Appointment requiredSelf-represented probate is by appointment only, and the court asks filers not to call for one. The filer drops off or mails the required documents with a name and phone number, and once the judge approves the packet the clerk calls, usually within three weeks, to set an appointment of under 45 minutes to sign the papers and receive the probate packet. Every executor or administrator attends the appointment.
Self-represented filing
AllowedThe clerk helps self-represented filers with a full estate or a small estate, with or without a will. The instructions packet lists the documents to bring, including the original will, a certified death certificate, account statements, an asset list and a list of heirs with addresses, and pages 4 to 9 are returned to the court.
Accepted payment
At the counterCash, Check, Credit card, Debit card.Filing fees are paid at the scheduled appointment, not with the dropped-off documents, and the clerk confirms the amount when the appointment is made. Cash, check and debit or credit card are accepted, and a card payment carries a 3% processing fee from a third-party processor.
Chancery Court (Clerk & Master)1-865-458-2630 · 601 Grove Street, Loudon, TN 37774 · Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PMThe Clerk and Master takes conservatorship and guardianship cases for the Chancery Court.
About the court
In Loudon County probate is heard by the General Sessions, Juvenile and Probate Court in Lenoir City, and the Circuit Court Clerk serves as its clerk. The Chancery Court Clerk and Master in Loudon handles conservatorships and guardianships.
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 Loudon County, probate runs through the General Sessions, Juvenile and Probate Court at 12680 Highway 11 West, Suite 3, Loudon County Justice Center, Lenoir City. The court sits in the 9th Judicial District. Loudon County shares the 9th Judicial District with Meigs, Morgan and Roane.
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 Tennessee intestacy law when there is no will.
Most Tennessee estates take 9 months to 15 months to move through this process. Creditors have 4 monthsT.C.A. §§ 30-2-306, 30-2-307, 30-2-310, 30-2-314, 30-2-317Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present a claim, counted from the first publication of the notice to creditors.
What Probate Costs in Loudon County
What probate costs in Loudon County, Tennessee 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 General Sessions, Juvenile and Probate Court at 12680 Highway 11 West, Suite 3, Loudon County Justice Center, Lenoir City. The court is part of the 9th Judicial District.
Tennessee charges $275Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-21-401(c)(1) (as enacted by Pub. Ch. 486, HB 487, 114th Gen. Assemb., eff. 1/1/2026)Verified Oct 17, 2026 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 Tennessee are negotiated, typically 1.7%Modeled estimate under T.C.A. § 30-2-317(a)(1) (reasonable compensation to the personal representative's counsel, a first-priority cost of administration); § 30-2-606; no statutory percentage: the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 2.7%Modeled estimate under T.C.A. § 30-2-317(a)(1) (reasonable compensation to the personal representative's counsel, a first-priority cost of administration); § 30-2-606; 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.
Tennessee allows executors 'reasonable compensation' — around 2.2%–3.8% of a $500,000 estate, judging by what the states with statutory schedules payT.C.A. § 30-2-606 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
Tennessee 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 T.C.A. § 30-1-201(a) (bond required unless the will excuses it, the PR is the sole beneficiary, the adult beneficiaries consent, or § 45-2-1005 excuses a bank); § 30-1-201(a)(2) (penal sum)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value annually.
Probate in Tennessee typically runs 9 months to 15 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the General Sessions, Juvenile and Probate Court
Probate cases in Loudon County are filed at the General Sessions, Juvenile and Probate Court. File in person during business hours or by mail. The court sits in the 9th Judicial District.
Beside the filing office, the court lists a separate line for Chancery Court (Clerk & Master).
Can You File Without an Attorney?
Tennessee has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not available.
These are specific requirements for filing probate in this county. Following these guidelines will help avoid delays or rejected filings.
Before You File
Some estates are filed only by an attorney under the Loudon County Probate Court rules
An attorney files any estate with assets of one million dollars or more, any estate whose will mentions a trust, any will that looks copied, altered or improperly signed or attested, any estate whose heirs disagree, are estranged or cannot be found, and any estate that may be insolvent. The clerk can give a list of local attorneys.
A declination is filed where one person is to serve, and always in an estate without a will
A declination is a sworn, notarized document by which the other heirs allow one or more persons to serve as personal representative. It is required in some testate estates and small estates and in every estate without a will, and the clerk provides it on request.
Purses, bags and phones stay in the car at the Justice Center
The Sheriff's Department screens visitors to the Loudon County Justice Center, and purses, handbags, briefcases, phones and other electronic devices are left locked in the vehicle. Paper documents and a checkbook or wallet for court fees may be brought in.
Filed with the opening petition at the General Sessions, Juvenile and Probate Court: Verified petition for letters with the contents required by Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-1-117 (petitioner, decedent, heirs/devisees, value estimate unless bond waived); Original will and any codicils, attached to the petition as an exhibit and lodged for probate (if testate); Proof of will (self-proving affidavit, or affidavit/testimony of an attesting witness) where the will is not self-proving; Oath of the personal representative for faithful performance (before the judge, clerk, or notary) (Tenn. Code Ann. § 30-1-111); Order admitting the will to probate / granting lettersTenn. Code Ann. §§ 30-1-101 (letters required), 30-1-102 / 32-2-101 (venue), 30-1-106 (intestate priority), 30-1-111 (oath), 30-1-117 (verified petition contents)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Medical Examiner in Loudon County
In Tennessee a death is registered locally, and in Loudon County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Loudon County Health Department as well as by Tennessee Department of Health - Office of Vital Records.
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 Register of Deeds.
Deeds and other real property documents for Loudon County are recorded with the Register of Deeds at 101 Mulberry Street, Loudon, TN 37774. Phone: 1-865-458-2605.
Documents submitted by mail go to P.O. Box 395, Loudon, TN 37774.
The Register of Deeds charges $10 for the first 2 pages plus $5 for each page beyond 2.
Tennessee uses formal, court-supervised probate, which makes an attorney worthwhile for most estates in Loudon County — the filing sequence, notice requirements, and accounting leave little room for error. Estates under the small-estate threshold are the usual exception.
Probate attorney fees in Tennessee are based on reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee. Ask a Loudon County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the General Sessions, Juvenile and 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.
Knoxville firm on Kingston Pike, founded in 1989, working with probate clients in Knox, Blount, Loudon and Anderson counties. It advises and represents executors, administrators, personal representatives and trustees in probate and trust administration, through creditor notices and the final accounting. The firm handles estate and transactional work only and does not take lawsuits.
Elder law firm serving East Tennessee from Knoxville and Johnson City, founded in 2010 by Certified Elder Law Attorney Amelia Crotwell. It plans for long-term care through Medicaid, veterans benefits and Life Care Planning, and guides clients through probate and trust administration when an estate cannot avoid it. Its special needs work includes special needs trusts and conservatorships.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 5 more
The Law Office of Robert W. Wilkinson practices from Oak Ridge and covers Anderson, Blount, Knox, Morgan, Loudon, Roane and Sevier counties. Robert Wilkinson takes executors through Tennessee probate and handles conservatorships, guardianships, wills, trusts and powers of attorney alongside family law. The office states that probate fees can usually be paid from the estate.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipGuardianshipand 5 more
Griffin Law Group, PLLC practices from Sparta, with a second office in Knoxville, across the Upper Cumberland's Thirteenth, Fifteenth and Thirty-First Judicial Districts. Its probate attorneys open testate and intestate estates and guide the personal representative through inventory, creditor claims and distribution. Founder Brandon Griffin also handles conservatorships.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateConservatorshipBankruptcyand 3 more
Mason & Associates practices from Gallatin in Sumner County, serving clients throughout Tennessee and Kentucky in elder law and estate planning only. It handles probate and trust administration, with a free 30-minute probate consultation by phone, in person or by video, and conservatorship petitions. Jake Mason is board-certified in both elder law and estate planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 6 more
Mobley & Gontarek practices from Nashville and serves clients throughout Tennessee. It settles complex estates and trusts, prepares federal and state estate tax returns, handles estate tax audits, and litigates will contests, undue-influence and elective-share claims and trust disputes for fiduciaries and beneficiaries. Jeff Mobley is an ACTEC Fellow and co-author of the Pritchard wills treatise.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 6 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee
Free tools for settling an estate in Tennessee: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for Tennessee.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Tennessee: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 60 daysTenn. Code Ann. § 30-2-301Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsT.C.A. §§ 30-2-306, 30-2-307, 30-2-310, 30-2-314, 30-2-317Verified Oct 19, 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 Tennessee happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeTenn. Code Ann. § 35-15-101 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysTenn. Code Ann. § 35-15-813(b); § 35-15-1005Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
See the Steps
Can I Self-File Probate?
Tennessee has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not available.
Enter the estate value to see Tennessee attorney fees, executor fees, court costs and the timeline.
Examples:
General information about probate costs, not legal or financial advice. Fee bases vary by state and may use gross estate, personal property, inventory value or net property after debts. Actual costs vary by county, attorney and estate complexity. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions.
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See whether you can file probate yourself
Enter the estate value to see whether Tennessee lets a self-represented person open probate, what the court requires, and what each route costs.
General information about filing probate without a lawyer, not legal advice. Both routes are priced by the probate cost estimator on the same estate; the attorney fee is the one line that differs. Actual costs vary by county, attorney and estate complexity. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions.
