Probate in Harris County

Probate Court Record

Harris County Probate Courts No. 1 through No. 5

Harris County

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM

Office

201 Caroline, Suite 800, Houston, TX 77002

Self-represented filing

Attorney of record required

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Harris County →

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

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

Estate Law Firms Serving Harris County

Pearland firm serving Brazoria, Harris, and Fort Bend counties across every Texas probate track — court-supervised administration, muniment of title, small-estate affidavit, and ancillary probate for out-of-state property. Three attorneys draft wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives, and represent executors and beneficiaries through estate administration.

Serves 3 countiesEstate PlanningProbateAsset ProtectionBusiness SuccessionTrusts

Serves Montgomery County and north Harris County from The Woodlands, filing in the Montgomery County courts in Conroe. Attorneys James and Mireya Dickey, both members of the State Bar Real Estate, Probate & Trust Law Section, handle probate administration, guardianship, and business succession alongside wills and trusts, with full counsel available in Spanish. Free initial consultation.

Serves 2 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateGuardianshipBusiness SuccessionPower Of Attorney+3

Conroe firm just north of The Woodlands, serving Montgomery, Harris, and Walker counties since 1972. Partners Jim Dossey and Paige Jones are both board certified in estate planning and probate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and Dossey is also a CPA board certified in tax law. Handles probate administration, heirship, small estate affidavits, and guardianship.

Since 1972Serves 3 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningGuardianshipAsset Protection+2

Serves Montgomery, Harris, Fort Bend, and Galveston counties from The Woodlands. Handles Texas probate end to end: getting an executor or administrator appointed, preparing the inventory and appraisement, running the creditor-notice period, retitling property into the estate, and closing with the required accountings. Steven J. Clausen is board certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law.

Serves 4 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateGuardianshipSpecial Needs Planning+4

Serves Montgomery and Harris counties from Timberloch Place in The Woodlands. On the settlement side it collects estate assets, handles income tax administration of estates and trusts, works disclaimer planning, and represents executors, trustees, and beneficiaries in estate and trust litigation. Jay V. Knighton II is board certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law.

Solo PracticeSince 2001Serves 2 countiesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTax Planning+4

Sugar Land firm serving Fort Bend and Harris counties, including Missouri City, Richmond, Rosenberg, and Houston. Paul Romano and Kenny Sumner handle probate administration, contested wills, trust and estate litigation, and guardianship, with over four decades of combined experience. The initial consultation is free of charge.

Serves 3 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationGuardianship+3

All 30 Texas estate law firms serving Harris 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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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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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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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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