Greene County Probate Division
Greene County probate is the Probate Division of the Circuit Court, part of the local 31st Judicial Circuit system. The court division list names Probate Court Commissioner Clouse and gives the probate phone line as 417-868-4027. Probate files and fees are managed through the Circuit Clerk system, not the Recorder of Deeds.
Probate matters include wills, deceased estates, small estate affidavits, refusals for spouse, minor, or creditor, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, minor matters, adult matters, safe-deposit-box inventories, and related filings. A probate case can be a public estate file, a restricted protected-person matter, or a mixed file where docket information is visible but sensitive documents are not.
The Probate Division should also be separated from the Recorder of Deeds. The Recorder keeps marriage licenses and recorded instruments, but Greene County probate records are court records. That difference affects where fees are paid, where certified copies come from, and which office can explain the status of a pending estate or guardianship case.
Probate Division of the Circuit Court
1010 N. Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65802
417-868-4027
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Probate Terms Defined
Probate language is dense because one case may involve property, court authority, and care for another person. These short definitions keep the filing categories clear before searching or ordering copies.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named to carry out a will, sometimes called a personal representative after court appointment.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, which means the estate follows Missouri succession rules.
- Guardianship
- A court case about personal care and decision-making for a minor or incapacitated adult.
- Conservatorship
- A court case about managing money or property for a minor or protected adult.
- Small estate
- A simplified estate process for qualifying assets under Missouri procedure.
Search Greene County Probate Records
Case.net is the public search path for Greene County probate case records when the case is implemented in the statewide system and public. Older probate files or restricted filings may require the probate clerk or Circuit Clerk copy process. A name search can work for an estate or protected-person case, but a case number is more precise when it is known.
The Probate Division forms page is a separate resource from the case search. It helps users identify filing categories before opening or responding to a case. Case.net is for public case tracking; forms and fee pages are for filing and copy preparation.
- Use Case.net for public probate docket information when a name or case number is available.
- Check the Probate Forms page for the filing category that matches the matter.
- Use the Probate Fees page to estimate deposits, filing charges, copy fees, and publication costs.
- Contact the Probate Division or Circuit Clerk if the case is older, restricted, or requires a certified copy.
Probate Forms Categories
The Greene County Probate Forms page organizes forms by Deceased, Adult, Minor, and Other. That split mirrors the main probate case types: estate work after death, adult guardianship or conservatorship, minor guardianship or conservatorship, and special or miscellaneous probate filings.
The forms page is the official local source for these probate filing categories.
Use the form category before paying fees because the wrong category can mean the wrong deposit, petition, or certified-copy need.
| Category | Common probate use |
|---|---|
| Deceased | Wills, full estates, small estate affidavits, refusals, trusts, and safe-deposit-box filings. |
| Adult | Guardianship, conservatorship, and protected adult proceedings. |
| Minor | Minor guardianship, minor conservatorship, and dispense-with-conservatorship matters. |
| Other | Miscellaneous probate filings and local probate updates. |
Greene County Probate Fees
The official Probate Fees page gives local filing fees, deposits, certified-copy costs, and publication fees. Some amounts are flat fees, while others are advance deposits. Publication charges can change the total for small estates and guardianship cases when publication is required.
The local fee schedule is the source for current probate filing and copy charges.
Those published fees should be checked before filing because the research notes effective-date changes for some 2025 totals.
| Filing or item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Admit Will Only | $70.50 |
| Refusal for spouse, minor, or creditor | $70.50 including one certified copy; additional copy extra |
| Small Estate Affidavit without will | $70.50, plus $75 publication if assets exceed $15,000; $145.50 total with publication effective 07/01/2025 |
| Small Estate Affidavit with will | $105.50, plus $75 publication if assets exceed $15,000; $180.50 total with publication effective 07/01/2025 |
| Other certified copies | $0.25 per page plus $3 per document certificate |
| Xerox copies | $0.25 per page |
| Deceased estates | $330 advance deposit |
| Minor guardianship and/or conservatorship | $150 advance deposit plus $130 publication if required; $280 total with publication effective 07/01/2025 |
| Adults, guardianship and/or conservatorship | $760 advance deposit |
Small Estates and Refusals
Small estate affidavits and refusals are common Greene County probate filings because they can fit narrower property-transfer needs than a full deceased estate. The fee schedule distinguishes small estate affidavits with and without a will, safe-deposit-box-only matters, and refusals for a spouse, minor, or creditor. Publication may be required when total assets exceed the local threshold noted in the fee schedule.
For a small estate, identify whether there is a will, whether publication is needed, and whether a certified copy is included in the fee. If a safe deposit box is the only issue, the fee table provides a separate safe-deposit-box-only path.
A refusal is different from opening a full estate. The fee schedule's refusal category includes one certified copy, which may be enough for a spouse, minor, or creditor when the court authorizes that narrower transfer. A full deceased estate has a larger advance deposit and is more likely to involve inventories, claims, accountings, and final distribution orders.
Guardianship and Conservatorship
Guardianship and conservatorship cases are probate matters, but they are not the same as estate cases. Adult guardianship or conservatorship may involve capacity, care decisions, and management of property. Minor matters may involve appointment of a guardian, conservator, or a dispense-with-conservatorship filing depending on the facts.
These files often contain sensitive protected-person information. Public dockets may be more limited than estate files, and documents may require party status, court approval, redaction, or photo ID before release. The fee schedule also treats adult and minor matters differently, with a much larger advance deposit for adult guardianship or conservatorship.
When searching a guardianship or conservatorship record, avoid assuming that every order or medical detail will be available online. The court may make enough docket information public to identify the case while keeping reports, evaluations, and protected identifiers out of ordinary remote access.
What Probate Records Show
A public Greene County probate record may show the case number, case type, filing date, party names, petitioner, decedent or protected person, docket entries, orders, hearing settings, bond or fiduciary information, inventories, accountings, claims, distributions, and final orders. Not every field is public in every case. Restricted proceedings may show little more than a docket entry, or they may be unavailable remotely.
Certified probate copies are usually requested when a bank, title company, agency, or other third party needs proof of court authority. Examples include certified letters, a certified order admitting a will, or a certified small estate order. The local fee schedule prices certified copies separately from plain xerox copies.
| Record field | What it can show |
|---|---|
| Case type | Estate, will-only, small estate, trust, guardianship, conservatorship, or minor matter. |
| Fiduciary | Executor, personal representative, guardian, conservator, or trustee named in the file. |
| Docket entries | Chronological filings, hearings, orders, notices, and case events. |
| Inventory or accounting | Property or financial reporting when public and required by the case type. |
| Certified copy marker | Whether a document copy needs clerk certification for official use. |
Restricted Probate Records
Restricted records matter in probate because guardianship, conservatorship, mental-health, minor, adoption, and sealed filings can involve protected personal information. Missouri RSMo 509.520 supports redaction or limiting certain personal identifiers in court filings. The research also notes that court copies may be redacted under local rule or Missouri statutes before release.
Missouri's court-filing redaction statute is an assigned source for probate records access limits.
That rule is especially relevant when a probate file includes protected-person, financial, or identifying details.
Certified copies and older probate files should be requested through the Circuit Clerk process when online access is not enough. A certified copy may be needed for banks, title work, estate administration, proof of appointment, or asset transfer. Plain online docket information usually will not replace a certified court order.
Note: A public case number does not mean every probate document in that case is open for remote viewing.