Jefferson-Stinson Memorial Funeral Home is at 133 Railroad Street in Butler, in Taylor County. The home states that it is built on a foundation of three Godly principles: integrity, humility, and respect.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Taylor County, Georgia
How probate works in Taylor County: the Probate Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Taylor County Probate Court
Taylor County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
2 North Broad Street, Butler, GA 31006
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
E-filing
OptionalThe court accepts probate filings through TrueFiling. The original will and any surety bond are still filed on paper. On paper: Self-represented filers may file on paper (Uniform Probate Court Rule 5.3.12(B)(6)).
Self-represented filing
AllowedAn attorney is not required to probate an estate. The court's site links the Georgia standard probate forms and handbooks for personal representatives, guardians and conservators.
P.O. Box 536
Butler, GA 31006
Fax
1-478-862-9447
About the court
- One judge presides over both the Probate Court and the Magistrate Court, which share the office at 2 North Broad Street.
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Taylor 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 Taylor County, probate runs through the Probate Court at 2 North Broad Street, Butler.
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 Georgia intestacy law when there is no will.
Most Georgia estates take 9 months to 12 months to move through this process. Creditors have 3 monthsO.C.G.A. §§ 53-7-40, 53-7-41, 53-7-42, 53-7-43, 9-3-36Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present a claim, counted from the last publication of the notice to creditors.
What Probate Costs in Taylor County
What probate costs in Taylor County, Georgia 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 Probate Court at 2 North Broad Street, Butler.
Procedures at this court that affect cost: Filing a will that is not being probated carries no fee; a will deposited for safekeeping carries a $15.00 storage fee.
Georgia's statutory fee for an estate petition is $175 statewide, and a $15 indigent defense fee is added to each petition that opens an estate. County law library and dispute resolution add-ons and any publication are charged on top, so counties' posted totals for an opening petition run about $200 to $209O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60(e)(1) (2024 Ga. L. Act 515 / SB 232, eff. 1/1/2025)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source. Additional filings during administration — inventory, accounting, the final petition — add to the total.
Estimate the costs for this estate:
Attorney fees in Georgia are negotiated, typically 2.1%Modeled estimate under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-6(4) (petition to the probate court for a judgment fixing the attorney's fees and expenses; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.4%Modeled estimate under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-6(4) (petition to the probate court for a judgment fixing the attorney's fees and expenses; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value. Flat-fee arrangements are common for straightforward estates.
Georgia sets executor compensation by statute — about $25,000 on a $500,000 estate, roughly 5.0%O.C.G.A. § 53-6-60(b)(1)-(4) (2 1/2 percent on sums received and on sums paid out; 10 percent on interest; up to 3% on property delivered in kind; up to 10% of annual income for working land)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
Georgia 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 O.C.G.A. § 53-6-50(a),(c) (bond required of the personal representative of an intestate estate or a temporary administrator; relieved by the unanimous consent of the heirs)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value annually.
Probate in Georgia typically runs 9 months to 12 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the Probate Court
Probate documents in Taylor County can be filed in person at the Probate Court, by mail, or electronically. Most families handling probate themselves prefer paper filing, though e-filing is available.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
In Georgia, informal probate is not availableO.C.G.A. § 53-5-15 ("Probate of a will may be in common form or in solemn form or both") — both are proceedings in the probate court; no registrar/clerk appointment trackVerified Sep 8, 2026View source, so self-filing means a formal court petition rather than a registrar filing.
For a full cost comparison and filing checklist, see the Taylor County Self-Filing Assessment.
Taylor County Filing Requirements
These are specific requirements for filing probate in this county. Following these guidelines will help avoid delays or rejected filings.
Records Access
Filed probate records can be looked up at georgiaprobaterecords.com; not every record is online yet.
SourceWhat to Bring
Filed with the opening petition at the Probate Court: Original will (and any codicils), for testate estates (GPCSF 5/4); Acknowledgments of service / consents of heirs or beneficiaries, sworn before a notary or probate clerk (O.C.G.A. § 53-11-6); Oath of personal representative (GPCSF Supplement 4), administered by a probate judge or clerk (not a notary) — the oath is not part of the petition form itself (O.C.G.A. §§ 53-6-16, 53-6-24); Bond on the intestate track, unless all heirs consent to waive it (O.C.G.A. § 53-6-50(a), (c)); executors under a will are not within § 53-6-50 and give no bond by defaultO.C.G.A. § 53-5-20 et seq. (probate of will in solemn form / Letters Testamentary); § 53-6-20 et seq. (Letters of Administration); § 53-6-1 (eligibility), § 53-6-10 (nomination by testator), § 53-6-11 (qualification)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Coroner in Taylor County
In Georgia a death is registered locally, and in Taylor County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Taylor County Probate Court, Vital Records as well as by Georgia Department of Public Health - State Office of Vital Records.
Vital Records Office Record
County Vital Records Office
Taylor County · Taylor County Probate Court, Vital Records
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
2 North Broad Street, Butler, GA 31006
Website
P.O. Box 536
Butler, GA 31006
Fax
1-478-862-9447
Local rule
- A request may be emailed or mailed to the court with the name and date of death, a copy of the requester's photo ID, the relationship to the person named, a phone number and a mailing address. A requester outside the qualifying relatives receives a redacted copy.
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $25 |
| Each additional copy ordered at the same time | $5 |
Verified November 4, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Coroner
Taylor County
Published contact
None published by the county. The office is created by O.C.G.A. § 45-16-80(a).
Verified November 4, 2026 · Source
Funeral Homes in Taylor County
5 funeral homes and crematories in Taylor County, each listed with the services it offers, the faiths it serves, the languages its staff speak, its address and its phone.
In Butler, McLeighton Funeral Service has its funeral home at 39 West Main Street in Taylor County. It is one of three McLeighton locations, with the others in Reynolds and Roberta.
In Reynolds, HICKS & Sons Funeral Home has served Taylor County and surrounding areas since 1955, when the family opened its first funeral home there. The firm provides funeral care across Middle Georgia, with further locations in Roberta, Macon and Fort Valley.
House of Towns Mortuary is a funeral home at 21 Racetrack Road in Reynolds, in Taylor County. Its site posts obituaries and an online preplanning form.
In Reynolds, McLeighton Funeral Service has a funeral home on South Collins Street in Taylor County, and its facilities page shows a chapel there. It is one of three McLeighton locations, with the others in Butler and Roberta.
Funeral homes by city: Butler, Reynolds
Listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any funeral home or crematory.
Transferring Property in Taylor 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 Superior Court.
Deeds and other real property documents for Taylor County are recorded with the Clerk of Superior Court at 2 North Broad Street, Butler, GA 31006. Phone: 1-478-862-5594. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM.
The Clerk of Superior Court charges $25 flat, regardless of page count.
Taylor County requires electronic recording through the GSCCCA eFile Portal; paper documents are not accepted.
Recording Office Record
Clerk of Superior Court
Taylor County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Office
2 North Broad Street, Butler, GA 31006
Website
E-recording
Fees
Recording fees
| Flat fee (any length) | $25 |
| Transfer tax on a TOD deed | TOD deeds are exempt from transfer tax |
O.C.G.A. 15-6-77(f)(1)(A)(i)
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Forms that put a death on the title
- Free forms: Affidavit of Death Form · Affidavit of Heirship Form
Probate Attorneys Serving Taylor County
Georgia allows independent administrationO.C.G.A. § 53-7-1(b) (unanimous consent to the § 53-12-261 powers, without court authorization); § 53-7-33 (will may dispense with the inventory); § 53-7-69 (and the annual return)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, so the personal representative manages, pays and distributes the estate without returning to the court for approval at each step. A probate attorney earns the fee when the estate is contested, includes a business or out-of-state real estate, has unclear or insolvent debts, or when beneficiaries disagree.
Probate attorney fees in Georgia are based on reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee. Ask a Taylor County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Probate Court, 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.
A Thomaston firm on West Gordon Street, with offices in Griffin, Barnesville, and McDonough, handling probate of estates, estate administration, and year's support alongside wills, trusts, asset protection planning, and elder law. Formed in 2019 through the merger of Pasley & Nuce and Mallory, Trice LLP, and also practices personal injury, disability, family, and criminal law.
A Perry firm founded in 1965 serving individuals, families, and businesses in Houston County and Middle Georgia. Prepares wills, family trusts, powers of attorney, and health care directives, and sets up guardianships and conservatorships.
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
(10)·
- O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60(e)(1) (2024 Ga. L. Act 515 / SB 232, eff. 1/1/2025)
- O.C.G.A. § 53-5-15 ("Probate of a will may be in common form or in solemn form or both") — both are proceedings in the probate court; no registrar/clerk appointment track
- O.C.G.A. § 53-5-20 et seq. (probate of will in solemn form / Letters Testamentary); § 53-6-20 et seq. (Letters of Administration); § 53-6-1 (eligibility), § 53-6-10 (nomination by testator), § 53-6-11 (qualification)
- O.C.G.A. § 53-6-60(b)(1)-(4) (2 1/2 percent on sums received and on sums paid out; 10 percent on interest; up to 3% on property delivered in kind; up to 10% of annual income for working land)
- O.C.G.A. § 53-7-1(b) (unanimous consent to the § 53-12-261 powers, without court authorization); § 53-7-33 (will may dispense with the inventory); § 53-7-69 (and the annual return)
- O.C.G.A. §§ 53-7-40, 53-7-41, 53-7-42, 53-7-43, 9-3-36
- O.C.G.A. 15-6-77(f)(1)(A)(i)
- Taylor County Probate Court, official page
- Taylor County Clerk of Superior Court, official page
- Taylor County vital records and death investigation offices, official page
Data sourced from Georgia 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 Georgia
Free tools for settling an estate in Georgia: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for Georgia.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Georgia: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 180 daysO.C.G.A. §§ 53-7-30, 53-7-31, 53-7-32, 53-7-33Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 3 monthsO.C.G.A. §§ 53-7-40, 53-7-41, 53-7-42, 53-7-43, 9-3-36Verified 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 Georgia happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's trust statuteO.C.G.A. § 53-12-1 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysO.C.G.A. §§ 53-12-242, 53-12-243, 53-12-307Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
See the Steps
Can I Self-File Probate?
In Georgia, informal probate is not availableO.C.G.A. § 53-5-15 ("Probate of a will may be in common form or in solemn form or both") — both are proceedings in the probate court; no registrar/clerk appointment trackVerified Sep 8, 2026View source, so self-filing means a formal court petition rather than a registrar filing.
Get the Answer
Hire a Georgia Probate Attorney
Browse vetted Georgia attorneys handling probate matters.
Browse firms
Notify Banks & Financial Institutions
Each institution has a separate death claim process. Find yours below.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
