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What to Do When Someone Dies in Tippecanoe County, Indiana
How probate works in Tippecanoe County: the Circuit Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Tippecanoe County Circuit Court
Tippecanoe County · Judicial District 10
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-noon and 1:00 PM-4:30 PM
Office
301 Main Street, Lafayette, IN 47901
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
This court requires an attorney
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.
Self-represented filing
This court requires an attorneyPersonal representatives and guardians of an estate must proceed with an attorney unless the Circuit Court approves otherwise.
Hearing schedule
- The Circuit Court holds a probate motion hour on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:30 a.m.
Fax
1-765-423-9116
Departments
- Clerk1-765-423-9326 · 301 Main Street, 2nd Floor · clerk@tippecanoe.in.gov · Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PMThe Clerk of the Circuit Court takes estate, guardianship and trust filings. New cases and payments are accepted until half an hour before closing, and the office stays open until 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month.
About the court
- The Circuit Court has exclusive jurisdiction over probate matters in Tippecanoe County, including estates, guardianships, adoptions and trusts.
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Tippecanoe 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 Tippecanoe County, probate runs through the Circuit Court at 301 Main Street, Lafayette. The court sits in the Judicial District 10. The same Judicial District 10 also serves Carroll and White.
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 Tippecanoe County
What probate costs in Tippecanoe 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 301 Main Street, Lafayette. The court is part of the Judicial District 10.
Procedures at this court that affect cost: An estate not closed within one year reports the reasons and asks for more time; The court uses a fee guideline for attorney and personal representative fees in estates.
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 Tippecanoe County, Indiana are filed at the Circuit Court. The court sits in the Judicial District 10.
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 Tippecanoe County Self-Filing Assessment.
Tippecanoe 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
An estate opened only to pursue a wrongful death claim proceeds under supervised administration.
SourceDocument Requirements
A personal representative files an affidavit of qualifications and signed Instructions before letters issue.
The affidavit describes education, employment, felony convictions, misdemeanor convictions related to the health or safety of others, and any involvement with Department of Child Services or Adult Protective Services investigations. No letters issue until the signed Instructions are filed.
SourceCourt Appearances
Personal representatives and guardians of an estate must have an attorney unless the court approves otherwise.
SourceService Requirements
Notice of the opening of an estate goes to every reasonably ascertainable creditor by first-class mail.
Certified mail with return receipt is recommended. Copies of petitions are sent to interested parties with every notice of hearing, and proof of notice is provided before the matter comes to court.
SourceOther Requirements
In place of a bond, the court may give the attorney access to the estate checking account or the estate checkbook.
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 Tippecanoe County
In Indiana a death is registered locally, and in Tippecanoe County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Tippecanoe County Health Department, Vital Records Division as well as by Indiana Department of Health - Division of Vital Records.
Vital Records Office Record
Local Health Department
Tippecanoe County · Tippecanoe County Health Department, Vital Records Division
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:15 PM
Office
1950 South 18th Street, Lafayette, IN 47905
Website
Certified copies
At the counter
Order online
Fax
1-765-423-9797
Local rule
- The office provides records from 1882 and can issue records of events in Indiana. Corrections go through the funeral director who filed the certificate.
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $15 |
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Coroner
Tippecanoe County · Tippecanoe County Coroner's Office
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
629 North 6th Street, Suite E, Lafayette, IN 47901
Website
Release of remains
1-765-423-9321 · After-hours on-call deputy coroner, through the Sheriff's Department
Cremation authorization
Signed by this office
Mail and offices
Fax
1-765-423-9370
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Funeral Homes in Tippecanoe County
8 funeral homes and crematories in Tippecanoe County, each listed with the services it offers, the faiths it serves, the languages its staff speak, its address and its phone.
The Lafayette chapel of Fisher Funeral Chapel & Cremation Services is Castle Cottage, an 1897 home that the Fisher family bought in 2003. The family-owned firm offers flame cremation and flameless cremation by alkaline hydrolysis, ships remains by air within the country or abroad, and helps families with veterans benefits and with pre-planning and prefunding.
Lafayette location of Hahn-Groeber Funeral & Cremation Services, which also has locations in Linden and Oxford and traces its history to Hahn Funeral Home.
Lafayette funeral service in Tippecanoe County that opened in 1936 in the remodeled residence of the old Hull estate.
Simplicity Funeral Care is a funeral home in Lafayette, in Tippecanoe County, Indiana.
Family-owned Lafayette funeral home whose story began in 1865. Its Lafayette Chapel is the firm's administrative office and houses its own on-site crematory; a second chapel is in West Lafayette.
Funeral homes by city: Lafayette, West Lafayette
Cremation Services in Tippecanoe County
4 listings
Pre-Need Funeral Plans in Tippecanoe County
4 listings
Burial Services in Tippecanoe County
2 listings
Veterans Funeral Services in Tippecanoe County
3 listings
Funeral Transport in Tippecanoe County
1 listing
Green Burial in Tippecanoe County
2 listings
Water Cremation in Tippecanoe County
1 listing
Listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any funeral home or crematory.
Transferring Property in Tippecanoe 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 Tippecanoe County are recorded with the County Recorder at 20 North 3rd Street, 2nd Floor, Lafayette, IN 47901. Phone: 1-765-423-9352. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM.
The County Recorder charges $25 flat, regardless of page count.
Tippecanoe County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile, CSC and ePN.
Recording Office Record
County Recorder
Tippecanoe County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
20 North 3rd Street, 2nd Floor, Lafayette, IN 47901
Website
E-recording
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 Tippecanoe 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 Tippecanoe 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.
Lafayette firm serving Tippecanoe County and greater Lafayette, marking 75 years in practice. Estate administration work covers determining a decedent's assets, transferring them under the will or the Indiana Probate Code, and navigating the probate court, alongside trust administration and guardianships. Jack L. Walkey is a Board Certified Indiana Trust and Estate Lawyer.
Lafayette practice of Gregg Theobald (Tippecanoe County), with Jay Seeger of counsel. Its probate practice administers both testate and intestate estates, valuing, selling, and distributing bank accounts, real estate, and business interests that pass through a will, and handles contested or multiple-will disputes. Also offers Medicaid and special-needs planning.
Lafayette firm directly across from the Tippecanoe County Courthouse, serving Tippecanoe, White, Carroll, Benton, Clinton and Warren counties for more than 25 years. Handles the financial side of a death for families in probate, plus wills, powers of attorney, healthcare representatives and guardianships. Partner Rod Ray carries the estate and probate work.
Fort Wayne office of Gutwein Law, opened when Jeanne E. Longsworth brought her practice to the firm, serving Allen County. Longsworth, an attorney and CPA, concentrates on estate, probate and trust administration alongside estate planning and business succession; the firm also handles trust and estate litigation.
Elder-law and estate firm with offices in Valparaiso, Lafayette and Granger, serving Porter, Tippecanoe and St. Joseph counties since 1972. Its trust and estate administration work covers asset inventory and valuation, paying debts, filing estate and income tax returns, and distributing to beneficiaries, and it handles testate and intestate probate and beneficiary disputes.
Vincennes firm led by Knox County native Tanner Bouchie, frequently representing clients in Knox, Daviess, Sullivan, Greene, Pike, and Dubois counties. Handles wills, trusts and estates and guardianship arrangements for loved ones, alongside business formation, real estate, and family law. Clients book appointments online and meet remotely.
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)
- Tippecanoe County Circuit Court, official page
- Tippecanoe County Recorder, official page
- Tippecanoe 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.
Get the Answer
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