Estate Inventory and Appraisement Requirements in Alaska

At a glance

Requirements one by one

The representative has three months after appointment

Alaska Stat. § 13.16.365 requires preparation within three months after appointment. The duty excludes a special administrator and a successor when a prior representative already discharged it. The statute states no extension standard and does not require the inventory itself to be sworn or verified.

Requested copies are mandatory and filing is optional

Every interested person who requests the inventory receives a copy. Alaska Stat. § 13.16.365(b) says the representative may file the original, and the current Alaska Court System inventory page likewise says, “You can also file the original with the court.”

The still-published P-370 form is internally inconsistent on filing. Its first page says the representative “must prepare and file” it, while its certificate says the inventory “should” be filed. Those statements do not override the current statute's express optional-filing rule. The cited statewide sources state no inventory-specific confidentiality, redaction, or sealing rule.

The statute requires value and encumbrance details

The inventory lists property the decedent owned at death in reasonable detail. Each item shows fair market value as of death and the type and amount of any encumbrance. Alaska Stat. § 13.16.365 does not state category-specific exclusions or require only a net value.

If the representative elects to use court Form P-370, its columns separate real estate, personal property, and financial accounts and cash, and add a net-value calculation. The form also includes the representative's signature and a certificate of service; it does not contain an oath or notary block.

Outside appraisal is optional for doubtful values

Under Alaska Stat. § 13.16.370, the representative may employ a qualified and disinterested appraiser for an asset whose value may be subject to reasonable doubt. Different appraisers may handle different asset types. Their names and addresses appear with the items they appraised.

The statute does not require every asset to be appraised and does not prescribe a separate appraiser certificate, oath, or signature.

Supplements follow the original filing choice

Alaska Stat. § 13.16.375 requires a supplementary inventory or appraisal when the representative learns of omitted property or an erroneous or misleading value or description. It supplies the new item's death-date market value or the revised value or description and any appraisers or other data relied upon.

If the original was filed, the supplement is filed. Otherwise, copies or information go to persons interested in the new information. The current court page describes sending the supplement to the people who received the original. Neither source states a separate supplement deadline.

An interested person may petition for removal under Alaska Stat. § 13.16.295. Cause includes disregarding a court order or failing to perform a duty of the office; the inventory statutes state no inventory-specific fine or automatic removal.

What trips people up

The live court form and current statute use different filing language. The statute and current court guidance make filing optional despite P-370's older opening sentence.

P-370's net-value column is additional form structure. The statute separately requires fair market value and the type and amount of each encumbrance.

A professional appraiser is not the default. The representative may hire one for an asset whose value is reasonably doubtful.

Common questions

Must the original inventory be filed with the court?

No under § 13.16.365(b) and the current court guidance. Requested interested persons still must receive copies.

Must the inventory be notarized?

The inventory statutes do not require an oath or notarization, and P-370 has a representative signature and service certification but no notary block.

What if an asset is discovered later?

Section 13.16.375 requires a supplementary inventory or appraisal using the new item's death-date market value and identifying any valuation support.

Statutes and sources

• Alaska Stat. § 13.16.365 — three-month deadline, representative exclusions, property, value, encumbrances, requested copies, and optional filing: https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=13.06.005&secEnd=13.16.700 (accessed 2026-08-10).
• Alaska Stat. §§ 13.16.370 and 13.16.375 — optional appraisers and supplementary inventory: https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=13.06.005&secEnd=13.16.700 (accessed 2026-08-10).
• Alaska Stat. § 13.16.295 — removal petition, procedure, and cause: https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=13.06.005&secEnd=13.16.700 (accessed 2026-08-10).
• Alaska Court System inventory guidance and Form P-370 — current optional- filing guidance, supplement instructions, form columns, signature, and service certificate: https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/probate/inventory.htm and https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/p-370.pdf (accessed 2026-08-10).