Bedford Circuit Court: Probate

The content of this page was provided by the Bedford Circuit Court and has been posted on Virginia's Judicial System web site as a courtesy to the Bedford Circuit Court.

The official proving of a will as the authentic and valid last will and testament of a deceased person by admitting the document to record in the appropriate Clerk's Office; term also used to include the process of qualifying a person as an executor of a will or administrator of an intestate estate (estate to be administered when there is no will).

Probate of a decedent's estate should take place in the City or County where the deceased person resided at his death. If the decedent died in a nursing home or similar institution, then that person's residence is presumed to be where he or she resided prior to becoming a patient at such institution.

It becomes necessary to probate an estate when the decedent owns assets (personal or real estate) solely in his name, i.e., assets which do not have a joint or co-owner with rights of survivorship.

The Bedford County Circuit Court Clerk's Office is located at 123 E. Main St., Suite 201, Bedford, VA 24523. The telephone number is (540) 586-7632. To ensure quality assistance, please call and make an appointment with a Probate Clerk before coming in to probate an estate.