Dade County Probate Division
Probate in Dade County is handled in the Probate Division of the Dade County Circuit Court, 28th Judicial Circuit. The local contact is Circuit Clerk Kayla Getman at 300 W. Water St., Greenfield, MO 65661. The phone is 417-238-2400, and the email listed for the clerk is kayla.getman@courts.mo.gov. The Circuit Clerk office hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with state holidays observed. No separate county probate court or standalone probate search portal was found beyond Missouri Case.net and the Circuit Clerk process.
Probate files can include decedent estates, refusal of letters, small estate proceedings, will deposits, will admission, minor estates, guardianships, conservatorships, orders, letters, inventories, settlements, and certified copies. The correct first question is what type of probate matter exists. A small estate and a full decedent estate do not use the same fee. A guardianship file may be much more restricted than an ordinary estate docket. A will deposited for safekeeping is not the same as a will admitted after death.
Probate Division of the Dade County Circuit Court
300 W. Water St.
Greenfield, MO 65661
417-238-2400
Mon-Fri, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Dade County Probate Terms
Probate records use terms that can be easy to mix up. The definitions below keep the major Dade County probate paths distinct without turning every estate question into the same filing type.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- A person named to carry out a will, often called a personal representative in estate administration.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will.
- Refusal of letters
- A Missouri process that can transfer certain decedent property without issuing letters of administration.
- Small estate
- A simplified estate procedure under Missouri law when statutory requirements are met.
- Guardianship
- A court arrangement for personal care and decisions for a minor or incapacitated person.
- Conservatorship
- A court arrangement for managing property or finances for a protected person.
Dade County Probate Fees
Dade County probate costs are listed by the Circuit Clerk as effective January 1, 2026. Fees should be checked with the clerk before filing because local pages can change. The table below uses the researched amounts and keeps copy fees separate from filing costs. Certified probate copies may also require ordinary copy and certification charges under the Circuit Clerk's copy-fee schedule.
| Probate Matter | Fee |
|---|---|
| Decedent estate | $148.50 plus $35 if admitting will |
| Incapacitated / disabled estate | $108.50 |
| Minor estate | $93.50 |
| Other probate | $68.50 |
| Refusal letters | $68.50 |
| Small estate | $68.50 |
| Receiving will | $3.00 |
| Admitting will | $68.50 |
Dade County Refusal Letters
The Dade Circuit Clerk page visibly links probate forms for Application of Creditor for Refusal of Letters, Application of Surviving Spouse for Refusal of Letters, creditor information, and spousal refusal information. The local description says paperwork may be obtained in the Circuit Clerk's office or through links. Refusal filings go to the Dade County Circuit Clerk at 300 W. Water St. in Greenfield, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. except holidays.
Refusal of Letters can transfer ownership of decedent property without issuance of letters of administration, but value limits and eligibility rules apply. RSMo 473.090 authorizes the probate division to refuse letters in specified small-estate, family, and creditor situations. Users should contact an attorney if unsure whether refusal is proper for the estate, because the filing route depends on property, relationship, debt, and statutory limits.
The assigned image source for this section is Missouri's refusal-of-letters statute.
The refusal statute supports the local Dade County form path published through the Circuit Clerk.
Dade County Small Estates
Small estate filings are separate from refusal letters, although both can be lower-cost probate paths when a full estate is not required. Dade lists small estate cost at $68.50. RSMo 473.097 covers small estates without letters. A small estate can still require careful asset, heir, creditor, and notice review. It should not be treated as a simple copy request just because the filing fee is lower than a full decedent estate.
A practical Dade County probate sequence starts by identifying the matter, searching Case.net if a public probate case may already exist, getting the correct form from the Circuit Clerk where available, filing at the clerk's office, paying the matching probate fee, and requesting certified copies if an order is needed for banks, real estate, or asset transfer. If an estate involves real property, disputes, creditors, or unknown heirs, legal advice may be needed before filing.
The Missouri small-estate statute is the assigned manifest source for this Dade County probate section.
The statute explains the statewide small-estate framework, while the Dade Circuit Clerk provides the local filing office and fee schedule.
Dade County Will Deposits
Dade County lists a $3.00 fee for receiving a will and a separate admitting-will cost in the probate fee table. RSMo 474.510 allows a will to be deposited with any circuit court probate division for safekeeping during the testator's lifetime. Deposit is not the same as opening an estate. A will may later need to be admitted in a probate matter after death, and admitting the will can add to the decedent-estate filing cost.
When searching Dade County probate records, ask whether the task is locating a deposited will, opening an estate, admitting a will, or requesting a certified copy of an order. Those are different clerk tasks. If the person is alive, a deposited will may not be treated like an open estate file. If the person has died and an estate case exists, Case.net and the Circuit Clerk may help identify public docket entries and copy procedures.
The Missouri will-deposit statute is the assigned image source for this probate topic.
Dade County's receiving-will fee should be read together with the state statute on safekeeping deposits.
Dade County Guardianship Records
Guardianship and conservatorship records are probate matters, but they often include sensitive medical, personal, financial, or minor-related information. Dade lists incapacitated or disabled estate cost at $108.50 and minor estate cost at $93.50. RSMo 475.050 covers appointment preferences for guardians and conservators, including preference against unrelated third parties unless no suitable relative exists or the best interests of the person require otherwise.
A public docket may show that a guardianship or conservatorship case exists, but the full file can be restricted. Before requesting copies, identify whether the request is for a public docket, certified letters, an order, a medical or financial document, or a minor's record. The Circuit Clerk can explain copy eligibility and ID or court-order requirements. The clerk cannot give legal advice about who should be appointed, how to contest an appointment, or whether a specific filing is sufficient.
The Missouri guardian and conservator statute is assigned to this Dade County probate records page.
The statute supports the distinction between estate administration and protected-person proceedings in Dade County probate work.
Search Dade County Probate Records
No Dade County standalone probate portal was found. Use Missouri Case.net for public probate case lookup where available, and select the 28th Judicial Circuit when narrowing Dade County court matters. Search by litigant name or case number when known. If Case.net does not show enough detail, contact the Circuit Clerk for copy requests, certified copies, older records, or restricted-file questions. The Dade Circuit Clerk's copy-request process can require party names, case type, case number, hearing or case date, judge or courtroom, date of birth if known, last four Social Security digits if known, and documents requested.
- Identify the probate matter type: estate, refusal, small estate, will, minor estate, guardianship, or conservatorship.
- Search Case.net for a public Dade County probate case if a case may already exist.
- Use the 28th Judicial Circuit designation when narrowing the search.
- Contact the Circuit Clerk for forms, filing fees, certified copies, or access limits.
- Bring or submit ID if the record type is restricted or if the clerk requires identity proof for copies.
- Request certified copies when banks, real estate offices, agencies, or other institutions require official court proof.
Restricted Dade County Probate Records
Probate dockets and many estate files may be public, but not every probate document is open. Guardianship and conservatorship records can contain medical evaluations, disability information, financial account details, protected-person data, and minor information. Minor estates may include protected details. Adoption, mental-health, juvenile, and family-related materials are also not ordinary public files. A requester should expect redactions, ID requirements, party-status limits, or court-order requirements when a probate file includes protected information.
Certified copies should be requested from the Circuit Clerk when an order, letters, or other probate document must be used with a bank, agency, title office, or asset holder. The clerk's copy fees are separate from probate filing fees, and certified copies cost more than plain copies. If the request is not for a Dade County probate court file, the clerk may direct the requester to another custodian, such as the Recorder of Deeds for recorded instruments or DHSS for certain vital-record statements.
Note: Probate search access is broadest for ordinary estate dockets and narrowest for protected-person, minor, medical, or sealed materials.