Skip to main content
Find a Lawyer

Massachusetts General Laws Part II. Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations (Ch. 183-210) Ch. 190B, § 3-402

Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

[Formal Testacy or Appointment Proceedings; Petition; Contents.]

(a) Petitions for formal probate of a will, or for adjudication of intestacy with or without request for appointment of a personal representative, shall be directed to the court, request a judicial order and contain further statements as indicated in this section. A petition for formal probate of a will

(1) requests an order as to the testacy of the decedent in relation to a particular instrument which may or may not have been informally probated and determining the heirs,

(2) contains the statements required for informal petitions as stated in section 3-301(a)(1), the statements required by subparagraphs (ii) and (iii) of section 3-301(a)(2), and

(3) states whether the original of the last will of the decedent is in the possession of the court or accompanies the petition.

If the original will is neither in the possession of the court nor accompanies the petition and no authenticated copy of a will probated in another jurisdiction accompanies the petition, the petition also shall state the contents of the will, and indicate that it is lost, destroyed, or otherwise unavailable.

(b) If a death certificate issued by a public officer is not filed with the petition, the court may direct the petitioner to report the results of, or make and report back concerning, a reasonably diligent search for the alleged decedent in any manner that may seem advisable.

(c) A petition for adjudication of intestacy and appointment of a personal representative in intestacy shall request a judicial finding and order that the decedent left no will and determining the heirs, contain the statements required by clauses (1) and (4) of section 3-301(a) and indicate whether supervised administration is sought. A petition may request an order determining intestacy and heirs without requesting the appointment of a personal representative, in which case, the statements required by subparagraph (ii) of section 3-301(a)(4) above may be omitted.

Previous Part of Code Next Part of Code
Back to Chapter List

Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Massachusetts General Laws Part II. Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations (Ch. 183-210) Ch. 190B, § 3-402 - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/ma/part-ii-real-and-personal-property-and-domestic-relations-ch-183-210/ma-gen-laws-ch-190b-sect-3-402/

FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature before relying on it for your legal needs.

Was this helpful?

Welcome to FindLaw's Cases & Codes

A free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes, visit FindLaw’s Learn About the Law.

Go to Learn About the Law

Latest Blog Posts

For Legal Professionals

Learn About The Law

Get help with your legal needs

FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.

Go to Learn About the Law

Need to Find an Attorney?

Search our directory by legal issue

Enter information in one or both fields (Required)

Copied to clipboard