Search Boone County Probate Court Records

Boone County probate court records are filed with the Circuit Court's dedicated Probate Division in Columbia, Missouri, serving the 13th Judicial Circuit. This page explains how to search for estate filings, guardianship cases, conservatorship proceedings, and related probate documents online through Missouri Case.net or in person at the Boone County courthouse in Columbia.

Boone County Circuit Court Probate Division

Boone County is one of Missouri's larger counties and home to the University of Missouri. The Circuit Court maintains a dedicated Probate Division within the 13th Judicial Circuit to handle the volume of estate, guardianship, and conservatorship cases that come from the county's large and growing population. Circuit Clerk Christy Blakemore oversees the courthouse office in Columbia, which handles all probate filings and public records requests.

The Probate Division in Boone County operates separately from the general civil and criminal divisions of the circuit court. It has its own phone line for probate-specific inquiries at (573) 886-4517. This dedicated division can handle estate matters more efficiently and staff can provide more specialized guidance on probate procedures. All Boone County probate records are maintained at the courthouse on E. Walnut Street in Columbia.

The court handles estate administration, small estate affidavits, guardianship petitions, conservatorship cases, will filings, and related proceedings. Full estate filings cost approximately $155.50 and small estate affidavits cost about $65.50 to $75.00. The office is open weekdays from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, one of the longer business day windows among Missouri county courts.

Visit courts.mo.gov for general Missouri circuit court information and Case.net access. For county government context, see mocounties.com.

How to Search Boone County Probate Court Records

Missouri Case.net at courts.mo.gov/casenet is the starting point for online searches of Boone County probate records. The system holds over 45 million case records going back to the 1980s. Probate cases filed on or after July 12, 2004 have full access through the portal. Enter names in "LAST, FIRST MIDDLE INITIAL" format and filter by Boone County to narrow results. Because Boone County is one of Missouri's more populous counties, filtering by county is especially important for common names.

Case.net shows who is listed as a party in each case, a chronological docket history, judgment information, and any upcoming hearings. It is an index system. Since July 1, 2023, documents filed on or after that date can be viewed and downloaded from personal devices remotely through Case.net. Documents filed before that date can only be viewed at courthouse public access terminals in Columbia or obtained by visiting the clerk's office in person during business hours.

For in-person research at the Boone County courthouse, bring a valid photo ID. Staff at the Probate Division can search records by party name or case number. Standard document copies cost $0.25 per page. Certified copies are available at a higher rate. Call (573) 886-4517 for the current certified copy fee and to confirm record availability before visiting. The Columbia courthouse is in a busy downtown area, so parking ahead of time can save frustration.

For Case.net technical issues, the OSCA Help Desk is available at (888) 541-4894 on weekdays from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM CST. The Missouri Courts website at courts.mo.gov also provides guidance on using the Case.net system and understanding docket entries.

Note: Case.net's "Track This Case" feature lets you sign up for email alerts about new docket activity in any specific Boone County probate case.

Types of Probate Cases in Boone County

The Boone County Probate Division handles estate administration, guardianship, conservatorship, and will-related proceedings. Given the county's size and population, the volume of cases is higher than most rural Missouri counties. Estate administration is the most common matter. When a Boone County resident dies owning property in their name, the estate may need to go through probate to legally transfer assets to heirs or beneficiaries. A petition is filed, a personal representative is appointed, and creditors receive published notice under Chapter 473 RSMo. Creditors have six months from first publication to file claims.

Guardianship cases in Boone County address situations where someone cannot make personal care decisions independently. This includes minor children without adequate parental care and adults who have become incapacitated due to illness, injury, or age. The court appoints a guardian to make decisions on the person's behalf. Conservatorship cases are similar but focus on managing the person's financial affairs rather than personal care. Under Chapter 475 RSMo, adult respondents must have a court-appointed attorney, and annual reports to the court are required to keep these cases active.

Small estate affidavits are a common filing in Boone County for estates at or below $40,000 under Section 473.097 RSMo. They can be filed 30 days after death and avoid full probate administration. Estates between $15,000 and $40,000 still require a published creditor notice. Will contests and fraud claims may also come before the Boone County probate court. The fraud remedy under Section 472.013 RSMo has a two-year discovery window and a ten-year outer limit against innocent beneficiaries.

Missouri Probate Laws and Boone County Court Records

Missouri's official court portal at courts.mo.gov provides access to Case.net and resources about circuit court procedures across all Missouri counties including Boone County.

The Missouri Revised Statutes governing probate are available at revisor.mo.gov. Chapters 472 through 475 cover all aspects of estate administration, guardianship, and conservatorship that apply in Boone County.

Both resources are free and do not require registration to access.

Fees for Boone County Probate Court Records

Boone County follows Missouri's standard probate fee schedule. A full estate administration petition costs approximately $155.50. A small estate affidavit costs about $65.50 to $75.00. Document copies are $0.25 per page for standard copies. Certified copies are priced higher. Call the Probate Division at (573) 886-4517 to confirm current certified copy rates before visiting.

Personal representative compensation in Boone County follows Section 473.153 RSMo: 5% of the first $5,000, 4% of the next $20,000, 3% of the next $75,000, 2.75% of the next $300,000, 2.5% of the next $600,000, and 2% above $1 million. For larger estates common in Boone County given its higher median income, the sliding scale means the percentage decreases as the estate grows. Attorney fees in probate cases must also be approved by the court. Extraordinary services by the personal representative can justify additional compensation, but court approval is required.

Note: All fees are subject to change. Always confirm the current amount directly with the Boone County clerk before submitting any payment.

Missouri Probate Laws That Govern Boone County Cases

Missouri's probate code applies statewide. For Boone County cases, the key statutes are in Chapters 472, 473, 474, and 475 of the Revised Statutes at revisor.mo.gov.

Chapter 472 RSMo covers general probate provisions including definitions, court jurisdiction, and records rules. Section 472.280 permits records to be kept in electronic formats, which supports Case.net. Section 472.013 allows injured parties to seek relief from probate fraud within two years of discovery, with a hard cap of ten years against innocent beneficiaries. Chapter 473 RSMo governs estate administration from petition through final settlement. Annual accounts are due on the anniversary of the personal representative's appointment. Final settlement must happen within six months and ten days after first publication of creditor notice.

Chapter 474 RSMo governs intestate succession when a Boone County resident dies without a will. Spouses and children inherit first. If no spouse or children survive, property passes to more distant relatives under the statutory order. Chapter 475 RSMo covers guardianship and conservatorship cases, including the annual reporting requirement and the need for court-appointed attorneys for adult respondents. Missouri Supreme Court Operating Rule 2.02 establishes that Boone County probate records are presumed open to any member of the public.

Public Access to Boone County Probate Records

Boone County probate records are open to the public under Missouri Court Operating Rule 2.02. Any person may request to view or copy them. You do not need to give a reason, and you do not need to be related to the parties or involved in the case.

There are exceptions. Sealed cases, expunged records, juvenile cases, and mental health cases are not publicly accessible. For open records, filers must remove Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, financial account numbers, dates of birth, and names of known minors before submitting documents to the court. Boone County court staff do not screen documents for redaction compliance before accepting them. Filers bear full responsibility for proper redaction. If you encounter unredacted private information in a record you receive, contact the Probate Division at (573) 886-4517 to report it.

Remote access applies to Boone County documents filed on or after July 1, 2023. Older documents require a visit to the Columbia courthouse. Given Boone County's busy Probate Division, calling ahead to confirm record availability is recommended before making a courthouse visit.

Historical Boone County Probate Records and State Archives

Boone County probate records go back to the county's early years. The Missouri State Archives at 600 W. Main Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101 holds historical records from Boone County on microfilm. Call (573) 751-3280 or visit sos.mo.gov/archives for research assistance. The Archives research room is open to the public and contains over 65,000 reels of microfilm covering court, land, census, and military records from across Missouri.

Missouri Digital Heritage at sos.mo.gov/mdh provides online access to some digitized collections. The Archives also maintains the Local Records Inventory Database at sos.mo.gov/archives/localrecs, which catalogs the location of permanent local government records from Missouri counties including Boone. This can help you identify where older probate records are held if they are not yet in Case.net or the main microfilm collection.

Legal Help for Probate in Boone County

The Missouri Bar at mobar.org provides a lawyer search tool. Boone County has a substantial legal community given the presence of the University of Missouri School of Law in Columbia. Searching the Bar directory for probate attorneys in the Columbia area or within the 13th Judicial Circuit will return multiple results. Attorneys with experience in the Boone County Probate Division can be especially helpful for contested estate matters, complex guardianship proceedings, or large estate administrations.

Self-help court resources are at courts.mo.gov. The OSCA Help Desk at (888) 541-4894 handles Case.net technical issues weekdays from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM CST. The Missouri Bar's public resources section at mobar.org also provides general information about probate law in Missouri that can help you understand what to expect from the process.

Cities in Boone County

Columbia is the county seat and largest city in Boone County. All probate cases for Boone County residents, including those who live in Columbia, are filed at the Boone County Circuit Court on E. Walnut Street in Columbia.

Other communities in Boone County include Centralia, Ashland, Hallsville, Rocheport, Sturgeon, and Harrisburg. Residents of all these communities file probate matters at the Boone County courthouse in Columbia.

Nearby Counties

These counties are adjacent to Boone County in central Missouri. Each has its own circuit court and probate division.