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Butts County, GA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Butts County detail |
|---|---|
| Court | The Butts County Probate Court |
| Courthouse address | 625 West Third Street, Suite 9, Jackson, GA 30233 |
| Mailing | Mail estate papers to the same address. |
| Phone | (770) 775-8204 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Filing fee | Georgia sets probate fees by statute. The base fee for a decedent's-estate petition is $175.00, effective January 1, 2025, under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60, plus statutory add-ons, service, and publication. Confirm the current total with the court before filing. |
| Local forms | No county-specific probate forms are posted. Use the statewide Georgia Probate Court Standard Forms, the GPCSF series. |
| E-filing | Paper filing only for estate cases. File at the counter or by mail. The original will and any codicil must be delivered on paper under Uniform Probate Court Rule 5.3.12(B). |
| Case search | Butts County participates in georgiaprobaterecords.com, a probate records portal used by participating Georgia probate courts: https://www.georgiaprobaterecords.com/Estates/SearchEstates.aspx |
| Remote appearance | No remote-appearance procedure is listed. Call (770) 775-8204 before assuming a hearing can be handled without coming to Jackson. |
| Website | https://buttscountyga.com/courts/probate-court/ |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you choose a Georgia probate form, make a list of the decedent's assets, debts, titled property, beneficiaries, and heirs. In Butts County, that list affects whether you file for letters, use a will procedure, ask for year's support under O.C.G.A. § 53-3, or consider an order declaring that no administration is necessary under O.C.G.A. § 53-2-40.
Sunset's estate settlement process includes asset discovery across more than 2,300 financial institutions, which can help you find accounts before you pay filing costs, publish notices, or ask the Butts County Probate Court to issue letters testamentary or letters of administration.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Butts County Probate Court in Jackson is the only probate filing office for Butts County estate matters. It serves Jackson, the county seat, and the unincorporated communities across Butts County. Georgia has a probate court in every county, and Butts County estate filings go to the Probate Court itself, not to another county office.
Administration is filed where the decedent lived at death, or for a nonresident of Georgia, in a Georgia county where the decedent owned property or had a cause of action (O.C.G.A. § 15-9-31). A petition for an order declaring that no administration is necessary is filed in the decedent's Georgia county of domicile, or where the real property is located if the decedent was not domiciled in Georgia (O.C.G.A. § 53-2-40).
A party seeking review of a Butts County Probate Court decision files a petition for review in the superior court within 30 days of the judgment (O.C.G.A. § 5-3-7(b)). The superior court proceeding is de novo with the jury right preserved (O.C.G.A. § 5-3-5(d)).
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue and gather the estate facts. File in Butts County only if the decedent lived in Butts County at death, or if a nonresident decedent had property or a cause of action here (O.C.G.A. § 15-9-31). Inventory the assets, debts, heirs, beneficiaries, and any real estate before choosing a form.
- Deliver the original will if there is one. Whoever has the will must file it with the Butts County Probate Court with reasonable promptness (O.C.G.A. § 53-5-5). The original will and any codicil are paper documents and go to the court at 625 West Third Street, Suite 9, Jackson.
- Choose the statewide GPCSF petition. With a will, choose common form or solemn form probate under O.C.G.A. § 53-5. Common form is not conclusive for four years from the order admitting the will (O.C.G.A. § 53-5-19). Without a will, use the letters of administration process under O.C.G.A. § 53-6-20. If the facts fit, a spouse may consider year's support under O.C.G.A. § 53-3, and heirs may consider no administration is necessary under O.C.G.A. § 53-2-40.
- File on paper in Jackson or by mail. Butts County has no estate e-filing. File at the Probate Court counter or mail the signed paper petition, service copies, original will if any, and supporting documents to 625 West Third Street, Suite 9, Jackson, GA 30233.
- Pay the filing cost at filing. The statutory base fee for a decedent's-estate petition is $175.00, effective January 1, 2025, under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60, plus statutory add-ons, service, and publication. Confirm the current total with the Probate Court before filing.
- Complete citation, service, and publication. The court issues the citation. Depending on the petition, heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, or other interested persons may sign acknowledgments, receive service, or receive notice by publication. Butts County probate publications run in the Jackson Progress-Argus.
- Take the oath and address bond. Before letters issue, the personal representative takes the oath before a probate judge or clerk, not before a notary. An out-of-state petitioner can use GPCSF 53. Bond is required for an intestate administrator unless it is waived by unanimous heir consent under O.C.G.A. § 53-6-50.
- Receive authority from the court. After the court approves the petition and the oath and any bond are complete, letters testamentary or letters of administration issue. Those letters show banks, buyers, and other institutions who has authority to act for the estate.
- Publish the creditor notice and administer the estate. The personal representative must publish notice to creditors within 60 days of qualification, once a week for four weeks, in the Jackson Progress-Argus. Creditors have three months from the last publication to notify the personal representative of claims under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-41.
- File inventory and close the estate. Unless waived, the personal representative files and mails the inventory within six months under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-30 and O.C.G.A. § 53-7-32, pays valid claims, distributes property, files required fiduciary compliance reports, and petitions for discharge on GPCSF 33.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Butts County
Butts County Probate Court does not post a county-specific probate packet, cover sheet, checklist, or local decedent's-estate form. Use the statewide Georgia Probate Court Standard Forms, known as the GPCSF series, which are accepted in Georgia probate courts under Uniform Probate Court Rule 5.9.
| Form | Use |
|---|---|
| GPCSF 1 | General instructions, including the rule that the oath is administered by a probate judge or clerk, not by a notary. |
| GPCSF 3 | Petition for letters of administration when there is no will. |
| GPCSF 4 | Petition to probate a will in common form under O.C.G.A. § 53-5. |
| GPCSF 5 | Petition to probate a will in solemn form under O.C.G.A. § 53-5. |
| GPCSF 9 | Petition for an order declaring that no administration is necessary under O.C.G.A. § 53-2-40. |
| GPCSF 10 | Petition for year's support under O.C.G.A. § 53-3. |
| GPCSF 13 | Petition for leave to sell property. |
| GPCSF 32 | Petition for waiver of bond and/or grant of certain powers. |
| GPCSF 33 | Petition for discharge of personal representative. |
| GPCSF 53 | Commission to administer oath for an out-of-state petitioner. |
Recent updates
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely Butts County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with co-owned home | Confirm whether the home passes outside probate by title or beneficiary designation. If property is in the decedent's sole name, file on paper in Jackson. Year's support under O.C.G.A. § 53-3 can set aside property, including a home, and must be filed within 24 months of death under O.C.G.A. § 53-3-5. | Sunset helps identify accounts, title issues, debts, and beneficiary designations before the spouse chooses an estate settlement path. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a small estate | Butts County uses paper filing, so mail or deliver the GPCSF forms and any original will to the court in Jackson. The oath cannot be notarized, so use GPCSF 53 if you need a court outside Georgia to administer the oath. If the estate is limited to a bank deposit, ask the institution about the direct-payment route under O.C.G.A. § 7-1-239 before opening a court case. | Sunset organizes asset information, prepares the filing packet, and helps the family avoid unnecessary travel where the oath can be handled through GPCSF 53. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A sale usually requires authority. The personal representative may need powers granted under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-1(b) with GPCSF 32, or a petition for leave to sell on GPCSF 13. If there is no will, all heirs agree, and debts are resolved, an order declaring that no administration is necessary under O.C.G.A. § 53-2-40 may vest title, followed by deed-recording steps for Butts County land. | Sunset helps map heirs, debts, title, and sale timing, then connects the family with a Butts County probate attorney if land authority or heir consent is uncertain. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Butts County Probate Court | Filing office for Butts County estates. Address: 625 West Third Street, Suite 9, Jackson, GA 30233. Phone: (770) 775-8204. Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | https://buttscountyga.com/courts/probate-court/ |
| Georgia Probate Court Standard Forms | Current GPCSF forms used for Butts County probate filings. | https://gaprobate.gov/standard-forms/ |
| Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia | Statewide probate court information, Uniform Probate Court Rules, standard forms, and court directory. | https://gaprobate.gov/ |
| Georgia probate records portal used by participating courts | Butts County participates in this estate search. Call the Probate Court if the case is not shown. | https://www.georgiaprobaterecords.com/Estates/SearchEstates.aspx |
| Georgia Legal Services Program | Free civil legal help for qualifying people in the 154 Georgia counties outside metro Atlanta, including Butts County. Statewide intake line: 1-833-457-7529. | https://www.glsp.org/need-help/ |
| GeorgiaLegalAid.org | Plain-language statewide legal information about wills, estates, and related civil legal topics. | https://www.georgialegalaid.org/ |
| Georgia Courts self-help resources | Judicial Council information for people navigating court without a lawyer. | https://georgiacourts.gov/a2j/self-help-resources/navigating-the-courts/ |
When to hire an attorney
You can file a Georgia probate petition without a lawyer, but counsel becomes more important when land must be sold, heirs do not all agree, a caveat is filed, bond or powers are contested, or a petition for review in the superior court is being considered. Sunset connects families to a vetted Georgia probate attorney who handles Butts County matters.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 institutions to help identify bank, brokerage, retirement, insurance, and other accounts that can shape the Butts County filing strategy.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the estate information you provide into an organized Georgia probate packet, including the GPCSF forms that fit the estate settlement path.
Find a local probate attorney. When a Butts County estate involves land, a sale, disagreement among heirs, or a petition for review, Sunset can connect the family with a vetted Georgia probate attorney.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset's estate settlement tools without paying Sunset. If you choose attorney help, the attorney explains any fee directly.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file for probate in Butts County?
File with the Butts County Probate Court at 625 West Third Street, Suite 9, Jackson, GA 30233. Georgia venue for administration is the county where the decedent lived at death, or for a nonresident, a Georgia county where the decedent owned property or had a cause of action (O.C.G.A. § 15-9-31).
Can I file a Butts County probate case online?
No. Butts County Probate Court is handled on paper for estate filings. File at the counter or by mail, and send the original will and any codicil on paper under Uniform Probate Court Rule 5.3.12(B).
What does probate cost in Butts County?
No Butts County probate fee schedule is posted. Georgia's statutory base fee for a decedent's-estate petition is $175.00, effective January 1, 2025, under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60, plus statutory add-ons, service, and publication. Call (770) 775-8204 to confirm the current total before filing.
Does Butts County have its own probate forms?
No county-specific probate forms are posted. Use the statewide GPCSF forms, including GPCSF 3 for letters of administration, GPCSF 4 for common form probate under O.C.G.A. § 53-5, GPCSF 5 for solemn form probate under O.C.G.A. § 53-5, GPCSF 9 for no administration is necessary under O.C.G.A. § 53-2-40, and GPCSF 10 for year's support under O.C.G.A. § 53-3.
How do I look up a Butts County estate case?
Use georgiaprobaterecords.com, a portal used by participating Georgia probate courts. Butts County is listed in the estate search. If a case does not appear there, call the Probate Court.
What are the Butts County Probate Court hours?
The court is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Do I have to travel to Jackson if I live out of state?
You may be able to file by mail, but the oath cannot be notarized. The oath must be administered by a probate judge or clerk, and an out-of-state petitioner can use GPCSF 53 to have the oath administered by a court where the petitioner lives.
Where does the notice to creditors run in Butts County?
The notice to creditors runs in the Jackson Progress-Argus. A personal representative must publish within 60 days of qualification and once a week for four weeks, and creditors have three months from the last publication to notify the personal representative of claims as described in O.C.G.A. § 53-7-41.
What if I disagree with a Butts County Probate Court decision?
A party seeking review files a petition for review in the superior court within 30 days of the judgment (O.C.G.A. § 5-3-7(b)). The superior court proceeding is de novo with the jury right preserved (O.C.G.A. § 5-3-5(d)).
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.