Wayne County Probate Court Overview
Wayne County Probate Court is at 1305/1307 Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226. The phone number is (313) 224-5706. The Probate Court home page lists current judges: Hon. David Braxton (Chief Judge), Hon. David A. Perkins (Chief Judge Pro Tempore), Hon. Judy A. Hartsfield, Hon. Terrance A. Keith, Hon. Lawrence J. Paolucci, Hon. Michael J. McClory, Hon. Todd E. Briggs, and Hon. Macie Tuiasosopo Gaines. The court's mission statement is to handle probate matters with Courtesy, Accessibility, Responsiveness, and Efficiency (C.A.R.E.).
The home page anchors most probate work. It links Case Access, fee schedule, probate information, and emergency-day notices.
Wayne County Probate Case Types
Probate covers more than estates. The court's case categories run through the full life cycle of guardianships, conservatorships, mental health treatment matters, trusts, and small estates.
- Conservatorship for adults.
- Conservatorship for minors.
- Decedent estate, formal petition.
- Decedent estate, informal application.
- Reopening a closed decedent estate.
- Small estates.
- Guardianship for adults.
- Guardianship for an individual with a developmental disability.
- Guardianship for minors, full and limited.
- Involuntary mental health treatment order, examination, or transport.
- Trust petitions to establish, partial or limited supervision, and registration.
- Wills filed for safekeeping.
- Civil actions within probate jurisdiction.
Case Access Portal
The Probate Court home page links to Case Access. Users can access the full electronic docket for all civil case types and other searches at public.wcpc.us/eservices. The contact page directs users who need to determine if a record exists or who need information about an existing case to Case Access. The portal is dynamic and requires browser JavaScript. The static text-only view shows a meta-refresh message rather than the full field set, so use a current browser to run searches.
Filing Hours and Contacts
Probate Court publishes three sets of hours. Filing hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Customer service or business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Staff operation hours are 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The court publishes scheduled closures and remote-only days. Emergency filings continue on remote-only days, including mental health transport orders, immediate funeral or burial petitions, life-threatening guardianship matters, certain emergency conservatorship cases, immediate estate access requests, ex parte temporary restraining orders, and emergency APS/CPS petitions.
Wayne County Probate Court
1307 Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
2 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 224-5706
Records Department
Wayne County Probate Court
Attn: Records Supervisor
1307 Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
Detroit, MI 48226
filedept@wcpc.us
| Contact | Fax / Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Probate Counter / Service Clerks | Fax (313) 967-4030 | probateservice@wcpc.us |
| Records Department | Fax (313) 967-4041 | filedept@wcpc.us |
| Mental Health Developmentally Disabled | Fax (313) 967-4013 | bhudept@wcpc.us |
| Court Attorney | Fax (313) 967-4042 | chiefdepreg@wcpc.us |
| General inquiries | (313) 224-5706 | info@wcpc.us |
Wayne County Probate Fee Schedule
The Probate Court fees page lists filing fees, copy fees, and certification fees. Out-of-state checks are not accepted. Online ePayment accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express through FivePoint. The convenience fee is 3.5% or $3.00, whichever is greater. Card payments cannot be made by phone or mail.
| Filing / Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Guardianship petitions | $175.00 |
| Conservatorship petitions | $175.00 |
| Protective order | $175.00 |
| Deceased estate | $175.00 plus inventory fee |
| Petition to reopen | $150.00 |
| Guardianship for developmentally disabled individual | No fee |
| Involuntary psychiatric treatment petitions | No fee |
| Supervision of trust | $175.00 |
| Small estate | $25.00 plus inventory fee and $12.00 certification fee |
| Wills filed for safekeeping | $25.00 |
| Registration of trusts | $25.00 |
| Subsequent petitions, motions, objections | $20.00 |
| Accounts | $20.00 |
| Claims | $20.00 |
| Civil actions | $175.00 |
| Letters of Authority | $12.00 |
| Order of Discharge | $11.00 |
| Certified documents | $10.00 plus $1/page certification fee |
| Copy fee | $2.00/page |
Starting a Wayne County Probate Case
The Probate Court's probate information page lays out the practical workflow. The court warns that Michigan law prohibits probate court employees from providing legal advice and completing forms, petitions, or documents, citing MCL 700.1211. Self-represented users can use Michigan Legal Help and the court's How to Start, How to Administer, and How to Close packets.
- Identify the case type: estate, guardianship, conservatorship, trust, will safekeeping, mental health, or probate civil action.
- Use the WCPC probate information page to select the correct start packet or checklist.
- Fill out forms using dark ink or typed text.
- Ensure every form is complete and signed.
- List all interested persons and addresses including ZIP codes.
- File during probate filing hours or use non-emergency electronic submission instructions.
- Pay the filing fee after the filing is accepted; fees are nonrefundable once accepted/processed.
- Give notice of hearing to interested parties and submit proofs of publication when required.
- Administer the case with required inventories, accounts, letters of authority, reports, and closing documents.
Notices and Publication Proofs
The Probate Court emphasizes that all proofs of publication must be submitted to the court for filing by the party or attorney. Newspapers such as Detroit Legal News do not file the affidavit for the party. Financial institution addresses are required on all accounts and inventories under MCR 5.203(D), as cited by the Probate Court.
Guardianship and Conservatorship
Effective September 15, 2025, Wayne County Probate Court implemented local Form WCPC 262, Guardian's Financial Disclosure of Ward's Assets, for adult guardianship GA and GL cases. Guardians must file and serve the form within 56 days of qualification under MCR 5.409(B). Effective May 1, 2025, the court implemented local form wcpc96 for emergency filings and adjourn, reschedule, or withdrawal situations.
Wills Filed for Safekeeping
A will filed for safekeeping costs $25.00. The court accepts the original will under the safekeeping process and stores it until the testator's death, after which it can be opened and entered into the appropriate estate proceeding. Filing a will for safekeeping is not a substitute for probating the estate after death.
Common Probate Terms
Probate uses specific legal terms. The list below covers the most common.
- Testator
- Person who made a will.
- Executor
- Person named in a will to administer the estate.
- Personal representative
- Court-appointed administrator when there is no will or to handle the executor's role.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will.
- Conservator
- Court-appointed manager of another person's finances.
- Guardian
- Court-appointed person responsible for an adult or minor's care.
- Ward
- Person under guardianship or conservatorship.
Wayne County Probate Certified Copies
Certified document requests may be emailed to filedept@wcpc.us or mailed to Wayne County Probate Court, Attn: Records Supervisor, 1307 Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, Detroit, Michigan 48226. The court contacts the requester with cost after submission unless the cost is known and forwarded with the request. Certified documents are $10.00 plus $1/page certification fee. The standard copy fee is $2.00 per page. Note: Out-of-state checks are not accepted.
Emergency-Only Probate Filings
Wayne County Probate Court publishes scheduled closures and remote-only days. On those days, the court accepts only emergency filings: mental health transport orders, immediate funeral or burial petitions, life-threatening guardianship matters, certain emergency conservatorship cases, immediate estate access requests, ex parte temporary restraining orders, and emergency APS or CPS petitions. The 2026 closures include Detroit Grand Prix day, when all operations are remote and onsite services including dropbox and mail are inaccessible. Emergency filings continue remotely so urgent matters do not stall.
Form wcpc96 is the local emergency or adjournment form used for emergency filings and adjourn, reschedule, or withdrawal situations. The court publishes the form alongside guidance on which categories qualify as emergencies. Check the court's current notices section before assuming an onsite filing will be accepted on a posted remote-only day.