In Dade City, Hodges Family Funeral Home arranges traditional funerals with burial, cremation with or without a visitation, graveside services and memorial services. The business was established in 1999 in downtown Dade City and states it runs the only on-site crematorium in East Pasco County.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Pasco County, Florida
How probate works in Pasco County: the Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Pasco County Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller
Pasco County · 6th Judicial Circuit
Phone
1-352-521-4542 (option 4)
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Office
38053 Live Oak Avenue, Suite 207, Dade City, FL 33523
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
E-filing
Required for attorneysE-filing mandatory for attorneys since April 1, 2013. Optional for self-represented parties. Statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal for all circuit courts. The Clerk lists new estate and guardianship cases, incapacity cases, and interim and closing pleadings filed as new cases among the case types filed electronically in Pasco County.
Self-represented filing
AllowedThe Clerk publishes printable probate forms: the Affidavit of Heirs, the disposition of personal property petition and its requirements, the Statement of Claim and case maintenance reference guides for summary and formal administration, homestead and discharge. The Clerk states a disposition of personal property may be filed without an attorney; under Fla. Prob. R. 5.030 a personal representative is represented by a Florida attorney unless the personal representative is the sole interested person.
Accepted payment
- At the counterMoney order.A filing fee sent by mail is paid by cashier's check or money order payable to the Clerk & Comptroller.
Self-help center
- Legal Resource Centers: Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center, Suite 205, Dade City, and West Pasco Judicial Center, Suite 103, New Port RicheyMonday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM ET (except holidays)The Clerk's Legal Resource Centers sell probate forms and packets and offer court-record search, judges' practice preferences, online legal research, and copy and fax services.
County forms
- Disposition of Personal Property without Administration RequirementsThe Clerk's checklist of what to bring or mail with a disposition of personal property filing
Departments
- Probate Division - West Pasco Judicial Center1-727-847-8031 · 7530 Little Road, Suite 105, New Port Richey, FL 34654 · (option 4)The Clerk's second probate counter, with its own mailing address for probate filings sent to New Port Richey.
About the court
- The Clerk takes probate filings at two courthouses, in Dade City and in New Port Richey. A hearing may be required when an estate case is presented to the Court for an order.
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Pasco County
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling someone's estate after they die — validating the will, paying debts and taxes, and transferring what's left to the heirs. In Pasco County, probate runs through the Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller at 38053 Live Oak Avenue, Suite 207, Dade City. The court sits in the 6th Judicial Circuit. The same 6th Judicial Circuit also serves Pinellas.
The personal representative opens the case, gives notice to heirs and creditors, files an inventory of the estate's assets, settles outstanding debts and taxes, and then distributes the remainder under the will — or under Florida intestacy law when there is no will.
Most Florida estates take 9 months to 12 months to move through this process. Creditors have 3 monthsFla. Stat. §§ 733.2121, 733.702 (later of 3 months from first publication or 30 days from service on a served creditor), 733.703, 733.705, 733.707, 733.710Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present a claim, counted from the first publication of the notice to creditors.
What Probate Costs in Pasco County
What probate costs in Pasco County, Florida comes down to a handful of line items — the court filing fee, attorney and executor compensation, publication, and sometimes a bond — scaled by the estate's size and whether the will is contested. The case itself runs through the Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller at 38053 Live Oak Avenue, Suite 207, Dade City. The court is part of the 6th Judicial Circuit.
Florida charges $400Fla. Stat. §§ 28.2401(1)(g), (3); 44.108(1)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source to open probate, the same in every county. Additional filings during administration — inventory, accounting, the final petition — add to the total.
Estimate the costs for this estate:
Attorney fees in Florida are based on reasonable compensation — usually hourly billing or a flat fee for the engagement.
Florida sets executor compensation on a statutory schedule that is presumed reasonable — about $15,000 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 3.0%Fla. Stat. § 733.617Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
Florida requires publishing notice to creditors in a local newspaper, and the estate pays for it.
A surety bond may be required unless the will waives it or all beneficiaries consent. Premiums run roughly 0.5%Industry surety premium estimate; the bond itself under Fla. Stat. § 733.402Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value annually.
Probate in Florida typically runs 9 months to 12 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller
Probate cases in Pasco County, Florida are filed at the Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller. The court sits in the 6th Judicial Circuit.
Beside the filing office, the court lists a separate line for Probate Division - West Pasco Judicial Center.
The Clerk's Legal Resource Centers sell probate forms and packets and offer court-record search, judges' practice preferences, online legal research, and copy and fax services.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
Florida has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not available.
For a full cost comparison and filing checklist, see the Pasco County Self-Filing Assessment.
Pasco County Filing Requirements
These are specific requirements for filing probate in this county. Following these guidelines will help avoid delays or rejected filings.
Before You File
Probate filings accepted at the Dade City and New Port Richey courthouses
Probate matters may be filed at the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center in Dade City (38053 Live Oak Avenue, Suite 207) or the West Pasco Judicial Center in New Port Richey (7530 Little Road, Suite 105). A will may be deposited only after the testator has died, with the decedent's date of death or Social Security number.
SourceDocument Requirements
A disposition filing includes a certified death certificate and the original will
The Clerk's requirements list a completed verified statement with no blanks, a certified copy of the death certificate, the funeral bill, medical and hospital bills for the last 60 days, the original will, records of each asset and a self-addressed stamped envelope.
SourceWhat to Bring
Filed with the opening petition at the Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller: Verified Petition for Administration drafted to Fla. Prob. R. 5.200 (petitioner interest, decedent data, beneficiaries, venue, § 733.301 priority, will statement, asset value); Original of the decedent's last will and any codicils (deposited with the court within 10 days of knowledge of death, Fla. Stat. § 732.901), in a testate estateFla. Stat. §§ 733.101-733.402 (venue, petition, appointment, letters, bond); Fla. Prob. R. 5.200 (petition), 5.235 (issuance of letters, bond), 5.030 (attorney required)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Medical Examiner in Pasco County
In Florida a death is registered locally, and in Pasco County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Florida Department of Health in Pasco County as well as by Florida Department of Health - Bureau of Vital Statistics.
Vital Records Office Record
Local Registrar
Pasco County · Florida Department of Health in Pasco County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
7509 State Road 52, Hudson, FL 34667
Website
Certified copies
At the counter
Local rule
- A legible copy of a valid driver license, passport, state-issued ID or military identification card accompanies every request. Certificates are also issued at the Dade City office, closed for lunch from 1 to 2 p.m.
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $10 |
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
District Medical Examiner
Pasco County · District Six Medical Examiner
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
10900 Ulmerton Road, Largo, FL 33778
Website
Serves this county
District Six Medical Examiner (District 6 (Pasco and Pinellas Counties))
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Funeral Homes in Pasco County
18 funeral homes and crematories in Pasco County, each listed with the services it offers, the faiths it serves, the languages its staff speak, its address and its phone.
In Holiday, Dobies Funeral Home & Crematory arranges burial and cremation and helps families put pre-arrangements in writing. The Holiday chapel was the first Dobies funeral home, opened in 1979, and the five Dobies homes are locally owned and operated.
In Hudson, Dobies Funeral Home & Crematory arranges burial and cremation and helps families put pre-arrangements in writing. The Hudson home was built with its own crematory in 1998, one of five locally owned and operated Dobies homes.
In Hudson, Grace Memorial Gardens Funeral Home sits on US Highway 19 North beside Grace Memorial Gardens, its cemetery, which offers mausoleums and custom family estates. The home states it has served Hudson's families since 1970.
In Hudson, National Cremation and Burial Society offers prearranged cremation services to families in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. Its chapel accommodates up to 120 people for services or visitations, and it serves the Florida National Cemetery at Bushnell and the Bay Pines and Sarasota National Cemeteries.
In Hudson, Prevatt Funeral Home and Cremation Services is a family-owned funeral home offering graveside ceremonies, burials, viewings and cremation with or without a memorial ceremony. It keeps no answering service: the owner answers the phone 24 hours a day, and its Hospitality Room hosts gatherings.
Funeral homes by city: Dade City, Holiday, Hudson, Land O' Lakes, New Port Richey, Port Richey, Trinity, Zephyrhills
Cremation Services in Pasco County
15 listings
Pre-Need Funeral Plans in Pasco County
10 listings
Burial Services in Pasco County
12 listings
Veterans Funeral Services in Pasco County
4 listings
Spanish-Speaking Funeral Homes in Pasco County
1 listing
Listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any funeral home or crematory.
Transferring Property in Pasco County
Clearing title to real estate after a death, whether by a personal representative’s deed, an affidavit of survivorship, or a court order, happens at the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
Deeds and other real property documents for Pasco County are recorded with the Clerk of the Circuit Court at 38053 Live Oak Avenue, Dade City, FL 33523. Phone: 1-352-521-4542. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court charges $10 for the first page plus $9 for each additional page.
Pasco County accepts electronic recording through CSC, ePN, Hopdox, Simplifile, eRecording USA and RecordNation.
Recording Office Record
Clerk of the Circuit Court
Pasco County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Office
38053 Live Oak Avenue, Dade City, FL 33523
Website
Fees
Recording fees
| Base fee (first page) | $10 |
| Each additional page | $8.5 |
Fla. Stat. 28.24(13), (13)(c), (13)(d), (13)(e); Fla. Stat. 201.02(1)(a)
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Probate Attorneys Serving Pasco County
Florida uses formal, court-supervised probate, which makes an attorney worthwhile for most estates in Pasco County — the filing sequence, notice requirements, and accounting leave little room for error. Estates under the small-estate threshold are the usual exception.
Florida uses a presumed-reasonable fee schedule for probate attorneys — the percentages are a starting point that can be negotiated, especially for simple estates. Pasco County firms typically follow the schedule for routine work and negotiate on complex matters.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller, publishes the required creditor notices, prepares the inventory and accounting, handles creditor claims and tax filings, and guides the final distribution. They represent the personal representative — not the beneficiaries — a distinction that matters if a dispute develops.
Spring Hill firm serving Hernando and Pasco counties, founded in 1987 by David R. Carter. The firm handles estate planning and probate alongside real estate, family law, personal injury, and business matters, including lady bird deeds that keep Florida property out of probate. Two are board certified by The Florida Bar in real estate law.
Largo practice serving Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area, with a second office in downtown St. Petersburg. Daniel De Paz handles probate and trust administration, estate planning, elder law and VA benefits planning, special needs trusts, and unclaimed property recovery. Bilingual English and Spanish.
Tampa firm founded in 2003 with offices in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Trinity, and Wesley Chapel. Handles formal, summary, and ancillary probate administration, trust administration, and will contests across Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties. Of counsel Linda S. Griffin is Florida Bar board certified in both taxation and wills, trusts and estates.
New Port Richey firm on Main Street providing probate and trust services across Pasco, Hernando, and the Tampa Bay area for more than 40 years. Handles formal, summary, and ancillary administration and trust administration, alongside wills and trusts, advance care directives, and deeds. Stephen and Sallie D. Skipper are the firm's attorneys.
Brandon firm headquartered on E. Bloomingdale Avenue, with probate offices in Lakeland and New Port Richey serving Hillsborough, Polk, and Pasco counties. Handles formal, summary, and ancillary administration, homestead and creditor-claim issues, and personal-representative duties, plus will contests, removal petitions, and trust litigation. Brice Zoecklein is the managing attorney.
Family-run Ocala firm with offices in Beverly Hills and The Villages, representing clients throughout Marion, Sumter, Citrus, and Lake counties. Handles estate administration and probate, estate planning, real estate, and business matters, with an affiliated title company for closings.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.
Legal Sources
(8)·
- Fla. Stat. § 733.617
- Fla. Stat. §§ 28.2401(1)(g), (3); 44.108(1)
- Fla. Stat. §§ 733.101-733.402 (venue, petition, appointment, letters, bond); Fla. Prob. R. 5.200 (petition), 5.235 (issuance of letters, bond), 5.030 (attorney required)
- Fla. Stat. §§ 733.2121, 733.702 (later of 3 months from first publication or 30 days from service on a served creditor), 733.703, 733.705, 733.707, 733.710
- Fla. Stat. 28.24(13), (13)(c), (13)(d), (13)(e); Fla. Stat. 201.02(1)(a)
- Pasco County Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller, official page
- Pasco County Clerk of the Circuit Court, official page
- Pasco County vital records and death investigation offices, official page
Data sourced from Florida statutes and official state code. Fee percentages are modeled estimates; each figure's note says how. How we research.
Tools for Settling an Estate in Florida
Free tools for settling an estate in Florida: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for Florida.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Florida: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 60 daysFla. Prob. R. 5.340; Fla. Stat. § 733.604Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsFla. Stat. §§ 733.2121, 733.702 (later of 3 months from first publication or 30 days from service on a served creditor), 733.703, 733.705, 733.707, 733.710Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
See the Steps
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Florida happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeFla. Stat. § 736.0101 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysFla. Stat. §§ 736.0813, 736.1008, 736.10081Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
See the Steps
Can I Self-File Probate?
Florida has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not available.
Get the Answer
Hire a Florida Probate Attorney
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