Franklin County Superior Court Clerk Guide

Note: WASHINGTON'S PROBATE FILING FEE IS A FLAT, STATEWIDE, STATUTORY $290, WHATEVER THE ESTATE IS WORTH. It is not banded by estate value, not a percentage, not a probate tax, and not set by the county. RCW 36.18.020(2)(f) sets $200 for the first document in a probate proceeding, RCW 36.18.020(5)(c) adds a mandatory $40 judicial stabilization surcharge and RCW 36.18.020(6) adds a mandatory $50 surcharge, and every one of them is written as a duty to collect, so a county clerk has no instrument with which to vary them. THE $50 SURCHARGE IS NEW: it was added by 2025 c 357, effective 27 July 2025, so any source still quoting $240 predates it and any source quoting $200 has left both surcharges out. A petition contesting a will or seeking to admit a rejected will costs the same $290 under RCW 36.18.020(2)(g). RCW 36.18.025 and RCW 27.24.070 divide that money between the state and the county law library; they are destinations for the revenue, not extra charges, and must not be added. THERE IS NO STATEWIDE WASHINGTON JUDICIARY FEE SCHEDULE - RCW 36.18.080 instead makes posting the fees a per-county duty, so the statute IS the schedule and each county clerk republishes it. THIS COUNTY'S OWN SCHEDULE CONFIRMS IT: Franklin County publishes a dedicated PROBATE fee page, which is rare among Washington counties. Read verbatim 2026-08-07: "$290 Probate Filing RCW 36.18.020(2,5,6) ... $5 Letters of Administration, Testamentary or Guardianship RCW 36.18.016(9) ... $290 Guardianship (Adult) (no fee on cases with assets less than $3,000) ... $290 Minor Guardianship Filing (There is no fee when the potential guardian is a relative) RCW 36.18.020(2,5) ; RCW 11.130.170 ... Small Estate Affidavit - Not filed with the Clerk ... RCW 11.62.010 ... $20 Will Repository RCW 36.18.016(27)". The Will Repository row cites subsection (27), which is the post-2026 numbering - RCW 36.18.016 was renumbered by 2026 c 33, effective 11 June 2026, so a source still citing (28) predates the change. Two smaller amounts an executor meets early: RCW 36.18.016(9) charges $5 for a certificate of qualification issued with a certified copy of the letters, which is the document a bank asks for, and RCW 36.18.016(4)(a) charges $5 for the first page of a certified copy of a court document plus $1 for each additional page. Two $20 fees cover a will that is not going into a probate: RCW 36.18.012(7) for filing a will after death where no probate is contemplated, and RCW 36.18.016(27) for filing a will or codicil with the court before the testator dies under RCW 11.12.265. That subsection was (28) until 2026 c 33 renumbered the section effective 11 June 2026; the amount did not change, so a county schedule still citing (28) is not wrong about the money. NO GUARDIANSHIP FEE IS CHARGED where the petition alleges total assets under three thousand dollars, or for a minor guardianship where the proposed guardian is a relative and not a professional (RCW 11.130.170). A filer who cannot afford the $290 asks for a waiver on the statewide GR 34 form set. Confirm the current amount with the county clerk before filing. small_estate_affidavit IS ZERO HERE BECAUSE THIS COUNTY DOES NOT TAKE THE AFFIDAVIT AT ALL, not because it waives a charge. This county's own published schedule answers the small estate affidavit with "Not filed with the Clerk", which matches RCW 11.62.010: the affidavit is an out-of-court document presented to whoever holds the property. Clallam and Lewis counties DO charge $20 to accept one for filing, so this varies between Washington counties.