Probate in Ohio · 88 counties

Ohio Probate Courts

Estates here go through the Court of Common Pleas (Probate Division). Pick a county on the map or search below — each record shows where to file and where every detail comes from.

Small-estate limit

$35,000

No statutory wait

Death taxes

None

No state death tax

Executor fee

Statute

Percentage set by statute

Handwritten wills

Witnesses required

Plate · OH

Every Ohio county, on one map

Population, low → high courthouse probate office checked

§ I

Ohio probate rules

Court: Court of Common Pleas (Probate Division)In Ohio, each of the 88 counties has a specialized Probate Division of the Court of Common Pleas, presided over by an elected Probate Judge. Ohio enforces rigid creditor claim cutoffs.
Small estates: $35,000 standard / up to $100,000 if surviving spouse inherits entire estateOhio Rev. Code § 2113.03 (Relief from Administration)
Filing the will: Must be filed with Probate Court promptly upon death
Creditor claims: 6 months from the date of decedent's death (strictly enforced absolute bar under R.C. § 2117.06)Ohio Rev. Code § 2117.06
Executor fees: Mandatory Statutory Scale: 4% first $100k, 3% next $300k, 2% over $400k, plus 1% on non-probate real estate / funds (R.C. § 2113.35)Ohio Rev. Code § 2113.35 · calculator
Estate tax: NoneOhio repealed its estate tax effective January 1, 2013.
Inheritance tax: NoneNo state inheritance tax in Ohio.
Typical duration: 6 to 12 months
Official courts site: supremecourt.ohio.govCase search: Ohio County Probate Court Online Case Search Dockets

Re-checked Sept 2026 against: codes.ohio.gov

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§ II · Register

All 88 counties

Sorted by population. office checked = probate office address/phone confirmed on the court's own website. courthouse mapped = located in OpenStreetMap.

#	County	Seat	Population	Record
1	Franklin County	Columbus	1,326,063	office checked
2	Cuyahoga County	Cleveland	1,233,088	office checked
3	Hamilton County	Cincinnati	827,058	office checked
4	Summit County	Akron	535,733	office checked
5	Montgomery County	Dayton	533,796	office checked
6	Lucas County	Toledo	425,484	courthouse mapped
7	Butler County	Hamilton	393,043	courthouse mapped
8	Stark County	Canton	372,716	courthouse mapped
9	Lorain County	Elyria	317,910	courthouse mapped
10	Warren County	Lebanon	252,148	courthouse mapped
11	Lake County	Painesville	231,640	courthouse mapped
12	Delaware County	Delaware	231,636	courthouse mapped
13	Mahoning County	Youngstown	225,596	courthouse mapped
14	Clermont County	Batavia	211,972	courthouse mapped
15	Trumbull County	Warren	200,373	courthouse mapped
16	Medina County	Medina	184,042	courthouse mapped
17	Licking County	Newark	183,201	courthouse mapped
18	Greene County	Xenia	169,691	courthouse mapped
19	Fairfield County	Lancaster	165,360	courthouse mapped
20	Portage County	Ravenna	162,665	courthouse mapped
21	Clark County	Springfield	134,610	courthouse mapped
22	Wood County	Bowling Green	132,650	courthouse mapped
23	Richland County	Mansfield	125,064	courthouse mapped
24	Wayne County	Wooster	116,510	courthouse mapped
25	Miami County	Troy	110,876	courthouse mapped
26	Allen County	Lima	100,838	courthouse mapped
27	Columbiana County	Lisbon	100,182	courthouse mapped
28	Ashtabula County	Jefferson	96,845	courthouse mapped
29	Geauga County	Chardon	95,407	courthouse mapped
30	Tuscarawas County	New Philadelphia	91,874	courthouse mapped
31	Muskingum County	Zanesville	86,305	courthouse mapped
32	Ross County	Chillicothe	76,501	courthouse mapped
33	Hancock County	Findlay	74,704	courthouse mapped
34	Erie County	Sandusky	74,035	courthouse mapped
35	Scioto County	Portsmouth	71,969	courthouse mapped
36	Union County	Marysville	69,637	courthouse mapped
37	Belmont County	St. Clairsville	64,918	courthouse mapped
38	Marion County	Marion	64,851	courthouse mapped
39	Jefferson County	Steubenville	64,026	courthouse mapped
40	Knox County	Mount Vernon	63,320	courthouse mapped
41	Athens County	Athens	62,706	courthouse mapped
42	Pickaway County	Circleville	61,086	courthouse mapped
43	Sandusky County	Fremont	58,709	courthouse mapped
44	Washington County	Marietta	58,577	courthouse mapped
45	Huron County	Norwalk	58,199	courthouse mapped
46	Lawrence County	Ironton	56,118	courthouse mapped
47	Seneca County	Tiffin	54,527	courthouse mapped
48	Ashland County	Ashland	52,190	courthouse mapped
49	Darke County	Greenville	51,415	courthouse mapped
50	Shelby County	Sidney	47,765	courthouse mapped
51	Logan County	Bellefontaine	46,057	courthouse mapped
52	Auglaize County	Wapakoneta	46,050	courthouse mapped
53	Madison County	London	44,602	courthouse mapped
54	Holmes County	Millersburg	44,386	courthouse mapped
55	Brown County	Georgetown	43,777	courthouse mapped
56	Highland County	Hillsboro	43,614	courthouse mapped
57	Mercer County	Celina	42,439	courthouse mapped
58	Fulton County	Wauseon	42,007	courthouse mapped
59	Clinton County	Wilmington	41,938	courthouse mapped
60	Crawford County	Bucyrus	41,529	courthouse mapped
61	Preble County	Eaton	40,556	courthouse mapped
62	Ottawa County	Port Clinton	39,803	courthouse mapped
63	Champaign County	Urbana	38,845	courthouse mapped
64	Defiance County	Defiance	38,315	courthouse mapped
65	Guernsey County	Cambridge	38,089	courthouse mapped
66	Coshocton County	Coshocton	36,869	courthouse mapped
67	Williams County	Bryan	36,591	courthouse mapped
68	Morrow County	Mount Gilead	35,595	courthouse mapped
69	Perry County	New Lexington	35,551	courthouse mapped
70	Putnam County	Ottawa	34,199	courthouse mapped
71	Jackson County	Jackson	32,606	courthouse mapped
72	Hardin County	Kenton	30,368	courthouse mapped
73	Gallia County	Gallipolis	28,986	courthouse mapped
74	Fayette County	Washington Court House	28,817	courthouse mapped
75	Van Wert County	Van Wert	28,704	courthouse mapped
76	Hocking County	Logan	27,540	courthouse mapped
77	Adams County	West Union	27,521	courthouse mapped
78	Henry County	Napoleon	27,520	courthouse mapped
79	Pike County	Waverly	27,001	courthouse mapped
80	Carroll County	Carrollton	26,758	courthouse mapped
81	Meigs County	Pomeroy	21,767	county site
82	Wyandot County	Upper Sandusky	21,457	courthouse mapped
83	Paulding County	Paulding	18,706	courthouse mapped
84	Noble County	Caldwell	14,311	courthouse mapped
85	Harrison County	Cadiz	14,159	courthouse mapped
86	Morgan County	McConnelsville	13,646	courthouse mapped
87	Monroe County	Woodsfield	13,153	courthouse mapped
88	Vinton County	McArthur	12,474	courthouse mapped

§ III

Ohio probate questions

What is the small estate affidavit limit in Ohio?

$35,000 standard / up to $100,000 if surviving spouse inherits entire estate (Ohio Rev. Code § 2113.03 (Relief from Administration)). There is no statutory waiting period. Summary release from administration up to $5,000 (funeral expenses) or $45,000 to spouse. Relief from administration up to $35,000 generally, or up to $100,000 if surviving spouse inherits 100%.

How are executor and administrator fees calculated in Ohio?

Mandatory Statutory Scale: 4% first $100k, 3% next $300k, 2% over $400k, plus 1% on non-probate real estate / funds (R.C. § 2113.35) (Ohio Rev. Code § 2113.35). Courts can award more for extraordinary services, such as running a business or litigation.

What is the creditor claim deadline for estates in Ohio?

6 months from the date of decedent's death (strictly enforced absolute bar under R.C. § 2117.06) (Ohio Rev. Code § 2117.06). Claims filed after the deadline are generally barred.

Does Ohio recognize handwritten (holographic) wills?

No — witnesses are required. Ohio does NOT recognize unwitnessed holographic wills. Must be executed with two disinterested attesting witnesses (R.C. § 2107.03).

Does Ohio have a state estate tax or inheritance tax?

Ohio has no state estate tax. There is no inheritance tax.