Corpus Christi firm on N. Carancahua, formed in 1994, serving Nueces County and the surrounding Coastal Bend. Its attorneys guide executors and trustees through every phase of administering and distributing estates and trusts, handle guardianships, and represent estates before the IRS on estate and gift tax matters. Four of its attorneys are TBLS board certified in estate planning and probate law.
What to Do When Someone Dies in San Patricio County, Texas
How probate works in San Patricio County: the County Court at Law record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
San Patricio County Court at Law
San Patricio County
Phone
1-361-364-9350 (option 1 for probate)
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
400 West Sinton Street, Room 124, Sinton, TX 78387
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Attorney of record required
E-filing
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.
County forms
- Request for Court Setting – Probate/Guardianship (County Court at Law No. 2)Asks County Court at Law No. 2 to set a probate or guardianship hearing, contested or uncontested
Fax
1-361-364-9450
Departments
- County Court at Law No. 21-361-587-3418 · 400 West Sinton Street, Room B15, Basement Floor · sanpatccal2@gmail.com · Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-5:00 PMThe court hears probate and guardianship cases and posts a request-for-setting form for them on its page.
About the court
- Probate cases are filed with the County Clerk in Room 124 of the courthouse and heard in the County Courts at Law. The clerk's civil case records are viewable through re:SearchTX.
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in San Patricio 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 San Patricio County, probate runs through the County Court at Law at 400 West Sinton Street, Room 124, Sinton.
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 San Patricio County
What probate costs in San Patricio 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 County Court at Law at 400 West Sinton Street, Room 124, Sinton.
Procedures at this court that affect cost: The County Clerk's fee schedule lists the probate filing fee, a posting fee and a citation fee for a new probate or guardianship case.
The County Court at Law 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 County Court at Law
Probate cases in San Patricio County, Texas are filed at the County Court at Law.
Beside the filing office, the court lists a separate line for County Court at Law No. 2.
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.
For a full cost comparison and filing checklist, see the San Patricio County Self-Filing Assessment.
What to Bring
Filed with the opening petition at the County Court at Law: 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 Justice of the Peace in San Patricio County
In Texas a death is registered locally, and in San Patricio County certified copies of the death certificate are issued by County Clerk, San Patricio County as well as by Texas Department of State Health Services - Vital Statistics Section.
Vital Records Office Record
County Clerk
San Patricio County · County Clerk
Phone
1-361-364-9350 (option 5)
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
400 West Sinton Street, Room 124, Sinton, TX 78387
Website
Order online
City registration districts
- Corpus Christi · Vital Records, City Secretary1-361-826-7229 · 1201 Leopard Street, 1st Floor, Corpus Christi, TX 78401 · Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:45 PM
Local rule
- The County Clerk holds deaths that occurred inside San Patricio County.
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $21 |
| Each additional copy ordered at the same time | $4 |
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Justice of the Peace
San Patricio County · Justices of the Peace
Website
Serves this county
The justice of the peace of the precinct where the death occurred
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Transferring Property in San Patricio 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 San Patricio County are recorded with the County Clerk at 400 West Sinton Street, Room 124, Sinton, TX 78387. Phone: 1-361-364-9350. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM.
The County Clerk charges $25 for the first page plus $4 for each additional page.
Recording Office Record
County Clerk
San Patricio County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
400 West Sinton Street, Room 124, Sinton, TX 78387
Website
Fees
Recording fees
| Base fee (first page) | $25 |
| Each additional page | $4 |
| Transfer tax on a TOD deed | No transfer tax applies to TOD deeds |
Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 118.011(a)(2), § 118.0216, § 118.025
Verified October 17, 2026 · Source
Forms that put a death on the title
- Free forms: Affidavit of Heirship Form
Probate Attorneys Serving San Patricio County
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 San Patricio County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the County Court at Law, 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.
Serves the Coastal Bend from Holly Road in Corpus Christi. Handles probate proceedings and heirship affidavits alongside wills, directives to physicians, and durable and medical powers of attorney, with real estate and business work. The practice traces to Nicolas & Nicolas, formed in Corpus Christi in 1954, and carries an AV peer-review rating.
Corpus Christi probate and estate planning attorney with over 30 years of experience, serving Nueces, Bee, Kleberg, Live Oak, Jim Wells, Aransas, and Victoria counties. Handles independent and dependent administration, estate litigation, will contests, fiduciary and trust disputes, elder financial abuse claims, and probate mediation.
Corpus Christi specialty firm serving Nueces and the surrounding Coastal Bend counties, doing only estate, trust, and probate work. Bradley and Anne Dobbs Bunting are both board certified in estate planning and probate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and represent executors and trustees in estate administration and in estate and trust litigation. Initial consultations are free.
Amarillo-headquartered firm of more than 40 attorneys, with offices in Austin, Dalhart, and Victoria. The estate planning and probate group represents executors, trustees, beneficiaries, and heirs, and carries more than a century of combined experience, two Fellows of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and three attorneys board certified in estate planning and probate law.
Rockwall solo practice serving Rockwall, Dallas, Kaufman, and Collin counties, and Texas statewide since 1994. Michael Cramer drafts wills, revocable living trusts, and special needs trusts, handles trust administration, and litigates will and trust contests. Services are offered in English and Spanish, and the initial case evaluation is complimentary.
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
(9)·
- Tex. Est. Code §§ 352.002, 352.003
- Tex. Est. Code §§ 401.001 (testate/will), 401.002 (testate/agreement), 401.003 (intestate/agreement)
- 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)
- Tex. Estates Code §§ 308.051-308.056, 355.001-355.004, 355.060, 355.064, 355.102
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code §§ 133.151(a)(1), 135.102(a)(1) (consolidated filing fees); SB 41 (87th Leg., Acts 2021, ch. 472)
- Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 118.011(a)(2), § 118.0216, § 118.025
- San Patricio County Court at Law, official page
- San Patricio County Clerk, official page
- San Patricio County vital records and death investigation offices, official page
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.
Get the Answer
Hire a Texas Probate Attorney
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Notify Banks & Financial Institutions
Each institution has a separate death claim process. Find yours below.
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