Probate in Denton County

Probate Court Record

Denton County Probate Courts No. 1 and No. 2

Denton County

Hours

Monday-Tuesday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM; Wednesday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM; Thursday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM

Office

1450 East McKinney Street, Denton, TX 76209

Self-represented filing

Attorney of record required

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Denton County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

Do I need a lawyer for probate in Denton County? →Settling an estate in Denton County →

Estate Law Firms Serving Denton County

North Dallas firm serving Dallas, Collin, and Denton counties, with founder Lorie Burch and two associate attorneys. Drafts wills, revocable living trusts, powers of attorney, and directives to physicians, handles probate, and runs a mobile notary service that brings document signings to clients at home or bedside. Initial calls are free of charge.

Serves 3 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateLiving WillsPower Of AttorneyTrustsWills

Fort Worth solo practice in the Fort Worth Club Building handling independent and dependent probate administration, contested and uncontested matters, and guardianship for Tarrant County families. Catherine Goodman is board certified in estate planning and probate law and takes will contests and trust and fiduciary litigation as well as drafting wills and directives.

Solo PracticeServes 4 countiesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationGuardianship

Serves the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex from Plano, with a Mansfield office and an appointment-only Fort Worth office. Handles independent and dependent administration, muniment of title, determination of heirship, and small estate affidavits in Collin, Dallas, Tarrant, and Denton county probate courts. Planning is billed at a flat rate, probate hourly.

Serves 4 countiesVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationGuardianshipAsset Protection+3

Serves Dallas County and the surrounding North Texas area from 100 Crescent Court in downtown Dallas. Carries probate, estate administration, and trust administration alongside its planning work, with charitable, tax, and family business planning. All four attorneys are board certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Serves 4 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningBusiness Succession

Boutique estate-law firm whose Dallas office sits downtown on Main Street, with Houston and Austin offices and fourteen attorneys. Handles probate administration, fiduciary services, contested guardianships, and estate, trust, and guardianship litigation, and says it has worked in 112 of Texas' 254 counties. Free consultation.

Serves 4 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationGuardianship+2

Southlake and Dallas firm serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, with attorneys carrying a combined 84 years of experience. Represents executors and administrators through probating wills, locating assets, legal notices, estate inventories, and estate and gift tax returns. Shannon Guthrie is board certified in estate planning and probate law.

Serves 3 countiesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningBusiness FormationCharitable Planning+2

All 25 Texas estate law firms serving Denton County →

Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Texas

Free Texas forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Texas.

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Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

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Last Will and Testament

In Texas, a will is signed before 2Tex. Est. Code § 251.051Verified Sep 16, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyTex. Est. Code § 251.051Verified Sep 16, 2026View source.

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Healthcare Power of Attorney

Texas allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2Health & Safety Code § 166.164Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.

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Free

Financial Power of Attorney

Texas requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityTex. Est. Code § 751.0021Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryTex. Est. Code § 751.0021Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.

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Pour-Over Will

In Texas, a pour-over will is signed before 2Tex. Est. Code § 251.051Verified Sep 16, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

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Free

Transfer on Death Deed

In Texas, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryTex. Estates Code 114.001 to 114.106Verified Oct 19, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathTex. Estates Code 114.001 to 114.106Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.

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All Texas forms

Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Texas

Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Texas: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Texas.

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In Texas, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 2.2%Modeled estimate under Tex. Est. Code § 352.051 (reasonable and necessarily incurred fees; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%Modeled estimate under Tex. Est. Code § 352.051 (reasonable and necessarily incurred fees; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.

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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Probate in Texas takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 2.2%Modeled estimate under Tex. Est. Code § 352.051 (reasonable and necessarily incurred fees; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%Modeled estimate under Tex. Est. Code § 352.051 (reasonable and necessarily incurred fees; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

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How Much Does Probate Cost?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Texas costs an estimated $27,634Tex. Est. Code § 352.051 (reasonable and necessarily incurred fees; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.2%Modeled estimate under Tex. Est. Code § 352.051 (reasonable and necessarily incurred fees; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%Modeled estimate under Tex. Est. Code § 352.051 (reasonable and necessarily incurred fees; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.

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What Are the Estate Laws in My State?

Probate on a $500,000 estate in Texas costs an estimated $27,634Tex. Est. Code § 352.051 (reasonable and necessarily incurred fees; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 4 months to 6 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 2.2%Modeled estimate under Tex. Est. Code § 352.051 (reasonable and necessarily incurred fees; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.5%Modeled estimate under Tex. Est. Code § 352.051 (reasonable and necessarily incurred fees; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $75,000Tex. Est. Code § 205.001/205.006Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.

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How Do I Settle an Estate?

Settling an estate in Texas: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysTex. Estates Code §§ 309.001, 309.051, 309.056, 309.101Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsTex. Estates Code §§ 308.051-308.056, 355.001-355.004, 355.060, 355.064, 355.102Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 4 months to 6 months.

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What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Texas runs $4,130Estimate: 10 hours at $413, Clio's Texas Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,195Estimate: 15 hours at $413, Clio's Texas Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,161Estimate: 3 hours at $387, Clio's Texas Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,322Estimate: 6 hours at $387, Clio's Texas Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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