Indiana Probate Court Finder
For detailed information about the probate court procedures in your county, including relevant forms, fees, and contact information, please enter your ZIP code or select your county. This will direct you to a page providing tailored information about the probate court in your area.
Indiana Probate Courts
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Marion County Probate Court
County Seat: (Indianapolis) FIPS: 18097 - pop.977,203 -
Lake County Probate Court
County Seat: (Crown Point) FIPS: 18089 - pop.498,700 -
Allen County Probate Court
County Seat: (Fort Wayne) FIPS: 18003 - pop.385,410 -
Hamilton County Probate Court
County Seat: (Noblesville) FIPS: 18057 - pop.347,467 -
Saint Joseph County Probate Court
County Seat: (South Bend) FIPS: 18141 - pop.272,912 -
Elkhart County Probate Court
County Seat: (Goshen) FIPS: 18039 - pop.207,047 -
Tippecanoe County Probate Court
County Seat: (Lafayette) FIPS: 18157 - pop.186,251 -
Vanderburgh County Probate Court
County Seat: (Evansville) FIPS: 18163 - pop.180,136 -
Hendricks County Probate Court
County Seat: (Danville) FIPS: 18063 - pop.174,788 -
Porter County Probate Court
County Seat: (Valparaiso) FIPS: 18127 - pop.173,215 -
Johnson County Probate Court
County Seat: (Franklin) FIPS: 18081 - pop.161,765 -
Monroe County Probate Court
County Seat: (Bloomington) FIPS: 18105 - pop.139,718 -
Madison County Probate Court
County Seat: (Anderson) FIPS: 18095 - pop.130,129 -
Clark County Probate Court
County Seat: (Jeffersonville) FIPS: 18019 - pop.121,093 -
La Porte County Probate Court
County Seat: (La Porte) FIPS: 18091 - pop.112,417 -
Delaware County Probate Court
County Seat: (Muncie) FIPS: 18035 - pop.111,903 -
Vigo County Probate Court
County Seat: (Terre Haute) FIPS: 18167 - pop.106,153 -
Howard County Probate Court
County Seat: (Kokomo) FIPS: 18067 - pop.83,658 -
Bartholomew County Probate Court
County Seat: (Columbus) FIPS: 18005 - pop.82,208 -
Floyd County Probate Court
County Seat: (New Albany) FIPS: 18043 - pop.80,484 -
Kosciusko County Probate Court
County Seat: (Warsaw) FIPS: 18085 - pop.80,240 -
Hancock County Probate Court
County Seat: (Greenfield) FIPS: 18059 - pop.79,840 -
Morgan County Probate Court
County Seat: (Martinsville) FIPS: 18109 - pop.71,780 -
Boone County Probate Court
County Seat: (Lebanon) FIPS: 18011 - pop.70,812 -
Grant County Probate Court
County Seat: (Marion) FIPS: 18053 - pop.66,674 -
Wayne County Probate Court
County Seat: (Richmond) FIPS: 18177 - pop.66,553 -
Warrick County Probate Court
County Seat: (Boonville) FIPS: 18173 - pop.63,898 -
Dearborn County Probate Court
County Seat: (Lawrenceburg) FIPS: 18029 - pop.50,679 -
Henry County Probate Court
County Seat: (New Castle) FIPS: 18065 - pop.48,914 -
Noble County Probate Court
County Seat: (Albion) FIPS: 18113 - pop.47,457 -
Jackson County Probate Court
County Seat: (Brownstown) FIPS: 18071 - pop.46,428 -
Marshall County Probate Court
County Seat: (Plymouth) FIPS: 18099 - pop.46,095 -
Shelby County Probate Court
County Seat: (Shelbyville) FIPS: 18145 - pop.45,055 -
Lawrence County Probate Court
County Seat: (Bedford) FIPS: 18093 - pop.45,011 -
Dubois County Probate Court
County Seat: (Jasper) FIPS: 18037 - pop.43,637 -
De Kalb County Probate Court
County Seat: (Auburn) FIPS: 18033 - pop.43,265 -
LaGrange County Probate Court
County Seat: (LaGrange) FIPS: 18087 - pop.40,446 -
Harrison County Probate Court
County Seat: (Corydon) FIPS: 18061 - pop.39,654 -
Montgomery County Probate Court
County Seat: (Crawfordsville) FIPS: 18107 - pop.37,936 -
Cass County Probate Court
County Seat: (Logansport) FIPS: 18017 - pop.37,870 -
Putnam County Probate Court
County Seat: (Greencastle) FIPS: 18133 - pop.36,726 -
Huntington County Probate Court
County Seat: (Huntington) FIPS: 18069 - pop.36,662 -
Knox County Probate Court
County Seat: (Vincennes) FIPS: 18083 - pop.36,282 -
Miami County Probate Court
County Seat: (Peru) FIPS: 18103 - pop.35,962 -
Adams County Probate Court
County Seat: (Decatur) FIPS: 18001 - pop.35,809 -
Steuben County Probate Court
County Seat: (Angola) FIPS: 18151 - pop.34,435 -
Whitley County Probate Court
County Seat: (Columbia City) FIPS: 18183 - pop.34,191 -
Daviess County Probate Court
County Seat: (Washington) FIPS: 18027 - pop.33,381 -
Clinton County Probate Court
County Seat: (Frankfort) FIPS: 18023 - pop.33,190 -
Jefferson County Probate Court
County Seat: (Madison) FIPS: 18077 - pop.33,147 -
Gibson County Probate Court
County Seat: (Princeton) FIPS: 18051 - pop.33,011 -
Jasper County Probate Court
County Seat: (Rensselaer) FIPS: 18073 - pop.32,918 -
Wabash County Probate Court
County Seat: (Wabash) FIPS: 18169 - pop.30,976 -
Greene County Probate Court
County Seat: (Bloomfield) FIPS: 18055 - pop.30,803 -
Ripley County Probate Court
County Seat: (Versailles) FIPS: 18137 - pop.28,995 -
Washington County Probate Court
County Seat: (Salem) FIPS: 18175 - pop.28,182 -
Wells County Probate Court
County Seat: (Bluffton) FIPS: 18179 - pop.28,180 -
Jennings County Probate Court
County Seat: (Vernon) FIPS: 18079 - pop.27,613 -
Decatur County Probate Court
County Seat: (Greensburg) FIPS: 18031 - pop.26,472 -
Clay County Probate Court
County Seat: (Brazil) FIPS: 18021 - pop.26,466 -
Posey County Probate Court
County Seat: (Mount Vernon) FIPS: 18129 - pop.25,222 -
White County Probate Court
County Seat: (Monticello) FIPS: 18181 - pop.24,688 -
Randolph County Probate Court
County Seat: (Winchester) FIPS: 18135 - pop.24,502 -
Scott County Probate Court
County Seat: (Scottsburg) FIPS: 18143 - pop.24,384 -
Fayette County Probate Court
County Seat: (Connersville) FIPS: 18041 - pop.23,398 -
Starke County Probate Court
County Seat: (Knox) FIPS: 18149 - pop.23,371 -
Franklin County Probate Court
County Seat: (Brookville) FIPS: 18047 - pop.22,785 -
Owen County Probate Court
County Seat: (Spencer) FIPS: 18119 - pop.21,321 -
Sullivan County Probate Court
County Seat: (Sullivan) FIPS: 18153 - pop.20,817 -
Fulton County Probate Court
County Seat: (Rochester) FIPS: 18049 - pop.20,480 -
Jay County Probate Court
County Seat: (Portland) FIPS: 18075 - pop.20,478 -
Carroll County Probate Court
County Seat: (Delphi) FIPS: 18015 - pop.20,306 -
Orange County Probate Court
County Seat: (Paoli) FIPS: 18117 - pop.19,867 -
Spencer County Probate Court
County Seat: (Rockport) FIPS: 18147 - pop.19,810 -
Perry County Probate Court
County Seat: (Tell City) FIPS: 18123 - pop.19,170 -
Rush County Probate Court
County Seat: (Rushville) FIPS: 18139 - pop.16,752 -
Fountain County Probate Court
County Seat: (Covington) FIPS: 18045 - pop.16,479 -
Parke County Probate Court
County Seat: (Rockville) FIPS: 18121 - pop.16,156 -
Brown County Probate Court
County Seat: (Nashville) FIPS: 18013 - pop.15,475 -
Vermillion County Probate Court
County Seat: (Newport) FIPS: 18165 - pop.15,439 -
Tipton County Probate Court
County Seat: (Tipton) FIPS: 18159 - pop.15,359 -
Newton County Probate Court
County Seat: (Kentland) FIPS: 18111 - pop.13,830 -
Pulaski County Probate Court
County Seat: (Winamac) FIPS: 18131 - pop.12,514 -
Pike County Probate Court
County Seat: (Petersburg) FIPS: 18125 - pop.12,250 -
Blackford County Probate Court
County Seat: (Hartford City) FIPS: 18009 - pop.12,112 -
Crawford County Probate Court
County Seat: (English) FIPS: 18025 - pop.10,526 -
Martin County Probate Court
County Seat: (Shoals) FIPS: 18101 - pop.9,812 -
Switzerland County Probate Court
County Seat: (Vevay) FIPS: 18155 - pop.9,737 -
Benton County Probate Court
County Seat: (Fowler) FIPS: 18007 - pop.8,719 -
Warren County Probate Court
County Seat: (Williamsport) FIPS: 18171 - pop.8,440 -
Union County Probate Court
County Seat: (Liberty) FIPS: 18161 - pop.7,087 -
Ohio County Probate Court
County Seat: (Rising Sun) FIPS: 18115 - pop.5,940
How Indiana Probate Courts Work
What Is Probate?
Probate refers to the legal process through which a deceased person's will is validated by a court. This process ensures that the deceased's assets are distributed according to their wishes as stated in the will, after any debts and taxes are paid.
What Are Probate Courts?
Probate courts, which are specialized judicial bodies, oversee these proceedings.
They also handle matters related to:
- estate administration,
- guardianships, and conservatorships
- when a will is not present
- or in cases of dispute.
It's important to note that the specific procedures and requirements of probate courts can vary significantly from one county to another across the United States. This variation is due to differences in state laws and local court rules. As a result, engaging with a probate court in one jurisdiction might be quite different from doing so in another.
Also, every state has simplified procedures for dealing with small estates... and most estates end up being "small," and most estates do not require the full probate process, especially if the deceased person owned property in one or more of the ways described below.
Types of Property That Does NOT Pass Through Probate Court
Many types of property are designed to bypass the probate process, allowing for a more streamlined transfer of assets upon someone's death. These include:
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Jointly Owned Property: Assets owned in joint tenancy with the right of survivorship or as tenants by the entirety automatically pass to the surviving owner without the need for probate. This is common with real estate, bank accounts, and vehicles owned jointly by two or more individuals.
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Payable-on-Death (POD) and Transfer-on-Death (TOD) Accounts: Financial accounts and securities that are designated as payable-on-death (POD) or transfer-on-death (TOD) can be transferred directly to the named beneficiary upon the account holder's death. This designation allows these assets to skip probate.
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Retirement Accounts and Life Insurance Policies: Funds from retirement accounts, such as IRAs and 401(k)s, and the proceeds from life insurance policies, when a beneficiary is named outside of the will, do not go through probate. These assets go directly to the beneficiaries named in the policies or account documents.
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Living Trusts: Property held in a living trust is another major category that avoids probate. The trust owns the assets, and upon the death of the individual who created the trust (the grantor), the property is transferred according to the terms of the trust, without the need for probate intervention.
These mechanisms are designed to simplify the transfer of assets, reduce the time and cost associated with probate, and ensure privacy since probate is a public process. Understanding which assets fall into these categories can be crucial for estate planning and ensuring a smooth transition of assets to beneficiaries.