Stone County Probate Division
Probate is not handled by a separate elected probate court in Stone County. The research map resolves the local probate court as the Probate Division of the Circuit Court. The Stone County Circuit Court page says the Probate Division files and processes adult guardianship and conservatorship, minor guardianship and conservatorship, decedent estates, creditor refusals, spouse refusals, determination of heirship, and 96-hour mental and drug orders.
The Circuit Clerk is the local records custodian for Probate Division filings. Stone County's Circuit Court is at the Stone County Judicial Center, 110 South Maple, P.O. Box 18, Galena, MO 65656. The clerk phone listed for records and payment questions is 417-357-6511, with main court numbers 417-357-6114 and 417-357-6115. Court hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a lunch closure from 12:00 to 12:30.
Probate Division of the Circuit Court
Stone County Judicial Center
110 South Maple, P.O. Box 18
Galena, MO 65656
417-357-6511
M-F 7:30-4:00; lunch closure 12:00-12:30
Stone County Probate Terms
Probate files use words that are not always clear from a docket entry. These definitions keep the common Stone County Probate Division terms separate from the office names and case types.
- Testator
- The person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named to carry out a will, when the will and court authority allow it.
- Intestate
- A death without a will controlling the estate.
- Guardianship
- Court authority to make personal-care decisions for another person.
- Conservatorship
- Court-supervised management of another person's finances.
- Determination of heirship
- A probate proceeding used to identify heirs when estate title or transfer issues require it.
Search Stone County Probate Records
Public probate case information should be searched first through Missouri Case.net when the case is public. Stone County's Case.net description says public case information can identify parties, attorneys, actions taken, and documents filed. If the probate matter is restricted, old, or copy-specific, the practical channel is the Circuit Clerk.
- Search Case.net by name, case number, filing date, or scheduled hearing when probate case details are public.
- Limit the search to Stone County or the 39th Judicial Circuit if the system asks for court or circuit.
- Review the public docket for estate, guardianship, heirship, refusal, or other probate case events.
- Contact the Circuit Clerk for certified copies, authentication, copy fees, or files not visible online.
- For real-property transfers tied to small estates, also check whether a probate affidavit or clerk certificate was recorded with the Recorder of Deeds.
Note: Probate access can be narrower for minor, guardianship, mental-health, and other sensitive proceedings.
Stone County Probate Fees
The Stone County probate cost sheet is unusually detailed and was effective July 1, 2021 in the research file. Fees vary by filing type. A small estate with no will is not priced the same as a small estate with a will, and guardianship cases use their own fees. Inventory fees are separate when the estate inventory value reaches listed ranges.
| Probate item | Fee |
|---|---|
| File will with court | $6.50; no charge to banks |
| Admit will to probate, no administration | $73.50 |
| Small estate, no will | $73.50 |
| Small estate, with will | $108.50 |
| Determination of heirship | $73.50 |
| Spousal refusal of letters | $68.50 |
| Creditor refusal of letters | $68.50 |
| Decedent estate without will | $153.50 |
| Decedent estate with will | $188.50 |
| Adult guardian/conservator | $113.50 |
| Minor guardian/conservator | $198.50 |
| Authenticated copy | $5.00 |
| Copies | $1.00 per page |
| Certification | $1.75 per page |
Stone County Small Estates
RSMo 473.097 governs Missouri small-estate affidavits. The statute says the clerk's certificate is attached to the affidavit and shows the names and addresses of persons entitled to the property. Copies are filed in the probate division. If real property is involved, distributees may file a copy of the affidavit and clerk certificate in the recorder's office of each county where the real property is located.
For property value over $15,000, the clerk must cause notice to creditors to be published in a qualified newspaper once a week for two consecutive weeks, and proof of publication must be filed not later than ten days after publication is completed. Stone County's probate fee table separately lists affidavit to establish title, small estate, with and without a will.
The Missouri small-estate affidavit statute is the manifest source for this probate image.
The statute explains why a Stone County small-estate record may appear both in Probate Division files and, for real property, in Recorder records.
Probate Inventory Fees
Stone County lists inventory fees by estate inventory value. These fees are separate from the base filing fees shown above. The schedule starts at $50,001, so the fee depends on the filed inventory value rather than a flat case-opening amount.
| Estate inventory value | Inventory fee |
|---|---|
| $50,001-$100,000 | $50 |
| $100,001-$150,000 | $100 |
| $150,001-$200,000 | $150 |
| $200,001-$250,000 | $200 |
| $250,001-$300,000 | $250 |
| $300,001-$350,000 | $300 |
| $350,001-$400,000 | $350 |
| $400,001-$450,000 | $400 |
| $450,001 or more | $450 |
What Probate Records Show
Stone County probate records may show the case number, filing date, estate name, interested persons, petitions, orders, letters, affidavits, inventories, accountings, refusals, heirship findings, and copy or certification activity. Public Case.net entries may identify parties, attorneys, actions taken, and documents filed, while document access can vary by security level and record type.
| Field or Document | What It Can Show |
|---|---|
| Decedent estate file | Estate opening, will status, administration type, filings, orders, and closing events. |
| Will filing | A will filed with the court, with or without administration depending on the case. |
| Guardianship or conservatorship | Personal-care or financial-management authority, often with restricted access when sensitive. |
| Refusal of letters | Spousal or creditor refusal filings listed by Stone County's Probate Division. |
| Determination of heirship | Court findings used to identify heirs for estate or title purposes. |
| 96-hour mental or drug orders | Sensitive probate division matters that should not be treated as ordinary public lookup records. |
Restricted Probate Records
Not every Stone County probate record is a public file. Guardianship, conservatorship, minor records, mental-health orders, and 96-hour drug or mental proceedings may have restricted access. Juvenile-related records are also restricted under Missouri law and should not be described as ordinary public court records.
The Missouri juvenile court confidentiality statute is one of the manifest sources assigned to Stone County probate records.
That confidentiality rule helps explain why some minor or juvenile-linked matters do not appear like ordinary estate dockets.
Probate and Federal Records
Most Stone County probate matters stay in the Probate Division of the Circuit Court. Federal bankruptcy records are different. A probate estate, heir, or creditor issue can sometimes require review of separate federal bankruptcy material, but that does not make the bankruptcy docket a Stone County probate record. PACER is the federal docket-access system for federal courts.
The PACER lookup for Missouri Western Bankruptcy Court is the federal-record source assigned to Stone County probate records.
Use federal bankruptcy lookup only for federal case records; Stone County probate copies still come from the local Circuit Clerk.