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Lee County, GA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Lee County details |
|---|---|
| Court | Lee County Probate Court |
| Courthouse address | 100 Leslie Highway, Leesburg, GA 31763 |
| Mailing address | No separate mailing address was found. Use the courthouse address or call before mailing originals. |
| Phone | (229) 759-6005 |
| Fax | Call the court before relying on fax filing or fax delivery. |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Call before visiting because rural probate offices may change public counter hours. |
| Filing fee | Base $175.00 for a decedent's-estate petition, effective January 1, 2025, under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60, plus statutory add-ons, service, and publication. The $15.00 indigent defense fee, effective January 1, 2025, applies to listed decedent's-estate petitions under O.C.G.A. § 15-21A-6. Call (229) 759-6005 for the current filing total before filing. |
| Local forms | Georgia statewide GPCSF forms are used. No Lee County-specific probate form packet was found for estate filings. |
| E-filing | Use paper filing by mail or in person unless the Probate Court tells you otherwise. The original will and any codicil must be delivered on paper even where electronic filing is available, under Uniform Probate Court Rule 5.3.12(B). |
| Case lookup | No county online probate case lookup was found for Lee County. Call the Probate Court at (229) 759-6005 for case status or file copies. |
| Remote appearance | No local remote appearance instruction was found for estate filings. Call the court before assuming a hearing or oath can be handled remotely. |
| Website | http://www.lee.ga.us/courts/probate.html |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you choose a Georgia probate form, identify the assets, debts, heirs, beneficiaries, and any original will. In Lee County, that means knowing whether there is land in Georgia, whether accounts have named beneficiaries, whether debts remain unpaid, and whether the family agrees on who should serve.
Sunset can support estate settlement by helping search for accounts and assets across more than 2,300 institutions before you file. That asset map helps you decide whether the Lee County Probate Court needs a full petition, whether a short Georgia path may fit, and what documents to gather before calling the court.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Lee County Probate Court in Leesburg is the only probate filing office for Lee County, Georgia. Georgia has a probate court in each county, so a Lee County estate is not filed in a district probate office or in another county's court.
Estate administration may be granted only for a person who lived in Lee County at death, or for a nonresident of Georgia who owned property in Lee County or had a bona fide cause of action there (O.C.G.A. § 15-9-31). Lee County is not on the roster for the probate courts described in O.C.G.A. § 15-9-120; review of a Probate Court decision is by petition for review in the superior court within 30 days (O.C.G.A. § 5-3-7(b)), and the proceeding is de novo with the jury right preserved (O.C.G.A. § 5-3-5(d)).
The court serves Lee County communities from its Leesburg filing office. If the decedent lived outside Georgia, call before filing to explain the Lee County property that creates venue.
The jurisdiction process
- Gather the will and asset information. If there is an original will, file it with the Lee County Probate Court with reasonable promptness (O.C.G.A. § 53-5-5). List real estate, bank accounts, vehicles, debts, heirs, and beneficiaries before choosing a petition.
- Choose the statewide Georgia form. Use the GPCSF form that matches the estate. A will may be offered in common form or solemn form under O.C.G.A. § 53-5; if there is no will, the heirs may seek letters of administration under Georgia law.
- File with the Lee County Probate Court. File by paper at or by mail to 100 Leslie Highway, Leesburg, GA 31763, unless the court tells you another method is available. If any electronic filing is accepted, the original will and codicil still must be delivered on paper under Uniform Probate Court Rule 5.3.12(B).
- Pay the filing cost. The base decedent's-estate petition fee is $175.00, effective January 1, 2025, under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60. Statutory add-ons, service, and publication are separate, including the $15.00 indigent defense fee, effective January 1, 2025, under O.C.G.A. § 15-21A-6 for listed petitions. Call (229) 759-6005 for the current total.
- Handle notice and citation. The court issues citation when notice is required. You may need acknowledgments, service copies, envelopes, or publication depending on the petition and who must be notified.
- Take the oath and address bond. Before letters issue, the personal representative must take the oath before a probate judge or clerk, not a notary. An out-of-state petitioner may need GPCSF 53. Bond may be required unless waived or otherwise relieved under Georgia law.
- Receive letters and administer the estate. After qualification, the court issues letters testamentary or letters of administration. The personal representative then collects assets, safeguards property, pays valid expenses and claims, and keeps estate accounts.
- Publish creditor notice and manage deadlines. A personal representative must publish creditor notice within 60 days after qualification, once a week for four weeks, and creditors have three months from the last publication to give notice of claims under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-41. Ask the Lee County Probate Court where publication should be sent.
- File inventory or waivers when required. Unless relieved, the personal representative files and mails the inventory within six months after qualification under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-30. Waivers may be available under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-32.
- Close the estate. After assets are distributed, claims and expenses are handled, and required reports are complete, file the proper discharge petition, commonly GPCSF 33, so the Probate Court can close the estate.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Lee County
Georgia uses one statewide set of numbered probate forms, the GPCSF series, adopted by the Council of Probate Court Judges and approved by the Supreme Court of Georgia. A document prepared on a standard form is acceptable in any Georgia probate court, and a court may decline to process a substitute that does not conform to the standard form requirements under Uniform Probate Court Rule 5.9.
| Form resource | How it applies in Lee County |
|---|---|
| Council of Probate Court Judges standard forms | Use the current GPCSF forms for petitions such as letters of administration, probate of a will, year's support under O.C.G.A. § 53-3, an order that no administration is necessary under O.C.G.A. § 53-2-40, and discharge. |
| GPCSF 1 general instructions | Read this before filing. It explains Georgia form conventions and the oath rule for a personal representative. |
| Lee County additions | No county-specific estate packet, cover sheet, or checklist was found. Call (229) 759-6005 before filing to ask whether the court wants extra copies, envelopes, or payment in a particular form. |
Recent updates
Scenarios
| Scenario | Local path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| surviving spouse w/ co-owned home | Start by identifying how the deed is titled and whether the spouse needs probate authority, year's support under O.C.G.A. § 53-3, or another Georgia filing in the Lee County Probate Court. A year's support petition must be filed within 24 months under O.C.G.A. § 53-3-5. | Sunset helps identify mortgage, insurance, bank, and title information so the spouse can decide what must be filed locally and what may pass outside probate. |
| out-of-state adult child w/ small estate | Call the Lee County Probate Court before mailing papers. If appointment is needed, the oath cannot be notarized, and GPCSF 53 may help with an out-of-state oath. If only a small bank deposit is involved, ask the institution about the Georgia deposit release under O.C.G.A. § 7-1-239. | Sunset organizes the asset list, flags beneficiary accounts, and prepares a filing checklist so the child can reduce avoidable travel to Leesburg. |
| parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | If authority is needed to sell a Lee County home, the personal representative may need letters with powers under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-1(b), a petition for leave to sell, or, where there is no will and the heirs agree, an order that no administration is necessary under O.C.G.A. § 53-2-40 with the later deed-recording step. | Sunset helps gather property, debt, heir, and closing information and can connect the parent with a Georgia probate attorney when court authority to sell is needed. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it helps with | Link or contact |
|---|---|---|
| Lee County Probate Court | Local filing office for estate petitions, original wills, filing totals, hearing questions, and case status. | 100 Leslie Highway, Leesburg, GA 31763. Phone: (229) 759-6005. |
| Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia | Current statewide GPCSF forms, Uniform Probate Court Rules, and probate court information. | https://gaprobate.gov/standard-forms/ |
| Supreme Court of Georgia standard forms page | Statewide probate form index and general instructions for Georgia Probate Courts. | https://www.gasupreme.us/probate-court-standard-forms/ |
| GPCSF 1 general instructions | General filing instructions, including the oath rule for executors, administrators, and other fiduciaries. | https://gaprobate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GPCSF-1-General-Instructions.pdf |
| Georgia Legal Services Program | Civil legal aid intake for eligible people outside metro Atlanta, including Lee County. | https://www.glsp.org/need-help/ or 1-833-457-7529. |
| Georgia Department of Revenue Form T-20 | Motor vehicle inheritance affidavit process handled through motor vehicle channels, not the Probate Court. | https://dor.georgia.gov/document/form/form-t-20-affidavit-inheritance/download |
When to hire an attorney
You can file many Georgia probate matters without a lawyer, and the Lee County Probate Court accepts self-represented paper filings, but counsel is wise when heirs disagree, a house must be sold, a creditor is objecting, an heir is not sui juris, bond or expanded powers are at issue, or you need a petition for review after a court decision. Sunset connects to a vetted attorney
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset helps families start estate settlement by searching for accounts, policies, and assets across more than 2,300 institutions so you can see what may need probate in Lee County and what may pass outside probate.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the estate details you provide into an organized probate packet using Georgia's statewide form structure, with reminders about the original will, signatures, service copies, and the Lee County filing office.
Find a local probate attorney. When the estate has a house sale, a caveat, creditor pressure, bond, heirs who do not agree, or a petition for review, Sunset can help you find a Georgia probate attorney familiar with estate settlement issues.
Sunset is free for families. Sunset is paid by partner providers, not by grieving families, so you can use the platform to organize the estate and decide what local help you need.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Lee County, Georgia?
File with the Lee County Probate Court at 100 Leslie Highway in Leesburg. Georgia administration venue is based on the county where the decedent lived at death, or, for a nonresident of Georgia, a Georgia county where the decedent owned property (O.C.G.A. § 15-9-31).
Can I e-file a Lee County probate case?
Plan on paper filing by mail or in person unless the court tells you another method is available. The original will and any codicil must be filed on paper even when electronic filing is available, under Uniform Probate Court Rule 5.3.12(B).
How do I look up a Lee County probate case?
No county online probate case lookup was found for Lee County estate matters. Call the Lee County Probate Court at (229) 759-6005 for case status or file copies.
What does it cost to file probate in Lee County?
The statutory base filing fee for a decedent's-estate petition is $175.00, effective January 1, 2025, under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60. Statutory add-ons, service, and publication are separate, including the $15.00 indigent defense fee, effective January 1, 2025, under O.C.G.A. § 15-21A-6 for listed decedent's-estate petitions. Call the court for the current total before filing.
Does Lee County have its own probate forms?
No Lee County-specific estate packet was found. Use the statewide GPCSF forms and call the Probate Court before filing to ask about copies, envelopes, payment, and whether any local cover sheet is requested.
Do I have to travel to Leesburg to become personal representative?
Not always, but do not assume the oath can be notarized. Georgia requires the oath to be administered by a probate judge or clerk, and GPCSF 53 can be used when an out-of-state petitioner needs a commission to take the oath outside Georgia.
What happens if someone disagrees with a Lee County Probate Court decision?
Lee County is not on the roster for the probate courts described in O.C.G.A. § 15-9-120. A party seeking review files a petition for review in the superior court within 30 days under O.C.G.A. § 5-3-7(b), and the superior court proceeding is de novo with the jury right preserved under O.C.G.A. § 5-3-5(d).
How soon should I file the will in Lee County?
Whoever has the original will must file it with the Probate Court with reasonable promptness under O.C.G.A. § 53-5-5. Georgia does not use a fixed 30-day deadline for filing a will.
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.