For most Laclede County homeowners, the house is what drags an estate into probate. A transfer-on-death deed or a living trust keeps it out—here is how to set up either one and record it locally.
For a Laclede County property owner, the biggest probate risk is the home itself. Real estate is what forces most families into the Circuit Court - Probate Division. The two tools that keep a Laclede County home out of probate are a transfer-on-death deed recorded with the Recorder of Deeds, and a revocable living trust that holds title to the property.
Without a recorded beneficiary designation or a trust, Laclede County property passes through the Circuit Court - Probate Division — even simple Missouri probates run 6+ months and start with $200 in filing fees. Missouri also lets owners name a transfer-on-death beneficiary on vehicle titles, which keeps cars out of the same process.
A beneficiary deed names a beneficiary who receives Laclede County property automatically at the owner's death, without probate. It is recorded with the Recorder of Deeds during the owner's lifetime and can be revoked at any time.
Before recording, a Missouri beneficiary deed is signed with notary acknowledgmentRSMo 461.003 to 461.081Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. The deed takes effect only if it is recorded before the owner's deathRSMo 461.003 to 461.081Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Deeds and other real property documents for Laclede County are recorded with the Recorder of Deeds at 200 North Adams Avenue, Lebanon, MO 65536. Phone: 1-417-532-4011. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM.
The Recorder of Deeds charges $26 for the first page plus $3 for each additional page. Recording a 2-page beneficiary deed in Laclede County comes to $29. No transfer tax applies to a beneficiary deed.
Laclede County accepts electronic recording through iCounty.
Recording Office Record
Laclede County
Phone
Hours
Office
E-recording
Fees
Recording fees
| Base fee (first page) | $26 |
| Each additional page | $3 |
| Transfer tax on a TOD deed | No transfer tax applies to TOD deeds |
RSMo 59.310.6(1), 59.319, 59.321, 59.800, 50.1190
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
FirmLebanon, MO
Serves Laclede and Pulaski counties from offices in Lebanon and Waynesville. Prepares living trusts, wills, and powers of attorney, and handles Medicaid planning and death tax planning aimed at keeping assets out of probate. Consultations are free.
PracticesEstate PlanningMedicaid PlanningBusiness LawCriminal Defenseand 2 more
FirmOsage Beach, MO
Lake of the Ozarks firm with offices in Osage Beach and Columbia, serving the mid-Missouri region including Hickory, Benton and Morgan counties. Guides executors through Missouri probate: filing the will, notifying heirs and creditors, the inventory, paying debts and the final accounting, and drafts wills and trusts. Partner Staci Birdsong also handles minor and adult guardianships.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateGuardianshipCriminal DefenseFamily Law
FirmLebanon, MO
Lebanon firm practicing in Laclede, Pulaski, Webster, Camden, Dallas, and Wright counties. Helps families with probate and the disposition of property after a loss, estate and probate litigation, and guardianships for adults and minor children, alongside trusts, wills, and probate-avoidance planning. Tom O'Neil has practiced in Lebanon since 1972 and Bob O'Neil since 2002.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationGuardianshipand 3 more
FirmLebanon, MO
Serves Camden and Laclede counties from offices in Lebanon and Camdenton. Handles decedent's estates, guardianships, and conservatorships, and prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care directives, and deeds. Its two attorneys are Gary Smith and Sarah Gustafson, and the firm has represented Missouri families since 1980; Gary Smith also serves as Municipal Judge of Osage Beach.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipand 3 more
Solo PracticeSpringfield, MO
Springfield practice representing clients in Greene, Christian, Webster, Polk, Dallas, Lawrence, Laclede, and Ozark counties. Handles full probate administration, small estate affidavits, creditor and spousal refusal of letters, determination of heirship, and adult and minor guardianship and conservatorship. Evening and weekend appointments can be arranged.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianship
FirmSpringfield, MO
Serves southwest Missouri from Springfield and nine more offices, from Bolivar and Lebanon to Branson and Joplin. Handles probate after a death (validating the will, paying debts and final expenses, distributing to heirs), guardianship and conservatorship, special needs planning, Medicaid coverage, and elder abuse matters. Lori Rook is managing attorney; the first consultation is free.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawConservatorshipand 3 more
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.
Data sourced from Missouri statutes and official state code. How we research.
Free forms for planning your estate in Missouri: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for Missouri.
In Missouri, a will is signed before 2RSMo § 474.320Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyRSMo § 474.320Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
In Missouri, a codicil is signed before 2RSMo § 474.320Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, like a will, and the self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyRSMo §§ 472.010(30), 474.337Verified Oct 25, 2026View source.
Missouri requires 2RSMo § 459.015 (optional living will form only)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses and notarizationRSMo § 459.015 (optional living will form only)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source for a healthcare power of attorney.
In Missouri, a HIPAA release is the federal authorization alone: the state adds no category rule, and the document carries the elements federal law requires, among them an expiration date or an expiration event that relates to the individual45 CFR 164.508(c)(1)(v)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
Missouri requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityRSMo §§ 404.700-404.735Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before a notaryRSMo §§ 404.700-404.735Verified Sep 18, 2026View source.
In Missouri, a beneficiary deed is signed before a notaryRSMo 461.003 to 461.081Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathRSMo 461.003 to 461.081Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. Missouri does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.
Missouri allows a transfer-on-death beneficiary designation on a vehicle titleMo. Rev. Stat. 301.681Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, filed through the Missouri Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Bureau using Form 108.
In Missouri, the living will is the DeclarationMo. Rev. Stat. ch. 459, §§ 459.010-459.055 (Declarations, Life Support) and § 459.250 (Advance Health Care Directives Registry)Verified Sep 27, 2026View source, a document of its own, apart from the healthcare power of attorney.
Free tools for planning your estate in Missouri: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for Missouri and read its answer.
In Missouri, a will is signed before 2RSMo § 474.320Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and notarization is not requiredRSMo § 474.320Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Missouri recognizes a will signed under the law of the place where it was signedRSMo § 474.360Verified Oct 18, 2026View source; a will signed in Missouri itself needs 2RSMo § 474.320Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and notarization is not requiredRSMo § 474.320Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
In Missouri, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees set by statute as a percentage of the gross estateRSMo § 473.153(3) (statutory minimum: 5% first $5K, 4% next $20K, 3% next $75K, 2.75% next $300K, 2.5% next $600K, 2% over $1M); § 473.153(1) (base: personal property administered)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Missouri runs $3,570Estimate: 10 hours at $357, Clio's Missouri Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,355Estimate: 15 hours at $357, Clio's Missouri Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
An attorney-prepared will in Missouri runs $984Estimate: 3 hours at $328, Clio's Missouri Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,968Estimate: 6 hours at $328, Clio's Missouri Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $28,815RSMo § 473.153(3) (statutory minimum: 5% first $5K, 4% next $20K, 3% next $75K, 2.75% next $300K, 2.5% next $600K, 2% over $1M); § 473.153(1) (base: personal property administered)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
Compare what it costs to make a trust official across SimplyTrust, LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Rocket Lawyer, and Quicken WillMaker.
In Missouri, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writingMo. Rev. Stat. §§ 475.045, 475.046Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18Mo. Rev. Stat. § 475.010(15)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.
Probate in Missouri takes 6 months to 12 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees set by statute as a percentage of the gross estateRSMo § 473.153(3) (statutory minimum: 5% first $5K, 4% next $20K, 3% next $75K, 2.75% next $300K, 2.5% next $600K, 2% over $1M); § 473.153(1) (base: personal property administered)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
Estate planning articles for Missouri.
Estate planning articles for Missouri.
