Reference table · all 51 jurisdictions
Small-estate procedure, side by side.
Each U.S. state, plus the District of Columbia, with the figure that gates the simplified path, any waiting period, how real property is handled, the court of filing, and the governing statute. The table is reference, not legal advice — a state’s page carries the full context, the form citations, and the editorial review notes.
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 | Yes | 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 |
The table consolidates the rows you can drill into individually on each state page. For the full statute citation, the form name and link, the wait-period nuances, and any pending amendments, read the methodology.
Last verified 2026-05-04