Duty of public administrator to take charge of estates, when
A public administrator is a government official who takes care of estates (money and property left behind) when no one else is available to do it. This law lists the situations where a probate court can put a public administrator in charge — like when someone dies without known family, when a stranger dies in the county, when a minor child has no one to manage their property, or when property is at risk of being lost or stolen. The public administrator can also be put in charge of caring for people who are disabled and have no guardian.
473.743. Duty of to take charge of s, when. — Upon appointment by the , it shall be the duty of the public administrator to take into his or her charge and the estates of all persons, and the estates of all minors, and the estates or person and estate of all persons in his or her county, in the following cases:
(1) When a dies in the county without relations, or dies leaving a , and the named is absent, or fails to ;
(2) When persons die intestate without any known ;
(3) When persons unknown die or are found dead in the county;
(4) When money, property, papers or other estate are left in a situation exposed to loss or damage, and no other person administers on the same;
(5) When any estate of any person who dies intestate therein, or elsewhere, is left in the county to be injured, wasted or lost, when the intestate does not leave a known husband, or heirs in this state;
(6) The estates of all minors whose parents are dead, or, if living, refuse or to qualify as , or, having qualified have been , or are, from any cause, to act as such conservator, and who have no one by law to take care of and manage their estate;
(7) The estates or person and estate of all or incapacitated persons in his or her county who have no or conservator, and no one to take charge of such estate, or to act as such or conservator, can be found, or is known to the court having , who will qualify;
(8) Where from any other , the court shall him to take of any estate to prevent its being injured, wasted, or lost;
(9) The public administrator shall act as when appointed by the or the .
(RSMo 1939 § 299, A.L. 1983 S.B. 44 & 45, A.L. 2007 S.B. 22 with S.B. 497, A.L. 2009 H.B. 481, A.L. 2017 S.B. 111 merged with S.B. 112)
Prior revisions: 1929 § 299; 1919 § 296; 1909 § 302
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Related Missouri laws
Salary schedule for public administrators, certain counties
RSMo 473.742
County governing body may authorize additional compensation, when
RSMo 473.741
Compensation, Boone and Clay counties
RSMo 473.740
Compensation for attendance at training session, certain public administrators, expenses shall be reimbursed, when (certain counties of the first classification)
RSMo 473.739
Unenforceability of certain contract provisions requiring a public administrator to be personally responsible for debt or account of a ward or protectee
RSMo 473.748
Administrators to have separate offices
RSMo 473.737
Legal information, not legal advice. Always confirm with the official source at revisor.mo.gov.