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Columbia County, FL Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Circuit Court, Third Judicial Circuit, Columbia County; probate is a division of the Circuit Court, not a separate court |
| Filing office | Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller (James M. Swisher, Jr.) |
| Courthouse | 173 NE Hernando Avenue, Lake City, FL 32055 |
| Mailing address | Same as the courthouse: the Clerk's contact page publishes 173 NE Hernando Avenue, Lake City, FL 32055 as both the mailing and physical address |
| Phone | (386) 758-1342 (Clerk main line); (386) 758-1051 (probate department, per the Clerk's phone directory) |
| None for court cases: the Clerk asks that you not contact the office by email regarding court cases; call (386) 758-1342 instead | |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM; closed legal holidays |
| Filing fee | Per the Clerk's published probate fee schedule (verified July 2026): formal administration $400; summary administration $345 for an estate of $1,000 or more, $235 under $1,000; disposition of personal property without administration $231. The totals reflect the statutory service charges under F.S. 28.2401 plus mandatory statutory add-ons. |
| Local probate forms | None. The Clerk's forms page carries no probate forms, and Florida publishes no statewide self-help probate form set; probate filings are petitions prepared under the Florida Probate Rules, in most cases by an attorney |
| E-filing | Through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (myflcourtaccess.com), which the Clerk's own site links for e-filing; mandatory for attorneys, optional for self-represented filers, who may also file on paper at the Clerk's counter |
| Online case search | Statewide CiviTek Online Court Records Search for Columbia County (county 12), with a public anonymous access option; linked from the Clerk's Court Records page |
| Remote appearance | The Third Judicial Circuit conducts some hearings by Zoom or Microsoft Teams and publishes connection instructions at thirdcircuitfl.org; ask the assigned judge's office or the Clerk's probate department at (386) 758-1051 whether a remote appearance is available for your matter |
| Website | https://columbiaclerk.com |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Columbia County, know exactly what is in the estate. Which Florida path fits depends on whether there is a will and on the value and type of the assets: formal administration under F.S. Chapter 733, summary administration under F.S. 735.201 for a smaller estate, or disposition of personal property without administration under F.S. 735.301 for a limited class of estates with no real property. The dollar thresholds that separate these paths are statewide and are explained on the Florida state page; identify the estate first so you and your attorney file the right petition once.
Identify every bank and credit-union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life-insurance policy, vehicle, and parcel of real property, along with every debt, before you go to the Clerk. Whether the decedent's Lake City or rural Columbia County home was homestead property matters, because Florida homestead often passes outside the probate estate and is not counted toward the summary-administration limit. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Circuit Court of the Third Judicial Circuit serves Columbia County along with Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor counties. Within Columbia, the court covers the whole county, including Lake City (the county seat), Fort White, Five Points, and the surrounding rural communities. Columbia probate matters are filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court at the courthouse at 173 NE Hernando Avenue in Lake City. The circuit publishes judicial assignments for Columbia County listing five judges, the most of its seven counties, but no single judge is publicly designated to hear probate, so ask the Clerk's probate department at (386) 758-1051 which judge is assigned to your matter.
Venue for a decedent's estate is governed by F.S. 733.101. Administration is proper first in the county where the decedent was domiciled at death, then, if the decedent had no Florida domicile, in a county where the decedent's property is located, and, if the decedent had neither domicile nor property in Florida, in the county where any debtor of the decedent resides. In practice, file in Columbia County for a decedent who lived here. There is no separate probate department; probate is heard on the Circuit Court's general docket.
The jurisdiction process
- Gather the documents. Collect the original signed will (if any), a certified copy of the death certificate, the proposed personal representative's contact information and photo ID, the names and addresses of the beneficiaries and other interested persons, and a list of the assets and debts with values.
- Choose the path based on the estate. Depending on whether there is a will and on the value and type of assets, the route may be formal administration (F.S. Chapter 733), summary administration (F.S. 735.201), or disposition of personal property without administration (F.S. 735.301). The governing thresholds are statewide and are on the Florida state page.
- Confirm whether an attorney is required. Under Fla. Prob. R. 5.030, the personal representative must be represented by a Florida-licensed attorney unless the personal representative remains the sole interested person (or is the only beneficiary with no other interested persons), or is a Florida-licensed attorney. Because most administrations involve more than one interested person, most Columbia estates are filed through counsel.
- Prepare the petition. For a formal or summary administration, prepare the petition and supporting documents under the Florida Probate Rules (Fla. Prob. R. 5.010 to 5.530). Florida publishes no statewide self-help probate form set and Columbia has no local packet, so in most cases an attorney prepares and files the papers.
- File with the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Attorneys must e-file through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (myflcourtaccess.com). A self-represented filer may register and e-file through the portal or file on paper at the Clerk's counter or by mail; the Clerk publishes 173 NE Hernando Avenue, Lake City, FL 32055 as both its mailing and physical address.
- Pay the filing fee. Per the Clerk's published probate fee schedule, formal administration is $400, summary administration is $345 for an estate of $1,000 or more ($235 under $1,000), and disposition of personal property without administration is $231 (verified July 2026). The totals reflect the statutory service charges under F.S. 28.2401 plus mandatory statutory add-ons; confirm the current total with the Clerk before filing.
- Give notice and publish. The personal representative serves notice on interested persons and publishes a notice to creditors, which opens the creditor-claim period. A creditor must file its claim by the later of 3 months after first publication or 30 days after being served (F.S. 733.702), and in all events within 2 years of death (F.S. 733.710).
- Attend the hearing if one is set. The petition is presented to a Third Judicial Circuit judge sitting at the Lake City courthouse, where proceedings start at 9:00 a.m. unless otherwise indicated. Ask the assigned judge's office or the Clerk's probate department at (386) 758-1051 whether the matter can be handled by Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
- Receive the authority document. On appointment the court issues Letters of Administration, the proof of the personal representative's authority to act, in every case, whether or not there is a will. Request enough certified copies for the banks and institutions involved.
- Administer and close. Inventory the assets, pay valid claims in statutory priority, account to the interested persons, distribute the remaining assets, and close the estate.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Columbia County
Columbia County publishes no local probate forms of its own, and Florida publishes no statewide self-help probate form set: probate filings are petitions prepared under the Florida Probate Rules (Fla. Prob. R. 5.010 to 5.530), and Florida Courts Help states that it does not provide probate forms. The Clerk's own forms page carries court, payment, landlord, and traffic forms but nothing for probate, and the probate page notes that the office cannot give legal or procedural advice. Two exceptions are handled at the counter: the Clerk's staff will help complete the petition for a disposition of personal property without administration (F.S. 735.301), the smallest-estate path, and the office accepts the deposit of an original will under F.S. 732.901, which must be made within 10 days after learning of the death and carries no charge. Because Fla. Prob. R. 5.030 requires a Florida-licensed attorney in most administrations, most estates do not self-file a probate packet: the attorney prepares the petition and files it through the statewide portal. For questions about local intake, filing in person versus by mail, or what the Lake City counter needs, call the Clerk's probate department at (386) 758-1051 or the main line at (386) 758-1342.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Florida Courts Help, probate (flcourts.gov) | The judiciary's probate self-help page; it explains that no statewide probate forms are provided and points to the Florida Probate Code and local resources |
| Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (myflcourtaccess.com) | The statewide portal for filing probate documents; mandatory for attorneys, optional for self-represented filers |
| Columbia County Clerk of the Circuit Court, probate | The Clerk's probate page: will deposit, disposition of personal property without administration, and local intake questions |
| Columbia County Clerk probate fee schedule | The Clerk's published probate fee schedule, with the current totals for each filing type |
Fees
Florida sets the Clerk's base probate service charges by statute (F.S. 28.2401): formal administration $395, summary administration $340 for an estate of $1,000 or more, and disposition of personal property without administration $230, plus a $4 additional service charge on administration petitions. On top of that statutory base, counties add further mandatory statutory charges, so the Clerk's published total is higher than the bare base. The Columbia County Clerk publishes its own probate fee schedule; the totals below were verified July 2026.
| Filing | Fee | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Formal administration (also guardianship, curatorship, and conservatorship) | $400.00 | Columbia County Clerk published fee schedule |
| Summary administration, estate value $1,000 or more | $345.00 | Columbia County Clerk published fee schedule |
| Summary administration, estate value under $1,000 | $235.00 | Columbia County Clerk published fee schedule |
| Disposition of personal property without administration | $231.00 | Columbia County Clerk published fee schedule |
| Caveat | $41.00 | Columbia County Clerk published fee schedule |
| Notice of trust | $41.00 | Columbia County Clerk published fee schedule |
| Reopening a closed estate | $50.00 | Columbia County Clerk published fee schedule |
The full schedule, including guardianship inventory and accounting charges, is on the Clerk's Probate Fees page at columbiaclerk.com. Two smaller figures from the Clerk's probate page are worth knowing: depositing an original will costs nothing, and certified copies of a will run $1.00 per page plus a $2.00 certification charge. Fees change with legislative sessions, so confirm the current total with the Clerk before filing.
Local nuance
Columbia County-specific considerations
Five judges sit in Lake City, with no designated probate judge. The Third Judicial Circuit publishes judicial assignments for Columbia County listing five judges, the most of the circuit's seven counties and including the circuit's chief judge. The Lake City courthouse at 173 NE Hernando Avenue has four courtrooms, and proceedings start at 9:00 a.m. unless otherwise indicated. No single judge is publicly designated to hear probate, so ask the Clerk's probate department at (386) 758-1051 which judge is assigned to your matter and how a hearing is scheduled.
The Clerk helps with will deposits and the smallest estates. The original will of a Columbia County decedent must be deposited with the Clerk within 10 days after learning of the death (F.S. 732.901), with a death certificate; there is no charge, and the Clerk issues a receipt for the deposit. For an estate that qualifies for disposition of personal property without administration (F.S. 735.301), the Clerk's staff will help complete the petition and present it to the judge for approval, one of the few probate matters that can proceed without an attorney.
Court-case questions go by phone, and case search runs through CiviTek. The Clerk asks that you not contact the office by email regarding court cases; call the probate department at (386) 758-1051 or the main line at (386) 758-1342. For records, the Clerk's Court Records page links the statewide CiviTek Online Court Records Search for Columbia County (county 12), which offers a public anonymous access option and includes probate; Columbia does not run a separate docket portal of its own.
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Columbia County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Lake City or rural Columbia County home was the decedent's homestead, Florida homestead protections usually let it pass to the surviving spouse outside the probate estate, often confirmed by a petition to determine homestead status filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court. If other assets must be administered, the spouse (through counsel, unless she is the sole interested person under Fla. Prob. R. 5.030) files a summary or formal administration and is issued Letters of Administration. | Asset discovery to confirm how title is held and what else is in the estate. Packet generation for the qualifying paperwork. A vetted attorney referral where Fla. Prob. R. 5.030 requires counsel. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | A smaller estate that meets the statewide threshold can proceed by summary administration under F.S. 735.201, which appoints no personal representative and ends in an order distributing the assets; a very limited estate with no real property may qualify for disposition of personal property without administration (F.S. 735.301). Both are filed with the Columbia Clerk, and an out-of-state filer can work with Florida counsel through the statewide e-filing portal without repeated trips to Lake City. | Asset discovery to confirm the estate qualifies and to locate accounts from out of state. Packet generation for the petition, prepared in advance so an out-of-state filer can proceed largely remotely. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because the estate holds real property that must be sold, it generally proceeds through formal administration under F.S. Chapter 733: the parent, represented by counsel under Fla. Prob. R. 5.030, petitions the Clerk of the Circuit Court, is appointed personal representative, receives Letters of Administration, and can then sell the home and distribute the proceeds. The matter is heard by a Third Judicial Circuit judge at the Lake City courthouse. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts and property. Packet generation for the formal administration filing. Attorney referral, and help if the sale or an heir dispute turns contested. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Columbia County Clerk of the Circuit Court, (386) 758-1342 (columbiaclerk.com) | The filing office for probate; local intake questions, will deposit, the published probate fee schedule, case search, and the probate department at (386) 758-1051 |
| Third Judicial Circuit of Florida (thirdcircuitfl.org) | Court administration for Columbia County, published judicial assignments, court calendars, and Zoom and Microsoft Teams connection instructions |
| Florida Courts Help, probate (flcourts.gov/Courts-System/florida-courts-help/other-resources/probate) | The judiciary's probate self-help page, with plain-language information on the probate process |
| Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (myflcourtaccess.com) | Registration and self-help for e-filing probate documents, the option available to self-represented filers |
| Three Rivers Legal Services, Lake City office, (386) 752-5960 (trls.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents, serving the Third Judicial Circuit including Columbia County, from its office at 334 NW Lake City Avenue, Lake City |
| The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service, (800) 342-8011 (floridabar.org) | Statewide referrals to Florida-licensed probate attorneys, plus the consumer pamphlet Probate in Florida |
When to hire an attorney
Florida makes counsel the norm in probate. Under Fla. Prob. R. 5.030, the personal representative must be represented by a Florida-licensed attorney unless the personal representative remains the sole interested person, or is the only beneficiary with no other interested persons, or is a Florida-licensed attorney. Because most Columbia estates have more than one interested person, most formal and summary administrations here are handled through counsel, who also e-files through the statewide portal. Consider an attorney early when the estate holds real property that must be sold, when a will contest or heir dispute is likely, when the estate is insolvent or creditors are pressing, or when the estate includes a business interest or out-of-state property. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Florida probate attorney serving Columbia County and the Third Judicial Circuit.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and public records to surface bank and credit-union accounts, retirement plans, brokerage holdings, life insurance, Columbia County real estate, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Florida path fits for estate settlement before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the petition and supporting paperwork for your path, ready to file with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Lake City through the statewide e-filing portal or on paper.
Find a local probate attorney. Because Fla. Prob. R. 5.030 requires a Florida-licensed attorney in most administrations, Sunset connects families to a vetted Florida probate attorney serving Columbia County and the Third Judicial Circuit.
Sunset is free for families. Revenue comes from bank partners that pay Sunset while estate funds sit in an FDIC-insured estate account ($3M coverage).
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file for probate in Columbia County?
With the Clerk of the Circuit Court at the Columbia County courthouse, 173 NE Hernando Avenue, Lake City, FL 32055; the Clerk publishes that address for both mail and in-person filing. Columbia is in the Third Judicial Circuit. Florida has no separate probate court; probate is a division of the Circuit Court.
Do I have to e-file probate in Columbia County?
Attorneys must e-file through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at myflcourtaccess.com, which the Clerk's own site links for e-filing. A self-represented filer may register and e-file through the same portal or file on paper at the Clerk's counter in Lake City or by mail.
Do I need an attorney for probate in Columbia County?
Usually yes. Under Fla. Prob. R. 5.030, the personal representative must be represented by a Florida-licensed attorney unless the personal representative is the sole interested person (or the only beneficiary with no other interested persons), or is a Florida-licensed attorney. Because most estates have more than one interested person, most Columbia administrations are handled through counsel.
Who hears probate cases in Columbia County?
The Third Judicial Circuit publishes judicial assignments for Columbia County listing five judges, and courthouse proceedings start at 9:00 a.m. unless otherwise indicated. No single judge is publicly designated to hear probate, so ask the Clerk's probate department at (386) 758-1051 which judge is assigned to your matter.
Can I appear remotely for a Columbia County probate hearing?
Sometimes. The Third Judicial Circuit conducts some hearings by Zoom or Microsoft Teams and publishes connection instructions at thirdcircuitfl.org. Whether a remote appearance is available depends on the matter and the assigned judge, so ask the judge's office or the Clerk's probate department at (386) 758-1051 when a hearing is set.
Can I look up a Columbia County probate case online?
Yes. The Clerk's Court Records page links the statewide CiviTek Online Court Records Search for Columbia County (county 12), which offers a public anonymous access option and includes probate. To confirm a filing you can also call the Clerk's probate department at (386) 758-1051.
What forms do I need for probate in Columbia County?
Columbia County publishes no local probate forms, and Florida publishes no statewide self-help probate form set. Probate filings are petitions prepared under the Florida Probate Rules, and in most cases an attorney prepares the petition. The Clerk's office cannot give legal or procedural advice, but its staff will help complete the petition for a disposition of personal property without administration, the smallest-estate path.
What does it cost to file probate in Columbia County?
Per the Clerk's published probate fee schedule (verified July 2026), formal administration is $400, summary administration is $345 for an estate of $1,000 or more ($235 under $1,000), and disposition of personal property without administration is $231. The totals reflect the statutory service charges under F.S. 28.2401 plus mandatory statutory add-ons; confirm the current total with the Clerk at (386) 758-1342 before filing.
Can I email the Columbia County Clerk about a probate case?
No. The Clerk's contact page asks that you not contact the office by email regarding court cases. Call instead: the probate department is at (386) 758-1051 and the main line is (386) 758-1342, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Do I have to travel to Lake City to settle an estate there?
Not always. Attorneys and self-represented filers can file through the statewide e-filing portal, and papers can be mailed to the Clerk at 173 NE Hernando Avenue, Lake City, FL 32055. Where a hearing is required, ask the assigned judge's office or the Clerk's probate department at (386) 758-1051 whether it can be held by Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
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.