Estate Planning & Probate in Oneida County, New York
There are two reasons people look up Oneida County probate: to keep a family out of it, or to get a loved one's estate through it. This page points you to the right path—planning ahead, or settling an estate at the Surrogate's Court.
Someone died — settling an estate
Filing probate at the Surrogate's Court, what it costs, transferring property, and local attorneys.
What to do when someone dies in Oneida County→Planning ahead as a property owner
Keep a Oneida County home out of probate with a transfer-on-death deed or a living trust.
Estate planning in Oneida County→The Probate Process in Oneida 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 Oneida County, probate runs through the Surrogate's Court at Oneida County Office Building, 800 Park Avenue, 8th Floor, Utica. The court sits in the 5th Judicial District. The same 5th Judicial District also serves Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Onondaga and Oswego.
Full Oneida Countyprobate guide: cost, how to file & attorneys →Probate Court Record
Surrogate's Court
Oneida County · 5th Judicial District
Address
Phone
Hours
Recording Deeds & Property Documents
Recording Office Record
County Clerk
Oneida County · County Clerk · Mary Finegan
Address
Phone
Hours
$45 per document plus $5 for every page; a 2-page TOD deed records for $55; TOD deeds are exempt from transfer tax.
Full recording details →Verified September 8, 2026 · Source
Local Procedures at the Surrogate's Court
Before filing, run NYSCEF inquiry on decedent last name with first initial. Contact court to check for wills filed for safekeeping. Case name must be identical to name on will. No punctuation or spaces. Name on death certificate different from will = add as AKA.
New York Estate Planning Articles
Articles about estate planning, probate, and trusts relevant to families in Oneida County.
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