Conservatorship for Adults

Filing Procedures

  • Note: The Court is prohibited by law (Sec. 1211 of the Estates and Protected Individuals Code [EPIC]) from providing legal advice and completing forms. This item provides general information concerning the filing procedures for adult conservatorships and may be useful as a guide. If you have any questions, consider contacting an attorney for assistance.
  • Filing Fee: $175 (plus $12 for Letters of Conservatorship)
  • Forms Used:
  • Conservator's Handbook (PDF)
  • PC 583 (PDF), Account of Fiduciary (Note: An account form is used after a conservator is appointed and must be filed each year. For information on accountings, view the account of fiduciary.)

Service Publication

Service Publication is required for persons whose address or whereabouts are unknown. You may wish to contact:

Norton-Lakeshore Examiner
950 W Norton Avenue, Suite 402
P.O. Box 357
Muskegon, MI 49443
Phone: 231-739-6397
Fax: 231-737-1520
Friday noon deadline / publish on Wednesdays

Muskegon County Legal News
950 W Norton Avenue, Suite 402
P.O. Box 357
Muskegon, MI 49443
Phone: 231-739-6397
Fax: 231-737-1520
Wednesday noon deadline / publish on Mondays

The Muskegon Chronicle
981 Third Street, 2nd Floor
Display / Advertising Department
Muskegon, MI 49442
Phone: 231-726-3200
Fax: 231-726-3434

The White Lake Beacon
432 E Spring
P.O. BOX 98
Whitehall, MI 49461
Phone: 231-894-5356
Fax: 231-894-2174
Thursday at 1 p.m. deadline / publish on Sundays

Interested Persons

The interested persons need to be listed on the petition, along with their proper address. If an interested person is not included or is not properly served, the hearing cannot be held. The interested persons in a petition for appointment of a conservator of an adult are:

  • The individual to be protected if 14 years of age or older
  • The presumptive heirs of the individual to be protected
  • If known, a person named as attorney in fact under a durable power of attorney
  • The nominated conservator
  • A governmental agency paying benefits to the individual to be protected or before which an application for benefits is pending

Note: The petition must include specific facts about the person’s condition and examples of recent conduct that demonstrate the need for a conservator.

Hearing Date

Your petition will be set for hearing by the Court. Typically, the hearing date is 6 to 8 weeks after the petition is filed. You must attend the hearing or your petition will be dismissed.

Guardian ad Litem

The Court must, by law, appoint a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) to represent the interests of the alleged protected individual unless the person has their own attorney. It will be the GAL’s responsibility to visit the person and make a recommendation as to whether or not a conservator is needed.

The GAL is not an employee of the Court but a licensed practicing attorney appointed by the Court.