Indiana Guardianship Forms

Indiana Does Not Have a Universal Guardianship Form Packet

This is the first thing most families get wrong: Indiana has no single, mandatory statewide set of adult guardianship forms. The Indiana Judicial Branch publishes standard worksheets for child support, but adult guardianship petitions are governed by local county rules, local forms, and local filing procedures across all 92 counties.

That means the forms you need depend entirely on which county your young adult lives in. Filing Hamilton County forms in Marion County — or using a generic template from a document aggregator site — may result in rejection or a request for correction before a judge sees it.

What Goes in a Standard Guardianship Filing Packet

While forms vary by county, the required contents of a guardianship petition are set by Indiana Code § 29-3. Every filing packet for a GU (standard guardianship) case should include:

• Verified Petition for Appointment of Guardian — names the proposed guardian, identifies the alleged incapacitated adult, and states the specific basis for guardianship
• Physician's Report (State Form 45670 or local equivalent) — a clinical evaluation documenting the specific areas of incapacity, completed within 3 months of filing
• Notarized Acceptance and Oath of Guardian — the proposed guardian's sworn statement that they accept the appointment and its duties
• Appearance of Pro Se Litigant or Counsel — identifies who is representing the petitioner
• Confidential Guardianship Registry Information Sheet — mandatory under Indiana Supreme Court rules; the clerk cannot issue Letters of Guardianship without it

The standard base filing fee for a new GU case is $177, but county schedules can vary; Clark County has listed $161–$177 depending on the court system. If you cannot afford the filing fee, you can submit an Indigency Affidavit and Verified Motion for Fee Waiver.

County-Specific Form Requirements

Three examples show how dramatically local rules diverge from the standard template:

Marion County (Superior Court D08) enforces highly specific local probate rules. You must use local Form 413.3 for the Physician's Report (not the generic State Form 45670) and Form 412.0 for standard guardian-of-the-person instructions. All filings go through the state's electronic filing system and must be properly categorized — medical evaluations and registry sheets must be submitted under the green "Confidential" designation to comply with Access to Court Records Rule 5.

Hamilton County uses its own form packet with mandatory local instructions. The big trap: while Indiana Code § 29-3-9-5 gives non-temporary guardians 90 days to file a property inventory, Hamilton County Local Rules shorten that deadline to 30 days. Guardians who rely on the state statutory timeline miss the local deadline.

Porter County requires practitioners to use Probate Appendix D for medical evaluations instead of the standard Physician's Report form.

The Physician's Report Is the Most Critical Form

The Physician's Report is a key part of the court's evaluation of guardianship. Under Indiana law, the examining physician, nurse practitioner, or clinical psychologist must:

• Identify the specific physical, developmental, or mental conditions causing incapacity
• State whether the adult can attend the court hearing without injury to their health
• Assess whether less-restrictive alternatives were evaluated
• Conduct the examination within 3 months of the filing date

A report based on an older evaluation is automatically invalid under county probate practice. Clinicians should also avoid the default of checking "totally incapacitated" unless the patient truly has complete cognitive deficits — that finding can support a plenary request when a limited order might be sufficient.

GU vs. GM Case Type Designations

Indiana has two case type designations that protect the adult's privacy:

GU (Standard Guardianship) is used for petitions requesting a permanent, limited, or temporary guardian. This triggers automatic inclusion in the state's online Guardianship Registry.

GM (Miscellaneous Probate) is used for protective proceedings or single-transaction orders under IC § 29-3-4 — such as establishing a Special Needs Trust or authorizing one contract — without requesting a permanent guardian. The GM designation keeps the adult out of the public-facing Guardianship Registry.

If you're only seeking court approval for a specific financial transaction rather than ongoing guardianship authority, the GM filing protects your family member's privacy while accomplishing the immediate goal.

Before You File: Consider the Alternatives

Court-ordered guardianship costs $1,500–$4,000+ in filing fees, attorney fees, and clinical evaluations — plus ongoing biennial reporting obligations. For many families, the guardianship filing packet is the wrong starting point entirely.

Indiana law recognizes several alternatives that don't require court involvement: Supported Decision-Making agreements under IC § 29-3-14, durable powers of attorney under IC § 30-5, Health Care Advance Directives under IC § 16-36-7, and Educational Representative appointments under 511 IAC 7-43-6.

The Indiana Adult Guardianship & Alternatives Guide covers all seven legal instruments — from self-executed alternatives through the full court filing process — with the specific forms, deadlines, and county-level variations you need to get it right the first time.

See more Indiana guides →