Probate in Fairfield County

Probate Court Record

Fairfield County Probate Court

Fairfield County

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM

Office

224 East Main Street, 3rd Floor, Lancaster, OH 43130

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Fairfield County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

Do I need a lawyer for probate in Fairfield County? →Settling an estate in Fairfield County →

Asset Protection Firms Serving Fairfield County

Serves Franklin, Delaware, and surrounding central Ohio counties from Worthington, filing in the Franklin County Probate Court. Handles probate and estate administration for executors and administrators alongside guardianship, Medicaid planning, and special needs trusts. Richard F. Meyer is an OSBA certified specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Free 15-minute phone consultation.

Serves 7 countiesFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawGuardianship+3

Serves Union County and central Ohio from Marysville, most active in Union, Delaware, Champaign, Madison, and Logan counties. Handles wills, trusts, powers of attorney, asset protection, and probate and trust administration, with added focus on farm and agribusiness estate planning and business succession. Established 1982.

Since 1982Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateAsset ProtectionBusiness Succession

All 3 Ohio asset protection firms serving Fairfield County →

Forms for Planning Your Estate in Ohio

Free forms for planning your estate in Ohio: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for Ohio.

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Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

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Pour-Over Will

In Ohio, a pour-over will is signed before 2ORC § 2107.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

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Transfer on Death Deed

In Ohio, a transfer on death designation affidavit is signed before a notaryORC 5302.22 to 5302.24Verified Oct 19, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathORC 5302.22 to 5302.24Verified Oct 19, 2026View source. Ohio does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.

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Free

Last Will and Testament

In Ohio, a will is signed before 2ORC § 2107.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and no self-proving affidavit is availableORC § 2107.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.

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All Ohio forms

Tools for Planning Your Estate in Ohio

Free tools for planning your estate in Ohio: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for Ohio and read its answer.

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In Ohio, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under ORC § 2113.36 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.8%Modeled estimate under ORC § 2113.36 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.

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How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Ohio runs $2,940Estimate: 10 hours at $294, Clio's Ohio Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,410Estimate: 15 hours at $294, Clio's Ohio Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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Do I Need a TOD Deed?

Ohio authorizes transfer on death deedsORC 5302.22 to 5302.24Verified Oct 17, 2026View source: a recorded, revocable deed that passes real property at death outside probate.

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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

Ohio automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceORC § 5815.33; ORC § 5302.23(B)(12)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.

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All Ohio tools