Estate Planning & Probate in Coös County, New Hampshire
Coös County estate questions split two ways—planning so your family skips probate, or settling an estate that is already in it. Start with your situation below; both paths use Coös County's actual court and recording details.
Someone died — settling an estate
Filing probate at the 1st Circuit - Probate Division, what it costs, transferring property, and local attorneys.
What to do when someone dies in Coös County →Planning ahead as a property owner
Keep a Coös County home out of probate with a transfer-on-death deed or a living trust.
Estate planning in Coös County →The Probate Process in Coös 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 Coös County, probate runs through the 1st Circuit - Probate Division at 55 School Street, Suite 104, Lancaster. The court sits in the 1st Circuit.
Full Coös County probate guide: cost, how to file & attorneys →Probate Court Record
Coös County 1st Circuit - Probate Division
Coös County · 1st Circuit
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Coös County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Recording Office Record
Register of Deeds
Coos County
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Recording fee
E-recording
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Vital Records Office Record
New Hampshire Secretary of State - Division of Vital Records Administration
Coös County · State vital records office
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Certified copies
Certified copy fee
Full death certificate details →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
State Medical Examiner
Coös County · Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Phone
Office
Website
Serves this county
Full coroner or medical examiner details →
Verified November 3, 2026 · Source
Local Procedures at the 1st Circuit - Probate Division
The Judicial Branch Information Center answers questions about court procedures, forms and e-filing by phone, and gives no legal advice and no lawyer referrals. E-filing navigators meet self-represented filers at a courthouse by appointment, requested by email or through the same number.
Every estate filing goes through the court's electronic filing system unless the court excuses a party who would be denied access to the court by e-filing or whose contact information is protected by law. The original will and codicils and a certified death certificate are mailed to the Estates Electronic Filing Center, 2 Charles Doe Drive, Suite 2, Concord, NH 03301. An executor's bond on an estate over $25,000 goes there too.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in New Hampshire
Free New Hampshire forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for New Hampshire.
Last Will and Testament
In New Hampshire, a will is signed before 2NH RSA 551:2Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyNH RSA 551:2Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Pour-Over Will
In New Hampshire, a pour-over will is signed before 2NH RSA 551:2Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
New Hampshire allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2RSA 137-J:20Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
Financial Power of Attorney
New Hampshire treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultRSA 564-E:104, 564-E:105, 564-E:106, 564-E:107, 564-E:109, 564-E:113, 564-E:114, 564-E:119, 564-E:120, 564-E:201, 564-E:217, 564-E:301; RSA 477:9Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryRSA 564-E:104, 564-E:105, 564-E:106, 564-E:107, 564-E:109, 564-E:113, 564-E:114, 564-E:119, 564-E:120, 564-E:201, 564-E:217, 564-E:301; RSA 477:9Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in New Hampshire
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in New Hampshire: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in New Hampshire: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysRSA 554:1, 554:26-aVerified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 6 monthsRSA §§ 553:16, 554:19, 556:1, 556:2, 556:3, 556:5, 556:29Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in New Hampshire happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeRSA 564-B:1-101 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysRSA 564-B:8-813, RSA 564-B:10-1005Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
Do I Need Probate?
New Hampshire sets no dollar limit for its Waiver of AdministrationNH Probate Div. Rule 88 (fees), NH Probate Div. Rule 169 (filing feesVerified Sep 8, 2026View source; eligibility turns on other tests.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in New Hampshire, a surviving spouse takes the first $250,000 plus half of the restRSA § 561:1Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita with representationRSA § 561:1(II)(a)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in New Hampshire costs an estimated $26,585NH Circuit Court Probate Division Rule 88 (reasonable compensation for work, responsibility, and risk; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2%Modeled estimate under NH Circuit Court Probate Division Rule 88 (reasonable compensation for work, responsibility, and risk; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.2%Modeled estimate under NH Circuit Court Probate Division Rule 88 (reasonable compensation for work, responsibility, and risk; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
New Hampshire Estate Planning Articles
Articles about estate planning, probate, and trusts relevant to families in Coös County.
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