Probate in Durham County

Probate Court Record

Durham County Clerk of Superior Court

Durham County · Superior Court District 16

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM

Office

510 South Dillard Street, Durham, NC 27701

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Durham County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

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

Medicaid Planning Firms Serving Durham County

Serves Wake County and the Triangle from Cary, with clients in Apex, Clayton, Durham, Morrisville, and Raleigh. The firm represents executors, administrators, and successor trustees through North Carolina estate administration — opening the estate with the Clerk of Court, filing the inventory and final accounting, and settling underfunded trusts. Administration work is billed hourly.

Since 2009Virtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawAsset ProtectionMedicaid Planning

Serves Wake County and the Triangle from three offices — Raleigh, Cary, and Wake Forest. The firm represents executors, administrators, and trustees through probate administration with and without a will, trust administration, and guardianship proceedings, and litigates will caveats, trust disputes, and financial elder abuse claims. It also runs an elder law and Medicaid practice.

Estate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+6

Headquartered in Raleigh with offices in Asheville, Winterville (Greenville), Morehead City, New Bern, and Wilmington. Its attorneys and paralegals commence, administer, and formally close estate and probate proceedings, whoever prepared the original estate plan, and its litigation group handles will caveats. Six attorneys are Board Certified Specialists in Estate Planning and Probate Law.

Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+7

All 5 North Carolina Medicaid planning firms serving Durham County →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in North Carolina

Free North Carolina forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for North Carolina.

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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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Healthcare Power of Attorney

North Carolina requires 2N.C.G.S. § 32A-25.1Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses and notarizationN.C.G.S. § 32A-25.1Verified Oct 15, 2026View source for a healthcare power of attorney.

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Financial Power of Attorney

North Carolina treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultN.C.G.S. § 32C-1-105Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryN.C.G.S. § 32C-1-105Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.

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All North Carolina forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in North Carolina

Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in North Carolina: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.

How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in North Carolina runs $4,330Estimate: 10 hours at $433, Clio's North Carolina Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,495Estimate: 15 hours at $433, Clio's North Carolina 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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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in North Carolina runs $4,330Estimate: 10 hours at $433, Clio's North Carolina Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,495Estimate: 15 hours at $433, Clio's North Carolina Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,047Estimate: 3 hours at $349, Clio's North Carolina Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,094Estimate: 6 hours at $349, Clio's North Carolina Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

In North Carolina, four years at a public university cost about $75,440NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is 6% below the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; no state estate or inheritance tax appliesNo state estate or inheritance tax. The estate tax (Chapter 105, Article 1A — G.S. 105-32.1 through 105-32.8) was repealed outright by S.L. 2013-316, s. 7(a) (HB 998), effective January 1, 2013 for decedents dying on or after that date; the inheritance tax (G.S. 105-2 through 105-32) was repealed by S.L. 1998-212, s. 29A.2(a), effective January 1, 1999.Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in North Carolina: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysN.C.G.S. §§ 28A-20-1, 28A-20-3, 28A-20-4Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsNCGS §§ 28A-14-1, 28A-19-1, 28A-19-3, 28A-19-6, 28A-19-16Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.

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All North Carolina tools