South Carolina § 62-3-303 - Informal probate; proof and findings required.

§ 62-3-303. Informal probate; proof and findings required.

(a) In an informal proceeding for original probate of a will, the court shall determine whether:

(1) the application is complete;

(2) the applicant has made oath or affirmation that the statements contained in the application are true to the best of his knowledge and belief;

(3) the applicant appears from the application to be an interested person as defined in Section 62-1-201;

(4) on the basis of the statements in the application, venue is proper;

(5) an original, duly executed and apparently unrevoked will is in the court's possession;

(6) any notice required by Section 62-3-204 has been given and that the application is not within Section 62-3-304;

(7) it appears from the application that the time limit for original probate has not expired.

(b) The application shall be denied if it indicates that a personal representative has been appointed in another county of this State or except as provided in subsection (d) below, if it appears that this or another will of the decedent has been the subject of a previous probate order.

(c) A will which appears to have the required signatures and which contains an attestation clause showing that requirements of execution under Section 62-2-502 or 62-2-505 have been met shall be probated without further proof. In other cases, the court may assume execution if the will appears to have been properly executed, or he may accept a sworn statement or affidavit of any person having knowledge of the circumstances of execution, whether or not the person was a witness to the will.

(d) Informal probate of a will which has been previously probated elsewhere may be granted at any time upon written application by any interested person, together with deposit of an authenticated copy of the will and of the statement probating it from the office or court where it was first probated.

(e) A will of a nonresident decedent which has not been probated and is not eligible for probate under subsection (a)(5) may nevertheless be probated in this State upon receipt by the court of a copy of the will authenticated as true by its legal custodian together with the legal custodian's certificate that the will is not ineligible for probate under the law of the other place.

HISTORY: 1986 Act No. 539, SECTION 1; 2013 Act No. 100, SECTION 1, eff January 1, 2014.

Effect of Amendment

The 2013 amendment rewrote subsection (e).