Sec. 1. (a) The venue for the probate of a will and for the administration of an estate shall be:

(1) In the county in this state where the decedent had his domicile at the time of his death.

(2) When not domiciled in this state in any county in the state, where he left any property at the time of his decease; or into which county any property belonging to his estate may have come after his decease.

(b) If proceedings are commenced in more than one (1) county, they shall be stayed except in the county where first commenced until final determination of the venue by the court in the county where first commenced, and thereupon all proceedings in any county, other than the county where jurisdiction has been finally determined to exist, shall be dismissed. If the proper venue is finally determined to be in another county, the court, after making and retaining a true copy of the entire file, shall transmit the original to the proper county. The proceeding shall be deemed commenced by the filing of a petition; and the proceeding first legally commenced shall extend to all of the property of the estate in this state.

(c) If it appears to the court at any time before the decree of final distribution in any proceedings that the proceeding was commenced in the wrong county or that it would be for the best interests of the estate, the court, in its discretion, may order the proceeding with all papers, files and a certified copy of all orders therein transferred to another court having probate jurisdiction, which other court shall thereupon proceed to complete the administration proceedings as if originally commenced therein.

Formerly: Acts 1953, c.112, s.701.