Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: In Maryland, you have 6 months to contest a will that has already been admitted to probate, running from the first appointment of a personal representative under the will.
How long do you have to contest a will in Maryland?
| Deadline to contest an admitted will | 6 months |
| What starts the clock | the first appointment of a personal representative under the will |
| Dedicated will-contest statute? | Yes |
“a verified petition to caveat a will may be filed at any time before the expiration of 6 months following the first appointment of a personal representative under a will, even if there be a subsequent judicial probate or appointment of a personal representative.”
What makes Maryland different
Maryland’s clock runs from the first appointment of a personal representative, not from admission of the will or date of death, and a caveat can even be filed before any probate petition is filed at all. The controlling authority is Md. Code Ann., Est. & Trusts § 5-207, and the window runs from the first appointment of a personal representative under the will.
What happens once this deadline passes?
Once the window above closes, Maryland’s probate of the will generally becomes final and binding on everyone who had the chance to object, subject only to the tolling or discovery exceptions described above; a separate objection Maryland allowed at the original probate hearing does not reopen or extend it.
Sources
| Statute / rule | Md. Code Ann., Est. & Trusts § 5-207 |
| Maryland courts (general reference) | Maryland judicial branch |
| Confidence | High |
Every statute or rule quoted on this Maryland page was read directly from the state’s own legislature/court/code site this session, or, where that site blocked automated access, from a reputable legal-citation mirror quoting the same official text with its official citation (disclosed below). General information, not legal advice; whether a specific contest is still timely can turn on facts (exactly when notice was given, how the will was probated, whether a disability applies) that only your own Maryland probate court file can confirm.