How Do I Get Appointed as Executor in District of Columbia?
See the appointing court, the petition that opens the estate, what to file, and bond rules to be appointed in your state.
Frequently Asked Questions
District of Columbia has no single statewide fill-in petition; the opening document is prepared to statute and filed with the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Probate Division. Register of Wills issues Letters of Administration after the court grants the petition.
Along with the petition, District of Columbia generally requires: Original will and any codicils, with the Certificate of Filing Will (D.C. Code § 20-304(c): "exhibit the original of the will with the petition"; DC Courts ADM case-initiation checklist, "Will (if any) and Certificate of Filing Will"); Abbreviated Probate Order (abbreviated track) or Standard Probate Order (standard/formal track) — the proposed order lodged with the petition; Statement of acceptance of the duties of the office and written consent to D.C. personal jurisdiction (D.C. Code § 20-501; "Acceptance and Consent of Each Personal Representative" form); Bond, or waivers of bond, or some combination, unless excused (D.C. Code § 20-502); Personal Identification Information (Form 26); Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs — lodged at case initiation. Statutory minimum (D.C. Code § 20-704(a)): "Within 20 days after appointment, the personal representative shall ... publish a notice of the appointment in a legal periodical or newspaper of general circulation in the District ... once a week for 2 successive weeks." In practice the Probate Division itself transmits the notice: "The Probate Division will send the document called Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs to the two newspapers chosen by the personal representative for publication. The notice must be published once a week for three consecutive weeks concurrently in both of the publications."; List of interested persons — names and addresses of all interested persons and of any will witnesses (D.C. Code § 20-304(a)(6); stated in the petition); Irrevocable power of attorney designating the Register of Wills for service, if the petitioner is a nonresident (D.C. Code § 20-303(b)(7)); Standard/formal probate only: Notice of Standard Probate, plus the Verified Statement Regarding Service of Petition for Standard Probate and the Acknowledgement of Receipt of Service of Notice Regarding Petition for Standard Probate (prior notice is what distinguishes formal from abbreviated probate — D.C. Code §§ 20-311, 20-323; § 20-323(a) requires notice to all known interested persons plus publication "once a week for 2 successive weeks").
Yes. District of Columbia requires a bond by default before Letters issue. A will can waive it. Beneficiaries can also waive it in writing.
District of Columbia permits self-represented filers to open an estate. E-filing is available to self-represented filers. The Self-File Probate Assessment compares self-filing and attorney costs for District of Columbia.
Yes. A revocable living trust passes assets to beneficiaries without any court appointment in District of Columbia — no petition, no Letters, no bond. A revocable trust built with SimplyTrust takes about 15 minutes.
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Petition for Probate and Letters
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Notice to Creditors
Prepare the creditor notice for an estate — the official state form or a notice typeset to statute, plus mailed notices for known creditors.
Small Estate Affidavit
Prepare the affidavit that collects a small estate's property without probate — the official state form or an affidavit drafted to statute, plus a presentation letter for each holder.
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Prepare the probate inventory of estate property — every asset at its date-of-death value, composed to your state's statute, with the state's filing or delivery instructions.
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Prepare the paperwork that closes the estate — the state's closing statement, petition for discharge, or final account, with the state's closing instructions and the optional federal forms.
Letter of Instruction
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