Administrator
The person a court appoints to handle an estate when there is no will, or no usable executor.
What it means
An administrator does the same work as an executor — gather, pay, distribute — but is chosen by a court rather than named in a will.
It comes up in two situations: there was no will, or there was one but the person it named cannot or will not serve.
Why it matters
Where there is no will, the estate is distributed by the state's own rules rather than by anybody's wishes, and the administrator has to follow those rules rather than what the family agrees is fair.
Who gets appointed is not a free choice either. States set an order of priority — typically a surviving spouse first, then adult children, then other relatives — and a court follows it unless there is a reason not to.
When you are likely to meet it
- When somebody dies without a will and property is in their name alone.
- When the will's named executor has died, declines, or is found unsuitable.
- When an institution asks for letters of administration.
For example
A man dies without a will, owning a car in his own name. His widow petitions the court, is appointed administrator, and uses the letters of administration to have the title transferred.
How this varies by state
The order of who may be appointed, and whether a bond is required, are both set by state law.
Below is how the states Sahvelo has published describe it, in their own words, each linked to the guide that sources it.
New Mexico
Order of Appointment for Administrator
The document a Tribal Judge may issue appointing one or more individuals to dispose of an estate's assets. It must be issued within the tribal jurisdiction and signed by the Tribal Judge, an original or certified copy must be provided, and the Motor Vehicle Division will accept it as authority for the personal representative to transact titles.
Primary source (opens in a new tab) MVD Vehicle Procedures Manual ch.8 §E
New York
Voluntary administrator
A streamlined alternative to formal administration under SCPA Article 13 (particularly §1301) for small New York estates. Available when the decedent died intestate (without a will) more than 30 days ago and the gross estate does not exceed $50,000 (the SCPA §1301 cap, indexed periodically). The court issues Short-Form Letters of Administration without a full accounting proceeding.
Primary source (opens in a new tab) SCPA §1301
Rhode Island
Voluntary administrator
A person certified by the probate court of a Rhode Island city or town under R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-24-1 to administer a small estate without letters. They may receive payment of debts and delivery of chattels scheduled in the statement, and may sell any chattel received — and they are liable as an executor in their own wrong to all persons aggrieved by the administration.
Primary source (opens in a new tab) R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-24-1