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Intestate Succession – 50 Laws for 50 States

October 18, 2016 by Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

What are the rules? Who gets what? Each state maintains its own laws as to which family members will receive an inheritance from a person who has died “intestate.” 

What does it mean to have “died intestate”?

The person who has died is called “the decedent.” To have “died intestate” means the decedent died without a valid will in place. The decedent’s assets belong to their “estate” until the probate process is complete.

Who gets what when there is no will?

intestate succession by stateThe assets of intestate estates are distributed among heirs according to the appropriate “line of succession.” Laws determining the exact line of succession vary significantly from state to state (reference the chart of intestate succession by state below).

How is the line of sucession for inheritance determined?

Often, identifying and locating individuals within a line of succession can be complex and difficult. Perhaps some of the family members have been estranged for many years and have since had children and died; their identities must be documented as estrangement does not exclude them from legal succession rights. Sometimes, individuals in the line of succession are not even aware of the existence of the decedent. In certain circumstances, persons in the line of succession could be as distantly related as first cousins once or twice removed, or even further distant in states such as Texas.

intestate succession by state

TIP: Right click on this image and select ‘Save image as’ to save this quick reference chart to your desktop.

How can a forensic genealogist help in cases of intestate succession?

intestate succession by stateIn such complex situations, legal professionals rely on the help of professional forensic genealogists. As professional forensic genealogists, we at Legacy Tree Genealogists are not involved in the legal process of declaring a will valid/invalid or adjudicating which family members will actually become beneficiaries and receive an inheritance from the estate, those matters are up to the court to decide.

Our job as professional forensic genealogists at Legacy Tree Genealogists, is to provide evidence of “kinship,” meaning evidence which proves who the family members are according to the appropriate succession line. This is done by gathering documents which will be used as evidence and providing a comprehensive report explaining the findings.

Our unbiased findings and evidence exhibits that will be used in court settings are presented in the form of a notarized sworn affidavit called an Affidavit of Diligent Search for Kinship. The affidavits can also be apostilled for use in courts outside of the United States. For more information about the probate research process and what to expect, review our Forensic & Probate Research FAQs.

Contact us today for a free quote!

Probate Statutes by State
StateStatute
AlabamaAlabama Code § § 43-8-40 to 43-8-58
AlaskaAlaska Statutes § § 13.12.101-13.12.114
ArizonaArizona Revised Statutes § § 14-2101 to 14-2114
ArkansasArkansas Title 28-9-201 to 28-9-220
CaliforniaCalifornia Probate Code § § 6400-6414
ColoradoColorado Revised Statutes § § 15-11-101 to 15-11-122
ConnecticutConnecticut General Statutes § § 45a-437 and 45a-438
DelawareDelaware Code, Title 12, Chapter 5
District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia Code § § 19-301 to 19-322
FloridaFlorida Statutes § § 732.101 to 732.111
GeorgiaGeorgia Code § § 53-2-1 to 53-2-8
HawaiiHawaii Statutes § § 560:2-101 to 560-2-114
IdahoIdaho Code § § 15-2-101 to 15-2-114
IllinoisIllinois Statutes § § 5/2-1 to 5/2-5
IndianaIndiana Code § § 29-1-2-1 to 29-1-2-15
IowaIowa Code § § 633.212 to 633.226
KansasKansas Statutes § § 59-501 to 59-514
KentuckyKentucky Statutes § § 391.010 to 391.170
LouisianaLouisiana Civil Code Articles 880 to 899
MaineMaine Revised Statutes, Title 18-A, Article 2 § § 2-101 to 2-114.
MarylandMaryland Code § § 3-101 to 3-112
MassachusettsMassachusetts General Laws, Chapter 190B, Article II
MichiganMichigan Compiled Laws § § 700.2101 to 700.2114
MinnesotaMinnesota Statutes § § 524.2-101 to -123
MississippiMississippi Code, § § 91-1-1 to 91-1-31
MissouriMissouri Statutes § § 474.010 to 474.110
MontanaMontana Code § § 72-2-111 to 72-2-124
NebraskaNebraska Statutes § § 30-2301 to 30-2312
NevadaNevada Revised Statutes § § 134.010 to 134.210
New HampshireNew Hampshire Revised Statutes § § 561:1 to 561:21
New JerseyNew Jersey § § 3B:5-1 to 3B:5-14.1
New MexicoNew Mexico § § 45-2-101 to 45-2-114
New YorkNew York Estates, Powers & Trusts Law § § 4-1.1 to 4-1.6.
North CarolinaNorth Carolina General Statutes § § 29-1 to 29-30
North DakotaNorth Dakota Century Code § § 30.1-04-01 to 30.1-04-21
OhioOhio Rev. Code § § 2105.01 to 2015.39
OklahomaOklahoma Statutes Title 84, Wills and Succession
OregonOregon Revised Statutes § § 112.015 to 112.830
PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Title 20, Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes § § 2101 to 2114
Rhode IslandRhode Island General Laws § § 33-1-1 to 33-1-11
South CarolinaSouth Carolina Code § § 62-2-101 to 62-2-114
South DakotaSouth Dakota Codified Laws Ann. § § 29A-2-101 to 29A-2-114
TennesseeTennessee Code § § 31-2-101 to 31-2-110
TexasTexas Estates Code Ann. § § 201.001-201.003
UtahUtah Code Title 75 Utah Uniform Probate Code
VermontVermont Title 14, Decedents, Estates and Fiduciary Relations
VirginiaVirginia Title 64.2, Wills, Trusts, Fiduciaries
WashingtonWashington Title 11, Probate and Trusts Law
West VirginiaWest Virginia Chapter 42, Descent and Distribution
WisconsinWisconsin Chapter 852, Intestate Succession
WyomingWyoming Title 2, Wills, Decedents’ Estates and Probate Code

 

 

 

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Legacy Tree Genealogists

The team at Legacy Tree Genealogists has been helping clients worldwide discover their roots for over a decade. We're based near the world's largest Family History Library and connected with genealogists and archives around the world, and we love doing what we do! We also love sharing our genealogy tips with our readers.
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