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District of Columbia estate administration

District of Columbia probate: rules, process, costs, executor fees and deadlines

Small-estate limit: $80,000

That figure applies to deaths on or after March 21, 2025. District of Columbia sets this ceiling by the decedent’s date of death, so an earlier death is measured against a different amount.

This guide explains probate in District of Columbia: The District of Columbia handles every estate in one court, the Probate Division of the D.C. Superior Court, through the Register of Wills. Even a small estate is opened by a short court proceeding, and court costs follow a value-banded court-rule schedule that leaves real property out of the value.

Sources reviewed October 3, 2026.

Answer first

District of Columbia simplified probate route

Up to $80,000; waiting period not verified. Source: D.C. Code § 20-351.

Small estate proceeding (D.C. Code §§ 20-351 to 20-356)

Screen a specific District of Columbia estate with the calculators on the small-estate page and the executor-fee page, or compare states in the full estate navigator.

What the reviewed rules establish

Simplified route

$80,000

Small estate proceeding (D.C. Code §§ 20-351 to 20-356); waiting period not verified.

Eligibility and caveats

Executor compensation

Court-reviewed

No percentage schedule; the court decides what is reasonable. Source: D.C. Code § 20-751.

Compensation detail

District of Columbia decision map

The four facts that change the District of Columbia route

Each District of Columbia answer below links to the page that sets out its source.

QuestionRecorded District of Columbia answer
What route is being screened?Small estate proceeding (D.C. Code §§ 20-351 to 20-356)
What property and basis count?probate property within the rule's stated scope; gross value for this route.
What is the amount screen?$80,000 for deaths on or after March 21, 2025
What is the time or deadline record?No waiting-period number verified; creditor deadlines: separate clocks by triggering event
What does the cost record establish?1 published schedule; the proceeding and value basis control the total.
What does compensation use?Reasonable compensation set by the court, measured on the estate accounting.

Limits and unresolved costs

  • The date-of-death split rests on temporary law. D.C. Law 26-164 applies the $80,000 limit to deaths on or after March 21, 2025, and the temporary amendments expire on March 27, 2027 unless the Council makes them permanent. Deaths after March 21, 2025 are under the $80,000 limit either way; the band edge must be re-checked before that date.
  • The court's own Small Estates page and its small-estate petition form still describe a $40,000 limit, although D.C. Code § 20-351 has read $80,000 since March 21, 2025. If the estate is between $40,000 and $80,000, confirm the current form with the Register of Wills before filing.
  • D.C. Code § 20-361 adds a separate out-of-court affidavit route for estates up to $40,000, measured net of liens on the whole estate, only where there is no real property and at least 60 days have passed since death. The calculator screens the court small-estate proceeding, not this route.

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What District of Columbia courts publish

Every link is probed before each release.

Limits on court material

  • The District is a single jurisdiction: one Probate Division of the Superior Court, with the Register of Wills, handles every estate, so there is no county variation.
  • The court's small-estate web page and petition form still state the older $40,000 limit even though D.C. Code § 20-351 has read $80,000 since March 21, 2025; the Probate Division hub states $80,000.

District of Columbia primary sources

Every quotation, edition label and machine check is on the District of Columbia source record.

District of Columbia record: 12/12 verified, 39 matched checks, latest source re-fetch October 3, 2026. Source record · method · report a correction