Required for attorneysAttorneys must e-file probate cases through eFileTexas; self-represented filers may e-file or file on paper. When an application to probate a will is e-filed, the original will goes to the clerk within three business days. On paper: Original wills: filed with the clerk on paper within three business days after the application is e-filed.
Accepted payment
At the counterCash, Check, Credit card, Debit card.Checks are payable to the Bexar County Clerk. Small estate affidavit fees are due at filing and are not refunded once the affidavit is filed.
Self-help center
Bexar County Law Library, 100 Dolorosa, Room 1.15, San Antonio, TX 782051-210-335-3182The county law library offers legal research, legal forms, a copy center and computers for Zoom hearings, and San Antonio Legal Services Association holds a free small estate clinic every other Thursday outside the probate courts. Court staff cannot give legal advice.
County forms
Small Estate AffidavitSmall estate affidavit and order in the form Administrative Order No. 2019-02 requires; one of two forms the courts allow without a lawyer
Muniment of TitleProbate a will solely to establish title to property; one of two forms the courts allow without a lawyer
Departments
Probate Court No. 11-210-335-2546 · 100 Dolorosa, Room 117Probate Court No. 1 also hears court-ordered mental health cases.
Mental Health Court (Probate)1-210-335-2536 · 300 Dolorosa, Basement
County Clerk fee questions1-210-335-2216 · 100 Dolorosa, Suite 104The courts direct fee questions to the County Clerk's administration office.
About the court
Three statutory probate courts hear probate, heirship and guardianship cases, and Probate Court No. 1 also hears mental health cases. The County Clerk's Probate Department takes the filings in the basement of the courthouse at 100 Dolorosa.
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 Bexar County, probate runs through the Probate Courts No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 at 100 Dolorosa, Basement, San Antonio.
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 Texas intestacy law when there is no will.
Most Texas estates take 6 months to 12 months to move through this process. 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 a claim, counted from the written notice the representative sends them, not from publication.
What Probate Costs in Bexar County
What probate costs in Bexar County, Texas 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 Courts No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 at 100 Dolorosa, Basement, San Antonio.
The Probate Courts No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 charges $360Tex. Loc. Gov't Code §§ 133.151(a)(1), 135.102(a)(1) (consolidated filing fees); SB 41 (87th Leg., Acts 2021, ch. 472)Verified Oct 17, 2026 to open a probate case. Additional filings during administration — inventory, accounting, the final petition — add to the total.
Estimate the costs for this estate:
Attorney fees in Texas are negotiated, 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 estate value. Flat-fee arrangements are common for straightforward estates.
Texas allows executors 'reasonable compensation' — around 2.2%–3.8% of a $500,000 estate, judging by what the states with statutory schedules payTex. Est. Code §§ 352.002, 352.003Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
Texas 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 Tex. Est. Code § 305.101Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value annually.
Probate in Texas typically runs 6 months to 12 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the Probate Courts No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3
Probate cases in Bexar County, Texas are filed at the Probate Courts No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3.
Beside the filing office, the court lists separate lines for Probate Court No. 1, Probate Court No. 1 coordinator, Probate Court No. 2, and Probate Court No. 3.
The county law library offers legal research, legal forms, a copy center and computers for Zoom hearings, and San Antonio Legal Services Association holds a free small estate clinic every other Thursday outside the probate courts. Court staff cannot give legal advice.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
Texas requires an attorney of record to open formal probate, and informal probate is not available; a qualifying small estate can still be collected without one.
These are specific requirements for filing probate in this county. Following these guidelines will help avoid delays or rejected filings.
Before You File
A small estate affidavit is filed with the proposed form and order attached to Administrative Order No. 2019-02.
The probate courts review the affidavit filed with the County Clerk and sign the attached order if they approve it; otherwise the court contacts the filer.
Filed with the opening petition at the Probate Courts No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3: Application to admit the will to probate and/or for letters testamentary or of administration (Tex. Est. Code ch. 256 / ch. 301; contents per § 301.052) — drafted by counsel, no statewide form; Original will and any codicils, filed with the application (Tex. Est. Code ch. 256); Certified copy of the death certificate / proof of death; Citation issued by the county clerk and served — by posting where the will is produced in court — before the court may act on the application, and proof of that service (Tex. Est. Code §§ 258.001, 258.003; §§ 256.151(4), 301.151(4))Tex. Est. Code ch. 256 (probate of wills / application; § 256.052 contents; § 256.003 four-year limit to admit a will), ch. 301 (application for letters testamentary or of administration; § 301.052 contents; § 301.002 four-year deadline to apply for letters), ch. 305 (qualification & bond), ch. 306 (granting & issuance of letters); ch. 401-404 (independent administration)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Medical Examiner in Bexar County
In Texas a death is registered locally, and in Bexar County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Office of the City Clerk, City of San Antonio, Bexar County as well as by Texas Department of State Health Services - Vital Statistics Section.
Vital Records Office Record
City Clerk
Bexar County · Office of the City Clerk, City of San Antonio
The San Antonio City Clerk is the registrar for deaths anywhere in Bexar County, with records from 1873, and opens at 10 a.m. on the third Tuesday of the month. Original documents proving the applicant's relationship are presented in person; copies or photos are not accepted.
Burial and cremation permits
Issued byOffice of the City Clerk, City of San Antonio, Bexar 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 County Clerk.
Deeds and other real property documents for Bexar County are recorded with the County Clerk at 101 West Nueva Street, Suite 103, San Antonio, TX 78205. Phone: 1-210-335-2581. Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PM; Wednesday 8:00 AM-5:45 PM.
Documents submitted by mail go to Attn: Recordings, 100 Dolorosa, Suite 104, San Antonio, TX 78205.
The County Clerk charges $25 for the first page plus $4 for each additional page.
Bexar County accepts electronic recording through CSC, Simplifile, ERXchange, ePN, Indecomm and Hopdox.
Texas allows independent administrationTex. Est. Code §§ 401.001 (testate/will), 401.002 (testate/agreement), 401.003 (intestate/agreement)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 Texas are based on reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee. Ask a Bexar County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Probate Courts No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3, 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.
San Antonio elder law firm serving Bexar, Comal, and Guadalupe counties, led by Carol Bertsch, a Certified Elder Law Attorney. Handles probate administration including muniment of title and determination of heirship, special needs and qualified income trusts, and long-term care Medicaid planning. Probate is quoted as a one-time flat fee.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawMedicaid Planningand 2 more
San Antonio and Austin firm handling independent and dependent administration, muniment of title, small estate affidavits, letters testamentary, and trust administration for families across Bexar, Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties. Also handles guardianship and Medicaid crisis planning. Free 45-minute estate planning and probate consultations.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateGuardianshipLong Term Care Planning
Office
17721 Rogers Ranch Parkway, Suite 130San Antonio, TX 78258
Boerne practice in the Texas Hill Country serving Kendall, Bexar, Comal, and Kerr counties, limited to estate planning and probate administration. Lasca Arnold takes executors through probate for letters testamentary, determination of heirship and letters of administration, muniment of title, and small estate affidavits. Free consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateAsset ProtectionPower Of Attorneyand 2 more
San Antonio attorney handling estate matters for business owners and families in Bexar County, with a San Marcos office by appointment. Covers probate and its alternatives — affidavits of heirship, small estate affidavits, and muniment of title — plus trust administration, wills, trusts, asset protection, and business succession planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 6 more
San Antonio firm near the airport, serving Bexar County and the surrounding Hill Country counties since 1988. Walks executors and administrators through will probate, intestate administration, and the alternatives to probate, and drafts wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. Thomas G. Bassler is board certified in estate planning and probate law; Spanish is spoken in the office.
Solo practice near downtown San Antonio serving Bexar County and the surrounding Guadalupe, Kendall, Wilson, and Comal counties. Brian Maverick, board certified in estate planning and probate law since 2009, takes families through probate, transfers a decedent's real estate and business interests to heirs or will beneficiaries, and handles guardianships. Free initial consultation.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder LawGuardianshipand 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 Texas 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 Texas
Free tools for settling an estate in Texas: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for Texas.
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.
See the Steps
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Texas happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's trust statuteTex. Prop. Code § 111.001 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
See the Steps
Can I Self-File Probate?
Texas requires an attorney of record to open formal probate, and informal probate is not available; a qualifying small estate can still be collected without one.
Enter the estate value to see Texas 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.
$
See whether you can file probate yourself
Enter the estate value to see whether Texas 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.
