Probate in Dakota County

Probate Court Record

Dakota County District Court

Dakota County · First Judicial District

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM

Office

1560 West Highway 55, Hastings, MN 55033

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Dakota County →

Verified October 15, 2026 · Source

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

Estate Law Firms Serving Dakota County

Serves Minneapolis and the Twin Cities from an office on Wayzata Boulevard. Advises executors and personal representatives through estate administration or handles it for them, and represents heirs and beneficiaries in will contests and distribution disputes. Also petitions for guardianships and conservatorships, and offers a free initial consultation.

Free consultationEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationConservatorshipGuardianship+3

Serves clients in the east metro, Greater Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Guides personal representatives through every probate step from submitting the will to the final accounting, advises successor trustees, and litigates will contests, fiduciary removals, creditor claims, and trustee disputes. Offers a free initial consultation and often travels to meet clients.

Free consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+3

Works from Bloomington and meets virtually with long-standing clients in the Duluth area and the Northland. Represents personal representatives through probate from the initial paperwork to closing the estate, billed hourly, and advises trustees on trust administration. Amy Kuronen is also a Certified Financial Planner; the free initial consultation covers estate planning.

Solo PracticeVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawSpecial Needs Planning+2

Serves Brown, Carver, Hennepin, Kandiyohi, McLeod, Meeker, Renville, Sibley, Stearns and Wright counties from offices in Hutchinson and Waconia. Prepares last wills, revocable living trusts, health care directives and financial and medical powers of attorney, alongside a family law, criminal defense and personal injury practice. Saturday appointments are available.

Solo PracticeServes 10 countiesEstate PlanningCriminal DefenseFamily LawPersonal Injury

Serves southern Minnesota from offices in Mankato and Madelia, and states that its lawyers serve the entire state. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, affidavits of collection, guardianship and conservatorship, and estate litigation including will contests and probate and trust disputes. The firm traces its origin to a Mankato law practice opened on July 1, 1893.

Since 1893Serves the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+5

Serves Anoka County and the north metro, including Elk River and Cambridge, from its Anoka office. Attorney Joseph Field guides executors and administrators through probate, from filing the will to paying creditors, transferring assets and resolving will challenges. He meets clients at home or in senior living, and the first half hour is free.

Solo PracticeServes the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTax Planning

All 14 Minnesota estate law firms serving Dakota County →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Minnesota

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

$12/month

Revocable Living Trust

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

Get Started
Free

Last Will and Testament

In Minnesota, a will is signed before 2Minn. Stat. § 524.2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyMinn. Stat. § 524.2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

Get Started
Free

Healthcare Power of Attorney

Minnesota allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2Minn. Stat. § 145C.16Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.

Get Started
Free

Financial Power of Attorney

Minnesota requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityMinn. Stat. §§ 523.01, 523.02, 523.05, 523.07, 523.075, 523.08, 523.17, 523.18, 523.20, 523.23, 523.231, 523.24Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryMinn. Stat. §§ 523.01, 523.02, 523.05, 523.07, 523.075, 523.08, 523.17, 523.18, 523.20, 523.23, 523.231, 523.24Verified Oct 22, 2026View source.

Get Started
Free

Pour-Over Will

In Minnesota, a pour-over will is signed before 2Minn. Stat. § 524.2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

Get Started
Free

Transfer on Death Deed

In Minnesota, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryMinn. Stat. 507.071Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathMinn. Stat. 507.071Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. Minnesota does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.

Get Started

All Minnesota forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Minnesota

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

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In Minnesota, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): 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.

Calculate Costs

Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Probate in Minnesota takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

Get the Answer

How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Minnesota costs an estimated $26,108Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 1.9%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

Calculate Costs

What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Minnesota costs an estimated $26,108Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under Minn. Stat. § 525.515 (just and reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; review under § 524.3-721): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $75,000Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.

Check the Rules

How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Minnesota: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 180 daysMinn. Stat. §§ 524.3-706, 524.3-708Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsMinn. Stat. §§ 524.3-801, 524.3-803, 524.3-805, 524.3-806Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months.

See the Steps

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Minnesota runs $3,530Estimate: 10 hours at $353, Clio's Minnesota Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,295Estimate: 15 hours at $353, Clio's Minnesota Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,035Estimate: 3 hours at $345, Clio's Minnesota Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,070Estimate: 6 hours at $345, Clio's Minnesota 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.

Calculate Costs

All Minnesota tools