Maine Probate Guide
County-specific probate filing-office contacts, filing fees, required forms, and step-by-step guidance for families settling an estate in Maine.
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Types of Probate in Maine
Maine probate is handled by a county Probate Court in each of the state's 16 counties, with an elected Judge of Probate and an elected Register of Probate. These are county courts, separate from the Maine Judicial Branch trial courts. The path depends on the estate: a successor can collect personal property by affidavit under 18-C M.R.S. § 3-1201 (up to $52,500 for deaths in 2026, adjusted for inflation), a personal representative can be appointed informally by the register without a court hearing for most uncontested estates, and formal proceedings before the judge of probate are used when a will is contested or supervised administration is ordered. A very small estate can close through the summary administrative procedure (18-C M.R.S. §§ 3-1203, 3-1204). Maine imposes no probate tax, but it does levy a separate estate tax (36 M.R.S. ch. 577) on taxable estates above the exclusion; there is no state inheritance tax.
See the full comparison of Maine probate typesWhich procedures exist, who qualifies, and how the timelines compare.Find your county
Maine Probate Filing Offices by County
Choose your county to get its probate court contacts, filing fees, and required forms. 16 counties have detailed data.
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Browse Maine guide topics
Jump to court, executor, tax, planning, property, and probate-avoidance guides that match your next task.
Browse Maine guide topics
Jump to court, executor, tax, planning, property, and probate-avoidance guides that match your next task.
Executor Duties
6Taxes & Deadlines
4Planning Documents
7Property Transfer
4Avoiding Probate
2Maine Probate Self-Help and Online Resources
Maine probate resource map by source type
All Maine self-help resources (7 links)Official court, form, law-library, referral, and legal-education links, plus how to use each source
Maine probate source navigation starts with state court, form, agency, legal-help, or referral links that are already tracked in Settled state data. These links are state-level starting points, not county-specific filing instructions.
Which Maine probate source should you use?
- Start with the state court, form, or self-help source for general Maine probate context.
- Use county filing-office, clerk, register, or court pages for local filing locations, local forms, fee schedules, and records portals.
- Use legal-help, law-library, or referral links as research or referral paths, not as a substitute for counsel.
- Verify current filing steps with the county office, court, clerk, register, legal-aid source, or counsel before filing.
Statewide process, forms, and code sources
State court, form, statute, agency, and self-help sources for general probate and estate-settlement questions.
- Maine Probate Courts (Maine Association of Registers of Probate)
State-level source record in Settled data, accessed 2026-07-21.
- Maine Probate Courts - Probate Forms (2019, Title 18-C)
State-level source record in Settled data, accessed 2026-07-21.
- Maine Revised Statutes Title 18-C (Maine Uniform Probate Code)
State-level source record in Settled data, accessed 2026-07-21.
- Maine CDC Vital Records - Request Documents (death certificates)
State-level source record in Settled data, accessed 2026-07-21.
Referral-navigation sources
Referral paths for finding certified lawyer-referral services when a family wants help locating counsel.
- Pine Tree Legal Assistance
Free civil legal aid for low-income Maine residents, with self-help guides that cover probate and estate questions.
- Legal Services for the Elderly
Free legal help for Maine residents age 60 and older, including probate, wills, and estate matters.
- Maine State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service
Referral to a Maine attorney for probate, estate, and related matters.
Settled pairs these Maine source links with county pages, forms, first-step guides, transfer guides, and source notes so families can move from statewide context to the local office that handles the estate.
Maine Estate Law Overview
Maine Estate Tax Info
Maine tax information for estates
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Intestate succession determines how a person's probate property is distributed when they die without a valid will. Maine recodified its probate law as Title 18-C (Maine Uniform Probate Code), effective September 1, 2019.
Maine Homestead Protection
Maine has THREE distinct 'homestead' concepts, which are frequently confused. (1) A probate HOMESTEAD ALLOWANCE: a fixed monetary allowance for the surviving spouse or children, adjusted annually for inflation (18-C M.R.S. § 2-402). (2) A homestead CREDITOR EXEMPTION that protects a limited amount of equity in a primary residence from certain creditors (14 M.R.S. § 4422(1)). (3) A property-tax HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION that reduces the taxable value of an owner-occupied home (36 M.R.S. §§ 681-689). None of the three gives the surviving spouse an unlimited right to keep the home free of estate debts the way Texas or Florida constitutional homestead does.
Exempt Property
Maine's Probate Code gives the surviving spouse (and, in some cases, minor and dependent children) three statutory protections that come off the top of the estate: a homestead allowance, exempt property, and a family allowance. All three are fixed dollar amounts adjusted annually for inflation under 18-C M.R.S. § 1-108, and all three have priority over general creditor claims.