Md. Code, Estates and Trusts § 5-103
This is the official text of Md. Code, Estates and Trusts § 5-103, part of Maryland’s Code, Estates and Trusts — governs wills, trusts, and probate.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§5–103.
Official statutory text
(a) The venue for administrative or judicial probate is in the county in which the decedent was domiciled at the time of death, or, if the decedent was not domiciled in Maryland, the county in which the petitioner believes the largest part in value of the property of the decedent in Maryland was located at the time of death.
(b) (1) For the purpose of determining venue for the administration of the estate of a decedent who was not domiciled in Maryland at the time of death, the situs of tangible personal property is its location.
(2) (i) The situs of intangible personal property is the location of the instrument evidencing a debt, obligation, stock, or chose in action.
(ii) If there is no instrument, the residence of the debtor governs.
(3) The situs of an interest in property held in trust is any county where the trustee may be sued.
(c) (1) Probate proceedings concerning a decedent may not be maintained in more than one county.
(2) If a proceeding is commenced in more than one county, the court of the county where proceedings are filed first has exclusive jurisdiction to determine venue.
(3) If proper venue is finally determined to be in another county, the proceeding, including a will, petition, or any other paper filed, shall be transferred to the proper court.
(b) (1) For the purpose of determining venue for the administration of the estate of a decedent who was not domiciled in Maryland at the time of death, the situs of tangible personal property is its location.
(2) (i) The situs of intangible personal property is the location of the instrument evidencing a debt, obligation, stock, or chose in action.
(ii) If there is no instrument, the residence of the debtor governs.
(3) The situs of an interest in property held in trust is any county where the trustee may be sued.
(c) (1) Probate proceedings concerning a decedent may not be maintained in more than one county.
(2) If a proceeding is commenced in more than one county, the court of the county where proceedings are filed first has exclusive jurisdiction to determine venue.
(3) If proper venue is finally determined to be in another county, the proceeding, including a will, petition, or any other paper filed, shall be transferred to the proper court.
Status: reserved · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a probate matter in Maryland?
See all Maryland Probate lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.