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Marquette County, WI Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Marquette County detail |
|---|---|
| Court | The Circuit Court for Marquette County. Estate filings go through the Marquette County Register in Probate. |
| Courthouse address | Marquette County Courthouse, 77 W Park Street, Room 205, Montello, WI 53949 |
| Mailing | Use the Register in Probate street address unless the office gives you different mailing instructions. |
| Phone | (608) 297-3009 |
| Fax | (608) 297-9107 |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Closed on county holidays. |
| Estate fee | Through October 31, 2026: $20 where the property subject to administration, less encumbrances, liens or charges, is $10,000 or less, and 0.2 percent above that amount, paid when the inventory is filed (Wis. Stat. § 814.66(1)(a)2, § 814.66(1)(a)3). Effective November 1, 2026, 2025 Wis. Act 179 changes the figures to $36 and $18,500; the 0.2 percent rate does not change. Electronic filing adds $35 per party per case when it applies (Wis. Stat. § 758.19(4m), § 801.18(7)). |
| Local forms | Marquette County does not publish county-specific probate forms on its Clerk of Courts forms page. Use the statewide Wisconsin PR forms. |
| Electronic filing | Attorneys and high-volume filing agents use Wisconsin circuit court electronic filing. Self-represented parties may opt in, but may also file and receive paper documents by traditional methods (Wis. Stat. § 801.18(3)(b), (c)). |
| Case search | Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, WCCA: https://wcca.wicourts.gov/ |
| Remote appearance | Call the Register in Probate before assuming a remote option is available for a hearing or conference. |
| Website | https://www.marquettecountywi.gov/register-in-probate/ |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file in Montello, make a practical list of the decedent's accounts, debts, real estate, vehicles, beneficiary designations and jointly held property. Wisconsin's inventory fee is based on property subject to administration, less encumbrances, liens or charges, so the asset picture affects both the form choice and the cost of estate settlement.
Sunset helps families start with that asset picture. Sunset's discovery searches more than 2,300 financial institutions, organizes what belongs in the estate, and helps you decide what information belongs in the Marquette County probate packet before you contact the Register in Probate.
Which court handles jurisdiction
File a Marquette County estate with the Marquette County Register in Probate at the Marquette County Courthouse in Montello when the decedent was domiciled in Marquette County at death. Wisconsin jurisdiction for administration is in the county where a Wisconsin domiciliary was domiciled at death, and for a nonresident decedent it is in a Wisconsin county where the decedent's property is located (Wis. Stat. § 856.01).
Marquette County is handled locally in Montello and does not share its circuit with another county. The county seat and courthouse community is Montello.
The jurisdiction process
- Identify the property, debts and family information before choosing forms. Separate probate assets from assets that may pass by beneficiary designation, survivorship, trust or another nonprobate method.
- Choose the Wisconsin path that fits the estate. Informal administration starts with PR-1801 when the statutory conditions are met. Formal administration starts with PR-1901. Transfer by affidavit uses PR-1831 only when property subject to administration in Wisconsin does not exceed $50,000 in gross value (Wis. Stat. § 867.03).
- File the original will if there is one. A person who has custody of a will, or a person named in the will to act as personal representative, has a 30-day duty to file it after learning of the death and the relevant facts (Wis. Stat. § 856.05(1)).
- File the opening papers with the Marquette County Register in Probate at 77 W Park Street, Room 205, Montello. Attorneys and high-volume filing agents use electronic filing under Wisconsin rules. A self-represented filer may choose electronic filing or traditional paper methods (Wis. Stat. § 801.18(3)(b), (c)).
- Budget for the statewide inventory fee rather than a county-set charge. Through October 31, 2026, the fee is $20 at $10,000 or less and 0.2 percent above that amount, calculated on property subject to administration less encumbrances, liens or charges, and paid when the inventory is filed (Wis. Stat. § 814.66(1)(a)2, § 814.66(1)(a)3). Effective November 1, 2026, 2025 Wis. Act 179 changes those figures to $36 and $18,500; the 0.2 percent rate does not change. Electronic filing adds $35 per party per case when it applies (Wis. Stat. § 758.19(4m), § 801.18(7)).
- Handle notice and creditor steps. The court, or the probate registrar in an informal administration, sets the claim-filing deadline by order at a date not less than three nor more than four months from the date of that order (Wis. Stat. § 859.01). Notice of that date is published as required by Wisconsin law.
- Attend any hearing the court sets. Formal administration ordinarily requires court action. For any remote appearance request, call the Register in Probate before the hearing date.
- Use Domiciliary Letters, PR-1810, as the authority document after appointment and qualification. Then collect estate property, protect assets, address claims, file the inventory, and keep records for the estate settlement.
- Close the estate under the correct Wisconsin procedure. Informal administration may close with PR-1816, the Personal Representative's Statement to Close Estate. Formal administration uses the formal closing forms, including the final judgment and discharge order forms in the statewide PR series.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Marquette County
Marquette County does not publish county-specific probate forms on its Clerk of Courts forms page. Use Wisconsin's statewide circuit court probate forms, Category 26, and file the completed packet with the Marquette County Register in Probate in Room 205.
| Form | Use |
|---|---|
| PR-1801 | Application for Informal Administration |
| PR-1806 | Proof of Heirship, Informal and Formal Administration |
| PR-1810 | Domiciliary Letters, Informal and Formal Administration |
| PR-1811 | Inventory, Informal and Formal Administration |
| PR-1816 | Personal Representative's Statement to Close Estate, Informal Administration |
| PR-1831 | Transfer by Affidavit, for property subject to administration in Wisconsin that does not exceed $50,000 in gross value (Wis. Stat. § 867.03) |
| PR-1901 | Petition for Formal Administration |
The Wisconsin Court System's probate form index is at https://www.wicourts.gov/forms1/circuit/ccform.jsp?Category=26&SubCat=All.
Local nuance
Marquette County-specific considerations
| Local point | What it means for Marquette County |
|---|---|
| Two separate courthouse offices | The Marquette County Register in Probate is the estate filing office in Room 205 at (608) 297-3009. The Clerk of Circuit Court is a separate office in Room 200 with a different phone number. |
| Office case types | The Register in Probate's own page lists Probate (PR), Informal Probate (IN), guardianships, juvenile guardianships and adoptions among the case types handled by that office. |
| No local probate forms published | The local forms page points users to statewide court forms and does not publish Marquette County probate forms. Use the statewide PR forms unless the Register in Probate asks for something case-specific. |
| Email caution | The Clerk of Circuit Court page says the court does not accept e-mail as correspondence. For estate filings, call the Register in Probate or use the filing method the office gives you. |
Recent updates
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Legal Action of Wisconsin and Judicare Legal Aid merged into one organization, Legal Action of Wisconsin, with statewide intake at (855) 947-2529. |
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely local path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse w/ co-owned home | Start by calling the Marquette County Register in Probate at (608) 297-3009 and by sorting out whether the home passes outside administration or needs a probate filing in Montello. Wisconsin marital property and survivorship rules can affect what belongs in the estate. | Sunset's asset discovery shows what accounts and property exist, then Sunset organizes the probate packet for the Montello counter. |
| Out-of-state adult child w/ small estate | A self-represented filer is not required to use electronic filing and may use traditional paper methods under Wis. Stat. § 801.18(3)(b), (c). If the estate may qualify for transfer by affidavit, remember that PR-1831 is tied to $50,000 in gross value of property subject to administration in Wisconsin (Wis. Stat. § 867.03). | Sunset can find accounts from wherever you live, assemble the packet, and help you decide what to ask the Register in Probate before mailing or filing anything. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A home sale often points toward formal administration or another court-supervised step. The court system's self-help guide states that formal administration requires an attorney's assistance. If there is an original will, the person holding it has a 30-day duty to file it after learning of the death and the relevant facts (Wis. Stat. § 856.05(1)). | Sunset gathers the asset picture, builds the estate settlement packet, and connects the parent with a local probate attorney for the sale and closing steps. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps |
|---|---|
| Marquette County Register in Probate https://www.marquettecountywi.gov/register-in-probate/ | Local contact page for the estate filing office, including address, phone, fax, hours and case types handled. |
| Marquette County Clerk of Courts https://www.marquettecountywi.gov/clerk-of-courts/ | Contact information for the separate Clerk of Circuit Court office at the same courthouse. |
| A Personal Representative's Guide to Informal Estate Administration in Wisconsin https://www.wicourts.gov/services/public/selfhelp/docs/probateguide.pdf | The Wisconsin Court System's 89-page self-help guide for informal estate administration, prepared by the Wisconsin Register in Probate Association. |
| Wisconsin Court System self-help law center, probate https://www.wicourts.gov/services/public/selfhelp/probate.htm | Statewide probate self-help page with links to forms and public resources. |
| Circuit court probate forms https://www.wicourts.gov/forms1/circuit/ccform.jsp?Category=26&SubCat=All | The statewide PR-series probate forms used in Marquette County. |
| Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, WCCA https://wcca.wicourts.gov/ | Statewide public case search for Wisconsin circuit court cases, including probate case types. |
| Legal Action of Wisconsin https://legalaction.org/ | Free civil legal aid for eligible Wisconsin residents, with statewide intake at (855) 947-2529. |
When to hire an attorney
In a Wisconsin court proceeding, a personal representative appears by attorney (Wis. Stat. § 879.15(2)). Informal administration runs administratively before the probate registrar rather than as a proceeding in court, and the court system's self-help guide states that informal administration may be granted without an attorney's assistance while formal administration requires an attorney's assistance (Wis. Stat. § 865.01, § 865.065(2)). Summary settlement and summary assignment also have their own express right to appear in person (Wis. Stat. § 867.01(5), § 867.02(5)). If the estate involves a dispute, a home sale, unclear title, creditor issues or a likely formal administration, Sunset connects you to a vetted local probate attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and helps families identify accounts, insurance, retirement assets and other property before filing. That gives you a cleaner starting point for Marquette County estate settlement.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the family and asset information into an organized Wisconsin probate packet using the statewide PR forms, then helps you prepare for filing with the Marquette County Register in Probate.
Find a local probate attorney. When a formal administration, dispute, real estate sale or court appearance calls for counsel, Sunset connects families with a vetted Wisconsin probate attorney.
Sunset is free for families. Sunset does not charge families to discover assets, generate the packet or connect with a probate attorney. The family still pays any court charges, publication costs, recording charges or attorney fees that apply to the estate.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file to probate a will in Marquette County?
File with the Marquette County Register in Probate at the Marquette County Courthouse, 77 W Park Street, Room 205, Montello, WI 53949. Call (608) 297-3009 before you go if you need filing instructions for a first estate packet.
When is the Marquette County Register in Probate open?
The Register in Probate is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is closed on county holidays.
Can I mail a probate filing to Marquette County, or do I have to use electronic filing?
Attorneys and high-volume filing agents use Wisconsin circuit court electronic filing. A self-represented filer may opt in to electronic filing, but may also use traditional paper methods (Wis. Stat. § 801.18(3)(b), (c)). The Clerk of Circuit Court page says the court does not accept e-mail as correspondence, so do not treat e-mail as a filing method.
What does it cost to open an estate in Marquette County?
The estate fee is statewide. Through October 31, 2026, the fee is $20 where the property subject to administration, less encumbrances, liens or charges, is $10,000 or less, and 0.2 percent above that amount, paid when the inventory is filed (Wis. Stat. § 814.66(1)(a)2, § 814.66(1)(a)3). Effective November 1, 2026, 2025 Wis. Act 179 changes those figures to $36 and $18,500; the 0.2 percent rate does not change. Electronic filing adds $35 per party per case when it applies (Wis. Stat. § 758.19(4m), § 801.18(7)).
Does Marquette County have its own probate forms?
Marquette County does not publish county-specific probate forms on its Clerk of Courts forms page. Use the Wisconsin statewide PR forms, Category 26, including PR-1801 for informal administration, PR-1901 for formal administration, and PR-1810 for Domiciliary Letters.
Can I look up a Marquette County estate case online?
Yes. Wisconsin circuit court cases, including probate case types, are searchable through Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, WCCA, at https://wcca.wicourts.gov/. Do not assume that every estate document is available through the public search.
Do I need a lawyer for a Marquette County estate?
For a Wisconsin court proceeding, a personal representative appears by attorney (Wis. Stat. § 879.15(2)). The court system's self-help guide states that formal administration requires an attorney's assistance, while informal administration may be granted without an attorney's assistance. Summary settlement and summary assignment have express personal-appearance language in their statutes (Wis. Stat. § 867.01(5), § 867.02(5)).
How are creditor deadlines set in a Marquette County estate?
The court, or the probate registrar in an informal administration, sets the claim-filing deadline by order at a date not less than three nor more than four months from the date of that order (Wis. Stat. § 859.01). The actual date appears in the order and published notice.
Do I have to travel to Montello for every step?
Not always. Some filings may be handled by electronic filing or traditional paper methods, depending on who is filing and what the office requires. If a hearing is scheduled or you need a remote appearance, call the Marquette County Register in Probate at (608) 297-3009 before making travel plans.
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.