Texas Probate Guide
County-specific probate filing-office contacts, filing fees, required forms, and step-by-step guidance for families settling an estate in Texas.
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Texas Probate Filing Offices by County
Choose your county to get its probate court contacts, filing fees, and required forms. 254 counties have detailed data.
Showing 36 of 254 counties. Search by county name or show the full list.
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Texas Probate Guides
View all guides
The Complete Texas Probate Guide
Texas probate guide. Learn about independent administration, muniment of title, small estate affidavit, timelines, and costs under the Texas Estates Code.
How to Avoid Probate in Texas
Learn how to avoid probate in Texas with living trusts, beneficiary designations, transfer-on-death deeds, and other estate planning strategies.
Texas Probate Timeline: How Long Does Probate Take?
Texas probate timeline guide. Learn how long probate takes in Texas for independent administration, muniment of title, and small estate affidavits.
Texas Executor Duties and Responsibilities
Texas executor duties. Learn executor responsibilities, independent administration, filing requirements, deadlines, and estate administration under the Texas Estates Code.
Texas Letters Testamentary: Your Official Authority to Act as Executor
Texas Letters Testamentary grant executors legal authority to manage estates. Learn how to obtain these documents, what they allow you to do, and how long they remain valid.
Ancillary Probate in Texas: Handling a Foreign Estate's Texas Property
Ancillary probate is required when someone from another state owned Texas real estate or other Texas-sited property. Learn the process under Texas Estates Code §§ 501.001–505.004, alternatives like affidavit of heirship, and costs.
Browse Texas guide topics
Jump to court, executor, tax, planning, property, and probate-avoidance guides that match your next task.
Browse Texas guide topics
Jump to court, executor, tax, planning, property, and probate-avoidance guides that match your next task.
Probate Basics
7- The Complete Texas Probate Guide
- Can You Handle Texas Probate Without a Lawyer?
- Texas Community Property: What It Means for Your Estate
- Texas Exempt Property: What Surviving Families Can Keep
- Texas Intestate Succession: Who Inherits When There Is No Will
- Texas Probate Debt Payment Priority: The Order Executors Must Follow
- Texas Will Requirements: What Makes a Valid Will
Forms & Court
4Executor Duties
6- Texas Executor Duties and Responsibilities
- Texas Executor Compensation: The 5% Commission Rule Explained
- Texas Independent Administration: The Most Common Probate Path
- Texas Probate Accounting: What Executors Must Report and When
- Texas Probate Bond Requirements: When Executors Must Post Bond
- Texas Trust Administration: Managing a Trust After the Grantor Dies
Taxes & Deadlines
7- Texas Probate Timeline: How Long Does Probate Take?
- Federal Estate Tax and Texas Estates: What You Need to Know
- Texas Creditor Claims in Probate: Deadlines, Process, and Executor Duties
- Texas Family Allowance: Immediate Support During Probate
- Texas Probate Costs: Complete Breakdown of Fees and Expenses
- Texas Step-Up in Basis: Community Property Tax Benefit
- Texas Will Contests: Grounds, Process, and No-Contest Clauses
Planning Documents
6Property Transfer
6- Ancillary Probate in Texas: Handling a Foreign Estate's Texas Property
- Selling Inherited Property in Texas: Capital Gains, Title, and Process
- Texas Affidavit of Heirship: Transfer Property Without Probate Court
- Texas Homestead Exemption in Probate: Protecting the Family Home
- Texas Muniment of Title: The Fastest Way to Probate a Will
- Texas Surviving Spouse Rights: What You Are Entitled To
Texas Probate Self-Help and Online Resources
Texas probate source navigation starts with state court, form, agency, legal-help, or referral links that are already tracked in Settled state data. These links are state-level starting points, not county-specific filing instructions.
Which Texas probate source should you use?
- Start with the state court, form, or self-help source for general Texas probate context.
- Use county filing-office, clerk, register, or court pages for local filing locations, local forms, fee schedules, and records portals.
- Use legal-help, law-library, or referral links as research or referral paths, not as a substitute for counsel.
- Verify current filing steps with the county office, court, clerk, register, legal-aid source, or counsel before filing.
Texas probate resource questions
Are these Texas probate resources county-specific?
No. This map shows state-level source links from Settled data. Use it with the Texas county page and the county office handling the estate before filing.
Which Texas source should I use first?
Start with the official court, form, or agency source for the task, then confirm local requirements with the county filing office, clerk, register, or office that accepts the filing.
Does the Texas Probate Resource Map replace attorney review?
No. The map is source navigation. It helps families find current public sources, but it does not decide eligibility, prepare filings, or replace advice from counsel.
Texas probate resource map by source type
Show all Texas self-help resources (7 links)
Statewide process, forms, and code sources
State court, form, statute, agency, and self-help sources for general probate and estate-settlement questions.
- Texas Courts
State-level source record in Settled data, accessed 2026-01-11.
Referral-navigation sources
Referral paths for finding certified lawyer-referral services when a family wants help locating counsel.
- State Bar of Texas
State-level source record in Settled data, accessed 2026-01-11.
- Texas Law Help
Self-help legal information, Court forms, Legal aid finder, Probate and estate information
- Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA)
Free legal services for qualifying individuals, Family law, Housing, Public benefits
- Lone Star Legal Aid
Free legal services, Consumer issues, Housing, Family law
- Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
Free civil legal services, Housing, Family law, Public benefits
- Texas Lawyer Referral Service
Statewide lawyer referral service
Settled pairs these Texas source links with county pages, forms, first-step guides, transfer guides, and source notes so families can move from statewide context to the local office that handles the estate.
Types of Probate in Texas
Texas offers several probate procedures depending on estate value and circumstances.
The usual Texas process, with little court oversight
Legal name: Independent Administration
The standard Texas probate path when the will authorizes it or the heirs agree, with minimal court supervision.
- Timeline
- 3-6 months
- Attorney
- Recommended
A faster way to transfer property using a valid will
Legal name: Muniment of Title
Available when there is a valid will and no unpaid unsecured debts requiring administration.
- Timeline
- 1-2 months
- Attorney
- Recommended
A form for smaller estates with no will
Legal name: Small Estate Affidavit
Limited shortcut for qualifying intestate estates, usually focused on the homestead and modest personal property.
- Timeline
- 30+ days after death
- Attorney
- Optional
Texas Estate Law Overview
Texas Estate Tax Info
Texas tax information for estates
Federal estate tax info
Federal estate tax only applies to estates exceeding $15,000,000 (2026).
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Intestate succession determines how a person's property is distributed when they die without a valid will.
View order of inheritance (no spouse)
- 1ParentsEqually to both parents, or all to the surviving parent
- 2Siblings and their descendantsIf one parent survives with siblings: half to parent, half to siblings. If no parents: all to siblings (descendants of deceased sibling take by representation)
- 3Grandparents and their descendantsHalf to maternal side, half to paternal side. If no heirs on one side, all goes to the other side.
Texas Homestead Protection
Texas has among the strongest homestead protections in the United States, enshrined in the Texas Constitution. Homestead protection is considered a core right in Texas and provides three types of protection: creditor exemption, descent/devise restrictions, and property tax benefits.
Exempt Property
Texas has some of the strongest asset protections in the nation. Certain property is exempt from creditor claims and passes to surviving family members outside of regular probate.
Family Allowance
Sufficient for maintenance for one year from date of death - Surviving spouse and minor children are entitled to support allowance from the estate