§ 1902. Letters of administration, small estates, notice
Upon receiving and filing such petition, the judge of probate may make such investigation of the circumstances of the case and the facts set forth in the petition, as he deems proper and necessary. If from the petition and the investigation it shall appear to the satisfaction of the court that the deceased left a surviving spouse, or children of any age, or both, that the deceased died seized of no real estate, and that the personal estate of such deceased, appraised at its true cash value as of the date of death, amounts to not more than the sum of $10,000.00, the court may thereupon grant administration of the estate to the petitioner or some other suitable person forthwith without further notice, and may issue letters of administration to the administrator without requiring further bonds. (Added 1975, No. 240 (Adj. Sess.), § 10; amended 1981, No. 150 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)