Heirs at law and next of kin defined · as in force on May 31, 2026
§ 2-1.1 Heirs at law and next of kin defined
Whenever used in a statute or instrument, unless a contrary intention is expressed therein, the term "heirs", "heirs at law", "next of kin" or any term of like import means the distributees, as defined in 1-2.5.
Unless a statute or instrument shows a contrary intent, “heirs, heirs at law, next of kin,” and similar terms mean distributees as defined in § 1-2.5. ★
Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.
This provision appears in Volume 1 — The Surrogate's Court in Plain English; Volume 3 — The Surrogate's Court: Court Rules & the EPTL; Volume 5 — Your Career: Surrogate's Court in Plain English.