Estate Planning & Probate in District of Columbia
Most District of Columbia 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 DC Superior Court - Probate Division.
Someone died — settling an estate
Filing probate at the DC Superior Court - Probate Division, what it costs, transferring property, and local attorneys.
What to do when someone dies in District of Columbia →Planning ahead as a property owner
Keep a District of Columbia home out of probate with a transfer-on-death deed or a living trust.
Estate planning in District of Columbia →The Probate Process in District of Columbia
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 the District of Columbia, probate runs through the DC Superior Court - Probate Division at 515 Fifth Street Northwest, Court Building A, Room 314, Washington. The court sits in the DC Superior Court.
Full District of Columbia probate guide: cost, how to file & attorneys →Probate Court Record
District of Columbia DC Superior Court - Probate Division
District of Columbia · DC Superior Court
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Self-represented filing
Self-help forms
How to file probate in District of Columbia →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Recording Office Record
Recorder of Deeds
District of Columbia
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Recording fee
E-recording
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Vital Records Office Record
DC Health - Vital Records Division
District of Columbia · 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
District of Columbia · Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Serves this county
Cremation authorization
Full coroner or medical examiner details →
Verified November 1, 2026 · Source
Local Procedures at the DC Superior Court - Probate Division
The Probate Self-Help Center assists with general information on wills, small and large estates, and guardianships and conservatorships; users can fill out forms online and print them in the Center before filing with the Probate Clerk's Office. Staff do not give legal advice. The Probate Legal Assistance Network (PLAN: D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, Legal Counsel for the Elderly, DC Affordable Law Firm) offers brief same-day advice on estate matters by appointment on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9:15 AM to 12:30 PM, in Room 319 (sign-up book outside Room 319; walk-ins as capacity allows); PLAN does not assist with guardianship or conservatorship. The Court Navigator Program serves probate participants from Court Building B, 510 Fourth Street NW, Room 115, (202) 508-1672. Public computers in the Probate Division are reserved through the booking link on the division page.
Wills are filed with the Probate Clerk's Office, Room 314, within 90 days after death, with a Certificate of Filing Will; an Affidavit of Witness may be filed to explain an irregularity. There is no cost to file a will, and the Division does not accept wills before death. The will is docketed in a WIL case and the original is kept in storage. Small estate petitions are presented to a small estate specialist in the Legal Branch (Room 314), who reviews the petition and the asset and debt documentation at filing; an incomplete petition is not accepted and is returned with a list of the missing items. Court costs for small estates are paid by check or money order payable to "Register of Wills" or in cash and depend on the value of the assets. Small estate questions the court's page does not answer go to Live Chat or 202-879-9460.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in District of Columbia
Free District of Columbia forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form.
Last Will and Testament
In the District of Columbia, a will is signed before 2D.C. Code § 18-103Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and the witnesses sign an affidavit at probate instead of a self-proving affidavitD.C. Code § 18-103Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Pour-Over Will
In the District of Columbia, a pour-over will is signed before 2D.C. Code § 18-103Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
District of Columbia requires 2DC Code § 21-2207Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredDC Code § 21-2207Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
Financial Power of Attorney
District of Columbia treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultD.C. Code §§ 21-2601.04, 21-2601.05, 21-2601.06, 21-2601.09, 21-2601.13, 21-2601.14, 21-2601.19, 21-2601.20, 21-2602.01, 21-2602.17, 21-2603.01, 21-2603.03Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryD.C. Code §§ 21-2601.04, 21-2601.05, 21-2601.06, 21-2601.09, 21-2601.13, 21-2601.14, 21-2601.19, 21-2601.20, 21-2602.01, 21-2602.17, 21-2603.01, 21-2603.03Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in District of Columbia
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in the District of Columbia: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in the District of Columbia: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysD.C. Code §§ 20-711 to 20-713.01Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 6 monthsD.C. Code §§ 20-704, 20-903, 20-905, 20-906, 20-908Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 12 months.
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in the District of Columbia happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeD.C. Code § 19-1301.01 et seq. (D.C. Law 15-104, eff. Mar. 10, 2004)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysD.C. Code §§ 19-1308.13, 19-1310.05Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
Do I Need Probate?
In the District of Columbia, estates with personal property of $40,000D.C. Code § 20-351Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Transfer by AffidavitD.C. Code § 20-351Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, 60 daysD.C. Code § 20-351Verified Sep 8, 2026View source after death.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in the District of Columbia, a surviving spouse takes two-thirds of the estateD.C. Code § 19-302Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per stirpesD.C. Code § 19-307Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in the District of Columbia costs an estimated $26,493D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2%Modeled estimate under D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney compensation; no statutory 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 D.C. Code § 20-753 (reasonableness review of attorney 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.
District of Columbia Estate Planning Articles
Articles about estate planning, probate, and trusts relevant to families in District of Columbia.
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