St. Louis County Probate Division
Probate in St. Louis County is handled by the Probate Division of the Circuit Court. It is not a separate county probate court outside the 21st Judicial Circuit. The official probate page lists the Probate Division at 105 South Central Avenue, Clayton, MO 63105, with public hours Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and phone 314-615-8029. The division is on the fifth floor of the courthouse.
The Probate Division oversees distribution of property of a deceased person and related court work. The research also identifies wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, mental-health or civil commitment proceedings, and related protective matters. A probate case may be a full estate administration, a small estate, a refusal of letters matter, a will admission, a guardianship, a conservatorship, or a 96-hour hold filing. Each type produces different records and different access limits.
The official Probate Court page is the local source for the division, judge and commissioner details, and links to probate resources.
The Probate Division page is the source that ties St. Louis County probate records to the Circuit Court and the fifth-floor court offices.
St. Louis County Probate Terms
Probate files use terms that can be hard to read in a docket. These definitions are basic reading aids for St. Louis County probate records and do not decide who has legal authority in a case. The actual authority comes from the Probate Division's orders, letters, certificates, or other filed documents.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- A person named to carry out a will, often called a personal representative after court appointment.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will controlling the estate.
- Guardian
- A person appointed to make care or custody decisions for a minor or incapacitated person.
- Conservator
- A person appointed to manage money or property for a protected person.
- Small estate
- A simplified estate path when the statutory requirements are met.
Search St. Louis County Probate Records
Public probate case information may be searched through Missouri Case.net. Search by party name, decedent name where available, or case number, then narrow to St. Louis County or the 21st Judicial Circuit if the screen allows. Case.net may show a case number, style, filing date, case type, status, docket entries, hearings, and public documents. Sealed and confidential parts of a probate file will not be open through a public search.
When Case.net is not enough, use the Probate Division or Circuit Clerk. A copy request should identify the estate name, case number if known, the document needed, and whether the copy must be certified. Older St. Louis probate records from 1802 to 1900 are available through Missouri State Archives Judicial Records according to the research, which is important for genealogy and pre-electronic estate searches.
- Start with Case.net and search by case number or name.
- Confirm that the case is in St. Louis County or the 21st Judicial Circuit.
- Read the docket for filings, orders, letters, inventories, hearings, and closing entries.
- Contact the Probate Division or Circuit Clerk for copies not visible online.
- Use older judicial record collections for early St. Louis estate files that predate modern systems.
St. Louis County Probate Judges
The probate judicial officers are listed by division, room, and phone in the research. The same courthouse address applies to the Probate Division as a whole, but room numbers matter because the probate judge and commissioners sit in different fifth-floor rooms. Call the main probate number or the listed division phone before visiting if a hearing, copy request, or filing question is tied to a specific division.
Probate Division of the Circuit Court
105 South Central Avenue
Clayton, MO 63105
314-615-8029
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Hon. Nicole S. Zellweger
Circuit Judge, Division 5
5th floor, Room 501
314-615-1505
Hon. William J. Gust
Commissioner, Division 66
5th floor, Room 502
314-615-7565
Hon. Misty Watson
Deputy Commissioner, Division 67
5th floor, Room 536
314-615-2624
St. Louis County Probate Fees
The official probate page links to Probate Fees and Estate Charges, but the research did not capture specific probate filing amounts. That means the page should not invent a filing fee, certified-copy fee, publication charge, or estate charge. Use the official fee link from the Probate Division resources, or call the Probate Division before filing or requesting certified copies. The research did capture the ordinary public-record copy rule for Missouri governmental records, but court files follow court access procedures as well.
| Item | Amount or Source Note |
|---|---|
| Probate filing deposit or estate charge | Fee not located in visible official sources |
| Certified probate copy | Fee not located in visible official sources |
| Plain probate copy | Fee not located in visible official sources |
| Probate Fees and Estate Charges | Linked from the official Probate Division resources |
| Ordinary Sunshine Law paper copy cap | 10 cents per page plus permitted costs under RSMo 610.026 for covered public governmental records |
Note: Probate court fees were deliberately left as not located because the research did not include visible official amounts.
St. Louis County Probate Records Show
Probate records can show who filed a will, who asked to open an estate, what notices were filed, whether a personal representative, guardian, or conservator was appointed, and what orders the Probate Division entered. Estate files may include wills, petitions, refusals of letters, letters testamentary or administration, inventories, appraisals, accountings, claims, publication proof, distribution papers, and closing documents. Guardianship and conservatorship files can include appointment orders and reporting duties, but medical and minor details may be limited.
Several Missouri statutes are directly tied to probate workflow. RSMo 473.050 concerns presentation and admission of a will. RSMo 473.097 covers small-estate distribution by affidavit. The research also notes RSMo 473.107, which allows the Probate Division to order an appraisal before issuing a small-estate certificate. These statutes help explain why a file may show a will, affidavit, appraisal, certificate, or estate order rather than a full administration.
The will-presentment statute is one source for St. Louis County probate records.
It supports the practical rule that a will must be filed and admitted through probate before it works as a will in court.
The small-estate statute is another source for St. Louis County probate records.
That source helps explain why some estates move through affidavit and certificate records rather than a long full-estate docket.
St. Louis County Probate Forms and Limits
The Probate Division links to FAQs, resources, the Probate Email Subscription List, Probate Fees and Estate Charges, Probate Forms, Publication Options, and Refusal of Letters. The Probate Forms page includes probate copy request material and a 96 Hour Hold Packet. The research says the 96-hour packet is filed in person for evaluation or treatment when a person, because of mental illness or alcohol or drug abuse, presents a likelihood of danger.
Probate access has real limits. Guardianship and conservatorship files may contain medical or personal details. Mental-health and civil commitment files are not ordinary public probate files. Minors' estate details may also be restricted. Public Case.net entries can exist even when the documents, exhibits, medical records, or sensitive facts are blocked. When the record is restricted, the clerk may be able to explain the process for authorized access, but public access should not be assumed.
The official probate forms source is useful because it is where St. Louis County publishes current probate packets and copy request links.
Forms should be checked at the source before filing because probate requirements depend on the type of matter and current court practice.