Last Will & Testament
Probate Laws: 50 States
Losing a loved one is difficult, and navigating probate laws can be confusing. Each state has its unique probate laws.
The probate process is legal and occurs after a person has passed away. It involves proving the validity of the deceased person's will, identifying and valuing their assets, paying off any outstanding debts or taxes, and distributing the remaining assets to their beneficiaries according to the terms of the will (or according to state law if there is no will). The probate process can vary depending on the state where the deceased person lived, as each state has its own laws and regulations governing probate proceedings. The process can often be lengthy, expensive, and emotionally taxing for the deceased person's loved ones. Below are a collection of links to each states probate laws.
Alabama
• Title 43, Chapter 2: Administration of Estates
• Title 43, Chapter 8: Probate Code
Alaska
• Title 13: Decedents’ Estates, Guardianships, Transfers, and Trusts
• Title 13, Chapter 16: Probate of Wills and Administration
Arizona
• Title 14: Trusts, Estates and Protective Proceedings
• Title 14, Chapter 3: Probate of Wills and Administration
Arkansas
• Title 28: Wills, Estates, and Fiduciary Relationships
California
Colorado
(Choose “Colorado Revised Statutes” from left navigation bar)
• Title 15: Probate, Trusts, and Fiduciaries
• Title 15, Articles 10-16: Colorado Probate Code
Connecticut
• Title 45a: Probate Courts and Procedure
Delaware
• Title 12: Decedents’ Estates and Fiduciary Relations
Florida
• Title XLII: Estates and Trusts
Georgia
• Title 53: Wills, Trusts, and Administration of Estates
• Title 53, Chapter 5: Probate
Hawaii
• Title 30A: Uniform Probate Code
Idaho
• Title 15: Uniform Probate Code
Illinois
• Chapter 755: Estates
• Chapter 755, ILCS 5: Probate Act of 1975
• Chapter 760: Trusts and Fiduciaries
Indiana
• Title 29: Probate
• Title 30: Trusts and Fiduciaries
Iowa
• Title XV, Chapter 633: Probate Code
Kansas
Kentucky
• Title XXIV, Chapter 394: Wills
• Title XXIV, Chapter 395: Personal Representatives
Louisiana
• CC 1575: Olographic testament
• CCP 2883: Olographic testament
• CCP 2851: Petition for probate
• CCP 2852: Documents submitted with petition for probate
Maine
• Title 18: Decedents’ Estates and Fiduciary Relations
• Title 18-A: Probate Code
Maryland
• The Office of the Register of Wills (Estates and Trusts, Titles 1-16)
Massachusetts
Michigan
• Chapters 701-713: Probate Code
Minnesota
• Chapter 524: Uniform Probate Code
Mississippi
• Title 91: Trusts and Estates
Missouri
• Title XXXI, Chapters 456-475: Trusts and Estates of Decedents and Persons Under Disability
Montana
• Title 72: Estates, Trusts, and Fiduciary Relationships
Nebraska
• Chapter 30: Decedents’ Estates; Protection of Persons and Property
Nevada
• Title 12: Wills and Estates of Deceased Persons
New Hampshire
• Title LVI: Probate Courts and Decedents’ Estates
New Jersey
• Title 3A: Administration of Estates—Decedents and Others
• Title 3B: Administration of Estates—Decedents and Others
New Mexico
• Chapter 45: Uniform Probate Code
New York
• New York Court Probate Forms
• General overview of NY Probate
North Carolina
• Chapter 47: Probate and Registration
North Dakota
• Title 30.1: Uniform Probate Code
Ohio
• Title 21: Courts—Probate—Juvenile
Oklahoma
• Title 58: Probate Procedure
• Title 60: Property
• Title 84: Wills and Succession
Oregon
Pennsylvania
• Title 20: Decedents, Estates and Fiduciaries
Rhode Island
• Title 33: Probate Practice and Procedure
South Carolina
South Dakota
• Title 29A: Uniform Probate Code
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
• Title 75: Uniform Probate Code
Vermont
• Title 14, Chapter 3: Probate and Procedure for Construction of Wills
Virginia
• Title 64.2: Wills, Trusts, and Fiduciaries
Washington
• Title 11: Probate and Trust Law
Washington, D.C.
• Certificate of Filing Will (pdf)
• Large Decedents' Estates (ADM)
• Small Decedents' Estates (SEB)
[Source: Probate Division, District Of Columbia Courts]