700-00001 Guidance: Petition to Open Decedent's Estate (Vermont)

**When You Need This Form** The Petition to Open Decedent's Estate form is necessary to formally initiate the process of administering the decedent’s estate, whether or not a will exists. Assets of the estate need to be legally distributed according to the will or state law. - Completion of this form is necessary when an individual who owns real or personal property dies. - It is typically filed after obtaining the decedent’s death certificate. - If there is a will, the original will and any codicils should be submitted. - Use this form when not all interested parties have agreed on the executor. Before filing the Petition to Open Decedent's Estate, you may need to gather certain documents such as the certified death certificate and any known will. Once you have these documents, filing this form allows for the appointment of an executor or administrator to manage and distribute the estate's assets. It effectively opens the estate's administration process in the probate court within the jurisdiction where the decedent resided.