Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: Michigan has no dedicated will-contest statute of limitations. The figure that actually governs is 1 year, running from entry of the formal testacy order (or earlier, at the estate’s final distribution).
How long do you have to contest a will in Michigan?
| Deadline to contest an admitted will | 1 year |
| What starts the clock | entry of the formal testacy order (or earlier, at the estate’s final distribution) |
| Dedicated will-contest statute? | No; this is a general probate-appeal / vacate-the-order deadline |
“A petition for vacation filed under subsection (1) shall be filed before the earlier of the following time limits: (a) If a personal representative is appointed for the estate, the time of entry of an order approving final distribution… (b) One year after the entry of the order sought to be vacated.”
Source: MCL 700.3412
What makes Michigan different
Michigan is the outlier among Uniform Probate Code states: it repealed the model act’s standard ‘ultimate time limit’ contest provision in 2000, so there is no fixed statutory contest window; the practical deadline is this 1-year (or earlier, at final distribution) window to petition to vacate a formal testacy order, or the ordinary appeal period before one is entered. The controlling authority is MCL 700.3412, and the window runs from entry of the formal testacy order (or earlier, at the estate’s final distribution).
What happens once this deadline passes?
Once the window above closes, Michigan’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 Michigan allowed at the original probate hearing does not reopen or extend it.
Sources
| Statute / rule | MCL 700.3412 |
| Michigan courts (general reference) | Michigan judicial branch |
| Confidence | High |
Every statute or rule quoted on this Michigan 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 Michigan probate court file can confirm.