Madison County Probate Court Contact
Probate in Madison County is handled by the Probate Division of the Circuit Court. The practical contact is Circuit Clerk Tenia Hermann at the Madison County Justice Center, 3 Court Square, Fredericktown, MO 63645. The phone number is 573-783-2176 ext. 2, and the fax is 573-783-5920. No separate Madison County probate court website was located in the assigned research.
Probate Division of the Circuit Court
Madison County Justice Center
3 Court Square, Fredericktown, MO 63645
573-783-2176 ext. 2
Fax 573-783-5920
Contact the Circuit Clerk for probate filing, search, copy, and certification instructions.
Madison County Probate Record Types
Probate records can be simple or complex depending on the estate and parties. A decedent estate may include a will, letters, inventory, creditor claims, notices, orders, and a final settlement. Guardianship and conservatorship records can include sensitive personal, medical, or financial information, so public access can be narrower than in a routine estate file.
The Probate Division also creates records that prove who has authority to act for an estate or protected person. Letters testamentary, letters of administration, and court orders may be needed before banks, title companies, or agencies will speak with a representative. Online docket text can help locate the case, but certified authority documents should be requested from the Circuit Clerk.
- Wills admitted to probate.
- Decedent estates with or without a will.
- Small-estate affidavits.
- Letters testamentary or letters of administration.
- Inventories, appraisements, creditor claims, accountings, and settlements.
- Guardianships and conservatorships.
- Trust-related filings when filed in court.
Madison County Probate Terms
Probate filings use terms that are easy to misread. The words below are the ones most likely to appear while reviewing a Madison County probate docket, estate packet, or small-estate filing.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- A person named to carry out a will after court authority is granted.
- Intestate
- Dying without a will that controls the estate.
- Guardianship
- A court case about personal care or decision-making for a minor or incapacitated adult.
- Conservatorship
- A court case about managing a protected person's financial estate.
Search Madison County Probate Records
Use Missouri Case.net for current public probate case records. Search by case number when known, or by a party, estate, decedent, or filing date when the number is not known. Older books and historical files may also appear through Missouri State Archives county and municipal records resources, where searches can be filtered by county, office type, record type, date range, city, and keyword.
For a recent estate, start with Case.net and then call the Circuit Clerk if documents are not remotely viewable. For a historical estate, archive search terms may need to be broader. Try the decedent surname, Madison as the county, Probate Court or Circuit Court as the office type, and Probate Books or Court Books as the record type.
| Portal | Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case.net | Case Number | Text | Optional | Best when known. |
| Case.net | Litigant, party, or decedent name | Text | Optional | Use estate, decedent, or person name. |
| Case.net | Filing Date | Date or date range | Optional | Useful for recently filed estates. |
| State Archives | County | Dropdown | Recommended | Choose Madison. |
| State Archives | Office Type | Dropdown | Optional | Includes Probate Court, Circuit Court, Recorder of Deeds, and County Clerk. |
| State Archives | Record Type | Dropdown | Optional | Includes Probate Books and Court Books. |
| State Archives | Year Range | Text or date range | Optional | Use from and to years for older records. |
Madison County Small Estates
Missouri section 473.097 allows a small-estate affidavit process when statutory conditions are met. The official statute should control threshold and requirement questions, and the Circuit Clerk should be contacted for any local checklist. Research noted that Missouri court packets often describe death certificate, paid funeral bill, asset documentation, MO HealthNet release, and notarized or probate-clerk-signed affidavits as common items, but Madison County should confirm its current requirements before filing.
The Missouri small-estate statute is assigned to Madison County probate records.
That statute is the best source for the small-estate process, while local filing mechanics should be confirmed with the Circuit Clerk.
- Determine whether the decedent lived in Madison County or owned property requiring Madison County probate.
- Contact the Circuit Clerk for the correct probate filing type, fee, and checklist.
- For a will, ask about filing or admitting the will and whether letters are needed.
- For a small estate, review section 473.097 and gather the supporting documents requested by the court.
- File required documents with the Probate Division through the Circuit Clerk.
- Follow court orders on notice, inventory, accountings, bond, and distribution.
Madison County Probate Fees
The assigned Madison County probate research did not provide a local probate filing fee schedule or certified-copy fee table. That fact should not be filled from another county. Call the Circuit Clerk before mailing probate filings, requesting letters, ordering certified copies, or filing a small-estate affidavit.
When calling, ask whether the filing requires an original document, a notarized affidavit, a death certificate, publication, bond, a MO HealthNet release, or a separate certified-copy request. Also ask whether payment must be made by cash, check, money order, or another accepted method. Those local filing details were not located in the assigned Madison County probate research.
| Item | Research Status |
|---|---|
| Original probate filing | Confirm current amount with Circuit Clerk. |
| Letters testamentary or administration | Confirm issuance and copy cost with Circuit Clerk. |
| Small-estate affidavit filing | Confirm checklist and fee before filing. |
| Certified probate copy | Confirm per-page and certification costs with Circuit Clerk. |
Restricted Madison County Probate Records
Public probate access can be limited. Guardianship and conservatorship medical details, minor information, confidential information sheets, sealed orders, protected addresses, and financial identifiers may be restricted or redacted. Case.net may show a docket entry without making each document remotely viewable. Older probate books may require archive research, and certified copies must come from the proper custodian.
For marriage records connected to estates, such as proof of relationship or surviving-spouse issues, the Recorder of Deeds handles marriage-license records while the Probate Division handles estate case records. See Madison County marriage and divorce records for the recorder channel.
Probate access also depends on the record's age and format. A modern public docket may be easier to locate by case number, while an older file may require a county, office, record-type, and year search through archival tools. A certified copy, letters testamentary, or letters of administration should be requested through the Circuit Clerk because a database image or docket printout is not always accepted for legal use.
Note: Probate is a Circuit Court division in Madison County, not a separate local court with a separate public portal.