Estate Planning & Probate in Rockland County, New York
Most Rockland County estate questions come down to one fork: avoid probate before a death, or work through it after one. 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 Rockland County →Planning ahead as a property owner
Keep a Rockland County home out of probate with a transfer-on-death deed or a living trust.
Estate planning in Rockland County →The Probate Process in Rockland 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 Rockland County, probate runs through the Surrogate's Court at 1 South Main Street, New City. The court sits in the 9th Judicial District. The same 9th Judicial District also serves Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Westchester.
Full Rockland County probate guide: cost, how to file & attorneys →Probate Court Record
Rockland County Surrogate's Court
Rockland County · 9th Judicial District
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Rockland County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Recording Office Record
County Clerk
Rockland County
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Recording fee
E-recording
Verified October 17, 2026 · Source
Vital Records Office Record
New York State Department of Health - Vital Records Section
Rockland County · State vital records office
Phone
Website
Certified copies
Certified copy fee
Full death certificate details →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Medical Examiner
Rockland County · Rockland County Medical Examiner, Department of Health
Full coroner or medical examiner details →
Verified November 3, 2026 · Source
Local Procedures at the Surrogate's Court
Before an initial filing, run a NYSCEF search on the decedent's last name with the first initial, and call the court to ask whether another will is on file for safekeeping. A probate petition that also asks for letters of trusteeship, or for preliminary letters testamentary, is filed with "probate petition" as the initiating document. Choosing "probate petition with testamentary trust" adds a fee, and a "preliminary probate" initiating document is removed.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in New York
Free New York forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for New York.
Last Will and Testament
In New York, a will is signed before 2EPTL § 3-2.1Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyEPTL § 3-2.1Verified 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 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.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
New York requires 2NY PHL § 2981(5)(d)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredNY PHL § 2981(5)(d)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
Financial Power of Attorney
New York treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultNY GOL §§ 5-1501, 5-1501A, 5-1501B, 5-1502A through 5-1502N, 5-1504, 5-1512, 5-1513Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2NY GOL §§ 5-1501, 5-1501A, 5-1501B, 5-1502A through 5-1502N, 5-1504, 5-1512, 5-1513Verified Sep 18, 2026View source witnesses and a notary.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in New York
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in New York: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for New York.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in New York: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 270 days22 NYCRR 207.20Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 7 monthsSCPA 1802, 1803, 1810, 1811; EPTL 11-1.5Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 7 months to 9 months.
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in New York happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's trust statuteN.Y. EPTL Article 7Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
Do I Need Probate?
In New York, estates with personal property of $50,000SCPA § 1301Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less use the Voluntary AdministrationSCPA § 1301Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, a court filing short of full probate.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in New York, a surviving spouse takes the first $50,000 plus half of the restEPTL § 4-1.1Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when a child or other descendant survives, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita at each generationEPTL § 4-1.1; EPTL § 1-2.16Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in New York costs an estimated $35,992SCPA § 2110 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 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 under a reasonable-compensation standard.
New York Estate Planning Articles
Articles about estate planning, probate, and trusts relevant to families in Rockland County.
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