Franklin County Probate Court
Probate in Franklin County runs through Idaho's District Court structure, generally in the Magistrate Division rather than a separate stand-alone probate court. The State Court Structure Map identifies the probate court name for this project as the Probate Division of the Magistrate Division / District Court. Franklin County is in Idaho's Sixth Judicial District with Bannock, Bear Lake, Caribou, Oneida, and Power counties.
The Franklin County District and Magistrate Court page places local court operations at 39 West Oneida in Preston. The Magistrate Division handles probate, guardianship, conservatorship, misdemeanor and infraction matters, small claims, family-law matters, and juvenile work. District Court handles larger civil cases, felony criminal matters, appeals from magistrate decisions, and other general-jurisdiction cases.
Franklin County Probate Division
Franklin County District and Magistrate Court
39 West Oneida
Preston, ID 83263
208-852-0877
Franklin County Court Assistance
Franklin County Clerk of the Court
39 W. Oneida
Preston, ID 83263
208-236-7067
Monday-Friday 10:00-4:00 or by appointment
Franklin Probate Terms Defined
Probate records use terms that are easy to confuse. A short definition check helps when reading iCourt events, petitions, orders, and forms for estates or protected persons.
- Testator
- A person who made a will before death.
- Executor
- A person named to carry out a will; Idaho forms and orders may also refer to a personal representative.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, which means estate distribution follows Idaho law and court orders.
- Guardianship
- Court authority over personal care decisions for a minor or incapacitated adult.
- Conservatorship
- Court authority over property or financial decisions for a protected person.
- Probate or Mental Health
- The iCourt hearing filter that groups Franklin probate and mental-health calendars for hearing searches.
Search Franklin County Probate Records
Franklin County probate searches use several channels. The public iCourt tools can show case status and hearing information when the record is public. The court public kiosk is the in-person option when portal details are incomplete. Written clerk requests are used for copies, certified orders, audio, and older files.
The manifest image from the Idaho Court Assistance forms page connects probate research with self-help form categories, including guardianship and conservatorship.
Those forms can help self-represented users start or respond to guardianship and conservatorship matters, but court records still route through iCourt, the kiosk, or clerk request.
| Channel | How to Use It |
|---|---|
| iCourt Smart Search | Search party, decedent, interested-party names, or record number; filter by Franklin County and case type or status if available. |
| iCourt Search Hearings | Select Franklin County and the Franklin - Probate or Mental Health hearing type to find scheduled hearings. |
| Courthouse kiosk | Use the public kiosk at Franklin County Courts, 39 West Oneida, when online search is incomplete. |
| Written request | Use the Franklin County records request form for copies, certified documents, and audio; identify party names, case number, and document title. |
| Older files | Files before October 1, 2018 may require the additional nonrefundable research fee listed on the form. |
What Franklin Probate Covers
Franklin County probate records may include estates, wills filed in probate, guardianships, conservatorships, inventories, accountings, creditor notices, distribution orders, closing documents, and related orders. No separate Franklin County will-safekeeping program was located in the official sources reviewed, so will access should be treated as part of a probate case unless the clerk gives different instructions.
Guardianship and conservatorship records are especially sensitive because they may involve minors, protected adults, health information, or personal financial details. The court page links Idaho Court Assistance forms for guardianship and conservatorship, and the iCourt hearing search groups probate and mental-health hearing types together.
| Record Type | What It May Include |
|---|---|
| Estate case | Petition, appointment of personal representative, notices, inventory, accounting, orders, and closing papers. |
| Will filed in probate | The will, proof documents, and related orders when filed as part of an estate case. |
| Guardianship | Petitions, care authority, reports, orders, and protected-person information subject to access limits. |
| Conservatorship | Property or financial-management authority, inventories, accountings, and court orders. |
| Mental health calendar | Hearing information may be filtered in iCourt, but access can be restricted by court rules and statutes. |
Franklin Probate Copy Fees
Franklin County research did not locate a probate-specific filing-fee schedule. The researched fee schedule for this page is the court records request fee set, which applies when a user needs probate copies, certified documents, hearing audio, or old-file research. Filing fees should be confirmed with the Franklin County court clerk before filing a new estate, guardianship, or conservatorship case.
| Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Probate-specific filing fee schedule | Not located in assigned Franklin County sources; confirm with the clerk before filing. |
| Copy fee through records request form | $1.00 per page |
| Certified document | $2.00 per document |
| Hearing audio | $12.00 on flash drive |
| Older file research | $20.00 nonrefundable fee for files before October 1, 2018 |
Probate Public Record Limits
Probate records are not all open in the same way. Idaho public-record law starts with a presumption of access, but court records are also controlled by ICAR 32 and by court orders that can restrict sealed, exempt, protected-person, mental-health, minor, medical, or financial information. A missing iCourt result does not prove that a Franklin County probate case does not exist.
The manifest image from Idaho Code 74-103 supports the exemption side of Franklin County probate records access.
That exemption framework is why a clerk may provide a docket or order while withholding personal identifiers, sealed filings, or sensitive protected-person details.
Note: Ask the clerk about access when a probate file involves a minor, protected adult, mental-health matter, or sealed document.
Request Certified Probate Orders
Certified probate orders may be needed for banks, land records, agencies, heirs, or a personal representative proving authority. Franklin County's records request form asks for enough detail to locate the case and document. The practical request should include names of parties, the case number if known, and the specific title of the order, letters, decree, or document requested.
- Use iCourt or the courthouse kiosk to identify the Franklin County probate case number and document title.
- Complete the written court records request with names, case number, and the specific probate document needed.
- Mark that certification is needed if the copy must be used with a bank, agency, land record, or other formal recipient.
- Pay the per-page copy fee and certification fee listed on the Franklin County records request form.
- For an older case, expect the pre-October 1, 2018 research fee if the clerk must locate an older file.
Probate, Bankruptcy, and PACER
Federal bankruptcy records are not Franklin County probate records. If an estate, heir, debtor, or creditor issue also has a federal bankruptcy case, that federal docket is searched through PACER or the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Idaho, not iCourt. The nearest federal court information in the research points to District of Idaho federal systems and PACER court lookup pages.
The manifest image from the PACER Idaho Bankruptcy Court lookup shows the separate federal bankruptcy access channel.
PACER is relevant only when the probate question overlaps with a federal bankruptcy case or creditor matter.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Idaho also maintains its own bankruptcy CM/ECF page.
That federal filing system should not be used as a substitute for Franklin County probate case lookup, which remains in the Idaho trial-court channel.