State guide
Ohio
Ohio does not use a general probate publication system to set ordinary creditor deadlines; instead, the main bar date is six months after death. Ohio also offers two smaller-estate tracks: release from administration and, in narrower cases, summary release from administration.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Publishing the notice
- 7.12 as a newspaper of general circulation.
- Creditor claim deadline
- 6 months after death
- Outside deadline
- 6 months after death
- Law
- R.C. 2117.06; R.C. 2113.03; R.C. 2113.031; R.C. 7.12
- Small-estate limit
- Release from administration: $35,000, or $100,000 if surviving spouse receives all assets; summary release: lesser of $5,000 or funeral expenses for certain nonspouse applicants
Official resources in Ohio
Official court page linking county probate guides and local probate-court information.
Official statewide probate forms, including release and summary release from administration.
Official claims statute setting the six-month creditor presentment deadline.
Official statute for release from administration, including publication to interested parties and threshold amounts.
Official statute defining a newspaper of general circulation for legal notices in Ohio.
Key facts for Ohio
- Ordinary estate claims must be presented within six months after the decedent's death. R.C. 2117.06(B).
- A claim not presented within six months after death is forever barred as to all parties. R.C. 2117.06(C).
- 2117.06; the statute uses a death-based deadline.
- Release from administration may be available at $35,000, or $100,000 if the surviving spouse takes all assets. R.C. 2113.03(A).
- A summary release may be available when a nonspouse applicant's assets do not exceed the lesser of $5,000 or funeral expenses. R.C. 2113.031(C)(1).
- Ohio legal-notice newspapers must be newspapers of general circulation meeting R.C. 7.12 requirements, including at least weekly issue. R.C. 7.12.
What to do next
- Do not wait for any publication; calendar the six-month deadline from the exact date of death.
- If the estate is modest, compare release from administration with summary release before filing for full administration.
- Use the Supreme Court's county probate resource guide to find your local probate court's procedures and any local forms.
Helpful guides
- What is a notice to creditors in probate?
- How to publish a probate notice in a newspaper
- How much does it cost to publish a probate notice?
- What counts as a legal newspaper for probate notices
Creditor deadline calculator →