Kent County Orphans' Court Records
Maryland uses the name Orphans' Court for probate court. In Kent County, probate work centers on the Orphans' Court and the Register of Wills for Kent County. The Orphans' Court supervises estate administration for people who died owning property in their sole name, with or without a will. It may direct personal representatives, handle judicial probate disputes, and address certain guardianship or minor property matters. The Register of Wills works with that court by receiving estate filings, opening estate matters, appointing or assisting with appointment of personal representatives, and maintaining estate records.
The Kent County Register of Wills is Hon. Kristi Osborn. The official Register page states she was sworn in on March 1, 2017 after service as Deputy, Senior Deputy, and Administrator since 2003. The same source says she was appointed by the Kent County Orphans' Court to complete a term after Nancy Lee Jewell's retirement and won election in 2018. Probate records in Kent County are strongly tied to one courthouse location because the Register of Wills, Orphans' Court, Circuit Court, and District Court all point users to 103 North Cross Street in Chestertown.
The official Kent Register of Wills page is the source for local contact details and office limits.
That office page is also important because it states that filings cannot be accepted by email.
Kent County Probate Terms
Probate records use terms that are easy to mix up. The short definitions below use plain wording for the roles and estate types that appear in Kent County estate records and Orphans' Court filings.
- Testator
- A person who made a will before death.
- Executor
- A person named in a will to carry out the will; Maryland estate records often use personal representative for the appointed role.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will, so estate distribution follows Maryland law.
- Guardianship
- A court-supervised arrangement for certain minor property or related probate matters.
- Conservatorship
- A protected-property management concept; the Kent probate research points mainly to guardianship and minor property matters.
- Personal representative
- The person appointed to administer the estate, gather assets, give notices, handle claims, and distribute property.
Search Kent County Estate Records
Kent County estate status is searched through the Register of Wills Estate Search, not Maryland Case Search. The Estate Search tool is built for probate records and can be searched by estate number, decedent name, county, filing date, status, and estate type. Select Kent as the county when narrowing a statewide search. When the estate number is known, use it because it is the most direct way to find the correct file. For common last names, combine last name, first name, and filing date range.
- Open the Register of Wills Estate Search form.
- Enter the estate number if known, or use the decedent's name with Kent selected as county.
- Use status, type, and filing-date filters to narrow broad results.
- Review the public estate summary for the estate number, decedent, personal representative, attorney, county, type, and status.
- Contact the Kent County Register of Wills for copies, filings, or questions about corrections.
The Register of Wills Estate Search form is the source for the field list below.
The form fields make it possible to separate Kent County estate records from similarly named estates in other Maryland counties.
Kent County Probate Search Fields
The Estate Search field table gives a more precise search path than a broad web search. The county dropdown includes Kent, and the status and type fields use abbreviations that are explained by the Register of Wills glossary.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estate Number | Text | Optional | Exact estate identifier if known. |
| Last Name | Text | Optional | Includes an Exact Match on Last Name option. |
| Exact Match on Last Name | Checkbox | Optional | Narrows a last-name search. |
| County | Dropdown | Optional | Select Kent from the Maryland county list. |
| First Name | Text | Optional | Decedent first name. |
| Middle | Text | Optional | Decedent middle name or initial. |
| Estate Status | Dropdown | Optional | ARCHIV, CLOSED, OPEN, PENDIN. |
| Filing Date | Date or date range | Optional | Use MM/DD/YYYY. |
| Estate Type | Dropdown | Optional | FP, LO, MA, MV, NP, RE, RJ, SE, SJ, UN. |
| Range from-to | Date range | Optional | Alternative filing-date range. |
| Exact Date | Date | Optional | Alternative to a range. |
Kent County Probate Contacts
Probate access in Kent County uses both the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court. The Register is the first practical contact for estate openings, filings, records, copy requests, and Estate Search questions. The Orphans' Court is the probate court for judicial issues, disputes, orders to personal representatives, and related probate matters.
Register of Wills for Kent County
Courthouse, 103 North Cross Street
Chestertown, MD 21620
410-778-7466
Toll-free 888-778-0179; fax 410-778-2466
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed weekends and State holidays
Orphans' Court for Kent County
103 N. Cross Street
Chestertown, MD 21620
Listed through Maryland Courts directory
Probate court for judicial probate matters
Note: The Register page states that filings cannot be accepted by email, so filing plans should not rely on email submission.
Kent County Probate Fees
The Register of Wills probate fee page provides the statewide probate fee schedule for estates opened on or after October 1, 2022. The Kent research did not quote every dollar amount from that full schedule, so the table uses the confirmed fee rules from the research and identifies where the current schedule controls. Small estate thresholds are central because the fee page says no fees are due on small estates even if valued between $50,000 and $100,000 when a spouse is the sole heir or legatee.
| Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Small estate generally | $50,000 or less in probate assets |
| Small estate with surviving spouse as sole heir or legatee | $100,000 or less in probate assets |
| Small estate fee rule | No fees due under the researched statewide fee note |
| Regular estate probate fees | Use the Register of Wills fee schedule for estates opened on or after October 1, 2022 |
| Estate Search copy requests | Paid requests are final and non-refundable |
The Register of Wills fee page is the source for statewide probate fee schedule access.
The current schedule should be checked before paying because estate filing costs depend on the estate type and value.
The small estate source explains the thresholds used to decide between small and regular estates.
Those thresholds affect the filing path before a user reaches the fee schedule.
What Kent County Probate Records Show
The Register of Wills Estate Search disclaimer says the database includes decedent name, case number, date of death, personal representative name, attorney name, county of filing, estate type, and estate status. Probate documents may also include a petition for administration, will, death certificate references, letters of administration, bond, inventory, information report, accounts, claims, notices, distributions, and Orphans' Court orders. Some of those documents require a copy request rather than a public online download.
The Estate Search disclaimer is the source for the public summary fields and copy-warning language.
That notice matters because it warns that information may be limited in scope, history, time, and reliability.
Kent County Probate Process
Estate administration begins by deciding whether Kent County is the proper venue. Estates are opened where the decedent was domiciled at death, and wills kept for safekeeping are filed where the testator lives. The next step is to decide whether the estate is a small estate or regular estate, then file the original will if one exists, the petition or application, death certificate, interested-person details, and required forms.
The Register of Wills appoints or assists with appointment of the personal representative when the requirements are met. The personal representative gathers probate assets, gives required notices, handles creditors, files inventory or account documents, pays taxes and claims, and distributes property. The Orphans' Court handles disputes, judicial probate issues, orders directing personal representatives, and certain guardianship or minor property issues. For forms, use the Register of Wills forms portal and confirm the correct filing route with the Kent office.
The Register of Wills forms page is a separate source for estate forms and procedural packets.
Forms should be matched to the estate type before filing because small and regular estates use different paths.
Correct Kent County Probate Records
Estate Search correction requests must be sent in writing to the Register's Office where the original record was created or filed. The Estate Search disclaimer states that corrections are not accepted by telephone, fax, or email. That rule is especially important for Kent County because the local Register page also says filings cannot be accepted by email. A correction request should identify the estate number, decedent, disputed field, requested correction, and supporting document if one exists.
Copy requests made through Estate Search are paid and non-refundable. Review the estate number and party names before ordering. When the issue is not a database correction but a dispute about estate administration, the matter may belong before the Orphans' Court rather than as a records correction.