How Do I File for Probate in Washington?
Washington publishes no statewide probate petition — the courts.wa.gov forms catalog has no probate category at all, and Guide & File has no probate interview. The petition, the order, and the Letters are pleadings drafted to Title 11 RCW and filed under each county Superior Court's local rules, so there is no official form for us to complete for you.
Opening an estate in Washington
Washington is a no-statewide-form probate state. RCW 11.28.110 requires a petition in writing, signed and verified by oath, but the courts.wa.gov forms catalog has no "Probate" forms category at all — the only statewide probate artifact is a Probate Case Cover Sheet. The Petition for Letters, the Order admitting the will / appointing the representative (typically granting nonintervention powers under RCW 11.68.011), and the Letters themselves are all drafted pleadings to Title 11 RCW, layered with each county Superior Court's Local Court Rules. The AOC Guide & File interactive system offers only declaration, felony-vacation, and water-adjudication interviews — nothing for probate — so even pro se filers get no guided form. The 2026 amendments (EHB 2445, ch. 204, Laws of 2026, effective June 11, 2026) raised the drafting burden rather than lowering it: the intestate petition must now plead the basis of the applicant's knowledge that there was no will, the details of the reasonable search made for heirs, a general description of the estate's major probate assets (real property, vehicles, and anything estimated in good faith to exceed $10,000) with the details of the search made to identify them, and that the applicant is entitled to administer under RCW 11.28.120 and is not disqualified under RCW 11.36.010. Because there is no fillable official form to populate and the work is genuine pleading drafting plus judgment (priority of appointment, nonintervention eligibility/solvency, bond amount and waiver, notice, the newly required search narratives), a self-service form-fill tool is not viable for the appointment step.
A simpler path may apply
Washington offers a small-estate or summary procedure that can transfer property without a full grant of Letters when the estate qualifies. This is often the honest self-service path where full administration is not.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Washington permits a self-represented person to open an estate and apply for Letters. What we do not do is produce the document for you here: washington publishes no statewide probate petition — the courts.wa.gov forms catalog has no probate category at all, and Guide & File has no probate interview. The petition, the order, and the Letters are pleadings drafted to Title 11 RCW and filed under each county Superior Court's local rules, so there is no official form for us to complete for you.
Washington offers a small-estate or summary procedure that can transfer property without a full grant of Letters when the estate qualifies. Washington's signature feature is "nonintervention powers" (RCW 11.68.011): when the court finds the estate solvent, taking into account probate and nonprobate assets, it grants the personal representative authority to administer and settle the estate largely without further court supervision — there is no separate informal/registrar track, but a granted nonintervention estate functions with minimal court involvement after appointment. Small estates of personal property up to $100,000 can be claimed by a successor's affidavit 40 days after death (RCW 11.62.010), bypassing letters entirely; that affidavit is also drafted to statute with no official statewide form. EHB 2445 (ch. 204, Laws of 2026), effective June 11, 2026, reworked the appointment chapter to stop "probates for profit": the intestate petition must now plead the applicant's reasonable search for heirs and for the estate's major probate assets (anything over $10,000); the window before a stranger to the family may be appointed lengthened (60 days before the court may appoint a public-guardianship contractor or guardian ad litem, 90 days before "any suitable person" may be appointed under RCW 11.28.120(3)); a person appointed on that 90-day track cannot receive nonintervention powers, must post bond commensurate with the major probate assets, may not buy estate assets without court approval, and is limited to two such appointments a year; and every personal representative must now file, within 30 days of appointment, a verified report confirming notice to heirs, legatees, devisees, beneficiaries and transferees (the form is printed in RCW 11.76.010(1)), plus a report of any estate financial account opened.
Superior Court handles decedents' estates in Washington. Superior Court clerk issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration after the court grants the petition.
Letters Testamentary are issued when there is a will (to the executor); Letters of Administration are issued when there is no will (to an administrator). They give the personal representative authority to act for the estate.
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