A will may be deposited by the testator, or by some person for the testator, in the office of the judge of the probate court in the county in which the testator lives, before or after the death of the testator, and if deposited after the death of the testator, with or without applying for its probate. Upon the payment of the fee of twenty-five dollars to the court, the judge shall receive, keep, and give a certificate of deposit for the will. That will shall be safely kept until delivered or disposed of as provided by section 2107.08 of the Revised Code. If the will is not delivered or disposed of as provided in that section within one hundred years after the date the will was deposited, the judge may dispose of the will in any manner the judge considers feasible. The judge shall retain an electronic copy of the will prior to its disposal after one hundred years under this section.

Every will that is so deposited shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope that shall be indorsed with the name of the testator. The judge shall indorse on the envelope the date of delivery and the person by whom the will was delivered. The envelope may be indorsed with the name of a person to whom it is to be delivered after the death of the testator. The will shall not be opened or read until delivered to a person entitled to receive it, until the testator files a complaint in the probate court for a declaratory judgment of the validity of the will pursuant to section 5817.02 of the Revised Code, or until otherwise disposed of as provided in section 2107.08 of the Revised Code. Subject to section 2107.08 of the Revised Code, the deposited will shall not be a public record until the time that an application is filed to probate it.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 595, §1, eff. 3/22/2019.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 432, §1, eff. 4/6/2017.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.52, SB 124, §1, eff. 1/13/2012.

Effective Date: 01-01-1979 .