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Covington County, AL Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Covington County information |
|---|---|
| Court | Covington County Probate Court |
| Courthouse address | 1 N Court Square, Andalusia, AL 36420 |
| Mailing address | PO Box 188, Andalusia, AL 36420 |
| Probate phone | (334) 428-2512 for probate court questions |
| Filing fee | Covington County does not publish an estate filing total. Alabama uses a probate judges' fee schedule under Ala. Code § 12-19-90 plus local-law charges, so call the probate office before filing. |
| Local forms | No downloadable estate petition, estate checklist, or estate cover sheet is published. The forms page is not an estate filing packet. |
| E-filing | Electronic recording is published for land documents. Estate e-filing is not published; ask the probate office what it accepts for an estate filing. |
| Case search | The county's R.E.A.A.C.T. lookup is for land records such as deeds and mortgages. It is not published as an estate case lookup. |
| Remote appearance | Ask the probate office when a hearing is set. Covington County does not publish a local phone or video appearance practice for estate hearings. |
| Website | https://www.covingtonprobateoffice.com/ |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you call or file, make a working list of the decedent's assets, debts, accounts, real estate, vehicles, and any will. Covington County's probate office asks probate-court callers to use (334) 428-2512, and that is the best first call if you are unsure what the office wants with a filing.
Estate settlement is easier when you know what exists before choosing a probate path. Sunset's asset discovery searches across more than 2,300 financial institutions to help families find accounts, insurance, investments, and other assets that may need attention in Covington County probate.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Covington County Probate Court at 1 N Court Square in Andalusia serves probate filings for Covington County. The county probate site does not publish a second filing location or satellite probate office.
Alabama venue for a will generally belongs in the probate court of the county where the decedent was domiciled at death. For a nonresident decedent, venue may be in a county where the decedent left assets (Ala. Code § 43-8-162).
The jurisdiction process
- Gather the original will, if there is one, death information, a preliminary asset and debt list, names and addresses of heirs or beneficiaries, and any information about real estate or solely owned accounts.
- Call the Covington County Probate Office at (334) 428-2512 before filing. The county does not publish downloadable estate petition forms or a local estate fee total, so ask what paperwork, copies, payment method, and delivery method the office wants.
- File the petition in the Covington County Probate Office in Andalusia. In Alabama, the probate judge is both the judge and the filing officer for the county probate court.
- Pay the required filing charges when the office accepts the filing. Covington County does not publish an estate total, and Alabama fees include the probate judges' fee schedule under Ala. Code § 12-19-90 plus any local-law charges.
- Give notice to heirs and other interested persons as required for the estate. If a hearing is needed, ask the probate office how Covington County sets the hearing and whether the court will consider a phone or video request.
- If the court grants authority, the executor receives letters testamentary or the administrator receives letters of administration. Those letters are the proof banks and other institutions usually ask to see before releasing estate information.
- Publish notice to creditors and give individual notice to known or reasonably ascertainable creditors. Alabama's nonclaim rule generally bars claims not presented within six months, with a 30-day period after actual notice for a creditor entitled to that notice (Ala. Code § 43-2-350).
- Administer the estate, collect assets, pay allowed expenses and claims in the required order, address any sale or transfer issues, and ask the court to approve settlement or closing when the estate is ready.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Covington County
Covington County does not publish downloadable estate petition forms, an estate cover sheet, or an estate checklist on its probate office site. Its Forms section includes non-estate items such as the Real Estate Sales Validation Form used for deed recording, and its Wills & Estates page is educational rather than a filing packet.
Call the probate-court line at (334) 428-2512 before you prepare a filing. Ask what petition format, original documents, copies, notice information, and payment the Covington County Probate Office wants for the specific estate.
Local nuance
Covington County-specific considerations
| Local point | What it means for a family |
|---|---|
| Use the probate-court phone line | The probate office publishes separate lines for different functions. Use (334) 428-2512 for probate court questions, not the tag and titles line. |
| Land-records lookup is limited | The county's R.E.A.A.C.T. lookup is for land records such as deeds and mortgages. Viewing is free, and downloads are fee-based, but it is not published as an estate case lookup. |
| Published fee sheet is not for estates | The fee sheet on the site covers land-recording items such as deeds, mortgages, UCC filings, and LLC filings. It does not give an estate filing total. |
| No estate packet is posted | The Wills & Estates page explains probate concepts, but it does not provide a downloadable estate petition, checklist, or cover sheet. |
Recent updates
| Change | What families should know |
|---|---|
| Revised Alabama Small Estates Act | Act 2025-431 took effect October 1, 2025. The summary distribution ceiling is now tied to the combined Article 6 allowances and is $47,000 through at least March 31, 2027 (Ala. Code § 43-2-696.02). |
Scenarios
| Persona | Local path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse w/ co-owned home | Start by confirming how the home is titled and whether there are solely owned Covington County assets that require probate. If a probate filing is needed, call the probate-court line at (334) 428-2512 because no estate packet is posted online. | Sunset helps identify accounts, organize documents, and prepare a probate packet so the spouse can approach the Covington County Probate Office with a clearer estate settlement plan. |
| Out-of-state adult child w/ small estate | Confirm the decedent's domicile, asset list, and whether any real property is involved. Ask the Covington County Probate Office what it requires before mailing or traveling, because estate e-filing and mail-filing rules are not published. | Sunset helps locate financial accounts, separate probate assets from non-probate assets, and connect the child with a local attorney if the child cannot manage the filing from outside Alabama. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A home sale usually requires full estate administration or another court-approved path. The parent should gather deed information, mortgage information, heirs' addresses, and call (334) 428-2512 about the filing requirements before presenting the petition. | Sunset helps build the asset inventory, assemble the probate packet, and connect the parent with a local probate attorney for sale authority and closing issues. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it can help | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Covington County Probate Office | Explains local filing intake for Covington County probate matters. Staff can explain office requirements, but they do not prepare filings or choose a legal path for you. | 1 N Court Square, Andalusia, AL 36420. Probate-court line: (334) 428-2512. |
| Covington County land records lookup | Provides an online land-records search for deeds, mortgages, and related real-property instruments. It is not published as an estate case lookup. | Access through the Records and R.E.A.A.C.T. link on https://www.covingtonprobateoffice.com/records. |
| Legal Services Alabama | Statewide civil legal aid for low-income Alabamians, subject to eligibility and case-type priorities. Its public practice areas include heirs property and estate planning. | Intake: 866-456-4995. Spanish intake: 888-835-3505. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| AlabamaLegalHelp.org | Legal Services Alabama's self-help and referral site. | Visit AlabamaLegalHelp.org. |
When to hire an attorney
Consider a probate attorney if the estate includes real estate that must be sold, family disagreement, a will contest, creditors, missing heirs, a safe-deposit-box access problem, or uncertainty about whether summary distribution fits. If the estate needs court approval beyond a straightforward filing, local counsel can help prepare the petition and appear in the Covington County Probate Court. Sunset connects to a vetted attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 financial institutions to help identify bank accounts, investment accounts, insurance, retirement assets, and other property that may need to be addressed in estate settlement.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the family and asset information you provide into an organized probate packet, including the details a local attorney or probate office typically needs to review.
Find a local probate attorney. When Covington County probate needs legal help, Sunset can connect the family with a vetted Alabama probate attorney for the next filing, hearing, sale, or closing step.
Sunset is free for families. Sunset's estate settlement tools are free for families, so you can find assets, organize tasks, and decide whether attorney help is needed without paying to start.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Covington County?
File in the Covington County Probate Office at 1 N Court Square in Andalusia. Call the probate-court line at (334) 428-2512 before filing because the county does not publish an estate packet or local estate fee total.
What phone number should I use for Covington County probate questions?
Use (334) 428-2512. The probate office publishes other phone lines for tag and title questions and for recording questions, but (334) 428-2512 is the probate-court line.
Does Covington County publish probate forms online?
No downloadable estate petition, estate checklist, or estate cover sheet is posted on the county probate office site. The Wills & Estates page is educational, and the Forms page includes non-estate recording material.
How much does it cost to open an estate in Covington County?
Covington County does not publish an estate filing total. Alabama probate fees include the probate judges' fee schedule under Ala. Code § 12-19-90 plus local-law charges, so call (334) 428-2512 for the current amount before you file.
Can I e-file a Covington County estate petition?
The county publishes electronic recording for land documents, but it does not publish estate e-filing instructions. Ask the probate office what filing method it will accept for your estate petition.
Can I look up a Covington County estate case online?
The county's R.E.A.A.C.T. lookup is for land records such as deeds and mortgages. It is not published as an estate case lookup, so call the probate office for estate-case routing.
Can I attend a Covington County probate hearing by phone or video?
Covington County does not publish a local phone or video appearance rule for estate hearings. Ask the probate office about appearance options when the hearing is set.
Do I have to travel to Andalusia to start probate?
The county does not publish whether estate petitions may be filed by mail or another method. If you live outside Covington County, call (334) 428-2512 before traveling so you can ask what the probate office requires.
Shaped by the families we've helped
Thank you to the thousands of families who have trusted Sunset to help settle their loved ones' estates. This page is shaped by the questions they actually asked and the obstacles they actually hit — and that hard-won experience is what keeps it accurate, current, and genuinely useful to the families who come next.