Albion chapel of Harper Funeral Homes, opened in 2004 and built for large gatherings and guests with mobility needs; the firm's other Noble County chapel is in Avilla. Cremation runs from simple cremation to a viewing and funeral before cremation.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Noble County, Indiana
How probate works in Noble County: the Circuit Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Noble County Circuit Court
Noble County · Judicial District 6
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
Office
101 North Orange Street, Albion, IN 46701
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
E-filing
Required for attorneysAttorneys must e-file estate and guardianship cases through an Indiana certified e-filing provider. On paper: Self-represented filers are not required to e-file.
Accepted payment
- At the counterCash, Money order, Credit card, Debit card.The clerk does not accept personal checks for any transaction. Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards are accepted.
Fax
1-260-636-3053
Departments
- Clerk1-260-636-2736 · clerk@nobleco.gov · Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PMThe Clerk of the Noble County Courts in the courthouse takes estate and guardianship filings. Clerk and court staff answer procedural questions but do not give legal advice.
About the court
- The Circuit Court hears every estate and guardianship case in the county, in the courthouse on North Orange Street. Hearings can be held by telephone with the court's consent, arranged in advance.
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Noble County
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling someone's estate after they die — validating the will, paying debts and taxes, and transferring what's left to the heirs. In Noble County, probate runs through the Circuit Court at 101 North Orange Street, Albion. The court sits in the Judicial District 6. The same Judicial District 6 also serves DeKalb, LaGrange, Steuben and Whitley.
The personal representative opens the case, gives notice to heirs and creditors, files an inventory of the estate's assets, settles outstanding debts and taxes, and then distributes the remainder under the will — or under Indiana intestacy law when there is no will.
Most Indiana estates take 9 months to 15 months to move through this process. Creditors have 3 monthsIC 29-1-14-1, 29-1-7-7, 29-1-14-9, 29-1-14-10Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present a claim, counted from the first publication of the notice to creditors.
What Probate Costs in Noble County
What probate costs in Noble County, Indiana comes down to a handful of line items — the court filing fee, attorney and executor compensation, publication, and sometimes a bond — scaled by the estate's size and whether the will is contested. The case itself runs through the Circuit Court at 101 North Orange Street, Albion. The court is part of the Judicial District 6.
Indiana charges $177IC § 33-37-4-7(a) (as amended by P.L.106-2025); IC §§ 33-37-5-20, -21, -21.2, -25, -26, -27, -31Verified Oct 17, 2026View source to open probate, the same in every county. Additional filings during administration — inventory, accounting, the final petition — add to the total.
Estimate the costs for this estate:
Attorney fees in Indiana are negotiated, typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under IC 29-1-10-13 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.8%Modeled estimate under IC 29-1-10-13 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value. Flat-fee arrangements are common for straightforward estates.
Indiana allows executors 'reasonable compensation' — around 2.2%–3.8% of a $500,000 estate, judging by what the states with statutory schedules payIC 29-1-10-13 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
Indiana requires publishing notice to creditors in a local newspaper, and the estate pays for it.
Probate in Indiana typically runs 9 months to 15 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the Circuit Court
Probate cases in Noble County, Indiana are filed at the Circuit Court. The court sits in the Judicial District 6.
Beside the filing office, the court lists a separate line for Clerk.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
Indiana has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not availableIC 29-1-7-13(b) (court grants letters); IC 29-1-10-3 (clerk administers oath only)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
For a full cost comparison and filing checklist, see the Noble County Self-Filing Assessment.
Noble County Filing Requirements
These are specific requirements for filing probate in this county. Following these guidelines will help avoid delays or rejected filings.
Before You File
Every estate, guardianship and trust case is filed in the Circuit Court.
A case may be transferred to another Noble County court with the receiving court's consent.
SourceWhat to Bring
Filed with the opening petition at the Circuit Court: Original will and any codicils, delivered to the court that has jurisdiction of the administration (IC 29-1-7-3); A certified copy of the death certificate is commonly requested by the court or by asset holders, but it is not an element of the petition under IC 29-1-7-5; Petition for probate of will and issuance of letters / petition for appointment, with the contents required by IC 29-1-7-5 (decedent, heirs, devisees/legatees, domicile, date of death, and the attorney who is to represent the personal representative)IC 29-1-7 (probate of wills & issuance of letters; petition contents IC 29-1-7-5); IC 29-1-10 (appointment & qualification of personal representatives); IC 29-1-7.5 (unsupervised administration)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Coroner in Noble County
In Indiana a death is registered locally, and in Noble County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Noble County Health Department, Vital Records as well as by Indiana Department of Health - Division of Vital Records.
Vital Records Office Record
Local Health Department
Noble County · Noble County Health Department, Vital Records
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
Office
2090 North State Road 9, Suite C, Albion, IN 46701
Website
Certified copies
At the counter
Fax
1-260-636-2192
Local rule
- Noble County birth and death records are available from 1882. Personal checks are not accepted.
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $15 |
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Coroner
Noble County · Noble County Coroner
Phone
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Funeral Homes in Noble County
6 funeral homes and crematories in Noble County, each listed with the services it offers, the faiths it serves, the languages its staff speak, its address and its phone.
Avilla chapel of Harper Funeral Homes, built on a single level in 1999 as the first purpose-built funeral home in Noble County; the firm's other chapel is in Albion. Cremation runs from simple cremation to a viewing and funeral before cremation.
Kendallville funeral home and a fixture in Noble County, with funeral and cremation services for current and former members of the U.S. military and their families.
Kendallville chapel of Young Family Funeral Home, formerly Berhalter-Hutchins Funeral Home, one of the oldest family-owned and operated funeral homes in Indiana, serving Noble, LaGrange and Steuben counties with chapels also in Wolcottville and Hudson. Staff answer any time of the day or night.
Legacy Cremation and Remembrance Center is in Ligonier, Indiana, licensed by the state as a crematory and as a funeral home and built for families choosing cremation. Families may be present for the cremation committal if they wish. The center opened to the public in 2011.
Yeager Funeral Home is in Ligonier, Indiana, just south of the intersection of US 6 and 33. The home plans each service around the needs of the family and the special characteristics of the deceased, and its facility is accessible to the physically challenged.
Funeral homes by city: Albion, Avilla, Kendallville, Ligonier
Listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any funeral home or crematory.
Transferring Property in Noble County
Clearing title to real estate after a death, whether by a personal representative’s deed, an affidavit of survivorship, or a court order, happens at the County Recorder.
Deeds and other real property documents for Noble County are recorded with the County Recorder at 109 North York Street, Albion, IN 46701. Phone: 1-260-636-2672. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM.
The County Recorder charges $25 flat, regardless of page count.
Recording Office Record
County Recorder
Noble County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
Office
109 North York Street, Albion, IN 46701
Website
Fees
Recording fees
| Flat fee (any length) | $25 |
| County Auditor's real property endorsement (transfer)Applies to a TOD deed | $10 |
| SDF-1 (State Form 46021) Sales Disclosure FormNot required for a TOD deed | $20 |
| Transfer tax on a TOD deed | No transfer tax applies to TOD deeds |
IC 36-2-7-10(c)(1)
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Forms that put a death on the title
- Free forms: Affidavit of Death Form · Affidavit of Heirship Form
Probate Attorneys Serving Noble County
Indiana allows independent administrationIC 29-1-7.5-1, IC 29-1-7.5-2, IC 29-1-7.5-3Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, so the personal representative manages, pays and distributes the estate without returning to the court for approval at each step. A probate attorney earns the fee when the estate is contested, includes a business or out-of-state real estate, has unclear or insolvent debts, or when beneficiaries disagree.
Probate attorney fees in Indiana are based on reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee. Ask a Noble County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Circuit Court, publishes the required creditor notices, prepares the inventory and accounting, handles creditor claims and tax filings, and guides the final distribution. They represent the personal representative — not the beneficiaries — a distinction that matters if a dispute develops.
Angola practice serving Steuben, DeKalb, LaGrange, and Noble County clients in northeast Indiana. Attorney Jonathan Cress prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance health care directives with appointment of a health care representative, alongside family law, criminal, and collections work. Planning only: the site describes no probate practice.
Brian W. Kaiser's Angola firm serves Steuben, LaGrange, DeKalb, and Noble counties in northeast Indiana (plus northwest Ohio). Handles probate of estates large and small — sorting probate from non-probate assets, settling debts, and transferring assets — plus small estate affidavits, simplified probate procedures, wills, trusts, and guardianships.
Northeast Indiana firm established 1974, with offices in Kendallville (515 Professional Way), LaGrange and Albion. Its probate attorneys assist personal representatives (executors) in administering an estate through probate, including small estates with assets under $100,000, and handle will contests. Attorney Michael M. Yoder has over 40 years of experience.
Auburn firm led by Zachary Lightner serving DeKalb County and northeast Indiana. Assists families administering final affairs through probate, working alongside estate planning in wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, with corporate and real estate work.
Warsaw firm in Kosciusko County, founded in 1920. Its trusts-and-estates group handles estate administration for personal representatives and trustees — dealing with creditors, taxes, real estate and distributing property — alongside testamentary and irrevocable living trusts, medical directives, and the firm's family law, business and land-use work.
Solo Mishawaka practice concentrated in St. Joseph County probate and estate administration, covering probate of wills, appointment of personal representatives, trusts, and guardianships. Timothy Kalamaros advises executors and trustees carrying out an estate plan and sorts out estate disputes in court as needed. Serves South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, and 13 more northern-Indiana counties.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.
Legal Sources
(10)·
- IC § 33-37-4-7(a) (as amended by P.L.106-2025); IC §§ 33-37-5-20, -21, -21.2, -25, -26, -27, -31
- IC 29-1-10-13 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)
- IC 29-1-14-1, 29-1-7-7, 29-1-14-9, 29-1-14-10
- IC 29-1-7 (probate of wills & issuance of letters; petition contents IC 29-1-7-5); IC 29-1-10 (appointment & qualification of personal representatives); IC 29-1-7.5 (unsupervised administration)
- IC 29-1-7-13(b) (court grants letters); IC 29-1-10-3 (clerk administers oath only)
- IC 29-1-7.5-1, IC 29-1-7.5-2, IC 29-1-7.5-3
- IC 36-2-7-10(c)(1)
- Noble County Circuit Court, official page
- Noble County Recorder, official page
- Noble County vital records and death investigation offices, official page
Data sourced from Indiana statutes and official state code. Fee percentages are modeled estimates; each figure's note says how. How we research.
Tools for Settling an Estate in Indiana
Free tools for settling an estate in Indiana: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for Indiana.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Indiana: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 60 daysIC 29-1-12-1, IC 29-1-7.5-3.2Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsIC 29-1-14-1, 29-1-7-7, 29-1-14-9, 29-1-14-10Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
See the Steps
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Indiana happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's trust statuteInd. Code 30-4-1-1 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
See the Steps
Can I Self-File Probate?
Indiana has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not availableIC 29-1-7-13(b) (court grants letters); IC 29-1-10-3 (clerk administers oath only)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
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