Andrew County Probate Division
Probate in Andrew County is a division of the Andrew County Circuit Court. The same courthouse and Circuit Clerk office route probate filings, copy requests, and docket questions. The local court staff list assigns probate and juvenile matters to Heather Cook, while the Fifth Judicial Circuit schedule says the Probate Division calls its docket every Monday and Friday. That schedule is useful when a family is trying to match a pending estate or guardianship filing to a court date.
Andrew County probate records cover more than a will. The research source lists wills, applications for letters with or without a will, small estates, refusals of letters, guardianships, conservatorships, determinations of heirship, trust estates, discovery of assets, dispense-with-administration filings, will contests, settlements, and will deposits. Some of those files are routine estate matters. Others involve minors, protected adults, or private financial and medical facts, so public access can be narrower than it is for an ordinary civil case.
Probate Division of the Andrew County Circuit Court
411 Court Street
Savannah, MO 64485
816-324-3921 Ext. 1
Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Andrew County Circuit Clerk
P.O. Box 318
Savannah, MO 64485
816-324-3921 Ext. 1
Fax: 816-324-3191
Andrew County Probate Terms
Probate filings use short terms that can change what office action is needed. The terms below track the way Andrew County probate records are described in the court research and help separate estate cases from guardianship or conservatorship cases.
- Testator
- A person who made a will before death.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to carry out estate duties, if the court grants authority.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will, so estate authority is handled under Missouri law.
- Guardianship
- Court authority over personal care for a minor or other ward.
- Conservatorship
- Court authority over money or property for a protected person.
A small estate is a shorter process for qualifying estates. Missouri's small estate affidavit statute is the state-law reference in the research file, but the local Probate Division still controls the filing, fees, and case handling for Andrew County probate records.
Search Andrew County Probate Cases
Andrew County does not publish a probate-only database. Public probate case information is searched through Missouri Case.net when the case is public and indexed for remote access. Case.net may show the court, case number, parties, docket entries, hearings, judgments, and some payment or filing details. It should not be treated as a full document download system for every probate file.
- Search Case.net by case number or litigant name when the estate name, protected person, or party name is known.
- Check the court and division shown in the result to confirm that the matter belongs to Andrew County and the Probate Division.
- Review docket entries for hearing dates, filing events, letters, settlements, or orders that are public.
- Contact the Circuit Clerk for certified copies, older files, confidential items, or documents not available for remote viewing.
The official court access material notes that remote public access is broader than it once was, but confidential information remains protected. Probate files can include financial account details, minor names, medical material, protected addresses, and other information that may be redacted or withheld. For a certified probate record, the clerk copy process matters more than the online search screen.
The manifest source for Missouri juvenile confidentiality law is relevant where a probate-related guardianship or juvenile matter includes protected child information.
That statute is a reminder that some Andrew County probate records are public in part, while child-related court and social records may require a court order or statutory authority.
Andrew County Probate Fees
The Fifth Judicial Circuit cost schedule gives Andrew County probate filing deposits and probate copy-related fees. Publication costs cannot be e-filed, so an estate that needs publication may require separate handling. The fee page also notes an added clerk fee on decedent estates when the final inventory value is more than $50,000, plus a $10 added clerk fee for each citation issued by the court on deceased, guardian, and conservator estates.
| Probate item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Guardianship or conservatorship, adult | $108.50 |
| Guardianship or conservatorship, minor | $93.50 |
| Guardianship publication | $165 |
| Small estate with will | $110.50 |
| Small estate without will | $65.50 |
| Application for letters with will | $183.50 |
| Application for letters without will | $148.50 |
| Application for probate of will or admitting will | $65.50 |
| Will deposit for living person | $6.50 |
| Petition to contest a will | $93.50 |
| Adult annual settlement | $30/year |
| Minor annual settlement | $25/year |
Copy fees use the court copy schedule when the Circuit Clerk has custody. Photocopies are $2.50 for the first 10 pages and $0.10 per page after that. Certified copies are $2.50 per certification up to two pages per document, with regular copy charges added for later pages.
Andrew County Estate Paths
The first probate question is whether the matter needs formal letters or can use a narrower path. Andrew County fee entries show several choices: small estate with will, small estate without will, refusal of letters, dispense with administration, determination of heirship, trust estate, and formal letters with or without a will. Each path has a different filing deposit and may require different proof.
| Path | When it may appear | Local handling point |
|---|---|---|
| Small estate | Estate may qualify for an affidavit process | File through Probate Division |
| Refusal of letters | Creditor, spouse, or unmarried minor child seeks limited authority | Fee schedule lists $65.50 |
| Formal letters | Estate needs a personal representative | With will or without will fees differ |
| Will contest | A party challenges a will | Must be filed in the Circuit Clerk's office |
The public probate record may show which path was filed, but it may not show all exhibits, inventories, accountings, or private details online. A docket entry is a record of court activity. It is not the same as the full case file.
The manifest source for RSMo 473.097 small estate affidavits supports the small-estate route used in Missouri probate matters.
Small estate filings are still local court filings, so Andrew County probate records should be confirmed with the Circuit Clerk before relying on an online entry.
Restricted Andrew County Probate Records
Guardianship, conservatorship, juvenile, and mental-health-related material can include facts that are not open for broad public inspection. The research file flags juvenile court records as the clearest restricted category under Missouri law. It also warns that Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, minor names, medical details, protected addresses, and sealed documents may be withheld or redacted.
For Andrew County probate records, this means a search result may confirm that a case exists while the most sensitive filing is not available to the general public. A party, attorney, guardian, personal representative, or person with court authority may have access that a general viewer does not. The Circuit Clerk is the practical place to ask what copy can be issued and whether a court order is needed.
Note: Probate records involving minors or protected persons may be partly public, partly redacted, or fully restricted depending on the filing.