Estate Inventory and Appraisement Requirements in District of Columbia

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Administration type controls the route

D.C. Code § 20-711 requires a verified inventory within three months after appointment. In supervised administration, the representative ordinarily files it with the Court. The filing includes a certificate that, within the prior 15 days, every interested person received a copy and notice of the stated filing date.

In unsupervised administration, D.C. Code § 20-713.01 instead requires delivery or mailing to each interested person within the same three-month period. Filing the verified original is optional. A special administrator and a successor after another representative already discharged the duty are excluded from that unsupervised requirement.

Supervised filing may be waived but delivery remains

Under D.C. Code § 20-731, supervised filing is excused if every heir or legatee signs and files the statutory written waiver, or if the will waives filing. A signing heir or legatee may later demand filing within the statute's seven-day window, and a will-based waiver can be displaced by court order after hearing for good cause.

D.C. Code § 20-733 preserves the duty to mail or deliver inventories to each interested person. A filing waiver therefore is not permission to withhold the inventory from its statutory recipients.

The inventory has specific categories and exclusions

D.C. Code § 20-711 lists real property; covered tangible personal property; corporate stock; debts owed to the decedent, including bonds and notes; bank and similar accounts and money; debts the representative owes the decedent; and other tangible or intangible interests passing by will or intestacy.

Each item is described in reasonable detail with death-date fair market value and the type and amount of encumbrances. Excluded tangible property is ordinary wearing apparel other than furs and jewelry, family-consumption food, family pictures, and family Bibles.

Supervised and unsupervised appraisal rules differ

In supervised administration, D.C. Code § 20-712 requires appraisal of each item. The representative may personally appraise the specified receivables, accounts and money, representative debts, and publicly priced corporate stock. Standing or special appraisers handle the other items. Each outside appraisal is columnar, verified, and certifies impartial valuation to the best of the appraiser's skill and judgment.

In unsupervised administration, D.C. Code § 20-713.01 permits standing appraisers or another qualified and disinterested appraiser for an asset whose value may be reasonably doubtful. The appraiser's name and address appear with the item. That optional doubtful-value route is not the supervised rule.

Correction depends on the same route

Under D.C. Code § 20-713, a supervised representative files a supplemental inventory for after-discovered property and obtains and files a reappraisal for an erroneous or misleading appraisal. Copies go to every interested person within the 15 days before filing, with certification.

Under § 20-713.01, an unsupervised representative prepares a supplement or appraisement for omitted property or an erroneous or misleading value or description, files it if the original was filed, and mails or delivers copies to interested persons. Neither route states a separate correction deadline.

Before the estate closes, any interested person may petition under D.C. Code § 20-714 to revise a value or add or remove an erroneously omitted or listed item. After notice and hearing, the Court may order an appropriate revision.

A supervised successor has a separate three-month choice

D.C. Code § 20-715 requires a supervised successor, within three months after appointment, either to file a replacement inventory or file written consent to the prior inventory's listed items and values. The supervised filing-waiver rule remains available.

What trips people up

Filing and delivery are different duties. A supervised filing waiver does not erase the interested-person delivery requirement.

The appraiser rule changes with administration type. Supervised estates use the mandatory appraisal structure and limited representative-valued categories; unsupervised estates use the optional doubtful-value assistance rule.

A successor cannot assume the old inventory ends the question. A supervised successor must file a new inventory or written consent within three months, unless filing is waived.

Common questions

Is the inventory always filed with the Court?

No. Unsupervised filing is optional, and supervised filing can be waived under § 20-731. Delivery duties still apply.

Is an independent appraiser always required?

No. The answer depends on administration type and asset category. Supervised administration has mandatory appraisal with limited representative-valued items; unsupervised administration permits qualified disinterested help for a reasonably doubtful value.

Can an interested person challenge an inventory value?

Yes. Before closing, § 20-714 permits a petition for revision after notice and hearing.

Statutes and sources

• D.C. Code § 20-711 — verified inventory, three-month deadline, contents, exclusions, supervised filing, certificate, and notice: https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/titles/20/chapters/7/index.full.html (accessed 2026-08-10).
• D.C. Code §§ 20-712 to 20-713.01 — supervised and unsupervised appraisal, filing, delivery, supplement, and reappraisal routes: https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/titles/20/chapters/7/index.full.html (accessed 2026-08-10).
• D.C. Code §§ 20-714 to -715 — interested-person revision and supervised- successor inventory or consent: https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/titles/20/chapters/7/index.full.html (accessed 2026-08-10).
• D.C. Code §§ 20-731 and 20-733 — supervised filing waiver, demand, court order, and preserved delivery duty: https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/titles/20/chapters/7/index.full.html (accessed 2026-08-10).