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Probate Division / Office of the Register of Wills

Hours of Operation

Mondays-Fridays: 8:30a.m.-5:00p.m.
After hours filing can be made in the after hours filing box in the Moultrie Courthouse.

Location

Probate Division
Building A
515 5th Street, N.W., 3rd Floor
Washington, D.C. 20001

* Entrance on Park Side (Link to Photo)

* Handicapped Entrance on E Street Side

Main Contact

General Probate Information
(202) 879-9460

Legal Branch Information, Including Appointments for Small Estates
(202) 879-9448

Duty Auditor / Auditing Information
(202) 879-9447

Appraisals Information
(202) 879-9445

Probate Clerk’s Office (Order Desk)
(202) 879-9460/9461

Presiding Judge: A. Franklin Burgess, Jr.
Deputy Presiding Judge: Rhonda Reid Winston
Register of Wills: Anne Meister

We're hard at work
This website is currently being reinvented with new information, forms and links. Information on certain case types - ADM, SEB, FEP, WIL and DIS - have been updated as well as information on Court Appointments and links to Remote Public Access, The Wills Project and Brochures and Videos. Information for INT/IDD, GDN, TRP, LIT and certain other minor case types, as well as items in the home page have not yet been updated.

The Probate Division has jurisdiction over estates of those who have passed away, trusts, guardianships of minors, and guardianships and conservatorships of incapacitated adults. Guardians are responsible for the physical well-being of an incapacitated adult; conservators are responsible for ensuring the best use of their finances.

The Division is comprised of: the Office of the Register of Wills, a statutory office, and six sections which operate under the direction and supervision of the Register of Wills: the Legal Branch, which handles legal filings and sets appointments for small estates , the Auditing and Appraisals Branch, the Probate Clerk's Office, the Systems Administrator Office, the Quality Assurance Office, which also provides courtroom support, and the Guardianship Assistance Program.

2008 Caseload Statistics [879k]

2007 Caseload Statistics [15k]

Probate Court Rules

Superior Court Rules for the Probate Division
To return to the Table of Contents from the text portion of any Rule, click the cursor anywhere on the page.

New Probate Rules

Rule Promulgation Order 07-02, SCR New Probate 334 and Amendments to Probate 330 and 331

Rule Promulgation Order 08-03, New SCR Probate 6.1, Amendment to SCR Probate 308 and Amendments to SCR LT Rules 11-I and 12-I

Rule Promulgation Order 09-06, Amendments to SCR Probate 311, 321, 322, 324, 325 and 350

Get Acrobat Reader To view the brochures on this page, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Acrobat Reader click on this link for a free copy.

The Probate Resource Center is a volunteer program operated by the Pro Bono Services section of the District of Columbia Bar. Services are provided weekly by volunteer attorneys to unrepresented persons who have questions about estate administration and other probate issues. Services are provided by appointment only and persons interested should contact the DC Bar Pro Bono office at 202-737-4700.

The following brochures may be useful in answering questions on decedents estates, trusts, guardianships of minors, guardianships and conservatorships of incapacitated adults, and preparing inventories and accountings.

Probate Practice Standards (updated 08/06/2009) [372KB]

Forms

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers



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