Washington Guardianship Forms: Complete Filing Guide for Adult Children

Your parent can no longer manage their finances or make safe decisions, and they never signed a power of attorney. Now you're staring at the Washington Courts website trying to figure out which forms to download, in what order, and what to do with them. The form numbering system alone — GDN C 101, GDN C 102, GDN ALL 002 — reads like a parts catalog with no assembly instructions.

Here's the form-by-form breakdown for filing an adult guardianship or conservatorship in Washington under RCW 11.130.

The Core Petition Forms

GDN C 102 — Petition for Guardianship, Conservatorship, and/or Protective Arrangement. This is the main filing. It identifies the respondent (your parent), describes their condition, explains why a guardian or conservator is needed, and proposes who should serve. You'll specify whether you're requesting guardianship (personal decisions), conservatorship (financial decisions), or both.

File this in the Superior Court of the county where your parent resides. Filing fees vary by county — King County charges approximately $290, Snohomish around $240. Fee waivers are available for low-income petitioners.

GDN C 101 — Notice of Petition. This form notifies your parent and interested parties that a guardianship or conservatorship proceeding has been filed. It explains the respondent's rights, including the right to an attorney and the right to attend the hearing.

GDN C 103 — Order Appointing Court Visitor. The court issues this order immediately after you file the petition. It appoints a neutral investigator (formerly called a Guardian ad Litem in adult proceedings) to interview your parent, evaluate their living situation, and submit a recommendation to the judge. You don't draft this form — the court generates it, but you should know it exists because the court visitor will contact you.

The Disclosure and Training Forms

GDN ALL 002 — Disclosure of Guardian or Conservator. If you're a non-professional ("lay") petitioner — meaning you're an adult child, not a certified professional guardian — you must complete this disclosure form. It requires information about your background, criminal history, bankruptcy history, and any prior fiduciary appointments. Filed under penalty of perjury.

Along with this disclosure, you must complete Washington's mandatory online lay guardian training provided by the Administrative Office of the Courts. The training is free and covers the legal duties, reporting requirements, and ethical obligations of serving as a guardian or conservator. You file a Declaration of Completion of Training with the court — either alongside the initial petition or within 90 days of appointment in emergency cases.

The Medical Evaluation

RCW 11.130.390 requires a professional medical evaluation of the respondent. The examiner must be a licensed physician (MD/DO), psychologist, advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP), or physician assistant. Their sealed report covers:

• The examiner's credentials and relationship (or lack thereof) to the respondent
• Clinical analysis of cognitive and functional limitations
• A prognosis
• Current medications and their cognitive effects
• An opinion on the respondent's capacity to manage personal and financial affairs

The court visitor arranges this evaluation, and the sealed report must be available to the court before the hearing.

Service and Notice Requirements

GDN ALL 005 — Notice of Hearing. After the court sets a hearing date, you must serve this notice on the respondent personally (not by mail) at least 15 days before the hearing. All interested parties — spouse, adult children, nearest kin, anyone else designated by statute — must receive notice by mail.

Getting service right is critical. If the court finds improper notice, the hearing gets continued and the whole timeline resets. Use a professional process server for personal service on the respondent to avoid challenges later.

Post-Appointment Forms

If the court approves your petition, several forms come into play immediately:

GDN C 104 — Order Appointing Guardian/Conservator. The commissioner signs this at the hearing, establishing the scope of your appointment (full or limited).

GDN ALL 003 — Acceptance of Appointment. You sign this to formally accept the fiduciary role and its legal obligations.

GDN ALL 006 — Receipt of Funds into Blocked Financial Account. For conservatorships, the court typically requires either a fiduciary bond or a blocked account arrangement. Under a blocked account, the parent's liquid assets go into an account that requires a judge's written order for any withdrawal. This form proves compliance.

GDN ALL 004 — Letters of Office. Once the bond or blocked account receipt is filed along with your signed acceptance, the court clerk issues certified Letters of Guardianship or Conservatorship. These are the documents you'll present to banks, medical providers, and government agencies as proof of your authority.

GDN C 105 — Notice of Rights. Within 14 days of the appointment order, you must personally serve this on your parent and mail it to all notice parties. It informs the respondent of their ongoing rights, including the right to seek modification or termination of the guardianship.

The Ongoing Reporting Cycle

Appointment is not the finish line — it's the beginning of a compliance schedule:

• Immediately after appointment: File IRS Form 56 to establish your tax-filing authority.
• Within 90 days: File a Guardian's Care Plan (detailing how you'll meet the parent's physical, emotional, and social needs) and a Conservator's Inventory (a detailed accounting of all assets).
• Annually: File a Guardian's Report (GDN R 204) and proposed Approval Order (GDN R 206) within 90 days of your appointment anniversary. These detail the parent's status, your visit frequency, and a complete financial accounting. Serve copies on all notice parties within 14 days of filing.

Letters of Office typically expire 120 days after your appointment anniversary to force annual compliance reviews. Miss the deadline and your authority lapses until the court reissues them.

All Forms in One Place

Every form referenced above is available at courts.wa.gov/forms under the Guardianship/Conservatorship section. But having the forms and knowing how to sequence them are different problems entirely.

The Washington Power of Attorney & Guardianship Kit provides the complete filing sequence, a pre-hearing preparation checklist, and compliance tracking tools so you don't miss a deadline that costs you your letters of office.

See more Washington guides →