If you are administering an estate in Orange County, New York, the filing fee for the Orange County Surrogate’s Court is graduated by the value of the estate under SCPA §2402 — meaning the larger the estate, the higher the court’s filing fee. There is no single flat number, so you should confirm the exact amount with the court clerk
When a loved one passes away in Orange County, the size and makeup of their estate determine which path you take through the Orange County Surrogate’s Court: a streamlined small estate affidavit under SCPA Article 13, or full probate that validates the will and issues Letters Testamentary under SCPA §1414. In short, if the decedent left $50,000 or less in
If you have been named executor under a will but the Orange County Surrogate’s Court has not yet completed the full probate process, Preliminary Letters Testamentary under SCPA §1412 can give you interim authority to act for the estate right away. These letters allow the nominated executor to begin protecting and managing estate assets — securing bank accounts, paying urgent
For most uncontested estates, probate in Orange County, New York takes roughly three to six months from the day you file the petition until the executor receives Letters Testamentary and can begin administering the estate. That window covers filing the petition, securing jurisdiction over the decedent’s distributees, and the Orange County Surrogate’s Court issuing its decree and Letters. Estates that
When someone dies without a will in Orange County, New York, their estate does not go to the State, and it is not frozen forever. Instead, New York’s intestacy statutes under the Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (EPTL) automatically decide who inherits, and the Orange County Surrogate’s Court appoints a qualified family member to manage the estate. That person is
If you have been named executor of a will in Orange County, the honest answer is this: New York does not legally require you to hire a lawyer to probate a will, but in nearly every real-world case, you will want one — and in some cases you will effectively need one. The Orange County Surrogate’s Court does not provide