Iowa small-estate affidavit or petition: what to open and prepare

Open the official Iowa path

Start with the Iowa Judicial Branch’s own index. Select the Probatecategory, look for the current small-estate administration packet, and do not use a generic affidavit from another state.

• Iowa Judicial Branch - Court FormsIowa Judicial Branch — filter the live index to Probate.
• Iowa Judicial Branch - Representing YourselfIowa Judicial Branch — additional court-published instructions.

No standalone statewide affidavit download is asserted here. The official Court Forms page is the verified handoff because it is the publisher’s live index; the clerk confirms whether the current filing uses a court form, a petition prepared from section 635.2, or county-specific filing instructions.

Prepare the petition facts before opening the packet

Iowa Code section 635.2 names the facts the petition must contain. Gather these from the death certificate, will, family records, asset statements, and the proposed representative’s records before relying on a form:

1. The decedent’s name, domicile, and date of death.
2. The surviving spouse’s name and address.
3. Each known heir’s name and relationship when the decedent died intestate.
4. Whether the decedent died testate or intestate and, if testate, the will’s execution date.
5. A statement that Iowa-jurisdiction probate assets do not exceed the section 635.1 amount, plus the approximate personal property and income amount used to set bond.
6. The proposed personal representative’s name and address.

Read the currentIowa Code section 635.2 PDFfor the controlling petition language. The statute, not this checklist, controls if the publisher changes the edition or the clerk requests additional information.

Keep the gross-asset test separate from the inventory

Section 635.7 requires the personal representative to file the report and inventory and to separately identify Iowa-jurisdiction probate assets and their gross value. It also says an estate over the section 635.1 amount converts to chapter 633 administration. A debt list therefore does not reduce the $200,000 route screen by itself.

When the gross value of the probate assets of a decedent subject to the jurisdiction of this state does not exceed two hundred thousand dollarsIowa Code 635.1 (2026) — Iowa Legislature (Legislative Services Agency); reviewed August 9, 2026.

If the gross value of probate assets subject to the jurisdiction of this state exceeds the amount permitted for a small estate under section 635.1, the estate shall be administered as provided in chapter 633.Iowa Code 635.7 (2026) — Iowa Legislature (Legislative Services Agency); reviewed August 9, 2026.

Before filing or signing

• Classify each asset as probate, jointly owned, beneficiary-designated, trust-held, or uncertain.
• Use gross values for the Iowa probate-asset test; do not subtract ordinary unsecured debts to force the total below $200,000.
• Confirm the will, heirs, surviving spouse, proposed representative, bond information, and date of death.
• Ask the District Court clerk which current packet, copies, signatures, fee, and filing method apply in the county.
• If the gross probate-asset total is over $200,000, stop using the small-estate packet and follow the chapter 633 route.

Iowa probate is handled in the District Court; there is no separate probate court. The official resource and clerk confirmation are part of the filing path, not optional links.

Iowa code records behind this handoff

Each legal input links to the government source reviewed for this page. Source text can change; confirm the current rule before acting.