Probate in Grand Traverse County

Probate Court Record

Grand Traverse County Probate Court

Grand Traverse County

Hours

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

Office

280 Washington Street, Suite 223, Traverse City, MI 49684

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Grand Traverse County →

Verified October 15, 2026 · Source

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

Trust Administration Firms Serving Grand Traverse County

Estate planning and elder law firm in the Thumb of Michigan, with offices in Cass City, Caro, Reese, Bad Axe and Sandusky and an appointment office in Traverse City. Guides executors through probate, supports trustees administering a trust, and petitions for guardians and conservators for incapacitated adults. Medicaid and long-term care planning is a core part of the practice.

Serves 4 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawConservatorship+4

Downtown Traverse City practice serving Grand Traverse and nearby Northern Michigan counties. Handles estate administration with or without a will, trust administration, challenges to wills and trusts, and guardianship and conservatorship proceedings in probate court. Also counsels high net worth clients on gift, estate and generation-skipping tax, with a complimentary consultation.

Solo PracticeServes 5 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationElder Law+5

Kalamazoo firm with offices in Battle Creek, Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Traverse City. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, and guardianship and conservatorship petitions, alongside wills, living trusts, and Medicaid planning. Publishes flat fees, including a set price for an uncontested probate case.

Serves 8 countiesFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawConservatorship+2

Elder law firm with offices in Charlevoix, Traverse City and East Jordan, serving 20 Northern Michigan counties and handling estate administration on Mackinac, Beaver and Drummond Islands. Handles probate and trust administration, trust disputes and will or trust contests, and conservatorship and guardianship matters, alongside Medicaid and veterans benefits planning.

Serves 22 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+5

Ann Arbor firm serving Washtenaw County families for more than 30 years, with an appointment-only office in Petoskey. Handles probate and estate administration, guides trustees through trust administration duties, and litigates will contests, trust disputes and contested guardianships. Elder law work includes guardianship and conservatorship petitions, Medicaid planning and special needs trusts.

Serves 2 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+5

Lansing firm tracing its origins to 1902, with a Trusts and Estates group in Lansing, Grand Rapids, Holland, Southfield and Detroit serving families, family businesses and fiduciaries throughout Michigan. The group handles trust and estate administration and trust and estate litigation, alongside gift tax, business succession, and Medicaid and elder law planning.

Since 1902Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+4

All 11 Michigan trust administration firms serving Grand Traverse County →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Michigan

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

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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 Michigan, a pour-over will is signed before 2MCL 700.2502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Michigan

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

How Do I Settle a Trust?

Settling a trust in Michigan happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeMCL 700.7101 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 63 daysMCL 700.7814, 700.7905; MCL 700.7109Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.

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What's Fair Trustee Compensation?

In Michigan, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent)Mich. Comp. Laws § 700.7708Verified Sep 18, 2026View source unless the trust instrument sets a different amount.

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How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Michigan: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 91 daysMCL 700.3706, 700.3707, 700.3708Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsMCL 700.3801, 700.3803, 700.3804, 700.3805, 700.3806; MCR 5.208, MCR 5.106Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 5 months to 7 months.

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Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?

Michigan requires a final state income tax return for the decedent alongside the federal Form 1040MCL 206.51Verified Sep 20, 2026View source; a federal estate tax return (Form 706) is required only for estates above $15,000,00026 USC 2001(c), 2010; P.L. 119-21 §70106Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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How Does Step-Up in Basis Work?

Inherited assets in Michigan take a basis reset to fair market value on the date of death26 USC § 1014Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the gain on a later sale faces ordinary income tax at the state's regular ratesMCL § 206.51 (statutory base 4.25% with annual revenue-trigger reduction formula)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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