For most Bronx County homeowners, the house is what drags an estate into probate. A transfer-on-death deed or a living trust keeps it out—here is how to set up either one and record it locally.
For a Bronx County property owner, the biggest probate risk is the home itself. Real estate is what forces most families into the Surrogate's Court. The two tools that keep a Bronx County home out of probate are a transfer-on-death deed recorded with the City Register, and a revocable living trust that holds title to the property.
Skipping this planning step means the Surrogate's Court decides who receives the property: a simple New York probate takes 7+ months and opens with $45 in court filing fees.
A transfer on death deed names a beneficiary who receives Bronx County property automatically at the owner's death, without probate. It is recorded with the City Register during the owner's lifetime and can be revoked at any time.
Before recording, a New York transfer on death deed is signed with 2N.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and notary acknowledgmentN.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source. The deed takes effect only if it is recorded before the owner's deathN.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Deeds and other real property documents for Bronx County are recorded with the City Register at 3030 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor, Bronx, NY 10455. Phone: 1-212-487-6300.
The City Register charges $37 for the first page plus $5 for each additional page. A 2-page transfer on death deed is $42 in recording fees, before any required forms the office charges for. A transfer on death deed is exempt from transfer tax.
Bronx County accepts electronic recording through ACRIS.
Recording Office Record
Bronx County
Phone
Office
Website
E-recording
Fees
Recording fees
| Base fee (first page) | $37 |
| Each additional page | $5 |
| TP-584-NYC Combined Real Estate Transfer Tax Return (NYC)Not required for a TOD deed | no separate City Register filing fee |
| RP-5217-NYC Real Property Transfer Report (Residential/Agricultural)Not required for a TOD deed | $125 |
| RP-5217-NYC Real Property Transfer Report (Commercial/Other)Not required for a TOD deed | $250 |
| NYC-RPT NYC Real Property Transfer Tax ReturnRequired with most deeds | no fee on a deed; $100 to file the RPTT for non-deed transfers |
| Transfer tax on a TOD deed | TOD deeds are exempt from transfer tax |
NYC Department of Finance Schedule of Property Recording Fees and Taxes; CPLR § 8021; RPL § 333(3)(ii)
Verified October 17, 2026 · Source
FirmBronx, NY
Bronx firm on Westchester Avenue handling probate and estate administration for executors and administrators, from the initial filing through distributing assets and closing the estate. Also drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney and advance directives, and handles estate tax planning. Consultations are free.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningAsset Protection
FirmCollege Point, NY
College Point (Queens) firm with dedicated pages for will probate, estate administration, lost-will hearings, and spousal and beneficiary-rights disputes, taking executors from validating the will through distributing what is left, and petitioning the Surrogate's Court to admit a copy when the original will cannot be found. Also drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and testamentary guardian appointments for minor children. Serves all five New York City boroughs plus Nassau and Suffolk, and offers a free consultation and case evaluation on probate matters.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbate
Solo PracticeBronx, NY
Bronxwood Avenue firm where wills and probate run alongside a personal injury and divorce practice. It represents people asked to serve as executor or administrator, taking them from inventorying the estate through paying creditors to distributing assets, and its probate page answers the New York-specific questions families arrive with about intestate succession and letters testamentary.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateFamily LawReal Estate
Solo PracticeBrooklyn, NY
Brooklyn firm led by Pinni Bohm with a second office in Times Square, Manhattan. Petitions the New York City Surrogate's Courts for Letters Testamentary and Letters of Administration, advises executors and administrators on their duties, oversees distributions to beneficiaries and heirs, and negotiates with estate creditors. Also litigates will and trust contests, spousal right-of-election disputes, and fiduciary-misconduct claims.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigationand 2 more
FirmBronx, NY
Bronx firm on East Tremont Avenue with an appointment-only New Rochelle office, serving Bronx, Westchester, Manhattan and Queens families since 1989. Walks executors and administrators through filing the will and petition with the Surrogate's Court, getting appointed, notifying heirs, beneficiaries and creditors, collecting and valuing assets, paying debts, taxes and expenses, and distributing what remains. Also takes contested probate - will contests, undue-influence claims, disputes over asset ownership and challenges to executor authority - plus trust administration, guardianships and conservatorships, and Medicaid and special-needs planning. Consultations are free and the firm practices in Spanish.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 7 more
Solo PracticeBrooklyn, NY
Brooklyn practice on Columbia Street representing executors and administrators in the Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond and Bronx Surrogate's Courts. It collects waivers and consents from distributees, gets a citation issued when an heir will not sign, opens the estate account and EIN, reviews creditor claims and files the final accounting. The first one-hour consultation is free, online or in person.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawTax Planningand 5 more
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.
Data sourced from New York statutes and official state code. How we research.
Free forms for planning your estate in New York: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for New York.
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In New York, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryN.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source and 2N.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathN.Y. Real Prop. Law 424Verified Oct 19, 2026View source. New York does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.
In New York, a pour-over will is signed before 2EPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Free tools for planning your estate in New York: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for New York and read its answer.
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In New York, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.5%Modeled estimate under SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 4%Modeled estimate under SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
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Probate in New York takes 7 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.5%Modeled estimate under SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 4%Modeled estimate under SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
Estate planning articles for New York.
Estate planning articles for New York.
