2026 Statutory Data — All 50 States
Real creditor notice periods, court appointment times, and simplified estate thresholds — sourced from actual 2026 state statutes, not national averages.
Every U.S. state has its own probate code with deadlines baked into law. The single biggest variable is the creditor notice period — the mandatory window during which creditors can file claims. Texas allows just 60 days. New York requires 7 months. New Jersey gives creditors 9 months from the date of death. These windows cannot be shortened by agreement.
On top of statutory minimums, court backlogs add real time. California's Superior Courts in Los Angeles report 12–18 month timelines for simple estates in 2026, driven by a documented staffing shortage in court clerk positions identified by a 2026 Thomson Reuters Institute survey.
The good news: if your estate qualifies for simplified or summary administration, you can bypass full probate entirely — often settling in 4–8 weeks. Oregon's combined threshold ($275,000) and Wyoming's ($200,000) mean most estates in those states never see a courtroom.