Ste. Genevieve County Probate Court
The local probate venue is the Probate Division of the Ste. Genevieve County Circuit Court. Probate filings are handled through the Circuit Clerk at 55 South 3rd Street, Room 23, Ste. Genevieve, Missouri 63670. The official Circuit Clerk page states that the office maintains probate filings and records, along with civil, criminal, and juvenile court filings. Local 24th Judicial Circuit rules assign all probate cases filed in Ste. Genevieve County to Division 7, the same local associate division that handles other high-volume county matters.
Probate records are not limited to a will after death. A Ste. Genevieve County probate file can involve a decedent estate, small estate, will deposit, will admission, guardianship, conservatorship, petition to determine heirship, petition to compel administration, or annual reports. The Public Administrator can become involved when the Probate Court appoints that office to serve as guardian or conservator for a person who lacks an available family member. The Public Administrator then reports to the Probate Court and Social Security Administration on clients' financial and physical well-being.
Probate Division of the Circuit Court
55 South 3rd Street, Room 23
Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670
573-883-2705 ext. 1
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Public Administrator
55 South Third Street, Room 21
Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670
573-883-7560 ext. 7
May serve when appointed by the Probate Court
Ste. Genevieve Probate Terms
Probate records use short labels that can change the meaning of a file. A small estate is not the same as a full decedent estate, and a guardianship is not the same as a conservatorship. These basic terms help read a Ste. Genevieve County probate case without treating the docket as legal advice.
- Testator
- The person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to carry out the estate plan after death.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will controlling the estate.
- Guardianship
- A probate case about personal care, safety, housing, or medical decision authority.
- Conservatorship
- A probate case about managing money, property, accounts, or financial affairs.
- Letters
- Court authority issued to a personal representative, guardian, or conservator.
Search Ste. Genevieve Probate Records
Public probate case records may be searched through Missouri Case.net when the file is available in the court system and not restricted. Narrow the search to Ste. Genevieve County - 24th Judicial Circuit when possible. A case number is best. A party name can work for a personal representative, decedent, guardian, conservator, or interested person, but name searches can be broad and may include non-probate matters unless the county and year are used.
The Circuit Clerk is the access channel for older probate files, certified probate copies, original-will questions, sealed or restricted matters, and probate files that do not display online. Probate is a court record route, so requests should not be sent to the Recorder of Deeds unless the need is a recorded land document or certified marriage copy. For marriage and divorce records, the split is also important: marriage licenses are Recorder records, while divorce cases are Circuit Clerk court records.
- Search Case.net by case number when the probate case number is known.
- For a name search, choose Ste. Genevieve County - 24th Judicial Circuit and add a filing year if known.
- Review the Case Header, parties, docket entries, hearings, letters, and final orders when visible.
- Call or visit the Circuit Clerk for certified copies, older files, original wills, or restricted-document questions.
- Confirm whether guardianship, conservatorship, medical, disability, or minor details are restricted before relying on a public result.
Ste. Genevieve Probate Fees
The official Ste. Genevieve County filing-fee schedule lists detailed probate amounts. These are filing fees, not a complete price list for every copy, mailing, publication, or service need. A person filing an estate, guardianship, conservatorship, will matter, or related petition should confirm the current amount with the Circuit Clerk before filing because fees can change after a schedule is published.
| Probate filing | Fee |
|---|---|
| Decedent estate | $143.50 |
| Decedent estate with will | $178.50 |
| Small estate | $63.50 |
| Small estate with will | $98.50 |
| Amended small estate | $35.00 |
| Reopen estate | $43.00 |
| Adult guardianship/conservatorship | $103.50 |
| Minor guardianship/conservatorship | $88.50 |
| Minor annual fee | $25.00 |
| Refusals creditor/spousal/minor child | $63.50 |
| Order dispensing with conservatorship | $40.00 |
| Petition to compel administration | $63.50 |
| Petition to determine heirship | $63.50 |
| Will deposit | $3.00 |
| Will admission | $63.50 |
| Disabled annual fee | $30.00 |
| Miscellaneous probate | $63.50 |
What Ste. Genevieve Probate Shows
A probate record can show the petition or application that opened the case, the will or codicil, letters testamentary or letters of administration, inventory, notices to creditors, claims, accountings, heirship orders, guardianship reports, conservator accountings, annual reports, orders, and final settlement. The public docket may also show hearing dates, filing dates, parties, attorney information when public, and the assigned division.
| Probate field or document | What it may show |
|---|---|
| Case number | The court file number used for Case.net, clerk requests, and filings. |
| Case type | Estate, small estate, guardianship, conservatorship, will, heirship, or related filing. |
| Parties | Decedent, petitioner, personal representative, guardian, conservator, ward, or interested person. |
| Letters | Court authority granted to act for an estate or protected person. |
| Inventory/accounting | Assets, receipts, disbursements, or property reports when available and not restricted. |
| Orders | Judicial decisions, appointments, approvals, denials, and final settlement entries. |
Guardianship and conservatorship records need extra care because they can contain medical, financial, disability, and minor information. A docket may be public while reports, exhibits, and supporting documents are closed or redacted. That distinction is common in probate and should be confirmed before assuming a full file can be copied.
Ste. Genevieve Guardianship Records
The Public Administrator, Amanda Kuehn, may serve when appointed by the Probate Court as guardian or conservator and no family member can serve. Her office is listed at 55 South Third Street, Room 21, with phone 573-883-7560 ext. 7. The research notes that the Public Administrator reports yearly to the Probate Court and Social Security Administration on clients' financial and physical well-being and is on call around the clock. That role is tied to the court appointment, not to general private legal advice.
For guardianship and conservatorship files, the access question is often narrower than "is there a case?" The public may be able to confirm a case or some court events while protected-person reports, accountings, health details, and financial exhibits remain restricted. The Circuit Clerk should be used for filing and copy logistics, while legal counsel or court-approved forms should be used for eligibility and authority questions.
Probate vs Bankruptcy Records
Probate and bankruptcy can both involve assets, debts, notices, creditors, and court filings, but they are different court systems. Ste. Genevieve County probate records are state Circuit Court records. Bankruptcy records are federal records handled by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, with CM/ECF, PACER, and McVCIS access routes. A decedent estate belongs in the Probate Division. A bankruptcy case belongs in the federal bankruptcy court.
The Eastern District of Missouri Bankruptcy Court homepage is the federal source for bankruptcy matters that are sometimes confused with probate debts or assets.
That federal homepage is useful when a debt or asset issue is bankruptcy, not a Ste. Genevieve County Probate Division case.
The bankruptcy court information and McVCIS page lists bankruptcy court contact and access details.
McVCIS and federal help desk routes should not be used for local estate or guardianship filings at the Circuit Clerk.
The PACER court lookup reference identifies the Missouri Eastern Bankruptcy court for federal electronic records.
PACER is the federal search route, while Case.net and the Circuit Clerk remain the state probate access route for Ste. Genevieve County.
Restricted Ste. Genevieve Probate Records
Probate access is not all-or-nothing. Decedent estate dockets and many estate filings may be public, while guardianship, conservatorship, medical, disability, financial, adoption-related, minor, and sealed information can be restricted. The Public Administrator's annual reporting role also signals that some probate files contain sensitive financial and health information. Public access may show that a case exists without allowing every report or exhibit to be copied.
When a probate search does not show the expected result, use the fallback chain: search by case number or name in Case.net, narrow to Ste. Genevieve County - 24th Judicial Circuit, contact the Circuit Clerk for older or non-digitized files, and ask whether the document is restricted. Note: Original will and certified-copy questions should be confirmed with the Circuit Clerk before making legal or financial decisions from a docket entry.