Oregon: Estate Inventory and Appraisement Requirements
The short answer
An Oregon personal representative must file an inventory in the estate proceeding within 90 days after appointment unless the court grants more time. It covers every estate asset that has come into the representative's possession or knowledge and gives the representative's estimated fair market value at death; if no property is known or possessed, a zero-asset inventory is still required. An outside appraisal is optional for reasonably doubtful values unless the court orders one, and later-discovered property generally must be supplemented within 30 days or included in the next accounting.
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This is the general rule in Oregon. Ask about your specific facts and see which parts of current Oregon law apply, with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law and administration type | Ordinary estate proceeding; court-filed inventory under ORS §§ 113.165-.185 |
|---|---|
| Who prepares, signs, and verifies | Personal representative files and supplies value estimates; §§ 113.165-.185 state no inventory oath, notarization, or verification; an outside appraisal must be written and appraiser-signed |
| Deadline, trigger, and extension | Within 90 days after appointment; court may grant a longer time (ORS § 113.165) |
| Court filing or private delivery | File in the estate proceeding; §§ 113.165-.185 state no inventory-specific private-delivery alternative |
| Property scope, exclusions, and encumbrances | All estate property in the representative's possession or knowledge; file a zero-asset inventory if none; no express encumbrance or exclusion field (§ 113.165) |
| Valuation date and method | Representative's estimate of each property's fair market value as of death (ORS § 113.165) |
| Appraiser requirement and qualifications | PR may hire qualified, disinterested appraiser for reasonably doubtful value; court may order appraisal by court-appointed appraiser(s); written and signed (§ 113.185) |
| Recipients, confidentiality, and access | §§ 113.165-.185 state no inventory-specific notice, copy recipient, sealing, confidentiality, or inspection rule |
| Correction, supplementation, and noncompliance | Later property: supplement within 30 days or include in next accounting; zero-asset original requires 30-day supplement; neglect or other good cause can support show-cause removal (§§ 113.175, .195) |
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Requirements one by one
Governing law and filing route
ORS § 113.165 uses a court-filing system: the personal representative files the inventory “in the estate proceeding.” The inventory provisions do not create a substitute route based only on sending copies privately.
Who prepares and values the inventory
The personal representative files the inventory and supplies the estimates. ORS § 113.165 does not state an oath, affidavit, notarization, or verification requirement for that inventory. That differs from an outside appraisal under ORS § 113.185, which must be written and signed by the appraiser.
Deadline and property scope
The initial deadline is 90 days after appointment, but ORS § 113.165 lets the court grant a longer time. The same section reaches every estate asset that has come into the representative's possession or knowledge. It also requires a filing that says no estate property is known or possessed when that is the situation; having no identified assets does not eliminate the filing duty.
Valuation and appraisers
For the inventory, ORS § 113.165 calls for the representative's estimate of each listed property's fair market value as of the decedent's death. ORS § 113.185 allows—but does not automatically require—the representative to employ a qualified and disinterested appraiser when value may be subject to reasonable doubt. The court may instead direct an appraisal of all or part of the estate by one or more court-appointed appraisers. Any appraisal under that section must be written and signed, and reasonable fees and necessary expenses are paid from the estate.
Notice, confidentiality, and access
ORS §§ 113.165-.185 require filing but do not state an inventory-specific copy recipient, separate notice, sealing, confidentiality, or inspection rule. Those sections therefore should not be read as requiring delivery of the inventory to every heir or devisee, or as answering who may inspect the court file.
What trips people up
The correction route changes when the first inventory reported no assets. Ordinarily, ORS § 113.175 permits later-discovered property either in a supplemental inventory filed within 30 days after possession or knowledge or in the next accounting. If the original inventory stated that no assets were known, the next-accounting option disappears: the representative must file the supplemental inventory within that 30-day period.
ORS § 113.195 does not impose automatic removal for a late or incomplete inventory. It permits removal for unfaithfulness or neglect and for other good cause, through a process in which the court—on its own motion or an interested person's petition—orders the representative to appear and show cause.
Common questions
Must I file anything if I have found no estate property?
Yes. ORS § 113.165 requires an inventory stating that no estate property has come into your possession or knowledge.
Does every asset need an independent appraisal?
No. ORS § 113.185 permits the representative to hire a qualified, disinterested appraiser for property whose value may reasonably be doubtful. The court retains discretion to order an appraisal of some or all estate property.
Is an inventory value the property's later sale price or tax basis?
The inventory statute answers a different question: ORS § 113.165 requires an estimated fair market value as of the date of death. It does not make that estimate a guaranteed sale price or state that it controls tax basis.
Statutes and sources
- ORS § 113.165 — initial inventory, deadline, scope, and values. “Within 90 days after the date of appointment, unless a longer time is granted by the court, a personal representative shall file in the estate proceeding an inventory of all property of the estate that has come into the possession or knowledge of the personal representative.” Official 2025 Edition ORS Chapter 113 (accessed August 10, 2026).
- ORS § 113.175 — later-discovered property. “Whenever any property of the estate not included in the inventory comes into the possession or knowledge of the personal representative, the personal representative shall either file in the estate proceeding a supplemental inventory within 30 days after the date of receiving possession or knowledge, or include the property in the next accounting.” Official 2025 Edition ORS Chapter 113 (accessed August 10, 2026).
- ORS § 113.185 — appraisals. “An appraisal under this section must be in writing and must be signed by the appraiser making it.” Official 2025 Edition ORS Chapter 113 (accessed August 10, 2026).
- ORS § 113.195 — removal process. “When a personal representative has been unfaithful to or neglectful of the trust, the court may remove the personal representative.” Official 2025 Edition ORS Chapter 113 (accessed August 10, 2026).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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