Mo. Rev. Stat. § 478.473

Current with changes from the 2024 Legislative Session
Section 478.473 - Letters where granted (Jackson County)
1. Letters testamentary or of administration on the estates of decedents and letters of guardianship of the person and letters of conservatorship of the estate of minors or disabled and incapacitated persons shall be granted by the probate division of the circuit court of Jackson County, or the division clerk thereof when not in session, at Independence or at Kansas City, as hereinafter provided, and all orders, settlements, trials and other proceedings had therein shall be had, done and kept of record in the office of the clerk where such letters are granted. For the purposes of this section, Jackson County is hereby divided into an "eastern" portion and a "western" portion, as hereinafter described.
2.
(1) The "western" portion of Jackson County is described as follows:

Beginning in the middle of the main channel of the Missouri River, at a point where the easterly city limits of the city of Kansas City intersects the same; thence southerly along said easterly city limits of the city of Kansas City and following the meanderings of same to the intersection of said easterly city limits with the center line of Blue Ridge Boulevard (just north of U.S. Highway No. 24); thence southerly along the center line of Blue Ridge Boulevard to its intersection with the center line of Blue Ridge Cut-Off (at about 33rd Street); thence southerly along the center line of Blue Ridge Cut-Off to its intersection with the center line of Blue Ridge Boulevard Extension (at about 66th Street); thence southerly along the center line of Blue Ridge Boulevard Extension to its intersection with the center line of 87th Street; thence easterly along the center line of 87th Street to its intersection with the center line of Raytown Road; thence southerly along the center line of Raytown Road to its intersection with the center line of Outer Belt Road; thence easterly along the center line of Outer Belt Road to its intersection with the center line of Peterson Road; thence southerly along the center line of Peterson Road to its intersection with the boundary between Jackson County and Cass County; thence westerly along said boundary between Jackson County and Cass County to its intersection with the western boundary line of the state of Missouri; thence northerly along the western boundary line of the state of Missouri to its intersection with the middle of the main channel of the Missouri River; thence down said river, in the middle of the main channel thereof, to the place of beginning.

(2) The "eastern" portion of Jackson County is described as the remainder of Jackson County other than the aforesaid "western" portion. The boundaries as herein established are permanently fixed geographically as of January 2, 1979, and are not to be considered altered by reason of change of name or location of any of the roads or city limits to which reference is made herein.
3. If, at the time of the death of a decedent, or at the time of the filing of a petition for appointment of a guardian for a minor or an incompetent, such decedent or minor or incompetent:
(1) Resides in the "eastern" portion, then such letters shall be granted at Independence;
(2) Resides in the "western" portion, then such letters shall be granted at Kansas City;
(3) Does not reside in Jackson County but is possessed of lands lying in the "eastern" portion (but none in the "western" portion), then such letters shall be granted at Independence;
(4) Does not reside in Jackson County but is possessed of lands lying in the "western" portion (but none in the "eastern" portion), then such letters shall be granted at Kansas City. In all other cases, such letters may be granted at either Independence or Kansas City.
4. The probate division of the circuit court of Jackson County shall keep two offices for the transaction of its business, one at Independence and the other at Kansas City. The records relating to cases in the "eastern" portion of Jackson County shall be maintained at Independence and the records relating to cases in the "western" portion of Jackson County shall be maintained at Kansas City, unless a case be transferred.

§ 478.473, RSMo

L. 1978 H.B. 1634, A.L. 1983 S.B. 44 & 45