Kings County Surrogate’s Court Filing Fees & Costs Explained (2026)
If you are opening a probate matter in Brooklyn, the total cost has two main parts: a court filing fee that is graduated by the value of the estate under SCPA §2402, plus attorney fees that typically run from roughly $3,000 to $10,000 for a standard, uncontested probate. The filing fee is set by statute […]
Small Estate Affidavit vs. Full Probate in Brooklyn
When a loved one dies in Brooklyn owning assets, the family faces a threshold decision: pursue a small estate affidavit under SCPA Article 13 (voluntary administration) or open a full probate proceeding in the Kings County Surrogate’s Court. The short answer is this — if the decedent’s personal property subject to administration is modest and […]
Preliminary Letters Testamentary in Kings County (SCPA §1412)
When a loved one dies in Brooklyn and the probate of their will is going to take time, the named executor often cannot afford to wait. Preliminary Letters Testamentary are the answer: under SCPA §1412, the Kings County Surrogate’s Court can grant the executor named in a will interim authority to begin administering the estate […]
How Long Does Probate Take in Kings County? (2026 Timeline)
For most families, an uncontested probate in Kings County (Brooklyn) takes roughly three to six months from the date the Petition for Probate is filed with the Kings County Surrogate’s Court until the executor receives Letters Testamentary (the document that grants legal authority to act). Simple estates where every distributee signs a waiver and consent […]
What Happens If Someone Dies Without a Will in Brooklyn?
When someone dies without a will in Brooklyn, New York’s intestacy statute — not the family — decides who inherits, and the Kings County Surrogate’s Court appoints a court-supervised representative called an administrator to settle the estate. This is true even when everyone in the family agrees on what should happen. Dying without a will […]
Do You Need a Lawyer to Probate a Will in Brooklyn?
You are not legally required to hire a lawyer to probate a will in Brooklyn — but in practice, almost everyone should, and many executors find it nearly impossible to complete the process correctly without one. New York law lets an individual executor file a probate petition on their own behalf in the Kings County […]