Vilas County, WI Probate Information

Gather the original will, death information, asset list, debt list, and names and mailing addresses for persons interested in the estate. Anyone holding the will has a 30-day duty to file it with the proper court or deliver it to the person named to act as personal representative once the statutory conditions are met (Wis. Stat. § 856.05(1)).

Choose the Wisconsin path before preparing forms. Informal administration is handled administratively before the probate registrar, while formal administration is a court proceeding. The Wisconsin Court System's self-help guide, prepared by the Wisconsin Register in Probate Association, states that informal administration may be granted without an attorney's assistance, while formal administration requires the assistance of an attorney. In a court proceeding, a personal representative appears by attorney (Wis. Stat. § 879.15(2)).

Prepare the statewide Wisconsin PR forms. Informal administration commonly begins with PR-1801, Application for Informal Administration. Formal administration begins with PR-1901, Petition for Formal Administration. The authority document on either track is PR-1810, Domiciliary Letters.

File with the Vilas County Register in Probate at the Vilas County Courthouse, 330 Court Street, Eagle River, WI 54521, or through Wisconsin circuit court e-filing if you are using that system. Attorneys and high-volume filing agents use e-filing; self-represented filers may opt in voluntarily or file, serve, and receive paper documents by traditional methods (Wis. Stat. § 801.18(3)). The current e-filing fee reflected in the July 13, 2026 Wisconsin fee tables is $35 per party per case when e-filing applies (Wis. Stat. § 758.19(4m), § 801.18(7)).

Do not calculate the estate charge as a courthouse-start payment. Through October 31, 2026, Wisconsin charges $20 when the property subject to administration, less encumbrances, liens or charges, is $10,000 or less, and 0.2 percent when it is more, payable when the inventory is filed. Effective November 1, 2026, 2025 Wis. Act 179 changes those figures to $36 and $18,500, with the 0.2 percent rate unchanged (Wis. Stat. § 814.66(1)(a), as amended by 2025 Wis. Act 179).

Follow the notice and creditor steps in the order you receive. In Wisconsin, the court in a formal administration, 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). Publication of the notice is required under the statewide rule (Wis. Stat. § 859.07(1), § 879.05(4)).

Attend any hearing the court schedules. Informal administration may proceed administratively, but formal administration and contested issues are handled by the court. Vilas County has not published a specific probate remote-appearance procedure on the Register in Probate page, so ask the Register in Probate before a scheduled appearance if travel to Eagle River is difficult.

After appointment, use the Domiciliary Letters to act for the estate, collect assets, deal with creditors, and file the inventory. The inventory must be filed within a reasonable time, but no later than six months after appointment unless the court changes the deadline by order, and it must identify marital property (Wis. Stat. § 858.01).

Administer and close the estate under the path you opened. An informal administration may close by the personal representative's sworn statement, with the appointment terminating six months later if no proceeding is pending (Wis. Stat. § 865.16(2)). Formal administration closes through final judgment and discharge forms. If Vilas County real estate documents must be recorded, the Vilas County Register of Deeds is in the same courthouse and publishes a 3:00 p.m. recording cutoff and a 2:45 p.m. e-recording cutoff.