Franklin County Probate Records
Probate in Franklin County is handled by the Probate Division of the Circuit Court. It is not a separate county probate office. The practical records office is the Franklin County Circuit Clerk because that office maintains Circuit Court case records, processes copy requests, collects copy charges, and handles certification. Public probate case data may appear through Missouri Case.net, but a requester who needs letters, a filed will, an inventory, an accounting, a final settlement, or a certified order often needs the Circuit Clerk request process.
Probate case types can include decedent estates with wills, intestate estates, small estates, guardianships, conservatorships, minor settlements, trust matters, creditor claims, letters testamentary or administration, accountings, inventories, and closing orders. The local structure means a Franklin County probate records lookup is part of the Circuit Court record system, even when the subject is an estate rather than a lawsuit.
Probate Division of the Circuit Court
Records office: Franklin County Circuit Clerk
401 East Main St., Room 100A
Union, MO 63084
(636) 583-7391
Civil Department: 636-583-7366
Franklin County Probate Terms
Probate records use terms that can be hard to read if the file is viewed through a case docket. A few definitions help separate people, filings, and court roles. These terms describe common probate concepts, not legal advice about whether a specific estate needs to be filed.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- A person named to carry out the will after appointment or approval by the court.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will, which may require administration under Missouri probate rules.
- Guardianship
- A court appointment to make personal decisions for a minor or incapacitated adult.
- Conservatorship
- A court appointment to manage another person's financial affairs.
- Certified copy
- A clerk-authenticated copy suitable for official use.
Search Franklin County Probate Cases
Public Franklin County probate cases may be searched through Missouri Case.net. Search by case number when known because probate files may involve a decedent, ward, fiduciary, interested party, or attorney, and names can overlap. If the case number is unknown, search by party, decedent, or ward name and filter to Franklin County or the appropriate circuit scope when the portal permits. Case.net can help locate the case number, filing date, case type, parties, docket entries, and public hearing information.
- Start with the case number if it appears on letters, notices, court mail, or prior filings.
- Search by decedent, ward, party, or fiduciary name if the number is unknown.
- Filter to Franklin County where the search screen allows, then open the probate case result.
- Review docket entries for wills, letters, inventory filings, claims, accountings, orders, and closing entries.
- Use the Circuit Clerk request form for copies, certification, older files, or documents not viewable through remote public access.
Franklin County Probate Search Fields
The probate search and copy process depends on a small set of identifying facts. The local Circuit Clerk copy form requires a case number for records requests, while Case.net may allow a name search first. The more exact the case data, the less risk of delay or a fee estimate based on the wrong file.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case number | Text | Optional for search, strongly preferred | Required by the Franklin County copy request form. |
| Party, decedent, or ward name | Text | Optional | Used in Case.net or by the clerk to identify the case. |
| Case type | Dropdown or filter | Optional | Probate, estate, guardianship, or conservatorship. |
| Filing date | Date | Optional | The request form asks for document date of filing. |
| Document requested | Text | Yes for copies | Examples include will, letters, inventory, final settlement, or order. |
Franklin County Probate Copy Fees
The captured Franklin County Circuit Clerk source does not publish a probate-specific filing-fee table. The research notes that a general fee source mentioned conservatorship and filing amounts, but it also warns that fixed probate filing fees should be verified with the Circuit Clerk before publication because fee pages can change. For this reason, the fee schedule below is limited to copy and certification fees that were captured from the Circuit Clerk page.
| Item | Amount | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Plain probate copy | $1.00 per page | Copies of public court documents when available for release. |
| Certification | Additional $1.50 | Added when a certified probate copy is requested. |
| Probate filing fees | Verify with Circuit Clerk | Captured research did not provide a stable published probate fee schedule. |
Note: The copy fee can grow with long estate files because inventories, notices, claims, accountings, and orders may span many pages.
What Franklin County Probate Records Show
Franklin County probate records may show the type of estate or guardianship, the decedent or ward name, the petitioner, fiduciary appointments, letters issued, creditor claims, inventories, accountings, settlements, hearing dates, court orders, and closing entries. A will may appear as a filed document when it is part of an estate. Letters testamentary or letters of administration show who has authority to act for an estate after appointment. In guardianship and conservatorship matters, entries may show appointment, reports, accountings, restrictions, or court review.
Not every public case index displays every document remotely. Missouri remote public access rules allow access to eligible public documents, but restricted, sealed, protected, or redacted filings do not display in the same way. A requester may need to ask the Franklin County Circuit Clerk for a fee estimate and release review. For confidential cases, the Circuit Clerk page warns that photo ID may be required and a judge-approved application to inspect confidential court records may be needed.
Franklin County Probate Process
A local probate case moves through the Probate Division according to the type of property, will, party, and requested appointment. Some estates may involve small-estate or nonprobate transfer questions, while others require formal administration. The research supports a general local process without stating a one-size filing rule.
Probate flow: Determine filing need › file petition or application › submit original will if one exists › request appointment and letters › court reviews fiduciary authority › fiduciary gives notice, handles claims, files inventory or accounting › case closes after distribution and court approval.
The RSMo 59.310 source appears in the Franklin County research as a recording-fee statute tied to the Recorder, which is a useful reminder that recorded instruments and probate court files can involve different offices.
Probate users should keep the Recorder and Circuit Clerk roles separate when a case involves both estate documents and recorded instruments.
Restricted Franklin County Probate Records
Some Franklin County probate records are not open public files. Guardianship, conservatorship, mental-health-adjacent, minor, sealed, or protected records may contain medical, financial, identity, or capacity information. Those records may be redacted, withheld from remote display, or released only after identity review or a court order. Juvenile-related and mental-health material should not be treated as ordinary public lookup material.
Local geography can also affect where related papers are found. Franklin County government offices cluster in Union around East Main, East Locust, South Church, and Bruns Lane, with the Circuit Clerk, Recorder, County Clerk, Municipal Court, Sheriff's Office, Prosecutor, and Public Defender in different buildings or offices. The Franklin County planning page documents local city and county context used in this research.
The local office split is why probate case copies, marriage recordings, and county administrative records follow different access routes.