Probate court self-help pages by state

Each link goes to an official page run by that state's courts or state government, opened and checked on 2026-10-07. Pages move; if a link fails, search the page title on the state court's website.

Each state sets its own rules for estates, including whether a court case is needed and who can act. We don't summarize or interpret them; these pages do. Where a state has no single statewide page about estates, the link is the state's general self-help page or court directory, marked (general page), so you can find the local office.

StateOfficial page
AlabamaCounty probate judges directory (Alabama Secretary of State)
AlaskaProbate: Estates (Alaska Court System Self-Help Center)
ArizonaProbate court forms (Arizona Courts Self-Service Center)
ArkansasOfficial probate forms (Arkansas Judiciary)
CaliforniaGuide to property after someone dies (California Courts Self-Help Guide)
ColoradoProbate (Colorado Judicial Branch self-help)
ConnecticutConnecticut Probate Courts (official site)
DelawareCourt of Chancery, Register of Wills section (Delaware Courts)
District of ColumbiaProbate Self-Help Center (DC Superior Court)
FloridaProbate (Florida Courts Help)
GeorgiaCouncil of Probate Court Judges of Georgia (official site)
HawaiiCircuit Courts (Hawaii State Judiciary)
IdahoPublications (Idaho Court Assistance Office)
IllinoisSelf Help (Illinois Courts) (general page)
IndianaSelf-Service Legal Center (Indiana Courts) (general page)
IowaProbate document library (Iowa Judicial Branch)
KansasProbate & Elder Law (Kansas Judicial Branch Self-Help)
KentuckyLegal Self-Help (Kentucky Court of Justice)
LouisianaSelf-Help Services and Legal Forms, by parish (Louisiana State Bar Association) (general page)
MaineMaine Probate Court (official site)
MarylandWills & Estates (Maryland Courts)
MassachusettsProbate of Wills and Estates (Mass.gov)
MichiganIndex of Probate Court Forms (Michigan Courts)
MinnesotaProbate, Wills & Estates (Minnesota Judicial Branch)
MississippiChancery Courts (Mississippi Judiciary) (general page)
MissouriProbate Forms (Missouri Courts)
MontanaWills, Estate Planning & Probate forms (Montana Judicial Branch)
NebraskaEstates (Nebraska Judicial Branch Self-Help)
NevadaProbate Basics (Nevada Self-Help Center)
New HampshireEstates (New Hampshire Judicial Branch self-help)
New JerseySelf-Help (NJ Courts)
New MexicoProbate (New Mexico Courts Self-Representation)
New YorkWhen Someone Dies (NY CourtHelp)
North CarolinaWills and Estates (North Carolina Judicial Branch)
North DakotaLegal Self Help Center (North Dakota Courts)
OhioProbate Forms (Supreme Court of Ohio)
OklahomaOklahoma Courts directory (Oklahoma State Courts Network) (general page)
OregonEstate forms (Oregon Judicial Department Forms Center)
PennsylvaniaRegisters of Wills (Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania)
Rhode IslandProbate Forms (Rhode Island Secretary of State)
South CarolinaSelf Help Resources (South Carolina Judicial Branch)
South DakotaSelf Help (South Dakota Unified Judicial System) (general page)
TennesseeSelf Help Center (Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts)
TexasSelf-Help: Courts (Texas Judicial Branch) (general page)
UtahLife Planning and Probate (Utah Courts self-help)
VermontProbate Division (Vermont Judiciary)
VirginiaProbate in Virginia (Virginia Judicial System Court Self-Help)
WashingtonCourt Directory (Washington State Courts) (general page)
West VirginiaCounty Clerk Directory (West Virginia Secretary of State) (general page)
WisconsinProbate self-help (Wisconsin Court System Self-Help Law Center)
WyomingProbate (Wyoming Judicial Branch legal help by topic)

For the federal side, see USAGov's agencies to notify when someone dies and IRS Publication 559.

Not legal or tax advice. Free official help comes first: the Social Security Administration, the IRS, USAGov and your state's courts publish free guidance, and IRS forms and an estate EIN are free. This kit is a convenience, not a requirement; you don't need it to settle an estate.

Get the Executor's Checklist (PDF + Word), $14

Instant download. 14-day no-questions refund. Edition 1.0, dated 2026-10-07. For use in any state; state court rules you look up on your state's own page.