How do I prove adopted-out children are not heirs under intestacy rules? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a child legally adopted by someone else generally does not inherit from a birth parent under intestacy. To exclude adopted-out children as heirs, the administrator should provide reliable proof of each adoption (for example, a…
How do I request bank records to confirm what was in the decedent’s account at death? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, the court-appointed administrator can request a decedent’s bank records by sending each bank a written request with certified Letters of Administration and the death certificate, asking for the date‑of‑death balance, accrued…
What steps do I take to amend my administrator application to list heirs and include a wrongful death claim? – North Carolina Short Answer File a verified amendment with the Clerk of Superior Court to correct the heirs on your application and note the wrongful death claim in the preliminary inventory section. Then file an…
How can I file a zero-dollar inventory when an estate has no probate assets? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, you still must file the 90‑day inventory even if there are no probate assets. Use AOC‑E‑505 and list zero for all probate property; do not include wrongful death proceeds because they are not…
How do I locate and use the original will to open a new probate case in North Carolina? Short Answer In North Carolina, you can open probate for an out‑of‑state will in the Clerk of Superior Court for any county where the decedent owned property. If you have the signed original, you may offer it…
What steps do I need to transfer my deceased parent’s property title through probate? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, you cannot retitle real estate with an unprobated will. You must have the will admitted to probate by the Clerk of Superior Court—either (1) admit the original will in North Carolina, or (2)…
How can I get a decades-old will formally probated in the state where it was filed? – North Carolina Short Answer Under North Carolina law, you have two workable paths. Either (1) have the original state formally probate the will and then file certified copies of that probate in the North Carolina county where the…
Can I start probate in North Carolina without having the will probated in another state? – North Carolina Short Answer Yes. North Carolina allows you to offer an out-of-state will for original probate here without first probating it in the other state. You must file in a North Carolina county where the decedent owned property…
What happens if some owners contest the partition or request the property be divided instead? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a co-owner can ask the Clerk of Superior Court to partition property. If some owners contest a sale and request a physical division, the court must decide whether the land can be…
What steps are involved in petitioning the court to sell inherited property? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a co-owner files a partition proceeding with the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the land sits. The clerk confirms who owns what share, then decides whether the land can be fairly divided…
