Ohio 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.
Ohio Probate Courts
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Franklin County Probate Court
County Seat: (Columbus) FIPS: 39049 - pop.1,323,807 -
Cuyahoga County Probate Court
County Seat: (Cleveland) FIPS: 39035 - pop.1,264,817 -
Hamilton County Probate Court
County Seat: (Cincinnati) FIPS: 39061 - pop.830,639 -
Summit County Probate Court
County Seat: (Akron) FIPS: 39153 - pop.540,428 -
Montgomery County Probate Court
County Seat: (Dayton) FIPS: 39113 - pop.537,309 -
Lucas County Probate Court
County Seat: (Toledo) FIPS: 39095 - pop.431,279 -
Butler County Probate Court
County Seat: (Hamilton) FIPS: 39017 - pop.390,357 -
Stark County Probate Court
County Seat: (Canton) FIPS: 39151 - pop.374,853 -
Lorain County Probate Court
County Seat: (Elyria) FIPS: 39093 - pop.312,964 -
Warren County Probate Court
County Seat: (Lebanon) FIPS: 39165 - pop.242,337 -
Lake County Probate Court
County Seat: (Painesville) FIPS: 39085 - pop.232,603 -
Mahoning County Probate Court
County Seat: (Youngstown) FIPS: 39099 - pop.228,614 -
Delaware County Probate Court
County Seat: (Delaware) FIPS: 39041 - pop.214,124 -
Clermont County Probate Court
County Seat: (Batavia) FIPS: 39025 - pop.208,601 -
Trumbull County Probate Court
County Seat: (Warren) FIPS: 39155 - pop.201,977 -
Medina County Probate Court
County Seat: (Medina) FIPS: 39103 - pop.182,470 -
Licking County Probate Court
County Seat: (Newark) FIPS: 39089 - pop.178,519 -
Greene County Probate Court
County Seat: (Xenia) FIPS: 39057 - pop.167,966 -
Portage County Probate Court
County Seat: (Ravenna) FIPS: 39133 - pop.161,791 -
Fairfield County Probate Court
County Seat: (Lancaster) FIPS: 39045 - pop.158,921 -
Clark County Probate Court
County Seat: (Springfield) FIPS: 39023 - pop.136,001 -
Wood County Probate Court
County Seat: (Bowling Green) FIPS: 39173 - pop.132,248 -
Richland County Probate Court
County Seat: (Mansfield) FIPS: 39139 - pop.124,936 -
Wayne County Probate Court
County Seat: (Wooster) FIPS: 39169 - pop.116,894 -
Miami County Probate Court
County Seat: (Troy) FIPS: 39109 - pop.108,774 -
Allen County Probate Court
County Seat: (Lima) FIPS: 39003 - pop.102,206 -
Columbiana County Probate Court
County Seat: (Lisbon) FIPS: 39029 - pop.101,877 -
Ashtabula County Probate Court
County Seat: (Jefferson) FIPS: 39007 - pop.97,574 -
Geauga County Probate Court
County Seat: (Chardon) FIPS: 39055 - pop.95,397 -
Tuscarawas County Probate Court
County Seat: (New Philadelphia) FIPS: 39157 - pop.93,263 -
Muskingum County Probate Court
County Seat: (Zanesville) FIPS: 39119 - pop.86,410 -
Ross County Probate Court
County Seat: (Chillicothe) FIPS: 39141 - pop.77,093 -
Erie County Probate Court
County Seat: (Sandusky) FIPS: 39043 - pop.75,622 -
Hancock County Probate Court
County Seat: (Findlay) FIPS: 39063 - pop.74,920 -
Scioto County Probate Court
County Seat: (Portsmouth) FIPS: 39145 - pop.74,008 -
Belmont County Probate Court
County Seat: (Saint Clairsville) FIPS: 39013 - pop.66,497 -
Marion County Probate Court
County Seat: (Marion) FIPS: 39101 - pop.65,359 -
Jefferson County Probate Court
County Seat: (Steubenville) FIPS: 39081 - pop.65,249 -
Union County Probate Court
County Seat: (Marysville) FIPS: 39159 - pop.62,784 -
Knox County Probate Court
County Seat: (Mount Vernon) FIPS: 39083 - pop.62,721 -
Athens County Probate Court
County Seat: (Athens) FIPS: 39009 - pop.62,431 -
Washington County Probate Court
County Seat: (Marietta) FIPS: 39167 - pop.59,771 -
Sandusky County Probate Court
County Seat: (Fremont) FIPS: 39143 - pop.58,896 -
Huron County Probate Court
County Seat: (Norwalk) FIPS: 39077 - pop.58,565 -
Pickaway County Probate Court
County Seat: (Circleville) FIPS: 39129 - pop.58,539 -
Lawrence County Probate Court
County Seat: (Ironton) FIPS: 39087 - pop.58,240 -
Seneca County Probate Court
County Seat: (Tiffin) FIPS: 39147 - pop.55,069 -
Ashland County Probate Court
County Seat: (Ashland) FIPS: 39005 - pop.52,447 -
Darke County Probate Court
County Seat: (Greenville) FIPS: 39037 - pop.51,881 -
Shelby County Probate Court
County Seat: (Sidney) FIPS: 39149 - pop.48,230 -
Auglaize County Probate Court
County Seat: (Wapakoneta) FIPS: 39011 - pop.46,422 -
Logan County Probate Court
County Seat: (Bellefontaine) FIPS: 39091 - pop.46,150 -
Holmes County Probate Court
County Seat: (Millersburg) FIPS: 39075 - pop.44,223 -
Madison County Probate Court
County Seat: (London) FIPS: 39097 - pop.43,824 -
Brown County Probate Court
County Seat: (Georgetown) FIPS: 39015 - pop.43,676 -
Highland County Probate Court
County Seat: (Hillsboro) FIPS: 39071 - pop.43,317 -
Fulton County Probate Court
County Seat: (Wauseon) FIPS: 39051 - pop.42,713 -
Mercer County Probate Court
County Seat: (Celina) FIPS: 39107 - pop.42,528 -
Crawford County Probate Court
County Seat: (Bucyrus) FIPS: 39033 - pop.42,025 -
Clinton County Probate Court
County Seat: (Wilmington) FIPS: 39027 - pop.42,018 -
Preble County Probate Court
County Seat: (Eaton) FIPS: 39135 - pop.40,999 -
Ottawa County Probate Court
County Seat: (Port Clinton) FIPS: 39123 - pop.40,364 -
Champaign County Probate Court
County Seat: (Urbana) FIPS: 39021 - pop.38,714 -
Guernsey County Probate Court
County Seat: (Cambridge) FIPS: 39059 - pop.38,438 -
Defiance County Probate Court
County Seat: (Defiance) FIPS: 39039 - pop.38,286 -
Williams County Probate Court
County Seat: (Bryan) FIPS: 39171 - pop.37,102 -
Coshocton County Probate Court
County Seat: (Coshocton) FIPS: 39031 - pop.36,612 -
Perry County Probate Court
County Seat: (New Lexington) FIPS: 39127 - pop.35,408 -
Morrow County Probate Court
County Seat: (Mount Gilead) FIPS: 39117 - pop.34,950 -
Putnam County Probate Court
County Seat: (Ottawa) FIPS: 39137 - pop.34,451 -
Jackson County Probate Court
County Seat: (Jackson) FIPS: 39079 - pop.32,653 -
Hardin County Probate Court
County Seat: (Kenton) FIPS: 39065 - pop.30,696 -
Gallia County Probate Court
County Seat: (Gallipolis) FIPS: 39053 - pop.29,220 -
Fayette County Probate Court
County Seat: (Washington Court House) FIPS: 39047 - pop.28,951 -
Van Wert County Probate Court
County Seat: (Van Wert) FIPS: 39161 - pop.28,931 -
Hocking County Probate Court
County Seat: (Logan) FIPS: 39073 - pop.28,050 -
Henry County Probate Court
County Seat: (Napoleon) FIPS: 39069 - pop.27,662 -
Adams County Probate Court
County Seat: (West Union) FIPS: 39001 - pop.27,477 -
Pike County Probate Court
County Seat: (Waverly) FIPS: 39131 - pop.27,088 -
Carroll County Probate Court
County Seat: (Carrollton) FIPS: 39019 - pop.26,721 -
Meigs County Probate Court
County Seat: (Pomeroy) FIPS: 39105 - pop.22,210 -
Wyandot County Probate Court
County Seat: (Upper Sandusky) FIPS: 39175 - pop.21,900 -
Paulding County Probate Court
County Seat: (Paulding) FIPS: 39125 - pop.18,806 -
Harrison County Probate Court
County Seat: (Cadiz) FIPS: 39067 - pop.14,483 -
Noble County Probate Court
County Seat: (Caldwell) FIPS: 39121 - pop.14,115 -
Morgan County Probate Court
County Seat: (McConnelsville) FIPS: 39115 - pop.13,802 -
Monroe County Probate Court
County Seat: (Woodsfield) FIPS: 39111 - pop.13,385 -
Vinton County Probate Court
County Seat: (McArthur) FIPS: 39163 - pop.12,800
How Ohio 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.