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.
Probate in Fairfield County
Probate Court Record
Fairfield County Probate Court
Fairfield County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
Office
224 East Main Street, 3rd Floor, Lancaster, OH 43130
Website
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 →
Trust Administration Firms Serving Fairfield County
Serves families across central Ohio from its Columbus office on Goodale Boulevard. The Family Wealth & Estate Planning group handles wills, trusts, and probate administration, and represents beneficiaries, creditors, and fiduciaries in contested estate matters. Founded 1967.
Gordon Law Office serves clients in Delaware, Franklin, Morrow, Marion, and adjacent counties with estate planning, probate, wills, trusts, and real estate matters.
The Cleveland-based Private Wealth Services group serves clients across Ohio. It handles estate settlement, trust administration, and fiduciary services, along with asset protection, charitable planning, and succession planning for closely held companies. Chambers HNW ranked.
Isaac Wiles has been serving Columbus since 1936. Their Estate Planning, Trust & Probate practice group handles elder law and estate administration, with attorneys involved in nearly every precedent-setting case in Ohio relating to elder law and Medicaid eligibility. AV Preeminent rated; 15 attorneys named Best Lawyers in America 2025.
The Columbus-based Probate, Trusts + Estates group handles probate and trust administration, including estate filings, fiduciary tax returns, and beneficiary distribution. Its attorneys litigate will contests, trust-interpretation disputes, and breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims, and have administered estates exceeding $70 million. Chambers USA 2025 ranked.
All 22 Ohio trust administration firms serving Fairfield County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Ohio
Free Ohio forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Ohio and download the PDF.
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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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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Ohio
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Ohio: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Ohio.
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Ohio happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeORC § 5801.01 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysR.C. §§ 5808.13, 5810.05Verified 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 Ohio, trustee compensation follows "reasonable compensation" (UTC § 708 or equivalent)Ohio Rev. Code §§ 5807.08, 5807.09; Ohio Rev. Code § 5801.04(B)(7); Ohio Civ.R. 73.24Verified 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 Ohio: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysR.C. §§ 2115.02, 2115.06, 2113.69Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 6 monthsR.C. §§ 2117.06, 2117.07, 2117.12, 2117.25Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
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Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Ohio requires a final state income tax return for the decedent alongside the federal Form 1040Ohio Rev. Code § 5747.02Verified 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 Ohio 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 ratesR.C. § 5747.02 (rate schedule)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
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