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Kittitas County, WA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | The Superior Court in Kittitas 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. Kittitas County has its own resident superior court judges and shares no bench with a neighboring county. The court sits in two departments, and its published assignment schedule puts civil, domestic, guardianship, probate, adoption, dependency, juvenile offender, and drug court matters in Department 2, with Department 1 taking criminal as its primary assignment. Some matters are presented ex parte rather than at a contested hearing |
| Filing office | The Kittitas 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 office lists probate and guardianship filings among the case types filed there. Clerk staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice |
| Courthouse | Kittitas County Courthouse, 205 West 5th Avenue, Suite 210, Ellensburg, WA 98926. Suite 210 is the Clerk's Office counter, confirmed on the clerk's own contact block and on the courts.wa.gov directory entry. The Superior Court itself is Suite 207 and the court's own page places it on the second floor of the courthouse. Do not go to Room 180 in the same building: that is Lower Kittitas County District Court, a court of limited jurisdiction that does not handle probate |
| Mailing address | Kittitas County Clerk, 205 W 5th Ave, Suite 210, Ellensburg, WA 98926. There is no PO Box: mail and in-person filings go to the same street address, which the clerk prints verbatim on its obtaining-copies page. The courts.wa.gov directory prints the ZIP as 98926-2887 and the county's own pages print 98926 |
| Phone | (509) 962-7531, the Kittitas County Clerk's line in Ellensburg, published on the clerk's own page and on the courts.wa.gov directory. There is no separate probate line. Superior Court Administration, which handles special settings, is at (509) 962-7534 or (509) 962-7533 |
| Fax | (509) 962-7667 per the courts.wa.gov directory. Read that with care: the directory lists the same number for the Superior Court, the County Clerk, and Juvenile Court, and the clerk's own pages do not publish a fax number. Fax filing is accepted and is charged, $5.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each page thereafter, effective January 1, 2024 (RCW 36.18.016(20)), and the clerk publishes a Fax Cover Sheet form, so call the office first to confirm the number and what it will accept by fax |
| [email protected], the office mailbox the county publishes on the Clerk's Office contact block. It is not a filing channel: the clerk's page carries a notice that the office does not accept email filings | |
| Office hours | The Clerk's Office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., per its own page, so the counter closes for an hour at midday. The courthouse building itself posts Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For electronic filings, the clerk's e-filing page describes clerk business hours as Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except scheduled holidays, and treats a document received outside those hours as filed at the beginning of the next business day. Court hours under LCR 77(1) of the local rules are 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call (509) 962-7531 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). The county's own published schedule lists the line as Estate / Probate, $290.00, citing RCW 36.18.020(2), (5), and (6). Confirm the current schedule with the Kittitas County Clerk |
| Local forms | Some, but none of them is a probate petition. The local rules require a note for motion in substantially the form of Exhibit A to the rules, the Note for Motion Docket, which carries a "(Clerk's Action Required)" caption and a blank for the department (LCR 7(1)). The Clerk's Office also publishes its own Fax Cover Sheet. Washington publishes no statewide probate form set (verified July 2026 on the courts.wa.gov Court Forms index, which has no probate category), and the Kittitas rule set has no local cover sheet rule, so there is no mandatory Kittitas probate cover sheet. WashingtonLawHelp publishes the plain-language self-help packets |
| E-filing | Available to registered attorneys, not required, and not usable to open a probate. The Clerk's Office accepts e-filing from attorneys who have registered with the Superior Court, and its e-filing page states plainly that e-filing will not be mandatory in Superior Court and that new case filings cannot be filed electronically. Self-represented electronic filing exists only for protection orders under RCW 7.105.105, and the clerk's pro se page states any other case type will be rejected. The clerk's do-not-e-file list also names original wills and codicils including new probate cases that include them, letters testamentary, letters of administration, bonds in probate and guardianship cases, and ex parte orders for the ex parte judge's signature. So a Kittitas County probate is opened on paper at the counter or by mail, and a registered attorney may e-file later documents. Do not confuse this with Kittitas County's two district courts, courts of limited jurisdiction that do not handle probate and that made attorney e-filing mandatory under their own LGR 30(b)(4) effective June 3, 2026 |
| Case search | Kittitas 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), named for Kittitas in the notice at https://dw.courts.wa.gov/. The statewide index at dw.courts.wa.gov also reaches superior court cases, but it warns that its dockets and case status may be inaccurate and directs users to Odyssey Portal or the court of record. Kittitas adds a third route: the Clerk's Office directs the public to preview and pay for public court records filed after January 1, 2016 at https://digitalarchives.wa.gov. Probate cases are indexed as superior court civil cases; document coverage varies, so for records in a Kittitas County case contact the County Clerk |
| Hearing dates | Published, standing dockets rather than a date you have to chase. The court's own assignments and schedule page lists a Friday 9:00 a.m. civil, domestic, guardianship, and probate motion docket, excluding civil protection orders, states that the Friday motion dockets do not require approval from Court Administration, and states that trials and other matters are specially set with Court Administration; the clerk's calendar page labels that Friday docket Department 2 and adds that telephone confirmation is not required for motion calendar cases at this time. The clerk's calendar page puts Department 2 trials, including probate, at 9:00 a.m. on the first, second, fourth, and fifth Mondays of the month. Note the divergence: LCR 77(2)(A) of the local rules still reads that probate, guardianship, and civil motions will be heard on Monday beginning at 9:00 a.m., and LCR 77(2) says days, times, and department assignments are subject to change for holidays, judge and courtroom availability, judicial conflicts, and calendar size, so use the court's posted schedule at https://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/courts/superior/schedule.aspx and confirm with the Clerk's Office. Ex parte matters are heard Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the Court Administrator contacted to confirm a judge is available (LCR 77(2)(C)). Argument is limited to 10 minutes a side, and anything over 20 minutes total needs a special setting from Court Administration (LCR 7(4)) |
| Remote appearance | Arranged with the court, not assumed. The Kittitas County local rules contain no remote appearance rule, and the Superior Court publishes no standing probate video link, so this page does not promise a method. The clerk's calendar page does instruct people appearing virtually to follow proper etiquette, so remote appearances do happen. Ask the Clerk's Office at (509) 962-7531 or Court Administration at (509) 962-7534 or (509) 962-7533 what the department will allow for your hearing, and ask early |
| Website | https://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/clerk/ (the Kittitas County Clerk: hours, contacts, the fee schedule, the court calendars, the clerk's forms, and the e-filing pages) and https://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/courts/superior/default.aspx (Kittitas County Superior Court, with the assignments and schedule page). The current local rules are the AOC PDF at https://www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/pdf/LCR/19/SUP/LCR_Kittitas_SUP.pdf |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything with the Kittitas County Clerk, know exactly what is in the estate. Which Washington route fits depends on whether there is a will, on who is entitled to be appointed, and on the value and type of the assets, because a full probate with letters testamentary or letters of administration, an unsupervised administration under nonintervention powers (RCW 11.68.011), and a small estate affidavit that opens no court case (RCW 11.62.010) are different routes with different filings. Those routes and their thresholds are statewide and are explained on the Washington state page. Identify the estate first so you, and if needed your attorney, file the right papers once. That matters more than usual here, because a new probate case cannot be opened electronically in Kittitas County, so a correction means another trip to the counter in Ellensburg or another round of mail.
Identify every bank and credit union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life insurance policy, vehicle, and parcel of real property, along with every debt, before you file. How each asset is titled decides which route you need: the small estate affidavit reaches personal property only, while a house in Ellensburg or Cle Elum, a cabin near Snoqualmie Pass, irrigated ground in the Kittitas Valley, or any other real property generally requires a probate in the superior court so that a personal representative has authority to sign a deed. Knowing the debts matters too, because nonintervention powers are granted only if the court finds the estate solvent (RCW 11.68.011). Sunset's asset discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Kittitas County Clerk, the Clerk of the Superior Court, is the single probate filing office for all of Kittitas County, at one counter in Suite 210 of the Kittitas County Courthouse at 205 West 5th Avenue in Ellensburg. There is no second location and no branch probate counter. The office serves the entire county from the Cascade crest to the Columbia River, including Ellensburg, the county seat, the upper county towns of Cle Elum, Roslyn, and South Cle Elum, the city of Kittitas east of Ellensburg, and the unincorporated communities and farm and ranch country in between, among them Thorp, Easton, Ronald, Snoqualmie Pass, and Vantage on the Columbia. Estates from every part of the county are filed in Ellensburg, in person at the counter or by mail to Kittitas County Clerk, 205 W 5th Ave, Suite 210, Ellensburg, WA 98926.
The county's two district courts are not an alternative. Kittitas County runs Lower Kittitas County District Court, at the Ellensburg courthouse, and Upper Kittitas County District Court, at 700 East 1st Street in Cle Elum, and both are courts of limited jurisdiction that do not handle probate. That distinction is worth holding onto for a practical reason: those two courts made electronic filing mandatory for attorneys under their own local rule LGR 30(b)(4) effective June 3, 2026, while the Superior Court's Clerk states that e-filing will not be mandatory in Superior Court and that new cases cannot be opened electronically at all. An estate goes to the Superior Court counter in Suite 210, on paper. Within the Superior Court, the court's published assignments put civil, domestic, guardianship, and probate matters in Department 2, so a Kittitas County probate is a Department 2 case, heard on the court's posted motion docket, currently Friday mornings, or specially set for trial through Court Administration.
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 Kittitas County, file with the Kittitas 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. Keep the will as an original on paper. The Kittitas County Clerk's do-not-e-file list expressly covers original wills and codicils, including new probate cases that include them.
- 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. If no probate is needed at all, note that the Kittitas County Clerk's schedule prices filing a will after death with no probate of the estate at $20 (RCW 36.18.012(7)), which puts the will into the county's records without opening a case.
- 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 Kittitas County publishes no local probate petition either. Two local forms do matter. If your matter needs a hearing, the local rules require a note for motion in substantially the form of Exhibit A to the Kittitas County local rules, the Note for Motion Docket, which is captioned "(Clerk's Action Required)" and asks you to name the department (LCR 7(1)). Separately, any pleading that needs the Clerk to act, such as a petition asking that letters be issued, should carry "(Clerk's Action Required.)" under the caption (LCR 7(6)(b)). WashingtonLawHelp publishes the plain-language packets a self-represented filer can work from, including the small estate affidavit kit.
- File with the Kittitas County Clerk, on paper. Take the papers to the counter in Suite 210 of the Kittitas County Courthouse, 205 West 5th Avenue in Ellensburg, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., or mail them to Kittitas County Clerk, 205 W 5th Ave, Suite 210, Ellensburg, WA 98926. A new probate case cannot be opened electronically: the Clerk's Office states that new case filings cannot be filed electronically and that its office does not accept email filings. Fax filing is accepted and charged at $5.00 for the first page plus $1.00 per page thereafter, effective January 1, 2024 (RCW 36.18.016(20)), using the clerk's Fax Cover Sheet, but confirm the number and what the office will take by fax before you send anything, and plan on delivering the original will on paper. Call (509) 962-7531 before you mail original documents, and ask then what the office wants on intake. Once the case number exists and the fee is paid, a registered attorney may e-file later documents.
- 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 county's own schedule prints the same total for the Estate / Probate line. A filer who cannot afford the fee can ask the court to waive it under GR 34. The Clerk's Office takes cash, cashier's check, law firm check, money order, personal check, or debit or credit card, made payable to Kittitas County Clerk, and also offers online and phone payment through nCourt, a third party vendor that charges a convenience fee. By mail the office asks for a money order or business check and a self addressed stamped envelope if you need paper or certified copies back. The small estate affidavit route under RCW 11.62.010 opens no court case, 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 Kittitas 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)). Kittitas County most recently awarded its official county newspaper contract to the Northern Kittitas County Tribune, a legal newspaper published in Cle Elum, by county Resolution 2025-074 under RCW 36.72.075, for the term of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026; the designation is bid annually, and the creditor notice statute asks for a legal newspaper in the county rather than the official county newspaper specifically. Confirm the paper, the publication schedule, and the cost before you count on a date, because first publication starts the four-month claim period (RCW 11.40.051).
- Get on a court date if your matter needs one. Many probate orders are presented ex parte rather than at a contested hearing, and Kittitas County hears ex parte matters Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the Court Administrator contacted to confirm that a judge is available (LCR 77(2)(C)); an order mailed in for ex parte signing carries a $30 presentation fee on the county's schedule (RCW 36.18.016(12)). For a noted hearing, the court's published schedule lists a Friday 9:00 a.m. civil, domestic, guardianship, and probate motion docket, which the clerk's calendar page labels Department 2, and states that the Friday motion dockets do not require approval from Court Administration, while trials, including probate trials, are specially set with Court Administration; the clerk's calendar page places Department 2 trials at 9:00 a.m. on the first, second, fourth, and fifth Mondays of the month. Read that against LCR 77(2)(A), which still reads Monday at 9:00 a.m. for probate motions, and LCR 77(2), which says days, times, and department assignments are subject to change, so use the court's posted schedule and confirm with the Clerk's Office. Timing under LCR 6: serve and file your motion documents no later than six court days before the date you want it heard, get opposition papers and working copies to the hearing judge by noon two court days before, and file any strict reply by noon the court day before. Provide a conformed working copy to the judge designating the department and the date and time of your hearing (LCR 7(6)); the Superior Court publishes a working copies mailbox, [email protected], for that purpose. Argument is limited to 10 minutes a side, and a matter needing more than 20 minutes total is specially set through Court Administration at (509) 962-7534 or (509) 962-7533 (LCR 7(4)). No court reporter is provided; all matters are digitally audio recorded (LCR 80).
- 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 Kittitas County Clerk issues certified copies. Letters cannot be e-filed and are issued by the Clerk, so plan to collect or have them mailed. A certified copy of the letters is what banks, transfer agents, and title companies rely on, so order enough for the institutions the estate deals with: the county's schedule charges $5.00 for a certified copy or issuance of letters of administration, letters testamentary, or letters of guardianship (RCW 36.18.016(9), the line the schedule nicknames Form K) and $5.00 for the first page of a certified copy plus $1.00 per page thereafter (RCW 36.18.016(4)). Plain photocopies are $0.50 per page, records searching is $30.00 per hour, and mailed copies carry postage plus a $2 handling fee.
- 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 Kittitas County
Kittitas County publishes no local probate petition, 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.
Kittitas County does have local forms, and two of them matter to a probate filer. Under LCR 7(1) of the Kittitas County local rules, a note for motion substantially in the form of Exhibit A to the rules, the Note for Motion Docket, is filed with the Clerk when the motion is filed; that form is captioned "(Clerk's Action Required)" and asks you to name the department, and it is the paper that puts your matter on a docket. LCR 7(6)(b) separately asks that any pleading needing affirmative action by the Clerk carry "(Clerk's Action Required.)" under its caption, which covers a petition asking that letters be issued. The Clerk's Office also publishes a Fax Cover Sheet, which you need if you fax a filing. Unlike some Washington counties, Kittitas has no local rule requiring a case information cover sheet, so there is no mandatory Kittitas probate cover sheet. The GR 34 fee waiver forms are on the courts.wa.gov forms pages if you cannot afford the $290 filing fee (RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), (6)). WashingtonLawHelp publishes the practical self-help packets, including the small estate affidavit kit for the no-court-case route under RCW 11.62.010. Ask the Kittitas County Clerk at (509) 962-7531 what the office wants on intake before you file.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Kittitas County Clerk (co.kittitas.wa.us) | The filing office: hours, the Suite 210 counter, the mailing address, the fee schedule, the court calendars, and the notices that the office does not accept email filings and charges for fax filing |
| Kittitas County Clerk forms (co.kittitas.wa.us) | The clerk's own forms, including the Fax Cover Sheet and the request for an audio recording of a hearing. There is no local probate form here |
| Kittitas County local court rules (courts.wa.gov) | The current adopted local rules, most recently amended effective September 1, 2023, including Exhibit A, the Note for Motion Docket that LCR 7(1) requires, and LCR 77 on sessions and hearing days. The AOC file is a scanned document |
| Washington Courts court forms (courts.wa.gov) | The statewide forms site 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) |
| Kittitas County Clerk fee schedule (co.kittitas.wa.us) | The county's own schedule, which lists the Estate / Probate filing at $290 citing RCW 36.18.020(2), (5), and (6), the $5 certified copy or issuance of letters, the $30 ex parte order presentation fee, and the $20 filing of a will after death with no probate |
Recent updates
| Change | What it means for a probate filing |
|---|---|
| Probate motion docket day differs from the rule text (court schedule read July 2026) | The Kittitas County Superior Court assignments and schedule page and the Clerk's Office court calendar page both list the civil, domestic, guardianship, and probate motion dockets on Friday at 9:00 a.m., a docket the calendar page labels Department 2. LCR 77(2)(A) of the local rules still reads that probate, guardianship, and civil motions will be heard on Monday beginning at 9:00 a.m. LCR 77(2) allows days, times, and department assignments to change, so treat the court's posted schedule as controlling and confirm with the Clerk's Office before noting a hearing |
| Fax filing charge, effective January 1, 2024 | The Clerk's Office charges $5.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each page thereafter to receive a document by fax (RCW 36.18.016(20)), and publishes a Fax Cover Sheet. Fax remains a way to get paper to the counter from out of town, but the original will still has to arrive on paper |
| Attorney e-filing became mandatory in the county's district courts on June 3, 2026 | Lower and Upper Kittitas County District Court both posted that e-filing is mandatory for all attorneys under their local rule LGR 30(b)(4) effective June 3, 2026, and Lower Kittitas moved to the statewide courts of limited jurisdiction case management system on May 4, 2026. Neither court handles probate, and the Superior Court's Clerk states that e-filing will not be mandatory in Superior Court and that new cases cannot be opened electronically, so do not read the district court rule as applying to an estate |
Local court rules currently in force are the Local Rules of the Superior Court of Washington for Kittitas County, most recently amended effective September 1, 2023, including LCR 77 on sessions and hearing days. Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Kittitas County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Ellensburg or Cle Elum 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 Kittitas 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 on paper with the Kittitas County Clerk in Suite 210 at the courthouse in Ellensburg, and any hearing goes on the Department 2 docket. | 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 Kittitas County Clerk. A vetted attorney referral if a dispute arises. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | Where the estate is personal property only, the probate estate less liens and encumbrances does not exceed $100,000, and 40 days have passed since death, a claiming successor can often collect the property with a small estate affidavit instead of a court case (RCW 11.62.010). If a probate is needed, a filer living out of state can mail the petition to Kittitas County Clerk, 205 W 5th Ave, Suite 210, Ellensburg, WA 98926, with a money order or business check for the $290 fee (RCW 36.18.020(2)(f), (5)(c), (6)) and a self addressed stamped envelope for the certified copies, so the case can be opened without flying into central Washington. Electronic filing will not help open the case: the Clerk's Office states that new case filings cannot be filed electronically. | 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. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because the estate holds real property that has to be sold, the affidavit route does not reach it and the estate goes through probate: with no will the parent petitions for letters of administration in the priority order of RCW 11.28.120(1) and now must also describe the search for the heirs (RCW 11.28.110); with a will the parent probates it and receives letters testamentary. With nonintervention powers the personal representative can sell the Kittitas County house and distribute the proceeds without returning to court for approval (RCW 11.68.011). If a hearing is needed, it goes to Department 2, on the court's posted probate motion docket or, for a contested matter, a trial setting made through Court Administration. | 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 |
|---|---|
| Kittitas County Clerk (co.kittitas.wa.us), (509) 962-7531, [email protected] | The filing office for probate: hours, the counter in Suite 210 at 205 West 5th Avenue in Ellensburg, the mailing address, the fee schedule, and the court calendars. Clerk staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice, and the office does not accept email filings |
| Kittitas County Superior Court assignments and schedule (co.kittitas.wa.us) | The court's own published department assignments and motion dockets, including which department hears probate and which dockets need no advance approval from Court Administration |
| Kittitas County local court rules (courts.wa.gov) | The current adopted local rules, most recently amended effective September 1, 2023: LCR 6 on motion timing, LCR 7 on motions, ex parte matters, and working copies, LCR 77 on sessions and hearing days, and Exhibit A, the Note for Motion Docket |
| Washington Courts court directory (courts.wa.gov) | The government directory of superior court and county clerk addresses, phones, and faxes, including the separate Superior Court, County Clerk, and Juvenile Court listings for Kittitas County |
| WashingtonLawHelp (washingtonlawhelp.org) | Washington's main plain-language legal self-help publisher, with probate and small estate guides and the small estate affidavit packet (RCW 11.62.010) |
| Odyssey Portal (odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov) | The public case search for Washington superior courts, including Kittitas County. Probate cases appear as superior court civil cases; document coverage varies |
| Washington State Digital Archives (digitalarchives.wa.gov) | Where the Kittitas County Clerk directs the public to preview and pay for public Superior Court records filed after January 1, 2016 |
| Washington Courts case search (dw.courts.wa.gov) | The statewide pointer index across municipal, district, superior, and appellate courts. Useful for finding a case number, but its own notice warns that case status may be inaccurate |
| Washington Courts court forms (courts.wa.gov) | The statewide forms site and the GR 34 fee waiver forms. There is no statewide probate forms category |
| Northwest Justice Project CLEAR, 1-888-201-1014, nwjustice.org | Free civil legal aid intake for low-income Washington residents, Monday to Friday mornings; callers 60 and over can use CLEAR Sr at 1-888-387-7111. CLEAR targets basic-needs civil problems, so ask whether an estate matter qualifies |
| Washington State Bar Association, find legal help (wsba.org) | Lawyer referral and public resources for finding a Washington probate attorney who covers Kittitas County |
| Washington State Law Library (courts.wa.gov), (360) 357-2136 | Legal reference help by phone and email for anyone in the state, useful because Kittitas County lists no law library among its departments or courts |
When to hire an attorney
Many Kittitas 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 or ranch ground, water rights, a business, an upper county recreation property, or land 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). There is a local reason too: a registered attorney can e-file the documents that follow the opening petition, and a lawyer who already appears on the Department 2 docket can present an order without a wasted trip to Ellensburg. The Kittitas County Clerk can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Washington probate attorney serving Kittitas 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, Kittitas County real estate, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value for estate settlement and which Washington route fits before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset prepares the paperwork for your route, whether a probate with letters testamentary or letters of administration, a request for nonintervention powers, or a small estate affidavit, ready to file with the Kittitas County Clerk at the counter in Ellensburg or by mail.
Find a local probate attorney. When a matter is contested or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families with a vetted Washington probate attorney serving Kittitas 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 Kittitas County?
With the Kittitas County Clerk, the Clerk of the Superior Court, at the counter in Suite 210 of the Kittitas County Courthouse, 205 West 5th Avenue in Ellensburg, or by mail to Kittitas County Clerk, 205 W 5th Ave, Suite 210, Ellensburg, WA 98926. There is no PO Box. Washington has no separate probate court: the Superior Court in Kittitas County handles probate as a case type under RCW Title 11, and the County Clerk is the filing office. Do not take an estate to Room 180 in the same courthouse or to the Cle Elum courthouse on East 1st Street; those are Kittitas County's two district courts, courts of limited jurisdiction that do not handle probate. Washington law lets a petitioner file in any county (RCW 11.96A.050(4)), but file where the decedent lived, because venue can be moved there within four months of the notice of appointment and the creditor notice must be published in the county of residence anyway (RCW 11.40.020(2)).
Can I e-file a probate in Kittitas County?
Not to open one. The Kittitas County Clerk's Office does accept e-filing from attorneys who have registered with the Superior Court, and its own e-filing page states that e-filing will not be mandatory in Superior Court, but the same page states that new case filings cannot be filed electronically and tells filers to contact the office about their options. The clerk's list of documents that must be filed on paper also names original wills and codicils, including new probate cases that include them, letters testamentary, letters of administration, bonds in probate and guardianship cases, and ex parte orders for the ex parte judge's signature. Self-represented electronic filing exists in Kittitas County only for protection orders under RCW 7.105.105, and the clerk's pro se page says any other case type will be rejected. The office also does not accept email filings. So a Kittitas County probate is opened on paper at the counter or by mail (the office charges to receive fax filings and the original will must arrive on paper, so ask the clerk before trying to open a case by fax), and once the case number exists a registered attorney may e-file later documents. Do not be misled by Kittitas County's two district courts, which made attorney e-filing mandatory under their own LGR 30(b)(4) effective June 3, 2026 and do not handle probate.
When are probate matters heard in Kittitas County?
On published, standing dockets in Department 2, which is the department the court's own assignments page gives civil, domestic, guardianship, and probate matters. That page lists a Friday 9:00 a.m. civil, domestic, guardianship, and probate motion docket, excluding civil protection orders, and states that the Friday motion dockets do not require approval from Court Administration; the clerk's calendar page adds that telephone confirmation is not required for motion calendar cases at this time. Trials are specially set with Court Administration, and the clerk's calendar page places Department 2 trials, including probate, at 9:00 a.m. on the first, second, fourth, and fifth Mondays of the month. Check the posted schedule rather than relying on the rule book: LCR 77(2)(A) of the Kittitas County local rules still reads that probate, guardianship, and civil motions will be heard on Monday beginning at 9:00 a.m., and LCR 77(2) says days, times, and department assignments are subject to change for holidays, judge and courtroom availability, judicial conflicts, and calendar size. Many probate orders never need a docket date at all, because ex parte matters are heard Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the Court Administrator contacted to confirm a judge is available (LCR 77(2)(C)).
How far ahead do I have to file my motion papers in Kittitas County?
Under LCR 6 of the Kittitas County local rules, the moving party serves and files all motion documents no later than six court days before the date the party wants the motion considered. Anyone opposing files and serves the original responsive papers and delivers working copies to the hearing judge no later than noon two court days before, and any documents in strict reply are filed and served by noon on the court day before the hearing. LCR 7(1) also requires a note for motion, substantially in the form of Exhibit A to the local rules, filed with the Clerk at the time the motion is filed. Provide a conformed working copy to the judge designating the department and the date and time of the hearing (LCR 7(6)); the Superior Court publishes a working copies mailbox, [email protected]. Argument is limited to 10 minutes a side, and a matter needing more than 20 minutes total gets a special setting from Court Administration at (509) 962-7534 or (509) 962-7533 (LCR 7(4)).
Can I appear by phone or video in a Kittitas County probate?
Ask the court, and ask early. The Kittitas County local court rules contain no remote appearance rule, and the Superior Court publishes no standing probate video link, so this page will not promise you a method. Remote appearances do happen: the Clerk's Office court calendar page instructs people appearing virtually to follow proper telephone etiquette. Call the Clerk's Office at (509) 962-7531 or Court Administration at (509) 962-7534 or (509) 962-7533 and ask what Department 2 will allow for your hearing. Note also that no court reporter is provided in Kittitas County Superior Court; all matters are digitally audio recorded (LCR 80), and the Clerk's Office sells audio recordings of a hearing.
How do I look up a Kittitas County probate case online?
Use Odyssey Portal, the public case search for Washington superior courts, which the notice at dw.courts.wa.gov names as the current source for Kittitas County records. The statewide index at dw.courts.wa.gov will also find a case, but it carries its own notice that dockets, judgments, document links, and case status may be inaccurate and directs users to Odyssey Portal or the court of record. Kittitas adds a local route: the Clerk's Office directs the public to preview and pay for public Superior Court records filed after January 1, 2016 at digitalarchives.wa.gov. Probate cases are indexed as superior court civil cases and document images are not guaranteed, so for the file itself contact the Kittitas County Clerk at (509) 962-7531. Under LCR 79(A) the court file stays in the clerk's custody unless written authority to withdraw it has been given, so plan to view records at the counter or order copies.
Are there local Kittitas County probate forms?
There is no local probate petition, and Washington has no statewide probate form set either: the courts.wa.gov forms index has no probate category (verified July 2026). The petition, the order, the oath, and the notices are drafted documents. Two Kittitas forms still matter. LCR 7(1) requires a note for motion substantially in the form of Exhibit A to the Kittitas County local rules, the Note for Motion Docket, captioned "(Clerk's Action Required)" with a blank for the department, and LCR 7(6)(b) asks that any pleading needing the Clerk to act carry "(Clerk's Action Required.)" under the caption. The Clerk's Office also publishes a Fax Cover Sheet for fax filings. Kittitas has no local rule requiring a case information cover sheet, so there is no mandatory Kittitas probate cover sheet. The GR 34 fee waiver forms are on the courts.wa.gov forms pages, and WashingtonLawHelp publishes the plain-language packets, including the small estate affidavit kit for the route that opens no court case (RCW 11.62.010).
How much does it cost to file probate in Kittitas 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 county's own schedule prints that same total on its Estate / Probate line, citing RCW 36.18.020(2), (5), and (6). There is no Kittitas County add-on to the figure, and a filer who cannot afford it can ask the court to waive it under GR 34. Budget for the rest: a certified copy or issuance of letters of administration, letters testamentary, or letters of guardianship is $5.00 (RCW 36.18.016(9)), a certified copy is $5.00 for the first page plus $1.00 per page thereafter (RCW 36.18.016(4)), photocopies are $0.50 per page, presenting an ex parte order costs $30.00 (RCW 36.18.016(12)) including orders mailed in for signature, fax filing is $5.00 for the first page plus $1.00 per page thereafter, records searching is $30.00 per hour, and mailed copies carry postage plus a $2 handling fee. Filing a will after death with no probate of the estate is $20.00 (RCW 36.18.012(7)). Publishing the creditor notice is a separate cost paid to the newspaper. Confirm the current schedule with the Kittitas County Clerk.
Where is the creditor notice published for a Kittitas 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)). Kittitas County most recently awarded its official county newspaper contract to the Northern Kittitas County Tribune, a legal newspaper published in Cle Elum, by Resolution 2025-074 under RCW 36.72.075, for the term of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Two cautions: the designation is bid annually and that term has ended, so confirm who holds it now, and the creditor notice statute calls for a legal newspaper in the county rather than the official county newspaper specifically, so more than one paper may qualify. 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 (RCW 11.40.051).
Do I have to travel to Ellensburg to settle an estate in Kittitas County?
Usually not more than once, and sometimes not at all. The opening petition and the later filings can be mailed to Kittitas County Clerk, 205 W 5th Ave, Suite 210, Ellensburg, WA 98926, certified copies can be mailed back to you with a self addressed stamped envelope, fees can be paid by mail or online through the clerk's nCourt payment service, and a personal representative granted nonintervention powers administers and closes a solvent estate without returning to court for supervision (RCW 11.68.011). Many probate orders are presented ex parte, and the county's schedule prices an order mailed in for ex parte signing at $30.00 (RCW 36.18.016(12)), so an out-of-town personal representative can often get orders signed without appearing. Distance matters most for a contested matter, which is heard in Ellensburg in Department 2. If you cannot travel, ask the Clerk's Office at (509) 962-7531 or Court Administration at (509) 962-7534 or (509) 962-7533 what the department will allow.
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.