How to find a will or probate record
After a death, the will is filed with the probate court (or the clerk of the court that handles estates) in the county where the person lived. Once filed it is a court record you can search and copy. A will that was never filed is not in any public index.
On this page
When a will becomes public
North Carolina's courts explain that "a decedent's will becomes a public record when it is filed, after the decedent's death, with the clerk of court"1. Before that it is a private document. Some states let a living person deposit a will with the court for safekeeping; those deposits are not public.
Finding the estate file
Search the probate court's case index by the name of the person who died. The file holds the will, the appointment of the executor or administrator (letters testamentary or of administration), inventories and the final accounting. Many large counties have an online index; older files may be at the county or state archives.
Probate records and wills by state
| State | Who holds it | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Superior Court (Alaska Court System) has probate jurisdiction statewide | — |
| Arizona | Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the probate case was filed (Superior Court probate). Territorial-era to 1960s probate files at the Arizona State Archives. | — |
| Arkansas | Probate is a division of circuit court | Certified copies of court documents $5.00 (Pulaski County Records) |
| California | Superior Court of the county where the estate is administered (probate division/clerk) | — |
| Colorado | District Court of each county | Denver Probate Court: $5.00 name search, $0.25/page copies, $20.00 certification, $20.00 exemplification, $15.00 off-site retrieval per case |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Probate Courts: 54 regional Probate Courts, a statewide system separate from the Superior Court | Fees are set by statute and the same statewide. Copies: $5 per document up to 5 pages + $1 per extra page. Certified copies: $5 per document for the first 2 pages + $2 per extra page. Recording: $3 per page after the first 5. |
| Delaware | Register of Wills of each county (New Castle, Kent, Sussex), an elected county office that acts only as a clerk of the Court of Chancery | — |
| District of Columbia | Register of Wills, Probate Division, DC Superior Court, 515 5th Street NW, Room 314 | Plain copies $0.50 per page |
| Florida | Clerk of the Circuit Court (probate is a circuit court matter) | Court-record copy $1/page, certification $2 (s. 28.24) |
| Georgia | County Probate Court (wills, estates, guardianships | Probate fees are set by statute (O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60) |
| Hawaii | Circuit Court of the circuit where the estate is administered (exclusive probate jurisdiction). | Copy/certification fees per the Judiciary schedule ($1.00 first page, $0.50 each additional |
| Illinois | Clerk of the Circuit Court (probate division/cases) in the county | — |
| Indiana | Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the estate case is heard (filed wills and estate documents) | — |
| Iowa | Iowa District Court sitting in probate | — |
| Kansas | District court of the county (probate is handled by the district court | — |
| Louisiana | Successions (probate) are opened in the district court of the parish of the decedent's domicile | — |
| Maine | County Probate Court, Register of Probate | $1 per page |
| Maryland | Register of Wills (elected, 4-year term) in each county and Baltimore City | Statutory: photocopies $0.50/page |
| Massachusetts | Probate and Family Court (state Trial Court department, with registries in each county) handles wills and estates | Trial Court uniform fee: $2.50/page attested copy, $0.05/page unattested |
| Michigan | County probate court (probate register) | $10.00 certification plus $1.00 per page |
| Minnesota | District court (court administrator in the county) | Certified $14 |
| Missouri | Probate division of the circuit court (clerk) in each county. | — |
| Montana | Clerk of the District Court (district court sits as probate court) | Same as other court copies: $1/page first 10 pages, $0.50 after |
| Nebraska | County court of the county (probate, guardianship, conservatorship) | Informal probate commenced and closed informally: $44 total costs ($45 testate including certificate of probate of will and seal). |
| Nevada | District court (clerk of the district court) of the county | — |
| New Hampshire | Circuit Court Probate Division (courthouses in each of the 10 counties): wills, trusts, estates, guardianships, adoptions, name changes | — |
| New Jersey | County Surrogate in each of the 21 counties. The Surrogate is elected for 5 years, serves as Judge of the Surrogate's Court and Deputy Clerk of the Superior Court, Chancery Division, Probate Part. Some matters, such as admitting a copy of a lost will, go to the Superior Court. | — |
| New Mexico | Clerk of the probate court, or clerk of the district court, depending on where filed | — |
| New York | Surrogate's Court in each county (probate records kept since 1787) | Certified copy of a will or any paper on file: $6.00 per page |
| North Carolina | Clerk of Superior Court | $2.00 first page, $0.25 each additional page (general clerk copy fee) |
| North Dakota | District court, through the Clerk of District Court in the county of the case. Case information is in the free NDCRI search. | — |
| Ohio | County Probate Court (probate division of common pleas): wills, estates, guardianships, adoptions, marriage licenses | $1.00 per page (minimum $1) for certified copy of probate journal entry/record |
| Oklahoma | District Court of the county (probate jurisdiction) | Court clerk fees per 28 O.S. § 31 ($1.00 first page, $0.50 subsequent |
| Oregon | Circuit court of the county (probate department), except in Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Sherman and Wheeler Counties, where the county court has probate jurisdiction. | Certified copies of letters testamentary/administration: $5 + 25 cents per page if paper (circuit court fee schedule 2026). |
| Pennsylvania | County Register of Wills (probate of wills, letters to personal representatives) | — |
| Rhode Island | Municipal probate court of each city/town (records requested from the city or town clerk) | — |
| South Carolina | County Probate Court | Uniform: $5.00 certified copy |
| South Dakota | Circuit court (Clerk of Courts in each county) handles probate under the Uniform Probate Code | — |
| Tennessee | Chancery Court (Clerk and Master) by default | — |
| Texas | County Clerk (clerk of the county court/statutory probate court) in the county where the decedent resided. | County court clerk: certified papers $5.00 certificate plus $1.00 per page |
| Utah | District court of the county where the decedent lived at death, or where the decedent owned property (75-3-201) | — |
| Vermont | Probate Division of the Vermont Superior Court (one in each of the 14 county units) | 25¢ per page, $1.00 minimum |
| Virginia | Clerk of the Circuit Court (probate is handled by the clerk | — |
| Washington | Superior court of the county (clerk of the superior court keeps the file). | — |
| West Virginia | Clerk of the county commission (County Clerk): wills are delivered to the clerk and probated by the county commission or its clerk | County clerk copy fees apply: $1.50 per document, $1 per page beyond two, $1 seal |
| Wisconsin | Register in probate of each county (appointed by the circuit judges) | Copies of probate records $1/page |
Each state links to its guide, where every office and fee carries its official source and check date. Fees shown are the state’s fee for a copy; the state guide lists the others.
Get copies from the office, not a look-alike site
Searching an official index costs nothing or the fee the office sets. Some commercial sites that rank for record searches sell subscriptions or reports that are not certified copies. How to tell them apart.
Sources
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all of them were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.
- EstatesNorth Carolina Judicial Branch