DC Administrator & Executor Bond
Probate Bonds From $100 – Set by the Court
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A District of Columbia executor bond or administrator bond — in the D.C. Code, a personal representative's bond — is required before the Probate Division of the D.C. Superior Court unless waived. Under D.C. Code § 20-502, each personal representative executes a bond to the District of Columbia, with court-approved surety, for the benefit of interested persons and creditors — and unless the testator waived bond, the interests of anyone who does not waive must still be protected. Premiums start at $100 and are paid from estate funds.
District of Columbia Probate Bond Pricing
Premiums are a small percentage of the required bond amount and are paid from estate funds. Sample pricing for qualified applicants:
| Bond Amount | Premium |
|---|---|
| $10,000 | $100 |
| $25,000 | $135 |
| $50,000 | $260 |
| $100,000 | $460 |
| $200,000 | $860 |
| $500,000 | $1,610 |
Complete the Application that follows.
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Executor, Administrator, or Trustee — Which District of Columbia Probate Bond You Need
All three cover a fiduciary who manages estate or trust assets. D.C. uses “personal representative” for executors and administrators, appointed through the Register of Wills at the Superior Court's Probate Division. Which bond applies depends on how you were appointed:
| Bond Type | When It Applies |
|---|---|
| Administrator Bond | A D.C. administrator bond covers a personal representative appointed when there is no will. With no testator waiver, bond is required unless every interested person files a written waiver — and if even one doesn't (or can't, being a minor or incapacitated), a bond protecting the non-waiving interests must still be given. This is the most common D.C. probate bond. |
| Executor Bond | A D.C. executor bond covers a personal representative named in the will. The will can excuse bond entirely — and written waivers by all interested persons do the same. Where waivers are partial, the bond shrinks to cover the non-waiving interests. Any interested person or creditor with more than $1,000 at stake can demand bond in writing. |
| Trustee Bond | Required when a will establishes a trust for a beneficiary and the court requires the trustee to post security before managing trust assets. The surety reviews the trust to assess the trustee's responsibilities. |
Why Does the D.C. Probate Division Require a Bond?
Probate in the District runs through the Probate Division of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, with the Register of Wills serving as the division's clerk — receiving the will (which must be filed within 90 days of death), issuing letters, and processing the bond. When a person dies, someone must be appointed to pay the estate's debts and distribute what remains. That personal representative controls assets that belong to other people, and under § 20-502 the bond — executed to the District of Columbia with court-approved corporate surety, sureties jointly and severally liable — is the safeguard, filed as a condition of appointment alongside the acceptance and consent to jurisdiction (§ 20-501).
D.C.'s waiver rules are precise: the will can excuse bond, and unanimous written waivers by all interested persons can too — but no one may waive on behalf of a minor or incapacitated person except as the statute allows, and partial waivers leave a bond in place covering the non-waiving interests. Banks and trust companies serving as personal representative are exempt, and any interested person or creditor with more than $1,000 at stake can demand bond in writing. Most D.C. estates run as unsupervised administration (the default under § 20-401), with supervised administration ordered for cause — the bond framework applies either way. The bond protects the estate, not the representative — who must reimburse the surety for claims paid.
How the Court Sets Your Bond Amount — and How to Reduce It
Under § 20-502, the Court fixes the penalty at an amount not exceeding the probable maximum value of the personal property plus the District real property of the estate during administration. There is no fixed formula below that ceiling — the Probate Division sets the figure with the appointment, so wait for it before purchasing.
Two reducers are built into the statute: the penalty may be lowered by estate cash held on restricted deposit — withdrawable only on court order — and by assets that cannot be sold or distributed without court authorization. Partial waivers shrink the bond to the non-waiving interests, and small estates of $40,000 or less use D.C.'s small-estate proceeding with its streamlined requirements.
One Court for the District
The District has a single probate forum: the Probate Division of the D.C. Superior Court, at 515 5th Street NW, with the Register of Wills as its clerk. Estates open by abbreviated or standard probate petition, administration defaults to unsupervised, and everything — petitions, bonds, inventories in supervised cases — files through the Register. The directory below has the division's contact details.
How To Get Your District of Columbia Probate Bond
- Open the estate and confirm whether bond is required. Determine under § 20-502 whether the will or unanimous written waivers excuse bond — remembering that partial waivers still require bond for non-waiving interests. The Court fixes the penalty with the appointment; wait for the figure.
- Request your quote. Apply online or call with your Probate Division paperwork. For most standard estates we can quote from the bond amount alone; larger or more complex estates may involve a review of the will and the applicant's credit.
- Complete the short application. Provide the personal representative's information and the estate details.
- File your bond and receive your letters. We execute the bond with the surety's Power of Attorney attached so you can file it with the Register of Wills as a condition of appointment. Letters issue, and you can begin settling the estate.
Bond Details at a Glance
- Bond Name: D.C. Executor Bond / D.C. Administrator Bond (Personal Representative Bond)
- Also Known As: Probate bond, fiduciary bond, estate bond
- Bond Amount: Fixed by the Court, up to the probable maximum value of the personal property plus D.C. real property during administration; reducible by restricted deposits and court-locked assets (D.C. Code § 20-502)
- Starting Premium: $100 for a $10,000 bond; paid from estate funds
- Obligee: The District of Columbia, for the benefit of interested persons and creditors; sureties jointly and severally liable
- Governing Law: D.C. Code § 20-501 (conditions of appointment), § 20-502 (bond, waivers, amount, demand), §§ 20-401 et seq. (unsupervised vs supervised administration)
- Waiver: By the will, or by written waiver of all interested persons; partial waivers leave bond covering non-waiving interests; banks and trust companies exempt; $1,000+ interested persons and creditors can demand bond
- Court: Probate Division of the D.C. Superior Court, through the Register of Wills — 515 5th Street NW, Washington, D.C.
- Attorney Required: No
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a D.C. administrator or executor bond?
A personal representative's bond executed to the District of Columbia under D.C. Code § 20-502, with court-approved surety, for the benefit of the estate's interested persons and creditors — filed with the Register of Wills as a condition of appointment.
Can the bond be waived?
Yes — by the decedent's will, or by written waiver of all interested persons. But waivers can't be made for minors or incapacitated persons except as the statute allows, and where only some interested persons waive, a bond protecting the non-waiving interests is still required. Banks and trust companies are exempt.
Do administrators need a bond in D.C.?
Usually. With no testator waiver, bond is required unless every interested person waives in writing — and any interested person or creditor with more than $1,000 at stake can demand bond at any time.
How much does a D.C. probate bond cost?
Premiums start at $100 for a $10,000 bond and scale with the penalty — $135 at $25,000, $260 at $50,000, $460 at $100,000, and up. The premium is paid from estate funds.
How is the bond amount determined?
The Court fixes the penalty, capped at the probable maximum value of the estate's personal property plus its D.C. real property during administration, and reduced for restricted deposits and assets locked absent a court order.
Does unsupervised administration change the bond?
No. Unsupervised administration is D.C.'s default and lightens the court's ongoing role, but the § 20-502 bond rules apply the same way — the bond backs the representative's duties on either track.
Which court handles D.C. probate?
The Probate Division of the D.C. Superior Court, through the Register of Wills, at 515 5th Street NW. Wills must be filed with the Register within 90 days of death, and small estates of $40,000 or less use the streamlined small-estate proceeding.
What happens if a claim is filed against the bond?
The surety pays valid claims — from mismanagement, fraud, or failure to administer according to law — up to the bond's penalty, with sureties jointly and severally liable, and the personal representative must reimburse the surety in full. The bond protects the estate, not the representative.
D.C. Probate Court Directory
All District of Columbia probate matters run through the Probate Division of the D.C. Superior Court and its Register of Wills. Contact details below.
| Court | Court | Phone | Mailing Address |
|---|---|---|---|
| D.C. Superior Court Probate Division | Superior Court | (202) 879-9460 | Court Building A, 515 5th Street NW, Third Floor, Washington, DC 20001 |