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Updated September 23, 2026. Quick answer: Expect a median $2,350 for an attorney-drafted living trust in Ohio, per LegalTemplates’ 2026 survey of 909 law firms; the middle half of firms quoted $1,950 to $2,800. That ties with Michigan for the joint-cheapest end of the middle of the pack, just below the national median. A DIY platform runs $149 to $649. What that spend buys locally: Ohio has no statewide flat probate fee; Franklin County (Columbus), the state’s most populous, sets a $125 statutory-minimum deposit, with $250 recommended in practice.
Whether the state taxes the trust’s income is a separate question: does Ohio tax trust income.
Fast routes: National living trust cost guide | Ohio probate filing fee | Ohio probate cost | Is a living trust worth it in Ohio?
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Review LawDepot’s living trustOpens on LawDepot. Follow the signing and retitling instructions for your state.
How our partner relationships workLiving trust cost in Ohio: attorney vs DIY
Here is the same figure next to the national benchmark and the DIY floor:
| Figure | Amount |
|---|---|
| What Ohio attorneys typically charge | $2,350 |
| Middle-50% spread in Ohio | $1,950–$2,800 |
| National median, all 50 states and DC | $2,475 |
| DIY document platform range | $149–$649 |
Attorneys who bundle the trust into a fuller package (pour-over will, financial power of attorney, healthcare documents) charge a national median of $2,700 for that package. DIY document platforms run $149 to $649 and do not vary by state; the national living trust cost guide has the full platform comparison table (LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Quicken WillMaker, FreeWill) with what each one includes.
Attorney figures: LegalTemplates, September 23, 2026.
What a living trust avoids: probate in Ohio
The payoff for the $2,350 spent on a trust shows up here: Ohio probate, and what it would otherwise cost the estate. Ohio has no statewide flat probate fee; Franklin County (Columbus), the state’s most populous, sets a $125 statutory-minimum deposit, with $250 recommended in practice. Full filing-fee breakdown.
Ohio fixes the executor’s commission by statute: 4% of the first $100,000, 3% of the next $300,000 and 2% above $400,000 of personal property and real property sold, plus 1% of unsold real property (ORC §2113.35), while attorney fees are reasonable and court-approved. Full Ohio probate cost guide, including when a smaller estate qualifies for a shortcut and skips probate anyway.
Ohio living trust: signing, notary and the deed
Each line is a short extract quoted from, or a plain summary of, the statute cited; the section has the exceptions.
- Creating the trust. Ohio Rev. Code § 5804.02: “…indicates an intention to create the trust…”
- Writing rule. Ohio Rev. Code § 5804.07 (summarized, not quoted): a trust is not required to be evidenced by a trust instrument unless another section of the Revised Code requires one, but an oral trust and its terms can be established only by clear and convincing evidence.
- Deed and notary. Ohio Rev. Code § 5301.01: “The signing shall be acknowledged by the grantor, mortgagor, vendor, or lessor…”
- Certification of trust. Ohio Rev. Code § 5810.13: “…the trustee may furnish to the person a certification of trust…”
For what the court side costs if a trust is not used, see Ohio probate cost.
Funding the trust in Ohio
One step trips people up after the trust is drafted: retitling a house into it requires an actual new deed, not just the trust document. Ohio exempts a deed into your own revocable trust from its real property conveyance fee so long as you keep the power to revoke the trust (ORC §319.54(G)(3)(t)). The deed still has to be recorded with the county recorder, for example $34 for the first two pages in Franklin County.
Is a living trust worth it in Ohio?
Set the $2,350 against what probate would have cost above, then add the non-dollar side: no public court file, and a faster transfer once you are gone. The full worth-it analysis for Ohio breaks down the trade for your specific assets and estate size.
Sources
- LegalTemplates, 2026 Estate Planning Costs in the US (909 firms, read September 23, 2026).
- Ohio probate filing fee, Ohio probate cost, national living trust cost guide (Clear Money Guide).
- Statute/agency source, transfer-tax/recording source.