Greene County Probate Court

04/23/2026

Check the Facts
Here is a fun fact you may not know. The Ohio Supreme Court actually monitors the performance of courts regularly. All courts are required to compile and report case clearance statistics every quarter. The Case Management Section of the Supreme Court then analyzes the information and compiles the data on a “Dashboard” on the Supreme Court’s website. Here’s the link: https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/courts/services-to-courts/court-services/dashboards/. The information is available for every court.
The Ohio Supreme Court uses this information to determine how well a particular court is functioning. It also provides transparency for the public, enabling citizens to view the true performance of a court using hard data.
As you can see from the graphic below, Greene County Probate Court is doing exceptionally well! Over the past 12 quarters, our court has achieved an average case clearance rate of 102.3% (95% clearance rate is the goal to be considered acceptable). That means Greene County Probate Court is concluding cases faster than new ones are coming in.
You can see that the first quarter of 2026 was our worst quarter in the past few years. We expected that because we were installing a new case management software system, a cumbersome process that resulted in a few scheduling delays and interruption of our ability to enforce timely filing requirements. That is all behind us now, and we are adapting to our new system well.
In December 2023, we engaged the Case Management Section of the Ohio Supreme Court to conduct an operational assessment of our Probate Court. We were seeking guidance on how we could make our court even more efficient. The result was no changes needed and no suggestions for further improvement, except implementation of electronic filing. As a result, we were able to secure a $150,000.00 technology grant from the Ohio Supreme Court to assist in purchasing the new case management system we just finished installing last month. Soon, we will have full-service electronic filing to hopefully improve our performance even more.
None of this happened overnight or by accident. This has been more than a decade-long endeavor. And it has only been possible with the teamwork of our dedicated court staff. Their knowledge of probate and extensive training in court procedures has enabled our court to consistently improve our efficiency and public service. Hats off to our court staff! They are the indispensable backbone of our court.
So, if you are ever curious how our Probate Court is performing, now you know how to check the facts. We’re happy to report we are doing well!

02/27/2026

Please be aware of the upcoming temporary changes in payments and closures listed below. These adjustments will only be in place for a short period while the Probate Court transitions to a new case management system and new payment processor.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience during this transition.

01/25/2026

10/03/2025

The Greene County Probate Court hosted it's annual Probate Court Practicum this morning at Country Club of the North. We had a record turnout this year of over 65 attorneys!

This year's topics included a legislative update, testamentary capacity, real estate title issues in estates and guardianships and a panel discussion on hot topics in probate court.

The Court would like to thank everyone who participated this year, in particular, our presenters. We look forward every year to the opportunity to gather local probate attorneys and share educational topics that are useful and relevant to their practices.

The Court would also like to thank Country Club of the North for hosting this annual event!

05/22/2025

Greene County Probate Court and the Marriage License Bureau will be closed on Monday, May 26, 2025 in observance of Memorial Day.
Thank you to all who have served and sacrificed for this country!

02/14/2025

Greene County Probate Court will be closed on Monday, February 17, 2025 for the President's Day holiday

02/14/2025

Greene County Probate Court is pleased to announce that effective March 1, 2025, it is reducing the court costs for initial filings in most case types in the court. While Greene County’s court costs are already lower than most probate courts in the Miami Valley, this reduction in filing fees is substantial, ranging from 15% to 48% savings.

So how did this come about? Court costs are a complex issue. There are many different components that go into calculating a filing fee, all of which are determined by separate statutes. Some components are mandatory, like the base charge that gets paid back into the County general fund. Other components are discretionary, giving the court flexibility to determine when and how much to charge depending on the court’s needs.

We spend a lot of time each year evaluating our budget to ensure that our charges are in line with our costs to run the court efficiently. Several years ago, we adjusted a few of our discretionary charges to comply with statutory requirements, but those changes did not result in any net increase in our court costs. In fact, our court fees have not increased in the past 15 years. During this year’s budget review, we determined that two of our funds have sufficient reserves to function well for the near future without the addition of more funds.

One of those funds is our Mediation Fund. Mediation is a valuable service that has helped resolve many conflicts in probate court cases. However, expenditures for mediation services in recent years have not exhausted the annual revenue for the Mediation Fund, so there is a surplus that continues to grow. Therefore, the court has decided to suspend collection of mediation fees until such time as the surplus is substantially depleted.

The second fund is our Special Projects Fund. Most recently, this fund has been the primary source for acquiring a new case management, marriage license, and electronic filing software system for the court. The new system should be fully operational in early 2026. We were fortunate to receive a Technology Grant of $150,000.00 from the Ohio Supreme Court, which covered about 40% of the cost for this project. That left a significant reserve in our Special Projects Fund. Since we do not have any other large special project on the horizon, the existing surplus in this fund is sufficient for our needs in the foreseeable future.

The Mediation Fund and the Special Projects Fund will continue to be an important part of our court’s operations. We simply do not believe it is prudent to continue collecting money and accumulating excessive reserves in these funds beyond what we need to function. Instead, we believe it is fiscally responsible to reduce our charges to match our actual current needs.

12/23/2024

Greene County Probate Court will be closing at 3:00 p.m. today, December 23. The Court will be closed tomorrow, December 24, and Wednesday, December 25, for the Christmas Holiday. We will reopen on Thursday, December 26 at 8:00 a.m.
We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday!

11/27/2024