GuidesWashington

How to find probate leads in Washington

When an owner dies, their house may pass through probate in the county's superior court. The case is public, and once the court appoints a personal representative, the case documents name them. Here is how the process works in Washington and where to find the records.

Updated October 4, 2026 · Checked against the sources listed at the end

Where probate is filed

Every Washington county's superior court has original jurisdiction over probate (RCW 11.96A.040). A case is opened in the county's superior court, so probate records are county court records.

If there is a will, the person holding it must deliver it to the court within 30 days of learning of the death (RCW 11.20.010). The case is opened with an application to probate the will and for letters testamentary (RCW 11.20.020). If there is no will, someone petitions in writing, under oath, for letters of administration (RCW 11.28.110). Either way, the court appoints a personal representative to run the estate.

The dates that follow an appointment

Within 20 days of being appointed, the personal representative must send written notice of the appointment and the pendency of the probate to every heir, legatee and devisee, and file proof of it in the case (RCW 11.28.237).

Notice to creditors is published once a week for three successive weeks in a legal newspaper in the county (RCW 11.40.020). A creditor generally has four months from the first publication to present a claim (RCW 11.40.051). A creditor who was served or mailed the notice has until the later of 30 days after that notice or four months after first publication (RCW 11.40.030).

Who can sell the house, and how

A personal representative can ask the court for nonintervention powers, with or without a will (RCW 11.68.011). The court may grant them if the estate is solvent and doing so is in the best interests of the beneficiaries and creditors. With them, the personal representative can administer the estate without court supervision (RCW 11.68.085), including selling the estate's real property without a court order (RCW 11.68.090).

Without nonintervention powers, an estate's property can only be sold under an order of the court (RCW 11.56.010), after a petition, notice and hearing.

For a buyer, that means the person to talk to is the personal representative named in the case, and whether a sale needs court approval depends on the powers the court granted.

How to look up probate filings

Washington Courts' public case search covers cases filed in the state's municipal, district, superior and appellate courts. Most superior courts' documents are reached through the Odyssey Portal, which requires an account. King and Pierce counties run their own records portals; King County's court documents are on the KC Script Portal.

The case index tells you a case exists; the documents tell you who the personal representative is and what powers they hold. The state's case search itself says it can't guarantee its records are complete and that you should view the court record.

Working probate leads responsibly

A probate filing usually means a family has just lost someone. Contact the personal representative, keep it brief and respectful, and follow the outreach rules that apply to you.

BridgeLeads reads probate filings from each connected county's records on the schedule you set and matches them to the property, so you see new cases without searching every county's portal.

Where BridgeLeads reads probate filings today

The live list changes as counties are connected; each county page says which sources it reads.

Sources

This guide is general information about Washington law as of October 4, 2026, not legal advice. Statutes change and every case has its own facts; check the current text of each source and talk to a Washington attorney before relying on it. More about how BridgeLeads works is on the About page.