Back to Washington
King County, WA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | The Superior Court in King County, Washington's general-jurisdiction trial court. There is no separate probate court in Washington; the superior court handles probate as a case type under Title 11 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW Title 11). King County routes the probate calendar to its Ex Parte and Probate Department, where a court commissioner hears probate, guardianship, trust and estate matters (King County Local Civil Rule 40.1) |
| Filing office | King County Clerk, Clerk of the Superior Court, which operates as the Superior Court Clerk's Office, also known as the Department of Judicial Administration. It takes probate petitions, holds the original will, issues letters, and keeps the estate record. King County is Washington's exception to the elected-clerk pattern: the office is a county department led by an appointed Director and Superior Court Clerk, and no county clerk appears on King County's list of elected officials |
| Courthouse, Seattle | King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue, Room E-609, Seattle, WA 98104 |
| Courthouse, Kent | Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center, 401 Fourth Avenue N, Room 2C, Kent, WA 98032. This is a full second clerk counter, not a satellite window: it takes probate filings and Ex Parte via the Clerk submissions on the same terms as Seattle |
| Mailing | King County Superior Court Clerk, 516 Third Avenue, Room E-609, Seattle, WA 98104. Mailed filings and mailed Ex Parte via the Clerk submissions may go to either the Seattle or the Kent counter |
| Phone | (206) 296-9300 for the Clerk's Office, staffed 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, which is a narrower window than the counters keep. For Ex Parte via the Clerk questions the clerk publishes (206) 477-0848 for Seattle cases and (206) 477-3047 for Kent cases; the court's Ex Parte Coordinator is (206) 477-2517 |
| [email protected], the Clerk's Office mailbox. The clerk also runs a live chat 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Records requests are not accepted by phone or email; they go through the portal, in person, or by mail | |
| Fax | The Clerk's Office publishes no fax line for filings, and the Washington State Court Directory entry for the King County Clerk lists none. File through the clerk's e-filing portal, in person at either counter, or by mail |
| Hours | Both clerk counters are open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, with limited service from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. and from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.; all locations close on court holidays. The Ex Parte and Probate Department itself is open 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday through Friday (King County Local Civil Rule 77(f)(2)(C)) |
| 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). King County's own schedule lists the same figure, "$290.00 Probate Filing, RCW 36.18.020(2,5,6)" (King County Superior Court and Clerk's Fee Schedule, effective June 11, 2026). Confirm the current schedule with the King County Clerk |
| Local forms | Yes. King County publishes its own Case Information Cover Sheet and Case Assignment Area Form for probate and guardianship cases, a Probate Cover Sheet used when the original will is submitted, an Ex Parte via the Clerk cover sheet and Information Sheet, a Notice of Court Date, and Will Repository cover sheet, motion and order forms. Washington publishes no statewide probate form set, so the petitions themselves are drafted by the filer or the attorney |
| E-filing | Mandatory for attorneys. Attorneys must electronically file and electronically serve all documents through the Clerk's e-filing application, the KC Script Portal, unless King County Local General Rule 30 provides otherwise, and an attorney who cannot comply must obtain a written waiver on a showing of good cause. Non-attorneys are not required to e-file but may, and a non-attorney who elects to e-file must register to accept electronic service. Some documents must still be filed on paper, including original wills and codicils that do not conform to the Electronic Wills Act (LGR 30) |
| Case search | Through King County's own system, not the statewide portal. Case records, dockets and documents are searched and ordered through the KC Script Portal, and the Administrative Office of the Courts search at dw.courts.wa.gov routes King County Superior Court lookups there by name. That statewide site is a pointer index whose own notice warns that dockets, judgments, document links and case status may be inaccurate, and Odyssey Portal covers 37 of Washington's 39 counties, every county except King and Pierce. Viewing court records in person at any of the three clerk records counters is free |
| Remote appearance | Available for noted Ex Parte and Probate hearings. The court publishes an Ex Parte Zoom meeting for its calendar, and King County Local Civil Rule 82(e)(2)(C) provides that proceedings may be by remote means, in person, or a combination, as the court directs and orders. Confirm the format for your date with the Ex Parte Coordinator before appearing |
| Website | https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dja |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
The first King County question is not which form to use, it is what the estate actually holds and where the case belongs. Washington's routes are a petition to probate the will with letters testamentary; a petition for letters of administration where there is no will, in the priority order the statute sets; nonintervention powers, which let a solvent estate be administered and closed without further court supervision (RCW 11.68.011); and, for a modest estate holding only personal property, a sworn small estate affidavit collected without opening any court case (RCW 11.62.010). Which one fits turns on whether there is a will, what the estate holds, whether it is solvent, and who is entitled to serve; the routes and their thresholds are covered on the Washington state page.
Before you file, identify every bank and credit union account, brokerage and retirement account, life insurance policy, vehicle, business interest, and parcel of King County real estate, along with every debt, and identify each heir, legatee and devisee by name and address. King County makes this front work matter twice over: the case assignment area is set by where the decedent principally resided, and a 2026 change to Washington law now requires an application for letters of administration to describe the heirs and the applicant's search for them and, in most cases, to give a general description of 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 Superior Court in King County serves all of King County, from Seattle and the north and east suburbs to the south county cities, and it hears probate for a King County decedent. 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)). Once letters have been granted, the rest of the estate stays in that county (RCW 11.96A.050(5)). A narrow exception removes the choice: a petitioner seeking appointment under RCW 11.28.120(3), the route open to a person not otherwise entitled after 90 days, must file where the decedent resided.
Within King County the estate is then assigned to one of two case assignment areas, and that assignment decides which courthouse hears it. For a probate, the area is where the decedent principally resided, or, if the decedent did not reside in King County, the area holding any part of the estate; if neither is in King County, either area may be used (King County Local Civil Rule 82(e)(4)(A)(ii)). The Seattle case assignment area is all of King County north of Interstate 90 and including the whole Interstate 90 right of way, all of the cities of Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue, Issaquah and North Bend, and all of Vashon and Maury Islands. The Kent case assignment area is the rest of King County south of Interstate 90, which takes in Kent, Renton, Auburn, Federal Way, Burien, Tukwila, Des Moines, SeaTac, Covington, Maple Valley, Enumclaw and their neighbors. Disputes brought under the Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution Act follow the same split (LCR 82(e)(4)(A)(xi)).
The practical effect is narrower than it sounds. Every King County estate is filed with the same County Clerk, and either counter will take the filing: the King County Courthouse at 516 Third Avenue, Room E-609, in downtown Seattle, or the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center at 401 Fourth Avenue N, Room 2C, in Kent. What the case assignment area controls is where the hearing happens, because a proceeding before a court commissioner, which is who hears the Ex Parte and Probate calendar, is held at a court facility in the designated area unless the court orders otherwise (LCR 82(e)(2)(A)). A proceeding before a judge is held at a King County court facility based on where the judge sits, and any proceeding may be remote, in person, or both as the court directs (LCR 82(e)(2)(B) and (C)).
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue and the case assignment area. King County is the practical county when the decedent lived here at death (RCW 11.96A.050(4)). Then decide which area the estate belongs to: Seattle for a decedent who principally resided north of Interstate 90 or in Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue, Issaquah, North Bend, or on Vashon or Maury Island, and Kent for the rest of the county south of Interstate 90 (King County Local Civil Rule 82(e)). The designation goes on the cover sheet and sets which courthouse hears the matter.
- Choose the route. With a will, the petitioner asks the court to probate the will and issue letters testamentary, and the court may hear the proofs immediately and enter an order establishing the will (RCW 11.20.020). With no will, the applicant petitions for letters of administration in the statutory priority order (RCW 11.28.120(1)), and the 2026 amendments to RCW 11.28.110 require the application to state the heirs and the applicant's search for them and, unless the applicant is the spouse, domestic partner or next of kin, to describe the major probate assets. Most Washington personal representatives also petition for nonintervention powers so the estate can be administered and closed without further court supervision (RCW 11.68.011). A modest estate holding only personal property may instead be collected by sworn affidavit with no court case opened (RCW 11.62.010); the routes and their thresholds are on the Washington state page.
- Prepare the documents. Washington publishes no statewide probate form set, so the petition, the oath or acceptance of appointment, the proposed order and the proposed letters are drafted by the filer or the attorney. King County adds its own cover sheets: a new probate case needs the Case Information Cover Sheet and Case Assignment Area Form for probate and guardianship, and the county's Probate Cover Sheet is used to submit the original will. The Clerk's Office publishes a Minimum Required Documents guide listing what each probate cause of action needs, and the KC Script Portal auto-generates the cover sheet and case assignment designation for a case that is e-filed.
- File with the King County Clerk. An attorney must electronically file and electronically serve all documents through the Clerk's e-filing application, the KC Script Portal, unless King County Local General Rule 30 provides otherwise, and an attorney who cannot comply must apply for a written waiver on a showing of good cause; paper filing without a waiver draws a fee under King County Code 4A.630.060. A self-represented filer is not required to e-file and may file at either counter, the King County Courthouse in Seattle or the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, or by mail, but a non-attorney who chooses to e-file must register to accept electronic service. Either way, the original will and any codicil that does not conform to the Electronic Wills Act must reach the clerk on paper (LGR 30), and the county's practice is that a probate with a will has the original will delivered or mailed to the clerk for delivery to the commissioner at the same time as the petition.
- Pay the fee. $290 to open a 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)), and listed as "$290.00 Probate Filing" on the King County Superior Court and Clerk's Fee Schedule, effective June 11, 2026. A filer who cannot afford it may ask the court to waive it under GR 34, and King County routes those in forma pauperis motions to the Ex Parte and Probate Department with forms available free from the Clerk's Office or the Family Law Facilitators Office. Card payments carry a $2.49 processing charge (King County Superior Court and Clerk's Fee Schedule, effective June 11, 2026).
- Present the petition. King County Local Civil Rule 40.1 and the clerk's Ex Parte Motions and Hearings Manual, together with the Ex Parte Master List, decide what is presented in person and what is submitted in writing through the clerk. A new or reopened probate matter may go either way: it can be presented in person to the Ex Parte and Probate Department, or submitted through Ex Parte via the Clerk with a $30 presentation fee, up to five proposed orders per submission (King County Superior Court and Clerk's Fee Schedule, effective June 11, 2026). A matter that requires no notice to anyone must go through Ex Parte via the Clerk. Because the clerk does not review the case file on an Ex Parte via the Clerk submission, every supporting document the court needs has to be in the packet.
- Reserve a hearing date where one is required. Matters that require notice, and the matters LCR 98.04(b) lists, must be noted for hearing at least 14 days in advance, including a petition for nonintervention powers unless notice is waived by the parties or not required by law. Reserve the date on the court's Ex Parte Calendar Availability application, then file the Notice of Court Date into the case within 24 hours or the hearing may be stricken, and serve the notice and motion with the papers. Working copies go to the department no later than seven days before the hearing, responses by noon four judicial days before, and any strict reply by noon two judicial days before (LCR 98.04(b)(7)).
- Appear, in person or remotely. The Ex Parte and Probate Department sits 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday through Friday (LCR 77(f)(2)(C)) at the courthouse in the case's assignment area. The court publishes an Ex Parte Zoom meeting for its calendar, and any proceeding may be remote, in person, or both as the court directs (LCR 82(e)(2)(C)). Confirm the format with the Ex Parte Coordinator, (206) 477-2517, before your date.
- Receive the letters. After the court signs the order appointing the personal representative, the clerk processes the order directing issuance and files the letters testamentary or letters of administration into the court file; you then order a certified copy through the records request process, which the clerk completes within five business days. Letters will not issue if the oath or acceptance of appointment does not match the order or if the court required a bond, and the clerk notifies the filer when that happens. A certificate of qualification or a certified copy of the letters is $5 (RCW 36.18.016(9)), the line King County's schedule labels Form K.
- Administer and close. Within 20 days after appointment, 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 nonprobate beneficiary, and file proof of mailing (RCW 11.28.237(1)). If you give notice to creditors, file it with the court and publish it once each week for three successive weeks in a legal newspaper in the county where the estate is being administered, which triggers the four-month claim bar (RCW 11.40.020 and RCW 11.40.051). Collect the assets, pay valid debts, sell King County real estate where the estate needs to, distribute, and close. A personal representative with nonintervention powers closes without returning to court for supervision; without them, accountings, sale confirmations and similar matters go back to the Ex Parte and Probate Department on 14 days notice (LCR 98.04(b)).
Executor duties
A King County personal representative carries the statewide Washington duties, which are covered on the Washington state page: notice of the appointment and pendency of the probate within 20 days (RCW 11.28.237(1)), creditor notice and the four-month claim bar (RCW 11.40.020 and RCW 11.40.051), collecting the assets, paying valid debts, and distributing and closing, with nonintervention powers removing the need for court supervision along the way (RCW 11.68.011). King County Local Civil Rule 98.04 adds a short list of local requirements on top of those, and they are the ones that most often send a King County filer back to the counter.
Keep the names identical. The personal representative's name must be typed or printed on the oath exactly as it appears in the order, and the order appointing the personal representative must contain the name as it appears in the oath (LCR 98.04(g) and (h)). Mismatched names are one of the reasons the clerk cannot issue letters after an order is signed, alongside a bond the court has required but that has not been posted. If a personal representative changes their name during the administration, they must obtain an order for new letters and file an oath under the new name to receive them.
File a notice of change of address with the court within 30 days of any move. That obligation applies to any person appointed personal representative or administrator of an estate and runs for the life of the administration (LCR 98.04(i)). It is easy to miss in an estate that is otherwise unsupervised under nonintervention powers.
If the court requires a bond, sign it as the principal and include the surety's address; King County requires every bond of a personal representative to be signed by the principal and to carry the surety's address (LCR 98.04(c)). And where a will is believed to be in a safe deposit box the decedent could reach, King County has a local route: on a petition showing the jurisdictional facts and that belief, the court may order the person controlling the box to open it in the petitioner's presence and deliver any document purporting to be the will to counsel for immediate filing or to the clerk (LCR 98.04(d)).
Forms and documents
Probate forms in King County
Washington has no statewide probate form set, and that is worth saying plainly because it surprises people who expect a fill-in packet. The Washington Courts forms index at courts.wa.gov publishes statewide forms for family law, guardianship and conservatorship, criminal, behavioral health, juvenile, financial and access-to-court matters, and it publishes case information cover sheets and the GR 34 fee-waiver forms, but there is no probate category. A Washington probate petition, the oath or acceptance of appointment, the proposed order and the proposed letters are drafted by the filer or the attorney, not filled in on a state form.
King County does publish its own local forms, and a probate filing needs them. The Case Information Cover Sheet and Case Assignment Area Form for probate and guardianship accompanies a new case and carries the Seattle or Kent designation; the county's Probate Cover Sheet is the sheet used when the original will is submitted with the petition; the Ex Parte via the Clerk cover sheet and the Ex Parte Information Sheet go with a submission presented through the clerk; the Notice of Court Date is filed after a hearing date is reserved; and the Will Repository cover sheet, with a motion and order to remove a will from the repository, covers wills deposited with the clerk before death. All of these are on the Clerk's Office forms page at kingcounty.gov, and the clerk's Minimum Required Documents guide lists what each probate cause of action needs and whether it is e-filing eligible. If the case is e-filed, the KC Script Portal generates and files the cover sheet and case assignment designation for you from the selections you make, so there is nothing separate to complete.
For plain-language guidance and the practical self-help packets, WashingtonLawHelp (washingtonlawhelp.org), published by the Northwest Justice Project, is Washington's main self-help publisher for estates, including its small estate guidance and Small Estate Affidavit packet. The King County Law Library also sells form packets and publishes how-to videos for self-represented parties. Confirm a King County form's current version on the Clerk's Office forms page before relying on it, and confirm which matters must be presented in person against the clerk's Ex Parte Motions and Hearings Manual and the Ex Parte Master List.
Fees
The $290 fee to open a probate is statutory and identical in every Washington county (RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), (6)). What King County adds are local service charges, set mostly by King County Code, that a King County estate runs into in practice. Every figure below is published by the King County Clerk, chiefly on the King County Superior Court and Clerk's Fee Schedule, effective June 11, 2026, and fees must be paid in advance (RCW 36.18.060). Fee waivers are available: GR 34 covers the filing fee, and the Clerk's Office has a separate fee waiver request for the Ex Parte via the Clerk and expedited charges.
| Charge | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Ex Parte via the Clerk presentation fee | $30 (RCW 36.18.016(12)) | Every submission presented to the Ex Parte and Probate Department through the clerk, covering up to five proposed orders per submission |
| Expedited service fee | $40 in addition to the regular service fee (King County Code 4A.630.170) | Presentation of an Ex Parte via the Clerk submission within 15 minutes of receipt, which with the $30 presentation fee is the $70 expedited total the clerk publishes |
| Extra handling or faulty document fee | $15 per document (King County Code 4A.630.060) | Each incomplete or incorrect document, and each paper document an attorney files without an approved LGR 30 e-filing waiver |
| Electronic working copies | $40 (King County Code 4A.630.190) | Submitting judges' working copies electronically through the portal, which LGR 30 permits the clerk to charge for |
| Certificate of qualification or certified copy of letters | $5 (RCW 36.18.016(9)) | The certified proof of authority a bank or title company asks for, the line King County's schedule labels Form K |
| Certified copy of a document | $5 for the first page plus $1 per additional page (RCW 36.18.016(4)(a)) | Certified copies of the order, the letters or anything else in the estate file; non-certified copies are $0.50 per page and viewing records in person is free |
| Records request handling by mail | $10 shipping and handling per the clerk's records page: $7 handling plus $3 postage, the postage set by King County Code 4A.630.180 | Any mailed records request submitted without a self-addressed stamped envelope. Expedited records service is a further $40 per case (King County Code 4A.630.170) |
| Records search by staff | $30 per hour, one hour minimum (RCW 36.18.016(11)) | Asking the clerk to search records rather than searching the portal yourself |
| Filing a will after death with no probate | $20 (RCW 36.18.012(7)) | Lodging the original will with the clerk when no probate of the estate is contemplated |
| Will repository deposit | $20 per will or codicil (RCW 36.18.016) | Depositing an original will with the clerk under seal before death (RCW 11.12.265); if a probate is later opened from that file, the full $290 filing fee applies |
| Card processing charge | $2.49 per credit card transaction | Paying a filing or service fee online; the portal's Ex Parte via the Clerk cart lets multiple cases share one transaction charge |
Timeline
- Reserve the hearing date first, where the matter needs one. Matters requiring notice and the matters listed in King County Local Civil Rule 98.04(b) must be noted for hearing at least 14 days in advance, including a petition for nonintervention powers unless notice has been waived by the parties or is not required by law, along with approval of periodic reports, final accounts or expenditures, interim accounts, motions to confirm the sale of real estate, minor settlements, and any matter asking the court to find that procedural steps have been taken. Dates are reserved on the court's Ex Parte Calendar Availability application, and the calendars are capacity limited.
- File the Notice of Court Date within 24 hours of reserving the date, or the hearing may be stricken. Serve the notice, the motion and the supporting papers on the other parties within the time the local rules require.
- Deliver working copies no later than seven days before the hearing for contested matters and matters requiring notice. Response documents, including briefs, are filed and served with working copies submitted no later than noon four judicial days before the hearing, and documents in strict reply no later than noon two judicial days before (LCR 98.04(b)(7)).
- A matter needing no notice does not wait on a calendar at all. It is submitted through Ex Parte via the Clerk, and the clerk presents it to the Ex Parte and Probate Department; an expedited submission is presented within 15 minutes of receipt for an added fee, and the clerk states that expedited results are generally available to the submitter within about an hour.
- Strike or move a hearing at least one business day before the scheduled date, by call or email to the Ex Parte Coordinator, and expect to notify the other parties yourself. A hearing set by court order cannot be stricken. Agreed continuances go in as a stipulation and order through Ex Parte via the Clerk before the hearing date; staff cannot continue a case administratively.
- Allow five business days for a records request after the letters are filed. The clerk completes portal and in-person records requests within five business days of submission, and a completed record stays available to view or download for 14 calendar days.
- Build in the statutory clocks that run alongside the calendar: notice of appointment and pendency of the probate within 20 days after appointment (RCW 11.28.237(1)); creditor notice published once each week for three successive weeks, opening the four-month claim bar (RCW 11.40.020 and RCW 11.40.051); and, for any party who wants the case moved to the county of residence, four months from the mailing of that notice of appointment (RCW 11.96A.050(4)(a)).
Local nuance
King County-specific considerations
Unlike most Washington counties, King County has no separately elected county clerk. The Superior Court Clerk's Office is the Department of Judicial Administration, a county department that describes itself as the independent record keeper for King County Superior Court, and it is led by an appointed Director and Superior Court Clerk. King County's published list of elected officials contains the Executive, the Council, the Assessor, the Director of Elections, the Prosecuting Attorney and the judges, and no county clerk. Nothing about that changes what you file or where, but it explains why King County materials say Department of Judicial Administration where other counties say County Clerk, and why the office is reached through a department contact center rather than an elected officeholder.
Mandatory attorney e-filing is the second King County distinctive, and it has probate-specific edges. Under King County Local General Rule 30, attorneys shall electronically file and electronically serve all documents through the Clerk's e-filing application, the KC Script Portal, unless the rule provides otherwise; non-attorneys are not required to e-file but may, and a party who is not represented and chooses to e-file must register to accept electronic service in that case. An attorney who cannot comply applies for a waiver, must show good cause, receives a written approval or denial, files a copy of the waiver in each case, and captions paper documents "Exempt from e-filing per waiver filed on (date)"; paper filing without a waiver draws the King County Code 4A.630.060 fee for each document. The exception that matters most in a probate is the paper one: an original will or codicil that does not conform to the Electronic Wills Act cannot be e-filed, and the county's practice is that a probate with a will has the original will delivered or mailed to the clerk for delivery to the commissioner at the same time as the petition. Plan on a paper trip or a mailing for the will even in a fully electronic case.
Third, King County splits presentation between the courtroom and the clerk's counter. King County Local Civil Rule 40.1 sends probate matters to the Ex Parte and Probate Department, and the clerk's Ex Parte Motions and Hearings Manual together with the Ex Parte Master List controls which matters are heard in person with oral argument and which are submitted in writing through the clerk. Agreed and unopposed matters, and anything requiring no notice, go through Ex Parte via the Clerk for a presentation fee; a new or reopened probate may go either way, by the parties in person or through the clerk. Attorneys must make Ex Parte via the Clerk submissions through the portal, while others may submit in person or by mail at either counter with a cover sheet, the proposed orders, the supporting documents and payment. The clerk does not review the case file on these submissions, so the packet has to be self-contained, and a rejected submission has its fee refunded. If a probate matter turns contested, the judicial officer can refer it to the clerk, who issues a case schedule and assigns a judge (LCR 98.04(a)).
Fourth, King County keeps its own records system. Probate cases are superior court cases and appear in the statewide index at dw.courts.wa.gov, but that site's own notice warns its dockets and case status may be inaccurate and routes King County Superior Court searches to King County's system; Odyssey Portal, the current search for the other 37 counties, does not cover King. Search, view and order King County estate records through the KC Script Portal, or view them free in person at any of the clerk's three records counters. Records requests are not taken by phone or email.
Recent updates
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| June 11, 2026 | King County adopted a new Superior Court and Clerk's Fee Schedule. It carries the $290 probate filing fee with the RCW 36.18.020(2), (5) and (6) authority, the $30 Ex Parte via the Clerk presentation fee, the $40 expedited service fee and the $15 extra handling or faulty document fee. Confirm any figure against the current schedule before paying. | Superior Court and Clerk's Fee Schedule, kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dja |
| September 1, 2025 | The current King County Superior Court Local Rules took effect, including LGR 30 on mandatory attorney e-filing and electronic service, LCR 40.1 on the Ex Parte and Probate Department and the clerk's Motions and Hearings Manual, LCR 82 on the Seattle and Kent case assignment areas, and LCR 98.04 on estates, probate and notices. | Local Rules of the Superior Court for King County, courts.wa.gov and kingcounty.gov |
| January 2026 | The clerk reissued the Ex Parte Motions and Hearings Manual, the document that controls which King County probate matters are presented in person and which go through Ex Parte via the Clerk. Check the current version before presenting a matter. | Ex Parte via the Clerk, kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dja |
| Current practice | In-person hearings on the Guardianship and Probate Delinquency Calendar are suspended. The court continues to review those cases on the record and may set a hearing in an individual case as needed. | Procedures, Ex Parte and Probate, King County Superior Court |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in King County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | A Seattle, Bellevue or Kent home held with a right of survivorship, or covered by a community property agreement between the spouses (RCW 26.16.120), passes to the survivor outside probate, and title is cleared through the King County Recorder's Office rather than the Superior Court. Accounts and property in the decedent's sole name may still need probate. Where they do, the survivor petitions the Superior Court in King County for letters and for nonintervention powers, which RCW 11.68.011 directs the court to grant a surviving spouse or domestic partner in a solvent all-community-property intestate estate with no outside issue, and the estate is then administered without further court supervision. If the sole-name property is only personal property and modest, the survivor may be able to use the small estate affidavit instead, with no case opened (RCW 11.62.010). | Asset discovery to separate survivorship and community property agreement property from sole-name assets. Packet generation for the small estate affidavit or for the petition, cover sheet and nonintervention powers request. Guidance on clearing title through the King County Recorder's Office. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent lived in King County and left a modest estate holding only personal property, a claiming successor can often collect it with a sworn affidavit presented directly to whoever holds the property, with no King County court case at all (RCW 11.62.010). Where a probate is needed, the child prepares the petition and the King County cover sheet and files at either counter or by mail, designating Seattle or Kent by where the parent principally resided. A matter requiring no notice can be presented through Ex Parte via the Clerk without anyone appearing, and a noted hearing can often be attended on the court's Ex Parte Zoom, so an out-of-state child can usually settle a King County estate without traveling to Seattle. The original will still has to reach the clerk on paper. | Asset discovery to confirm what the estate holds and whether the affidavit route reaches it. Packet generation for the affidavit or for the petition, cover sheet and proposed letters, ready to mail or e-file. Attorney referral if the estate turns out to be larger or contested. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Probate in the Superior Court in King County. With no will, the parent applies for letters of administration under the RCW 11.28.120(1) priority order, and the application must now set out the heirs and the applicant's search for them under the 2026 amendments to RCW 11.28.110. The parent petitions for nonintervention powers, which are noted for hearing at least 14 days in advance unless notice is waived or not required (King County Local Civil Rule 98.04(b)(2)), and then sells the child's King County real estate under that authority before distributing. Without nonintervention powers, a motion to confirm the sale of real estate goes back to the Ex Parte and Probate Department on the same 14 days notice, and a dispute among heirs can be referred to the clerk for a case schedule and a judge. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts, policies and property, which is also what RCW 11.28.110 now expects the application to describe. Packet generation for the administration application, the nonintervention powers petition and the sale papers. Attorney referral to handle a contested step or a disputed sale. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| King County Superior Court Clerk's Office, Department of Judicial Administration (kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dja) | The filing office's own site: hours and locations for both clerk counters, the e-filing and Ex Parte via the Clerk pages, the local forms, the fee schedule, fee waiver instructions, the will repository, and records access |
| Ex Parte and Probate Department, King County Superior Court | The court's own pages on scheduling and preparing a probate hearing, the Ex Parte Calendar Availability application for reserving a date, the published Ex Parte Zoom meeting, and the Ex Parte Coordinator at (206) 477-2517 or [email protected] |
| Ex Parte Motions and Hearings Manual and the Ex Parte Master List (kingcounty.gov, Ex Parte via the Clerk) | The clerk's manual and searchable list showing which matters must be presented in person and which go through the clerk, with the procedures, costs and timelines for each; also published in paper form at the Clerk's Office |
| King County Superior Court Local Rules (courts.wa.gov and kingcounty.gov) | The local rules that actually govern a King County probate: LGR 30 on mandatory attorney e-filing, LCR 40.1 on the Ex Parte and Probate Department, LCR 82 on the Seattle and Kent case assignment areas, and LCR 98.04 on estates, probate and notices. Current set effective September 1, 2025 |
| KC Script Portal (dja-prd-ecexap1.kingcounty.gov) | King County's own e-filing and case records system: e-file and e-serve, submit Ex Parte via the Clerk matters and working copies, and search, view and order case records. The statewide search at dw.courts.wa.gov routes King County Superior Court lookups here |
| King County Law Library (kcll.org) | The county's public law library, which the Superior Court describes as providing legal materials, training and education, with form packets available for purchase and how-to videos for self-represented parties; it also runs e-filing courses in partnership with the Clerk's Office. Confirm current location, hours and class schedule before relying on them |
| WashingtonLawHelp (washingtonlawhelp.org) | The Northwest Justice Project's plain-language self-help library, Washington's main publisher of estate guidance, including small estate guidance and a Small Estate Affidavit packet. The site blocks some automated fetchers, so open it in a browser |
| Washington Courts court forms and directory (courts.wa.gov/forms and courts.wa.gov/court_dir) | The statewide case information cover sheets and the GR 34 fee waiver forms, plus the court directory entry confirming the King County Clerk's address and phone. There is no statewide probate forms category |
| Preparing for Your Day in Court, King County Superior Court | The court's own handbook and companion videos on appearing without an attorney in the King County Superior Courts, published on its legal assistance page |
| King County Bar Association (kcba.org) | Lawyer referral service for King County, plus pro bono services offering a 30-minute consultation and referral, and Neighborhood Legal Clinics offering a free 30-minute consultation with a volunteer attorney for advice only. Confirm that a clinic or program handles probate before relying on it, because probate is not among the published intake priorities of every program |
| Northwest Justice Project and CLEAR (nwjustice.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible King County residents. The court's published description of its King County intake priorities covers family law for survivors of domestic violence, housing, consumer, education and public benefits rather than probate, so confirm coverage before relying on it; the same organization publishes WashingtonLawHelp |
| King County Superior Court Office of Interpreter Services | Interpreters at no cost for all court events in more than 160 languages, arranged through the court |
When to hire an attorney
Many King County families complete a probate without counsel, because a solvent estate with nonintervention powers is administered and closed without court supervision (RCW 11.68.011) and a self-represented filer may still file on paper at either counter. Counsel makes more sense when the estate is insolvent or its solvency is in doubt, because nonintervention powers depend on solvency; when there is a will contest, a petition to admit a rejected will, or a fight over who should serve; when a Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution Act proceeding is filed and the matter is set for hearing on 14 days notice and at least 20 days after service, with the possibility of being certified for trial (King County Local Civil Rule 98.14); when the estate holds a business interest, out-of-state property, or Washington real estate whose sale terms are disputed; when the estate may owe Washington estate tax; when the personal representative is appointed under RCW 11.28.120(3) and therefore cannot receive nonintervention powers; or when heirs are in conflict and the Ex Parte and Probate Department refers the case to a judge with a case schedule. An attorney also brings e-filing with them, since attorneys must e-file under King County Local General Rule 30. Sunset can connect families to a vetted King County probate attorney when the situation calls for counsel.
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, King County real estate, business interests, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value for estate settlement and can pick the right Washington route 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 King County filing: the small estate affidavit where the estate qualifies, or the petition, the Case Information Cover Sheet and Case Assignment Area Form with the Seattle or Kent designation, the oath, the proposed order and the proposed letters, plus the nonintervention powers request, ready to file at either clerk counter, to mail, or to e-file through a Washington attorney in the KC Script Portal.
Find a local probate attorney. When an estate is insolvent or contested, or a Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution Act proceeding is filed, Sunset connects families to a vetted King County probate attorney to file, e-file and appear.
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 probate in King County, Washington?
With the King County Clerk, the Clerk of the Superior Court, whose office is the Department of Judicial Administration. Probate filers use two counters: the King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue, Room E-609, Seattle, WA 98104, and the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center, 401 Fourth Avenue N, Room 2C, Kent, WA 98032 (the clerk also accepts Superior Court filings at its third location, the Clark Children and Family Justice Center at 1211 East Alder Street). Mail goes to 516 Third Avenue, Room E-609, Seattle, WA 98104. Washington has no separate probate court, so the Superior Court in King County handles probate as a case type under RCW Title 11. Venue is any county the petitioner selects (RCW 11.96A.050(4)), but in practice you file where the decedent lived, because an interested party can move venue 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)).
Which King County courthouse handles my probate, Seattle or Kent?
It depends on where the decedent principally resided. King County Local Civil Rule 82(e) divides the county into a Seattle case assignment area and a Kent case assignment area, and a probate is designated by the decedent's principal residence, or by where the estate property is if the decedent did not live in King County. The Seattle area is all of King County north of Interstate 90 including the whole Interstate 90 right of way, all of Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue, Issaquah and North Bend, and Vashon and Maury Islands; the Kent area is the rest of the county south of Interstate 90, including Kent, Renton, Auburn, Federal Way, Burien and Tukwila. Either counter will accept the filing, but a hearing before a court commissioner is held at a courthouse in the designated area unless the court orders otherwise.
Is e-filing required for probate in King County?
For attorneys, yes. Under King County Local General Rule 30, attorneys must electronically file and electronically serve all documents through the Clerk's e-filing application, the KC Script Portal, unless the rule provides otherwise, and an attorney who cannot comply must obtain a written waiver on a showing of good cause. Non-attorneys are not required to e-file and may file at either counter or by mail, but a non-attorney who chooses to e-file must register to accept electronic service. Some documents must be paper either way, and the one that matters in probate is the original will: an original will or codicil that does not conform to the Electronic Wills Act cannot be e-filed, and King County's practice is that the original will is delivered or mailed to the clerk at the same time as the petition.
How much does it cost to file probate in King County?
$290 to open a probate. The fee is set by statute and is 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 King County's own schedule lists it as "$290.00 Probate Filing, RCW 36.18.020(2,5,6)" (King County Superior Court and Clerk's Fee Schedule, effective June 11, 2026). A filer who cannot afford it may ask the court to waive it under GR 34, and King County sends those requests to the Ex Parte and Probate Department with free forms from the Clerk's Office. King County also charges local service fees a probate runs into, including a $30 Ex Parte via the Clerk presentation fee and a $5 certificate of qualification or certified copy of the letters (RCW 36.18.016(9)).
How long does it take to get letters testamentary in King County?
That depends on how the matter is presented, not on a published waiting time. A matter that requires no notice to anyone is submitted through Ex Parte via the Clerk and presented to the Ex Parte and Probate Department by the clerk, with an expedited option presented within 15 minutes of receipt. A matter that requires notice, and a petition for nonintervention powers unless notice is waived or not required, must be noted for hearing at least 14 days in advance under King County Local Civil Rule 98.04(b). Once the court signs the order, the clerk processes the order directing issuance and files the letters into the court file; you then order a certified copy through the records request process, which the clerk completes within five business days. Letters will not issue if the oath or acceptance of appointment does not match the order or if a required bond has not been posted. King County publishes no clerk-window wait times.
Can I attend a King County probate hearing by Zoom?
Often, yes. King County Superior Court publishes an Ex Parte Zoom meeting for the Ex Parte and Probate calendar, and King County Local Civil Rule 82(e)(2)(C) provides that proceedings may be by remote means, in person, or a combination, as the court directs and orders. The Ex Parte and Probate Department sits 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday through Friday (LCR 77(f)(2)(C)). Confirm the format for your specific date with the Ex Parte Coordinator at (206) 477-2517 or [email protected] before appearing, and remember that some matters, including those requiring testimony, are heard in person.
How do I look up a King County probate case?
Through King County's own system. Search, view and order case records in the KC Script Portal at dja-prd-ecexap1.kingcounty.gov; the Administrative Office of the Courts search at dw.courts.wa.gov routes King County Superior Court lookups there by name, and Odyssey Portal, which serves 37 of Washington's 39 counties (every county except King and Pierce), does not cover King. Treat the statewide index as a pointer only, because its own notice warns that dockets, judgments, document links and case status may be inaccurate. Viewing court records in person at any of the clerk's three records counters is free during business hours; the clerk does not take records requests by phone or email, and mailed requests carry a $10 shipping and handling charge, $7 handling plus $3 postage, when no self-addressed stamped envelope is provided (the postage component is set by King County Code 4A.630.180).
What probate forms does King County require?
Washington publishes no statewide probate form set, so the petition, oath, proposed order and proposed letters are drafted by the filer or the attorney. King County does add its own local forms: the Case Information Cover Sheet and Case Assignment Area Form for probate and guardianship cases, the county's Probate Cover Sheet for submitting the original will, the Ex Parte via the Clerk cover sheet and Information Sheet, the Notice of Court Date, and the Will Repository cover sheet, motion and order. All are on the Clerk's Office forms page at kingcounty.gov, and the clerk's Minimum Required Documents guide lists what each probate cause of action needs. If you e-file, the KC Script Portal generates and files the cover sheet and case assignment designation from your selections.
Do I have to travel to Seattle to settle a King County estate?
Usually not. A self-represented filer can file at the Kent counter instead of Seattle, or by mail, and can submit an Ex Parte via the Clerk matter in person or by mail at either location. A matter requiring no notice is presented to the court by the clerk without anyone appearing, and a noted hearing can often be attended on the court's Ex Parte Zoom. The one step that is hard to do at a distance is the original will, which must reach the clerk on paper and, in King County practice, at the same time as the petition. Matters requiring testimony are heard in person, at the courthouse in the case's assignment area.
Who is the King County Clerk, and is the office elected?
The filing office is the King County Clerk, the Clerk of the Superior Court, which operates as the Superior Court Clerk's Office, also known as the Department of Judicial Administration. Unlike most Washington counties, King County has no separately elected county clerk: the office is a county department led by an appointed Director and Superior Court Clerk, and King County's published list of elected officials includes the Executive, the Council, the Assessor, the Director of Elections, the Prosecuting Attorney and the judges, but no clerk. This does not change what you file or where; it explains why King County materials say Department of Judicial Administration where other counties say County Clerk. Reach the office at (206) 296-9300 or [email protected].
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.