Probate Court Records: How to Search Them by State · USLeadList
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Probate court records: how to search them, state by state

A probate court record is the estate case file opened after someone dies, with or without a will. It usually holds the petition, the will if there is one, the papers naming the executor or administrator, and later filings such as inventories and accountings. Once a case is filed, most of the file is generally public, though some documents can be kept confidential.

Who keeps probate records, and how to search them

The court's name and the search tools change by state.

The court that keeps these files goes by different names. New York and New Jersey use a Surrogate's Court; estates in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware go through the Register of Wills; Massachusetts has the Probate and Family Court; Mississippi uses its Chancery Court; North Carolina files with the Clerk of Superior Court; West Virginia leaves probate to the County Commission; and Connecticut assigns each town to a probate district.

Many states have a statewide online search, such as WebSurrogate in New York, Estate Search in Maryland, MassCourts in Massachusetts and MyCase in Indiana, though some are paid, need registration or leave counties out. Elsewhere you search county by county. The table shows what each state offers.

StateWho handles probateHow to search filed estates
AlabamaProbate CourtCounty by county: no statewide probate search, and Alacourt does not cover probate
AlaskaSuperior CourtStatewide: the court system's Search Trial Court Cases portal; some records do not appear
ArizonaSuperior CourtStatewide: Public Access to Court Case Information; larger counties also post probate dockets
ArkansasCircuit Court, Probate DivisionStatewide: ARCourts case search
CaliforniaSuperior Court, Probate DivisionCounty by county: each of the 58 superior courts runs its own case portal
ColoradoDistrict Court; the Denver Probate Court in DenverNo free statewide search: paid vendors carry case data, and documents come from the court
ConnecticutProbate Court, by town probate districtStatewide: Case Lookup, with estates and trusts from January 5, 2011
DelawareRegister of WillsCounty by county: no statewide search reaches estates; ask each Register of Wills
District of ColumbiaSuperior Court, Probate DivisionSuperior Court Case Search covers the Probate Division, with no registration
FloridaCircuit Court, Probate DivisionCounty by county: each clerk's own records site; no free statewide search
GeorgiaProbate CourtCounty by county: no statewide probate search; some courts post their own index or use PeachCourt
HawaiiCircuit CourtStatewide: eCourt Kokua, where estate cases are searchable by case ID
IdahoDistrict Court, Magistrate DivisionStatewide: iCourt Portal
IllinoisCircuit Court; a Probate Division where a circuit created one, as in Cook CountyStatewide: re:SearchIL with registration; many circuit clerks also run their own lookups
IndianaCircuit or Superior Court, depending on the countyStatewide: MyCase
IowaIowa District CourtStatewide: Iowa Courts Online Search; Advanced Case Search is paid
KansasDistrict CourtStatewide: Kansas District Court CaseSearch, free with no login
KentuckyDistrict CourtNo free statewide search: CourtNet 2.0 is restricted and paid; ask the circuit court clerk
LouisianaDistrict CourtParish by parish: succession records are searched through each parish clerk of court
MaineProbate CourtStatewide: maineprobate.net covers all 16 county probate courts
MarylandRegister of Wills and Orphans' CourtStatewide: Estate Search, with estates from 1998, updated daily
MassachusettsProbate and Family CourtStatewide: MassCourts, with cases from 2000 and documents from 2009
MichiganProbate CourtMiCOURT Case Search, for participating courts
MinnesotaDistrict CourtStatewide: MCRO, free with no registration; fewer documents for filings before July 1, 2015
MississippiChancery CourtPaid statewide portal (PAMEC); the free docket covers the appeals courts only
MissouriProbate Division of the Circuit CourtStatewide: Case.net
MontanaDistrict CourtStatewide: District Court Public Access Portal, adding courts one by one
NebraskaCounty CourtStatewide: JUSTICE case search, with a fee online and free courthouse kiosks
NevadaDistrict CourtCounty by county: no statewide trial court search
New HampshireCircuit Court, Probate DivisionStatewide: Case Access Portal for e-filed estates and other case types
New JerseySurrogate's CourtCounty by county: each county Surrogate's own index or office
New MexicoProbate Court for informal matters; District Court for formal and contested onesCase Lookup leaves out county probate courts; their records come from each court
New YorkSurrogate's CourtStatewide: WebSurrogate, with document images from February 19, 2014
North CarolinaClerk of Superior CourtStatewide: eCourts Portal, which filters for Estates; official copies come from the clerk
North DakotaDistrict CourtStatewide: Courts Records Inquiry, with a probate case search by county
OhioCourt of Common Pleas, Probate DivisionCounty by county: each probate court runs its own docket
OklahomaDistrict CourtStatewide: OSCN, plus On Demand Court Records for the counties OSCN does not carry
OregonCircuit CourtStatewide: OJD Records and Calendar Search for basic case information; OJCIN OnLine is paid
PennsylvaniaRegister of Wills and the Orphans' Court DivisionCounty by county: the UJS Portal has no estate docket; records are at the Register of Wills
Rhode IslandProbate Court of each city and townTown by town: records come from the clerk of each city or town probate court
South CarolinaProbate CourtCounty by county: no statewide probate search
South DakotaCircuit CourteCourts with free registration, or the statewide records request form, which carries a fee
TennesseeChancery Court (clerk and master), unless a local act names another courtCounty by county: no statewide trial court search
TexasCounty-level probate court; a statutory probate court in 12 countiesCounty by county: no free statewide search; re:SearchTX needs a sign-in
UtahDistrict CourtPaid statewide service (Xchange); public terminals at most district courts
VermontSuperior Court, Probate DivisionStatewide: Vermont Judiciary Public Portal
VirginiaCircuit CourtClerk by clerk: wills and estates sit in each circuit court clerk's will books
WashingtonSuperior CourtStatewide: Odyssey Portal for 37 superior courts, not King or Pierce County
West VirginiaCounty CommissionCounty by county: wills and fiduciary records are indexed at each county clerk
WisconsinCircuit CourtStatewide: Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA)
WyomingDistrict CourtNo remote public access: courthouse terminals, the State Law Library or the county clerk

Checked October 22, 2026 against each state's court sites. Each state page lists its sources.

County probate court records guides

170 counties so far, each checked against the court's own site.

Each guide covers who keeps the county's estate files, how to search them, and what the record leaves out.

Alabama

Arizona

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Missouri

Nevada

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

What a court record misses

For anyone looking for inherited homes.

A court record exists only after someone files, and everyone who searches it sees the same names. Homes held in living trusts pass outside probate and never open as estates. Probate lists leave out trust-held homes. Ours include them. USLeadList is a data company and is not affiliated with any court.

See how USLeadList's probate leads are built from death and property records, county by county.

See inherited homes in your county.

Get a quote for your county, with trust-held homes included.