Reference table · all 51 jurisdictions
Small-estate procedure, side by side.
Browse by state
Jump to your state
Search or filter by threshold band, then open a state for the full procedure. Or scroll on for the sortable side-by-side table.
- ALMid
Alabama
$37,075
- AKMid
Alaska
$50,000
- AZHigh
Arizona
$200,000
- ARHigh
Arkansas
$100,000
- CAHigh
California
$208,850
- COMid
Colorado
$86,000
- CTMid
Connecticut
$40,000
- DEMid
Delaware
$30,000
- DCMid
District of Columbia
$80,000
- FLMid
Florida
$75,000
- GAStructural
Georgia
Structural test
- HIHigh
Hawaii
$100,000
- IDHigh
Idaho
$100,000
- ILHigh
Illinois
$150,000
- INHigh
Indiana
$100,000
- IAMid
Iowa
$50,000
- KSMid
Kansas
$75,000
- KYMid
Kentucky
$30,000
- LAHigh
Louisiana
$125,000
- MEMid
Maine
$51,100
- MDMid
Maryland
$50,000
- MAMid
Massachusetts
$25,000
- MIMid
Michigan
$51,000
- MNMid
Minnesota
$75,000
- MSMid
Mississippi
$75,000
- MOMid
Missouri
$40,000
- MTHigh
Montana
$100,000
- NEHigh
Nebraska
$100,000
- NVMid
Nevada
$25,000
- NHStructural
New Hampshire
Structural test
- NJLow
New Jersey
$20,000
- NMMid
New Mexico
$50,000
- NYMid
New York
$50,000
- NCLow
North Carolina
$20,000
- NDHigh
North Dakota
$100,000
- OHMid
Ohio
$35,000
- OKMid
Oklahoma
$50,000
- ORMid
Oregon
$75,000
- PAMid
Pennsylvania
$50,000
- RILow
Rhode Island
$15,000
- SCMid
South Carolina
$25,000
- SDHigh
South Dakota
$100,000
- TNMid
Tennessee
$50,000
- TXMid
Texas
$75,000
- UTHigh
Utah
$100,000
- VTMid
Vermont
$45,000
- VAMid
Virginia
$75,000
- WAHigh
Washington
$100,000
- WVMid
West Virginia
$50,000
- WIMid
Wisconsin
$50,000
- WYHigh
Wyoming
$400,000
Color is by threshold tightness — not by “good” or “bad.” A low threshold simply means a different procedure.
Full comparison
Every jurisdiction, sortable
Click a column heading to re-sort. Two states (Georgia, New Hampshire) gate eligibility on a structural test rather than a dollar figure, and they sort to the end of the threshold column.
| Real property | Court | Statute | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama AL | $37,075 | 30 days | No | Probate Court | Ala. Code § 43-2-692 |
| Alaska AK | $50,000 personal + $100,000 real | 30 days | No | Superior Court | AS § 13.16.680 |
| Arizona AZ | $200,000 personal + $300,000 real | 30 days | Separate cap | Superior Court | A.R.S. § 14-3971 |
| Arkansas AR | $100,000 | 45 days | Yes | Circuit Court | Ark. Code § 28-41-101 |
| California CA | $208,850 personal · $69,425 real · $750,000 residence | 40 days | Separate cap | Superior Court | Cal. Prob. Code § 13100 |
| Colorado CO | $86,000 | 10 days | No | District Court | C.R.S. § 15-12-1201 |
| Connecticut CT | $40,000 | 30 days | No | Probate Court | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-273 |
| Delaware DE | $30,000 | 30 days | No | Register of Wills | 12 Del. C. § 2306 |
| District of Columbia DC | $80,000 | None | No | Probate Division | D.C. Code § 20-351 |
| Florida FL | $75,000 | None | Yes | Circuit Court | Fla. Stat. § 735.201 |
| Georgia GA | Structural test | — | Yes | Probate Court | O.C.G.A. § 53-2-40 |
| Hawaii HI | $100,000 | None | No | Circuit Court | HRS § 560:3-1201 |
| Idaho ID | $100,000 | 30 days | No | Magistrate Division of the District Court | Idaho Code § 15-3-1201 |
| Illinois IL | $150,000 | None | No | Circuit Court | 755 ILCS 5/25-1 |
| Indiana IN | $100,000 | 45 days | No | Circuit Court | Ind. Code § 29-1-8-1 |
| Iowa IA | $50,000 | 40 days | No | District Court | Iowa Code § 633.356 |
| Kansas KS | $75,000 | None | No | District Court | K.S.A. § 59-1507b |
| Kentucky KY | $30,000 | None | No | District Court | KRS § 395.455 |
| Louisiana LA | $125,000 | None | Yes | District Court | La. C.C.P. art. 3431 |
| Maine ME | $51,100 | 30 days | No | Probate Court | 18-C M.R.S. § 3-1201 |
| Maryland MD | $50,000 · $100,000 spouse | None | No | Register of Wills ; Orphans' Court | Md. Est. & Trusts § 5-601 |
| Massachusetts MA | $25,000 | 30 days | No | Probate & Family Court | M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-1201 |
| Michigan MI | $51,000 | 28 days | No | Probate Court | MCL § 700.3982 |
| Minnesota MN | $75,000 | 30 days | No | District Court | Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201 |
| Mississippi MS | $75,000 | 30 days | No | Chancery Court | Miss. Code § 91-7-322 |
| Missouri MO | $40,000 | 30 days | Yes | Circuit Court | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.097 |
| Montana MT | $100,000 | 30 days | No | District Court | Mont. Code § 72-3-1101 |
| Nebraska NE | $100,000 personal + $100,000 real | 30 days | Separate cap | County Court | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-24,125 |
| Nevada NV | $25,000 · $100,000 spouse | 40 days | No | District Court | NRS § 146.080 |
| New Hampshire NH | Structural test | — | Yes | Circuit Court | RSA § 553:32 |
| New Jersey NJ | $20,000 · $50,000 spouse | None | Yes | Surrogate's Court | N.J.S.A. § 3B:10-3 |
| New Mexico NM | $50,000 | 30 days | No | District Court | NMSA § 45-3-1201 |
| New York NY | $50,000 | None | No | Surrogate's Court | SCPA § 1301 |
| North Carolina NC | $20,000 · $30,000 spouse | 30 days | No | Clerk of Superior Court | N.C.G.S. § 28A-25-1 |
| North Dakota ND | $100,000 | 30 days | No | District Court | N.D.C.C. § 30.1-23-01 |
| Ohio OH | $35,000 · $100,000 spouse | None | Yes | Probate Court | O.R.C. § 2113.03 |
| Oklahoma OK | $50,000 | 10 days | No | District Court | 58 O.S. § 393 |
| Oregon OR | $75,000 personal + $200,000 real | 30 days | Separate cap | Circuit Court | ORS § 114.510 |
| Pennsylvania PA | $50,000 | None | No | Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas | 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 |
| Rhode Island RI | $15,000 | 30 days | No | Probate Court (city/town | R.I.G.L. § 33-24-1 |
| South Carolina SC | $25,000 | 30 days | No | Probate Court | S.C. Code § 62-3-1201 |
| South Dakota SD | $100,000 | 30 days | No | Circuit Court | SDCL § 29A-3-1201 |
| Tennessee TN | $50,000 | 45 days | No | Chancery Court (or Probate Court in counties with one | Tenn. Code §§ 30-4-101 to 30-4-105 |
| Texas TX | $75,000 | 30 days | Homestead only | County Court at Law / Statutory Probate Court | Tex. Est. Code § 205.001 |
| Utah UT | $100,000 | 30 days | No | District Court | Utah Code § 75-3-1201 |
| Vermont VT | $45,000 | 30 days | No | Probate Division of Superior Court | 14 V.S.A. § 1902 |
| Virginia VA | $75,000 | 60 days | No | Circuit Court | Va. Code § 64.2-601 |
| Washington WA | $100,000 | 40 days | No | Superior Court | RCW § 11.62.010 |
| West Virginia WV | $50,000 personal + $100,000 real | 30 days | Separate cap | County Commission | W. Va. Code § 44-1A-1 |
| Wisconsin WI | $50,000 | None | No | Circuit Court | Wis. Stat. § 867.03 |
| Wyoming WY | $400,000 | 30 days | Yes | District Court | Wyo. Stat. § 2-1-205 |