Washtenaw County Probate Records

The Washtenaw County Probate Court

The Washtenaw Probate Court handles a specific set of cases under Michigan law. The Probate Court landing page at washtenaw.org/1174 sets out the office's work and lists guardian and conservator training, guardianships, conservatorships, estates, mental health, and wills for safekeeping. The court shares a building with the 22nd Circuit Court at 101 E. Huron Street.

Probate work covers people who cannot speak for themselves (legally incapacitated adults, developmentally disabled adults, minors), people who have died (estates and wills), and people in mental health crisis. The court also keeps a will safekeeping service that lets a person store a signed will with the court before death.

Estates in Washtenaw County

An estate case opens after a person dies. The court oversees the inventory, debt payment, and distribution of the assets. Michigan uses three main estate paths: small estates for low-dollar matters, informal probate for simple cases, and formal probate for contested or complex cases. The Probate Court page links an Inventory Fee Calculator that estimates the inventory fee due based on the estate's reported value.

Common estate filings in Washtenaw include the application or petition to open the estate, the will (if any), the letters of authority for the personal representative, the inventory, accountings, and the final settlement. Documents are filed at the Probate Court counter inside Court Services at 101 E. Huron Street.

Small Estates

Michigan has a streamlined route for small estates. The total estate value sets eligibility. Small estates can often be settled without a full probate process, using an affidavit and a few short filings. The court still issues paperwork that lets the petitioner collect and distribute the assets.

For specific Michigan small estate dollar limits, check the most recent SCAO Probate forms and Probate Court guidance. Limits are set in statute and update over time.

Common small estate filings include a sworn statement, a list of assets, and a short petition to collect the assets. Some uses such as transferring a car title or closing a bank account can be done with the small estate paperwork once the court signs off.

How a Washtenaw Probate Case Moves

A typical Washtenaw probate estate follows a set path. The exact steps depend on whether the case is informal, formal, or small, but the basic order looks like this.

1. File a petition or application to open the estate at the Probate Court counter.
2. Pay the filing fee and the inventory fee as the court directs.
3. Receive letters of authority appointing a personal representative.
4. Notify heirs, devisees, and known creditors.
5. File an inventory of the estate assets within the deadline set by court rule.
6. Pay valid debts and taxes; sell assets if needed under court approval.
7. File a final accounting and a petition to close the estate.
8. Distribute the remaining assets and close the case.

Washtenaw Guardianships

The Washtenaw Probate Court hears several guardianship types. The county's guardianship page is shown below.

The page at washtenaw.org/1210 explains adult guardianships, developmentally disabled adult guardianships, minor guardianships, and guardianship investigations.

• Adult guardianship - Used when a person cannot make or communicate informed decisions because of mental illness, mental deficiency, physical illness or disability, chronic drug use, chronic intoxication, or another listed cause.
• Developmentally disabled adult guardianship - For a person over age five with a severe, chronic condition meeting statutory requirements; the goal is to promote self-reliance.
• Minor guardianship - Gives legal authority to adults other than parents when parents are unwilling or unable to safely care for the child.
• Guardianship investigation - The court appoints volunteers to gather information and prepare a written report.

Conservatorships

A Washtenaw conservatorship places a court-appointed conservator over a protected person's assets and money. The Probate Court page lists conservatorships of adults and minors. A guardianship covers life decisions; a conservatorship covers money decisions. The two roles can be held by the same person or by separate appointees.

Conservatorship petitions include inventory, accountings, and a duty to act in the protected person's best interest. The court can also approve specific transactions, such as the sale of real estate held by the protected person.

Mental Health Cases

Michigan probate courts hear mental health commitment and treatment cases. These files are restricted under Michigan law and are not in the public docket the same way as a will or an estate. Access is limited to the parties, attorneys, and others authorized by statute or court order.

The Probate Court works with Washtenaw Community Mental Health and the county's broader behavioral health network. LEADD also touches behavioral health cases on the criminal side; it is a separate program but uses some of the same county service partners.

Wills for Safekeeping

The Washtenaw Probate Court holds a wills for safekeeping service. A person can deposit a signed will with the court for safekeeping during their lifetime. After death, the court delivers the will to the personal representative or the court that handles the estate.

The service is meant to protect the original will from loss, fire, or tampering. It is not a substitute for opening an estate; an estate still needs to be opened after death to administer the assets and follow the will's instructions.

A safekeeping deposit also helps the court confirm the will's existence at the right time. Without a will on file, the personal representative or heirs may need to track down a copy from a private attorney or a safe deposit box.

Restricted Probate Records

Some Washtenaw probate records are restricted under statute. Adoption records are confidential under MCL 710.67. The state's adoption record confidentiality statute is shown below.

Juvenile records are restricted under MCL 712A.28, shown below.

These statutes set the access rules for adoption and juvenile delinquency or child protective cases that touch probate work. Mental health files have their own access framework under Michigan's mental health code.

Searching Washtenaw Probate Records

Public probate cases show up in the same Washtenaw Trial Court Public Access portal that holds 22nd Circuit cases. Search by case number, by decedent name, by ward name, or by petitioner name. Probate case types in the portal include estate, guardianship, conservatorship, and mental health (restricted).

Washtenaw Probate Fees

Filing and copy fees in the Probate Court are set by Michigan statute and the SCAO fee schedule. The Trial Court's Fees page links current amounts. The Inventory Fee Calculator on the Probate Court page is used to estimate the inventory fee for an estate.

Common Washtenaw Probate Terms

Probate uses its own set of legal words. Knowing the basic ones makes a Washtenaw probate file easier to read.

Testator

The person who made a will.

Personal representative

Michigan term for the person who settles the estate; called executor in many states.

Intestate

A person who died without a valid will.

Heir

A person entitled to part of an intestate estate under Michigan law.

Devisee

A person who takes under a will.

Guardian

Court-appointed person who makes life decisions for a ward.

Conservator

Court-appointed manager of a protected person's assets.

Fiduciary

Any person who owes a duty to act in another's best interest under court appointment.

Washtenaw Probate Court Contact

The Probate Court counter sits inside the Trial Court at 101 E. Huron Street. Court Services handles probate filings, copies, and records requests at the same counter.

Related Washtenaw Searches

For marriage and divorce records that often connect to probate work, see the marriage and divorce records page. For the underlying court file routes, see the court records page. The County Clerk page covers vital records and the broader clerk's office. The 22nd Circuit Court page covers the connected trial court work.