Serves Davidson and Guilford counties from Lexington, with a second office in Greensboro; the practice traces without interruption to Zeb Vance Walser's 1886 admission to the North Carolina bar. Its probate attorneys carry most of the filing and paperwork for an executor, sort valid from invalid estate debts, and litigate will caveats alleging fraud, undue influence, or incapacity.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Guilford County, North Carolina
How probate works in Guilford County: the Clerk of Superior Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Guilford County Clerk of Superior Court
Guilford County · Superior Court District 24
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-12:45 PM and 1:45 PM-5:00 PM
Office
201 South Eugene Street, Greensboro, NC 27401
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
E-filing
Required for attorneysAttorneys file estate documents through eCourts File & Serve. Self-represented filers may use File & Serve or file on paper at the clerk's office. The original will and any codicils are delivered to the clerk on paper and stay in the clerk's office. On paper: Self-represented filers may file on paper at the clerk's office; Original wills and codicils are delivered to the clerk on paper.
Self-represented filing
AllowedAn estate may be opened and administered without a lawyer. The statewide estate forms are on the Judicial Branch forms page.
Accepted payment
- At the counterCash, Credit card, Debit card, Money order.In person at the clerk's office on the first floor of the courthouse: cash, credit or debit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover, plus a processing fee), money order or certified check; personal checks are not accepted. By mail: money order or certified check payable to Guilford County Clerk of Superior Court. Filing fees on documents filed through eCourts File & Serve are paid online in File & Serve.
P.O. Box 3008
Greensboro, NC 27402
Departments
- Estates1-336-412-7550 · guilford.gb.estates@nccourts.org
- Special Proceedingsguilford.gb.specialproceedings@nccourts.org
- High Point Office1-336-822-6700 · 505 East Green Drive, High Point, NC 27262 · Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-12:45 PM and 1:45 PM-5:00 PM
About the court
- Documents can be left at any hour in the clerk's secure drop boxes outside each courthouse: in Greensboro near the accessible entrance on South Eugene Street, and in High Point outside the public entrance on East Green Drive. The clerk's office closes daily from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m.
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Guilford 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 Guilford County, probate runs through the Clerk of Superior Court at 201 South Eugene Street, Greensboro. The court sits in the Superior Court District 24.
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 North Carolina intestacy law when there is no will.
Most North Carolina estates take 9 months to 12 months to move through this process. Creditors have 3 monthsNCGS §§ 28A-14-1, 28A-19-1, 28A-19-3, 28A-19-6, 28A-19-16Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present a claim, counted from the first publication of the notice to creditors.
What Probate Costs in Guilford County
What probate costs in Guilford County, North Carolina 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 Clerk of Superior Court at 201 South Eugene Street, Greensboro. The court is part of the Superior Court District 24.
North Carolina charges $120 plus 0.4% of personal property, up to $6,120N.C.G.S. § 7A-307(a)(1), (1a), (2)Verified 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 North Carolina are negotiated, typically 2%Modeled estimate under N.C.G.S. § 28A-13-3(a)(19), § 28A-23-3(a) (attorney fees are a negotiated administration expense; no statutory schedule or percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.1%Modeled estimate under N.C.G.S. § 28A-13-3(a)(19), § 28A-23-3(a) (attorney fees are a negotiated administration expense; no statutory schedule or 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.
North Carolina allows executors 'reasonable compensation' — around 2.2%–3.8% of a $500,000 estate, judging by what the states with statutory schedules payN.C.G.S. § 28A-23-3 (clerk sets commission up to 5% on receipts/expenditures; no fixed schedule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
North Carolina requires publishing notice to creditors in a local newspaper, and the estate pays for it.
A surety bond may be required unless the will waives it or all beneficiaries consent. Premiums run roughly 0.5%Industry surety premium estimate; the bond itself under N.C.G.S. § 28A-8-1Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value annually.
Probate in North Carolina typically runs 9 months to 12 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the Clerk of Superior Court
Probate cases in Guilford County, North Carolina are filed at the Clerk of Superior Court. The court sits in the Superior Court District 24.
Beside the filing office, the court lists separate lines for Estates, Special Proceedings, and High Point Office.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
In North Carolina, informal probate is not availableN.C.G.S. § 28A-2-1 (clerk of superior court is ex officio judge of probate), § 28A-6-1 (single application for letters; no informal/formal election)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, so self-filing means a formal court petition rather than a registrar filing.
For a full cost comparison and filing checklist, see the Guilford County Self-Filing Assessment.
Getting to the Clerk of Superior Court
Parking
Seven metered accessible spaces (up to 10 hours) are in the lot next to the Greensboro courthouse at South Eugene and Washington Streets.
What to Bring
Filed with the opening petition at the Clerk of Superior Court: Evidence of the decedent’s death — a certified or authenticated copy of the death certificate is the first of four alternatives the clerk may accept; the NC Judicial Branch tells applicants to bring a certified death certificate (N.C. Gen. Stat. 28A-6-1(c)); Original will and any codicils (offered for probate; AOC-E-201 / addendum AOC-E-309 for out-of-state probate) (N.C. Gen. Stat. 28A-2A-1); Oath / Affirmation of the personal representative (AOC-E-400) (N.C. Gen. Stat. 28A-7-1)N.C. Gen. Stat. 28A-6-1 (application for & grant of letters), 28A-6-2 (letters without notice), 28A-2A-1 (probate of will); 28A-7-1 (oath required before letters issue)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Medical Examiner in Guilford County
In North Carolina a death is registered locally, and in Guilford County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Guilford County Register of Deeds as well as by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services - NC Vital Records.
Vital Records Office Record
Register of Deeds
Guilford County · Guilford County Register of Deeds
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
201 West Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27401
Website
Certified copies
At the counter
Order online
P.O. Box 3427
Greensboro, NC 27402
Local rule
- Deaths in Guilford County are issued at the Greensboro office and at 325 E. Russell Avenue in High Point, with a photo identification. The office does not issue deaths from other counties.
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $10 |
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
State Medical Examiner
Guilford County · North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Phone
1-919-743-9000 (option 3 for family inquiries)
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
4312 District Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607
Website
Serves this county
North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Mail and offices
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
3025 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-3025
Fax
1-919-743-9099
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Transferring Property in Guilford 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 Register of Deeds.
Deeds and other real property documents for Guilford County are recorded with the Register of Deeds at 201 West Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27401. Phone: 1-336-641-7556. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM.
Documents submitted by mail go to P.O. Box 3427, Greensboro, NC 27402.
The Register of Deeds charges $26 for the first 15 pages plus $4 for each page beyond 15.
Guilford County accepts electronic recording through CSC, ePN, Indecomm and Simplifile.
Recording Office Record
Register of Deeds
Guilford County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
201 West Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27401
Website
P.O. Box 3427
Greensboro, NC 27402
Recording fees
| Base fee (first 15 pages) | $26 |
| Each page beyond 15 | $4 |
| Non-Standard Document Fee | $25 |
NCGS 161-10(a)(1)
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Probate Attorneys Serving Guilford County
North Carolina uses formal, court-supervised probate, which makes an attorney worthwhile for most estates in Guilford County — the filing sequence, notice requirements, and accounting leave little room for error. Estates under the small-estate threshold are the usual exception.
Probate attorney fees in North Carolina are based on reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee. Ask a Guilford County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Clerk of Superior 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.
Serves Randolph and Guilford counties from Worth Street in Asheboro, with a second office on Eastchester Drive in High Point. Its estate administration work runs from petitioning to appoint the personal representative and obtain Letters of Administration through creditor notices, claim objections and petitions to remove an executor. Beth McQuaid handles estate administration.
Established in 1933 and one of the oldest law firms in Alamance County, Vernon Law serves Alamance and Guilford counties from Burlington. Its wills and estates attorneys administer simple and complex estates and trusts and handle will contests, spousal allowance and spousal share claims, and Medicaid planning, alongside wills, trusts and powers of attorney.
Serves Guilford County from South Elm Street in downtown Greensboro, with clients in High Point, Oak Ridge, Summerfield, and Jamestown. The probate side runs a full administration: qualifying the personal representative, preparing the preliminary inventory, notice to and payment of creditors, and annual and final accountings. Its estate lawyers also try will caveats and estate and trust disputes.
A five-attorney High Point firm whose work covers business, tax, real estate, estate planning and estate administration. Edgar S. "Pat" Levy III is a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law certified by the North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization, and Nathan A. Chrisawn, a licensed North Carolina CPA, practices in estate planning and administration and tax.
A Greensboro estate planning and elder law practice serving Guilford County, in North Carolina since 2000 and now led by managing partner Blaire D. McClanahan following the death of founder Cheryl K. David. The team takes families through probate and trust administration, probate and will litigation, guardianships, and Medicaid planning. Virtual appointments are available.
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
(9)·
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 28A-6-1 (application for & grant of letters), 28A-6-2 (letters without notice), 28A-2A-1 (probate of will); 28A-7-1 (oath required before letters issue)
- N.C.G.S. § 28A-2-1 (clerk of superior court is ex officio judge of probate), § 28A-6-1 (single application for letters; no informal/formal election)
- N.C.G.S. § 28A-23-3 (clerk sets commission up to 5% on receipts/expenditures; no fixed schedule)
- N.C.G.S. § 7A-307(a)(1), (1a), (2)
- NCGS §§ 28A-14-1, 28A-19-1, 28A-19-3, 28A-19-6, 28A-19-16
- NCGS 161-10(a)(1)
- Guilford County Clerk of Superior Court, official page
- Guilford County Register of Deeds, official page
- Guilford County vital records and death investigation offices, official page
Data sourced from North Carolina 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 North Carolina
Free tools for settling an estate in North Carolina: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in North Carolina: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysN.C.G.S. §§ 28A-20-1, 28A-20-3, 28A-20-4Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsNCGS §§ 28A-14-1, 28A-19-1, 28A-19-3, 28A-19-6, 28A-19-16Verified Oct 19, 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 North Carolina happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeN.C.G.S. § 36C-1-101 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?
In North Carolina, informal probate is not availableN.C.G.S. § 28A-2-1 (clerk of superior court is ex officio judge of probate), § 28A-6-1 (single application for letters; no informal/formal election)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, so self-filing means a formal court petition rather than a registrar filing.
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