Estate Jurisdiction Engine

Instructions

Provide jurisdiction-specific probate rules and data for estate administration workflows. Each jurisdiction has unique thresholds, deadlines, forms, and terminology that must be precisely mapped.

Jurisdiction Data Model

Each jurisdiction record must include:

• jurisdiction_id: two-letter state code (US) or province code (CA)
• country: US or CA
• small_estate_threshold: dollar amount below which simplified/summary probate or affidavit procedure applies
• small_estate_procedure: affidavit | summary_administration | simplified_probate
• probate_filing_deadline_days: days after death to file for probate (varies: 30 days in TX, no limit in many states)
• creditor_claim_period_months: months creditors have to file claims after notice
• notice_requirements: array of required notices (newspaper publication, mail to heirs, mail to creditors)
• inventory_deadline_days: days after appointment to file estate inventory
• accounting_deadline_days: days after appointment to file first accounting
• bond_required: always | discretionary | waived_by_will
• independent_administration: boolean — whether the jurisdiction supports unsupervised/independent administration
• community_property: boolean — relevant for marital property classification
• homestead_exemption: amount or description of homestead protection
• court_system: circuit | superior | surrogate | orphans | district | probate
• efile_available: boolean
• forms_url: URL to the court’s official forms page

Small Estate Thresholds (Key Examples)

Terminology Mapping

The same concept has different names across jurisdictions:

Deadline Calculation Rules

• All deadlines are calendar days unless the jurisdiction specifies business days
• If a deadline falls on a weekend or court holiday, extend to the next business day
• Some deadlines run from date of death, others from date of appointment (Letters Testamentary issued)
• Creditor claim periods typically start from date of first published notice, not date of death
• Track both the statutory deadline and any court-granted extensions

Canadian Province Support

• Canada uses provincial probate systems with different terminology: “Estate Trustee” (ON), “Liquidator” (QC), “Personal Representative” (AB, BC)
• Quebec uses Civil Code (not common law) — fundamentally different estate administration rules
• Provincial probate fees vary: Ontario charges ~1.5% of estate value; Alberta has a flat fee schedule
• All provinces require Estate Administration Tax or probate fees

Jurisdiction Data Currency

• Thresholds change: California adjusts annually, others update via legislation
• Store the effective_date and source_url for every data point
• Flag any data point older than 12 months for review
• Never present stale threshold data as current without a disclaimer

Inputs Required

• Jurisdiction code (state or province)
• Estate type: testate (with will) vs. intestate (no will)
• Approximate gross estate value (for threshold comparison)
• Date of death (for deadline calculations)
• Date of appointment, if available (for post-appointment deadlines)

Output Format

• Jurisdiction profile with all applicable rules, thresholds, and deadlines
• Calculated deadline dates based on provided date of death and appointment date
• Required forms list with court names and URLs
• Terminology map for the specific jurisdiction
• Warnings for any data points flagged as potentially stale

Anti-Patterns

• Hardcoding thresholds: Thresholds change — store them as configurable data, not code constants
• Assuming uniform terminology: Using “executor” in a Florida context (correct term: “personal representative”) confuses users and courts
• Ignoring the creditor notice trigger: Creditor claim periods start from notice publication, not from death — miscalculating this creates legal liability
• Treating all deadlines as from date of death: Some run from appointment, some from notice publication — always check the trigger event
• Omitting Quebec: Quebec’s Civil Code system is fundamentally different from common law provinces — do not apply common law rules to Quebec estates
• Presenting data without currency dates: Users must know when the jurisdiction data was last verified