion access. The same rule requires the moving party on the probate and guardianship docket to provide a one-page Read First, also at least five calendar days ahead, confirming whether the matter is going as set, being continued, or being presented as an agreed order. A matter with no Read First can be stricken at the judicial officer's discretion, and a self-represented party is not required to file one but is strongly encouraged to.
- Seven calendar days before the hearing is the deadline for phone-only remote appearance. Appearing by WebEx is available to litigants and attorneys with matters on the docket, but phone-only access, and remote appearance at a settlement conference, evidentiary hearing, trial, or special set, requires an approved Request for Exception to Appear Remotely or Telephonically filed seven calendar days ahead. No one is admitted to a WebEx session after roll call.
- Ten days after a commissioner signs, the clock on revision runs. Many probate matters are heard by a court commissioner, and LGR 11 requires a motion for revision under RCW 2.24.050, or a motion for reconsideration under CR 59, to be filed within ten days of entry of the written order.
- Statutory clocks run alongside the court's calendar and do not move for it: notice of appointment within 20 days (RCW 11.28.237(1)), creditor claims barred four months after first publication for a creditor who was not reasonably ascertainable, with a creditor given actual notice having the later of 30 days after that notice and four months after first publication (RCW 11.40.051(1)(a)), and any required Washington estate tax return due nine months after the date of death (chapter 83.100 RCW).
Local nuance
Franklin County-specific considerations
A shared bench, a county counter. Benton and Franklin counties have seven superior court judges jointly (RCW 2.08.064) and run one joint court with one court administration office and one set of local rules, so a Pasco probate is governed by the Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court rules and appears on a calendar the two counties publish together. None of that moves the filing counter. Franklin County has one clerk counter, Room B306 at 1016 N 4th Avenue in Pasco, and it is the only place a Franklin County probate is opened. Benton County, by contrast, runs counters in Kennewick and Prosser. Read the Franklin County Clerk's own pages for anything about filing, and the joint court's pages for anything about rules and calendars.
The e-filing systems are not the same on both sides of the river, and this is the single easiest mistake to make here. The Franklin County Clerk publishes eFileWA, the Tyler Technologies system, for superior court case filings, and states there is no fee to use the service, though filing fees and ecommerce transaction fees still apply and filings must follow the eFileWA document order. The Benton County Clerk publishes a different vendor with its own per-case bundle fee. Instructions, document order, registration, and support all differ, so a Franklin County filer should not work from Benton County's e-filing page. Two eFileWA limits are specific to probate practice: ex parte filings are not accepted through it, so the uncontested orders that make up most of a probate still go through the ex parte process, and it does not carry judicial working copies, which go through eMotion instead.
Bench copies run on eMotion, which Franklin County built. The court states eMotion was developed by the Franklin County Technology Services department for use by judicial officers in both counties, and the Franklin clerk links it from its own pages. Under LGR 2 bench copies are uploaded to eMotion at least five calendar days before a hearing, or delivered as hard copies to Court Administration at least three court days before if a party has no eMotion access, and a party who has uploaded should not also bring hard copies. eMotion is not a filing system: the original of every document submitted through it must still be filed with the Clerk, and a copy served on every party. Only the submitting user can see what they uploaded.
Probate has its own docket day and its own confirmation form. The court publishes the Franklin County probate and guardianship docket for Thursdays at 8:30 a.m., and LGR 2 singles out the probate and guardianship dockets as dockets where the moving party must provide a one-page Read First at least five calendar days ahead, telling the judicial officer whether the matter is going as set, is being continued, or will be presented as an agreed order. A matter with no Read First can be stricken at the judicial officer's discretion. A self-represented party is not required to file one, but the rule strongly encourages it, and filing one is the cheapest way to avoid losing a docket slot.
The ex parte box, and the fact that ex parte is not remote. The Franklin County ex parte docket runs 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. every weekday, a narrower window than Benton County's. A matter is placed in a clearly marked box within arm's reach of the clerk in the courtroom by the concluding time, the party sits on the benches, and after review the Clerk announces that the order has been signed or the Judge calls the party forward. WebEx is not available for ex parte in either county, and the court's Live Stream does not carry the ex parte docket, so this is the one part of a Franklin County probate that generally needs someone physically in Pasco. Every ex parte presentation, by an attorney or a self-represented filer, needs the affidavit-of-prejudice attestation required by Judicial Resolution 17-002 as updated July 9, 2025, and the recusal attestation required by LGR 6.
Reading the right rulebook. The local rules PDF posted for these counties on the courts.wa.gov court rules pages is the set effective September 1, 2023 and names judges who are no longer on this bench. The current rules are on the court's own Local Rules and Required Forms pages: the base set effective September 1, 2025, emergency rules adopted effective January 1, 2026 and modified effective June 1, 2026, and a further set posted as effective September 1, 2026. The court also notes that paper or digital copies of current and expired local rules are available in each county's law library and through each county's Clerk's office.
Recent updates
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| September 1, 2026 | A further set of Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court local court rules is posted as effective September 1, 2026. The court also runs an annual GR 7(b) review of the local rules, with written comments taken through the spring of 2026. Check the current set before relying on a rule number cited here. | Local rules and required forms, Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court, bentoncountywa.gov |
| June 1, 2026 | The court modified the emergency local court rules it had adopted effective January 1, 2026, adopting Local Administrative Rules 1 and 2 and rules on juvenile court departments and the transfer of administration of juvenile detention, and rescinding Local Administrative Rule 5. The base rule set remains the one effective September 1, 2025. | Local rules and required forms, Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court, bentoncountywa.gov |
| January 7, 2026 | The court updated its WebEx appearance requirements, first effective April 22, 2025. Litigants must display their first and last name and case number, no one is admitted after roll call, phone-only access requires an approved request filed seven calendar days ahead, and settlement conferences, evidentiary hearings, trials, and special sets are in person absent prior approval. WebEx remains unavailable for ex parte in both counties, and Live Stream does not cover the ex parte docket. | WebEx, processes and procedures, Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court, bentoncountywa.gov |
| September 1, 2025 | The current base set of joint local court rules took effect. Two changes matter to a probate filer: Local General Rule 2 as amended requires a one-page Read First from the moving party on the probate and guardianship dockets at least five calendar days before the hearing, and Local Civil Rule 77 as amended sets court hours at 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with a noon to 1:00 p.m. closure and Court Administration hours at 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. | Local general rules and local civil rules, Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court, bentoncountywa.gov |
| July 9, 2025 | Judicial Resolution 17-002 was updated. Every request for an ex parte order, whether presented by an attorney or by a self-represented litigant, must be accompanied by an attestation about whether an affidavit of prejudice has been filed against any judicial officer (RCW 4.12.040, RCW 4.12.050). Forms are at the Court Administration window and on the court's site. | Ex parte, schedules and calendars, Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court, bentoncountywa.gov |
| Current practice | The ex parte procedure changed on a permanent basis in both counties, and the two counties run different windows. The Franklin County docket begins at 1:00 p.m. daily and concludes at 1:30 p.m., a matter must be placed in a clearly marked ex parte box in the courtroom by the concluding time, and copies of signed documents may not be available for purchase until the next business day. | Ex parte, schedules and calendars, Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court, bentoncountywa.gov |
| Current practice | The Franklin County Clerk publishes eFileWA, the Tyler Technologies system, for superior court case filings, with no fee for the service itself, no ex parte filings, and no judicial working copies. The Benton County Clerk publishes a different e-filing vendor, so instructions from one county do not apply to the other. | eFileWA, Franklin County Clerk, franklincountywa.gov |
| Current practice | Two Washington Courts listings for this county are behind. The local rules PDF posted on the courts.wa.gov court rules pages for Benton and Franklin counties is the set effective September 1, 2023, so use the court's own Local Rules and Required Forms pages instead, and the courts.wa.gov court directory entry still links the county's retired co.franklin.wa.us addresses, while the county's current site is franklincountywa.gov. | Washington Courts court rules and court directory, courts.wa.gov, and Franklin County, WA, franklincountywa.gov |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Franklin County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Pasco 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County Clerk in Room B306 at 1016 N 4th Avenue, and an uncontested order is usually presented on the Franklin ex parte docket between 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. rather than at a hearing. | 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 Franklin County Clerk, whether at the counter, by mail, or through eFileWA. 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); Franklin County's own fee page confirms that affidavit is not filed with the clerk. If a probate is needed, an out-of-state filer can mail the petition to the Franklin County Clerk at 1016 N 4th Avenue, B306, Pasco, WA 99301, or e-file it through eFileWA, and can appear by WebEx on the Thursday probate and guardianship docket if a hearing is set. Plan for one Pasco presence, though: an order on the ex parte docket has to be placed in the ex parte box in the courtroom, and WebEx is not available for ex parte. | 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 eFileWA. |
| 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 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 Franklin County house and distribute the proceeds without returning to court for approval (RCW 11.68.011). If any step draws an objection, it is noted onto the Franklin County probate and guardianship docket on a Thursday at 8:30 a.m., with the motion filed and served at least 21 calendar days ahead, bench copies through eMotion five calendar days ahead, and a Read First to confirm the matter (LGR 2, LGR 3). | 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 |
|---|---|
| Franklin County Clerk (franklincountywa.gov), (509) 545-3525, Option 2 for civil, probate, and guardianships | The filing office for probate: the counter in Room B306 at 1016 N 4th Avenue in Pasco, hours, the fee schedule, court forms, the dockets, records requests, and eFileWA. Clerk staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice |
| Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court (bentoncountywa.gov), Court Administration (509) 736-3071 | The joint court's own site: the current local court rules, the weekly docket schedule with the Franklin County probate and guardianship docket, the ex parte procedure, the WebEx appearance rules, the daily schedule with courtroom assignments, and the Forms Center |
| Franklin County court dockets (franklincountywa.gov) | The clerk's live docket listings, including a Probate and Guardianship docket, so you can see what is set before you go |
| Franklin County Clerk court records (franklincountywa.gov), [email protected] | How to get the file: the Superior Court records request form, the copy fees, and the clerk's enhanced Odyssey portal registration. Allow seven days for processing, certified copies are mailed only, and payment must be a cashier's check or money order |
| Odyssey Portal (odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov) | The free public case search for Washington superior courts, including Franklin County. 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 sends users 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). Franklin County's own fee page points here for the affidavit |
| Washington Courts court forms (courts.wa.gov) | The statewide case cover sheets and the GR 34 fee waiver forms. There is no statewide probate forms category |
| 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 Court Administration listings for Franklin County |
| Benton Franklin Legal Aid (bflegalaid.org), (509) 221-1824 | A local nonprofit legal aid society for qualified low-income residents of both counties. Read its service list before you apply: it names family law, bankruptcy, Social Security and disability, wills and powers of attorney, landlord and tenant, immigration, protection orders, and minor guardianship, and does not list probate or decedents' estates |
| Northwest Justice Project CLEAR, 1-888-201-1014, nwjustice.org | Free civil legal aid intake for low-income Washington residents; callers 60 and over can use CLEAR Sr at 1-888-387-7111. The Franklin County Clerk's own FAQ points here for legal assistance referrals. 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 Franklin County |
| Washington State Law Library (courts.wa.gov), (360) 357-2136 | Legal reference help by phone and email for anyone in the state. The joint court also notes that paper or digital copies of current and expired local court rules are available in each county's law library and through each county's Clerk's office |
| Franklin County clerk facilitator (franklincountywa.gov) | Listed here for what it cannot do, so you do not make the trip. The facilitator is a family law facilitator seen by appointment scheduled in person, 30 minutes, $35 nonrefundable, and its own page lists probate, wills, and guardianships among the matters it cannot assist with |
When to hire an attorney
Many Franklin 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 farm ground, a food processing or agricultural business, water rights, 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). Two local facts push in the same direction. The courthouse help most families expect is not available for probate: Franklin County's clerk facilitator handles family law and says on its own page that it cannot assist with probate, wills, or guardianships, and clerk staff can explain procedure but not give legal advice. And the ex parte docket, where uncontested probate orders are actually signed, runs 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Pasco courtroom with no WebEx option, so a lawyer who already appears there can present an order without a trip. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Washington probate attorney serving Franklin 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, Franklin County real estate, business interests, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Washington route fits before you file, and can describe the major assets and the heirs the way RCW 11.28.110 now expects.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the estate settlement 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 Franklin County Clerk at the Room B306 counter in Pasco, by mail, or through eFileWA.
Find a local probate attorney. When a matter is contested, or when nobody can be in the Pasco courtroom for the 1:00 p.m. ex parte docket, Sunset connects families to a vetted Washington probate attorney serving Franklin 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 Franklin County?
With the Franklin County Clerk, the Clerk of the Superior Court, at the counter in Room B306 of the Franklin County Courthouse, 1016 N 4th Avenue, Pasco, WA 99301. Washington has no separate probate court: the Superior Court in Franklin County handles probate as a case type under RCW Title 11, and the County Clerk is the filing office. Franklin County has one counter, so there is no branch to choose between, and the same street address serves for mail. 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 Franklin County probate, and is e-filing required?
You can, and it is not required. The Franklin County Clerk publishes eFileWA, the Tyler Technologies system, for superior court case filings, and states there is no fee to use the service itself, although the $290 filing fee and any ecommerce transaction fee still apply. Filings must follow the eFileWA document order, and Tyler provides the technical support at 800-297-5377. Neither the clerk's page nor the counties' current local court rules make e-filing mandatory for a probate, so paper filing at the counter or by mail is still accepted. Two limits matter: ex parte filings are not accepted through eFileWA, so an uncontested order still goes through the ex parte process, and eFileWA does not carry judicial working copies, which go through eMotion instead. One caution specific to this corner of the state: the Benton County Clerk uses a different e-filing vendor with its own fees, so do not work from Benton's instructions for a Franklin County case.
When is the probate hearing day in Franklin County?
Thursdays at 8:30 a.m. The Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court publishes a weekly docket schedule that sets the Franklin County probate and guardianship docket on Thursday mornings, and courtroom assignments appear on the court's daily schedule, which changes often. Most probate matters never reach that docket, because uncontested orders are presented on the Franklin County ex parte docket instead, which runs 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. every weekday. If you do need the Thursday docket, work backward: the motion and supporting materials are filed and served at least 21 calendar days ahead, any response at least 11 days ahead, any reply at least 5 days ahead (LGR 3), and bench copies plus a one-page Read First are due at least five calendar days ahead (LGR 2). The Read First is the piece filers miss: Local General Rule 2 singles out the probate and guardianship dockets and requires the moving party to send the judicial officer a one-page document, through eMotion or as a hard copy to Court Administration, saying whether the motion is going as set, is being continued, or will be presented as an agreed order. It is not filed with the Clerk, a matter without one can be stricken at the judicial officer's discretion, and a self-represented party is not required to file one but is strongly encouraged to. The form is in the court's Forms Center.
How does the ex parte docket work in Franklin County?
It is short, it is daily, and it is in person. The Franklin County ex parte docket begins at 1:00 p.m. each weekday and concludes at 1:30 p.m. Place the matter you want considered in the clearly marked ex parte box in the courtroom, which sits within arm's reach of the clerk, no later than the concluding time, then take a seat on the benches. After review the Clerk announces that the matter has been signed, or the Judge calls you forward with questions. Approved orders are conformed by the Clerk, but copies go through the normal copy request process and may not be available for purchase until the next business day, so bring conforming copies if you need them the same day. WebEx is not available for ex parte in either county and the court's Live Stream does not carry it. Every ex parte request, whether presented by an attorney or a self-represented litigant, must carry an attestation about whether an affidavit of prejudice has been filed against any judicial officer (Judicial Resolution 17-002, updated July 9, 2025, and LGR 6), and forms are at the Court Administration window.
Can I appear by phone or video in a Franklin County probate?
By video, yes, if you follow the court's rules, and not for ex parte. Attorneys and litigants with matters on the docket may appear by WebEx under requirements effective April 22, 2025 and updated January 7, 2026: litigants must display their first and last name and the case number in the WebEx title, attorneys their name and the word Attorney, entry is denied if the name does not match the docket or uses a nickname, and no one is admitted after roll call. Phone-only access requires advance permission on the Request for Exception to Appear Remotely or Telephonically, filed seven calendar days before the hearing. Settlement conferences, evidentiary hearings, trials, and special sets are in person absent prior approval on the same form. WebEx is not available for the ex parte docket in either county, so plan on someone being in the Pasco courtroom for an uncontested order. No meeting link is printed here because links and courtroom assignments change; use the court's WebEx page and daily schedule.
How do I look up a Franklin County probate case online?
Use Odyssey Portal, the free public case search for Washington superior courts, which covers Franklin County. The statewide index at dw.courts.wa.gov will also find a case, but it carries its own notice that dockets, document links, and case status may be inaccurate and directs users to Odyssey Portal or the court of record. The Franklin County Clerk also links its own live docket listings, including a Probate and Guardianship docket. For the file itself, use the clerk's Superior Court records request form: allow seven days for processing, certified copies are mailed rather than emailed, uncertified copies are $0.50 per page and certified copies $5 for the first page plus $1 per additional page (RCW 36.18.016(4)), mailed copies add a $2.50 postage fee and a $2.00 handling fee, and payment must be a cashier's check or money order because the clerk does not accept personal checks for records requests. The clerk's enhanced Odyssey portal is a separate subscription requiring a registration form and a signed confidentiality agreement for each person.
Are there local Franklin County probate forms?
No local probate pleading forms, and no statewide ones 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, following the GR 14 pleading format rules the clerk publishes. What Franklin County does publish on its Court Forms page is a set of general clerk forms, a GR 34 packet and a waiver of civil filing fees form, a notice of hearing, a certificate of service, a return of service, a notice of address change, and a declaration form, and the clerk's eFileWA page directs new-case filers to the case cover sheet there. Two joint-court forms matter for a probate hearing and both come from the court rather than the clerk: the Read First required on the probate and guardianship dockets (LGR 2) and the ex parte attestation. WashingtonLawHelp publishes the plain-language packets, including the small estate affidavit kit for the route that opens no court case (RCW 11.62.010), and Franklin County's own fee page points there for it.
How much does it cost to file probate in Franklin 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 Franklin County Clerk's own probate and guardianship fee page lists Probate Filing at $290 with that authority. There is no Franklin County add-on to the figure itself, but the county does publish its own charges around it: $5 for letters of administration, testamentary, or guardianship (RCW 36.18.016(9)), $5 for the first page of a certified copy plus $1 per additional page, $0.50 per page uncertified, $2.50 postage plus $2.00 handling on mailed copies, $30 per hour for ex parte and expedited clerk services, and $20 filings for lodging a will after death with no probate contemplated or depositing a will in the clerk's repository. A filer who cannot afford the fee can ask the court to waive it under GR 34, and the clerk's fee exemptions page also lists the in forma pauperis waiver at RCW 36.18.022. Budget separately for publishing the creditor notice. Confirm the current schedule with the Franklin County Clerk.
Where is the creditor notice published for a Franklin 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)). The Franklin County Clerk names the Franklin County Graphic as the county's legal newspaper and publishes its number, (509) 234-3181. 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)). 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; a creditor who was given actual notice has the later of 30 days after that notice and four months after first publication (RCW 11.40.051(1)(a)).
Do I have to travel to Pasco to settle an estate in Franklin County?
Less than you might think, but probably once. The petition and the later filings can be mailed to the Franklin County Clerk at 1016 N 4th Avenue, B306, Pasco, WA 99301, or e-filed through eFileWA, certified copies can be mailed back to you, and a personal representative granted nonintervention powers administers and closes a solvent estate without returning to court for supervision (RCW 11.68.011). Where a matter is set for argument on the Thursday probate and guardianship docket, you can appear by WebEx under the court's published rules. The exception is the part most probates need: an uncontested order is presented on the ex parte docket by placing it in the ex parte box in the Pasco courtroom between 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., and WebEx is not available for ex parte in either county. That is the step where an out-of-town family usually either makes a trip or has a local attorney present the order.
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.