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Mercer County Probate Statistics

Use this county view to check filing-fee patterns, e-filing access, and timing signals before you rely on a probate cost estimate or start preparing a petition.

Data quality: Medium

What This County Snapshot Covers

This page is meant to answer the fast operational questions first: what the county charges to open common probate proceedings, whether e-filing is available, how long creditor claims may run, and where to verify the court record.

3

Fee Rows Captured

No

E-Filing Available

9 mo

Creditor Claim Period

Medium

Data Quality

Official Sources to Verify

County Fee Schedule

Check the live filing-fee source before relying on a county average or cached amount.

Court Forms or Filing Portal

Review the county or court forms page tied to this probate workflow.

Case Search

Use the county case-search tool when you need live docket or estate-case status information. Search results may not include every probate record.

New Jersey has NO statewide online estate index. The Judiciary portal linked here searches Superior Court CIVIL and FORECLOSURE cases, which is where a contested probate, a caveat litigated after filing, a formal accounting, an elective-share complaint, or an adult guardianship lands once it is docketed in the Chancery Division, Probate Part. First-time users must register, and existing eCourts, JEDS, or Evidence Submission credentials must be reused. It does NOT hold the ordinary uncontested probate and administration records that are opened over the counter with a county Surrogate. Those stay with the Mercer County Surrogate. The Mercer County Surrogate publishes an Estate Searches page describing its general index: index books for 1838 to 1956, microfiche for 1956 to the present, and a computerized directory from mid-1991 to the present. The index covers accountings, administrations, applications for probate, dockets, guardianships, and inventories. Searching is done through the office rather than through a public online portal. Confirm any case detail with the Mercer County Surrogate before relying on it.

Open case search

Surrogate's Court Website

Go straight to the Surrogate's Court website for clerk notices and local instructions.

Filing Fee Schedule

Petition for Probate$100
Formal Administration$125
Small Estate Affidavit$50

Filing Options

in person
by mail

Filing Deadlines

Creditor Claim Period9 months

Surrogate's Court Information

Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Probate Part (Mercer Vicinage)

Mercer County Civil Courthouse, 175 South Broad Street, Trenton, NJ 08650-0068

Phone: 609-571-4200

Surrogate's Court Website →

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the Mercer County probate fees on this page the full cost of the case?
Not necessarily. Filing fees are only one part of probate cost. Publication charges, certified copies, appraisal expenses, attorney fees, and other estate-administration costs may still apply.
What does e-filing status mean for Mercer County probate cases?
E-filing status tells you whether the county accepts online filing and, when available in the dataset, whether attorneys are required to use it. "Not verified" means the county dataset does not record filing methods either way. In every case, check the current clerk instructions before filing.
Why might a fee or deadline be missing?
Some counties publish fees in fragmented schedules, update procedures without a clean machine-readable source, or handle certain deadlines in local instructions rather than a simple statewide field. Use the county reference page and Surrogate's Court website to verify anything missing.

Information current as of July 29, 2026

Settled Estate is not a law firm, and this content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Probate laws and procedures in New Jersey can change. Consult with a qualified attorney for advice specific to your situation. Full disclaimer.