New London County Probate Scope
Connecticut Probate Courts are separate from the Superior Court system. In New London County, probate records are split among local probate districts and a regional children's probate court. The Connecticut Probate Courts homepage is the statewide starting point for locations, fee tools, forms, eFiling, and resource materials. It should not be confused with the Superior Court civil or criminal portals.
New London County probate records may include decedent estate administration, wills, trusts, conservatorships, guardianships of a person or estate, adoptions, intellectual disability matters, mental health commitments, name changes, and power of attorney proceedings. Public access varies by matter type. Estate and trust case data is more available online than adoption, juvenile-related, mental health, or sealed probate material.
The Connecticut Probate Courts homepage is shown in the image below as the statewide entry point for New London County probate records.
That statewide structure matters because the county name does not create one county probate clerk or one county probate file room.
New London County Probate Terms
Probate files use a few terms that are easy to misread. These definitions help separate estate roles from protected-person cases and from general court words used in Superior Court records.
- Testator
- The person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named to carry out the will and manage the estate process.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will, requiring estate administration under Connecticut law.
- Guardianship
- A probate case about legal responsibility for a minor or protected person.
- Conservatorship
- A probate appointment for someone who manages an adult's personal or financial affairs.
- Fiduciary
- A person with a legal duty over an estate, trust, guardianship, or conservatorship matter.
Search New London County Probate Records
Use the Probate Case Lookup Tool for public online probate case data. The official lookup page states that case data is available from January 5, 2011 to the present for decedent estates and trusts, and that searches may return some earlier cases even though the database is incomplete before that date. It also notes that fiduciary contact information is available by clicking the case number and Probate Court contact information is available by clicking the district name.
The probate lookup is not a full document repository. It is a case-data tool. For a certified copy, an older matter, a filing that does not show online, or a restricted file, contact the probate district clerk shown for the case. For estates, the correct district usually depends on the decedent's residence or the place tied to the property or proceeding.
| Lookup field or result | How it works | Access note |
|---|---|---|
| Case lookup search | Official web search form | Best for decedent estates and trusts from January 5, 2011 forward |
| Case number link | Result link | May show fiduciary contact information |
| District name link | Result link | Routes to Probate Court contact information |
The Probate Court locator screenshot assigned to New London County probate records appears below.
Use the locator result to match a town or district before calling, because New London County has several probate venues.
- Start with the Probate Case Lookup Tool when the matter is an estate or trust.
- Click the district name in the result to identify the correct local Probate Court.
- Call the listed chief clerk if the case is older, incomplete online, or requires certified copies.
- Use the forms list or eFiling site only after confirming the matter type and venue.
- File paper originals when Probate Court rules require the original will, codicil, bond, adoption record, or parentage record.
New London County Probate Courts
The official Probate Court locator lists several local courts serving New London County communities. These are not county offices. Each court has its own judge, chief clerk, hours, address, phone, and fax. A person searching New London County probate records should match the town or proceeding to the correct district before mailing forms or requesting copies.
New London Probate Court PD-31
181 State Street, Room 2, P.O. Box 148
New London, CT 06320
Judge: Mathew H. Greene
Chief Clerk: Tammy L. Bartelli
860-443-7121
Fax 860-437-8155
Mon-Fri 8:00-4:00
New London and Waterford
Southeastern CT Regional Probate Court PD-30
Town Hall, 45 Fort Hill Road
Groton, CT 06340
Judge: Elizabeth L. Leamon
Chief Clerk: Jill A. Millovitsch
860-441-6655
Fax 860-441-6657
Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30
Niantic Regional Probate Court PD-32
118 Pennsylvania Avenue
Niantic, CT 06357
Judge: Jeffrey A. McNamara
Chief Clerk: Christine D. Lena
860-739-6052
Fax 860-739-6738
Mon-Tues 8:00-4:30, Wed-Thurs 8:00-5:00, Fri 8:00-1:00
East Lyme, Montville, Niantic, Old Lyme, Salem
New London Regional Children's Probate Court PD-57
One Union Plaza
New London, CT 06320
Administrative Judge: Jeffrey A. McNamara
Chief Clerk: Amy Cox
860-437-6253
Fax 860-437-6259
Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30
The New London Probate Court page is one official district page used for New London County probate records.
That district page is the better contact point for New London and Waterford probate matters than the Superior Court clerk.
Children's Probate Records
The New London Regional Children's Probate Court is a specialized probate venue for child-related matters. Connecticut Probate Court materials describe regional children's probate courts as handling matters such as temporary custody, guardianship, termination of parental rights, visitation, adoption, emancipation, and parentage. A 2022 Probate Court release reported that the New London regional children's court expanded to include Norwich and serves communities including East Lyme, Groton, Ledyard, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Old Lyme, Salem, Stonington, Waterford, and Norwich.
Children's probate records often have more access limits than ordinary estate records. Adoption and child-related proceedings should not be treated as routine public lookup records. Contact the regional court clerk or follow Probate Court instructions for party access, forms, and filing rules.
The assigned image from the New London Regional Children's Probate Court shows the specialized court page for child-related probate records.
This court should be used for regional children's probate questions rather than a town clerk or county clerk search.
File New London County Probate Matters
The Probate Court eFiling site supports statewide probate filing across Connecticut Probate Courts and Regional Children's Probate Courts. eFiling standards supplement Probate Court Rules of Procedure. Filing online does not remove every paper requirement, and some original records must still be filed directly with the court.
Connecticut Probate Court eFiling guidance states that original wills or codicils, original probate bonds, and original records of adoption or parentage still must be filed in paper form. If a statute requires an exemplified copy, such as a last will and testament for an ancillary estate, the paper filing must go to the court.
Important: Do not rely on eFiling alone when the probate rules require an original paper document.
The Probate Court eFiling site image below is the assigned eFiling visual for New London County probate records.
For new filings, confirm the court location first so the electronic filing is routed to the right Probate Court district.
New London County Probate Fees
Probate fees are uniform throughout Connecticut and are set by statute, but the research file did not capture each amount. The safest source for current charges is the official Probate Court fees, expenses, and calculators page. Use that page before filing an estate, requesting copies, or estimating administration costs.
| Probate item | Where to confirm amount |
|---|---|
| Estate administration fee | Probate Court fees, expenses, and calculators |
| Trust matter filing or expense | Probate Court fees, expenses, and calculators |
| Certified copy or court certificate | Contact the local Probate Court clerk |
| Guardianship or conservatorship filing | Probate Court fees page and local clerk instructions |
The fees and calculators page is included in the assigned New London County probate records images.
Because probate costs can depend on matter type and estate value, a calculator is more reliable than a fixed local fee summary.
Restricted New London County Probate Records
Probate Regulation 10.8 supports public access to official probate records except when access is restricted by regulation, probate rules, or the nature of the matter. Estate and trust records are not the same as adoption, mental health, guardianship, or children's matters. A search result may show only limited case data, and some documents may be available only to parties, attorneys, fiduciaries, or people with court permission.
When an online result is missing, first decide whether the issue is date coverage, venue, or confidentiality. Cases before January 5, 2011 may be incomplete in the online Probate Case Lookup. Adoption and mental health matters are not ordinary public files. Conservatorship and guardianship records may include sensitive medical, financial, or child-related details. The local Probate Court clerk can explain the request method, but the clerk cannot bypass a sealing rule or access restriction.
Note: Certified copies and restricted files should be requested from the Probate Court that holds the matter, not a county clerk.