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Texas County, MO Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Texas County information |
|---|---|
| Court | Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Texas County, in the 25th Judicial Circuit with Maries, Phelps and Pulaski counties |
| Courthouse address | Texas County Justice Center, 519 North Grand Avenue, Suite 202, second floor, Houston, MO 65483 |
| Mailing | Use the Justice Center address unless the clerk gives different mailing instructions. |
| Phone | (417) 967-3742 |
| Fax | (417) 967-4220 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed on state and federal holidays |
| Court cost to start | Texas County does not publish its own probate cost schedule. Court Operating Rule 21.01, effective September 1, 2023, sets the state component at $115 when original letters are applied for in a decedent estate, plus $50 for each additional $50,000 of final inventory value above $50,000 up to $500,000, with total fees under that rule capped at $565. Ask the clerk for the Texas County total before you file. |
| Local forms | No Texas County local probate packet, cover sheet or checklist is posted on the county site, the 25th Circuit site or the Missouri courts local information page. |
| E-filing | Attorneys use the Missouri eFiling System. Self-represented filers are not required to e-file under Court Operating Rule 27.03, effective October 1, 2019, and should ask the Texas County clerk which probate filings the system will accept from them. |
| Case search | Case.net includes Texas County public associate civil and probate case information pending as of, or filed after, January 22, 2007. Texas County electronic case records became available at the courthouse public access terminal beginning July 13, 2015. |
| Remote appearance | The county and circuit pages do not publish a probate remote appearance procedure. Ask the clerk before the hearing date if travel to Houston is difficult. |
| Website | Texas County Circuit Clerk page and the 25th Judicial Circuit site |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before choosing a probate path in Texas County, make a working list of the decedent's assets, debts, likely creditors, beneficiary designations and any real estate. Missouri probate turns on what is part of the probate estate, what passes outside probate and whether the family needs letters testamentary or letters of administration.
Sunset's estate settlement process can help by searching more than 2,300 financial institutions for accounts and assets, then organizing what you find before a filing is made in Houston. That gives you a cleaner first conversation with the clerk or a Missouri probate attorney.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Texas County handles decedent estates venued in Texas County. For a Missouri domiciliary, the will is probated and letters are granted in the county where the decedent was domiciled at death (RSMo 473.010). If the decedent was not domiciled in Missouri, the statute uses the Missouri county where property is left, with an added real estate rule when the major part of the Missouri estate is real property.
Texas County is part of the 25th Judicial Circuit with Maries, Phelps and Pulaski counties, but a shared circuit is not a shared courthouse. Texas County filings go to the Texas County Justice Center in Houston.
The jurisdiction process
- Choose the local filing path. For a full administration, Missouri appoints a personal representative, meaning an executor or administrator, and the authority document is letters testamentary with a will or letters of administration without a will. A small estate affidavit (RSMo 473.097) or a refusal of letters (RSMo 473.090) does not appoint a personal representative.
- Prepare the required Missouri probate forms and any Texas County cover material the clerk requests. No Texas County local probate packet is posted, so use the Missouri probate forms page and the clerk's instructions for the filing you are making.
- Deliver the filing to the Circuit Clerk's office, which serves as the clerk of the probate division, at 519 North Grand Avenue, Suite 202, Houston, MO 65483. If there is an original will, deliver the original will to the probate division on paper.
- Pay the required court costs or ask the clerk for the current total. Court Operating Rule 21.01, effective September 1, 2023, sets the state component at $115 when original letters are applied for in a decedent estate, plus an added inventory value charge above $50,000 and a cap of $565 under that rule.
- If letters are issued, the clerk causes notice of the appointment and notice to creditors to be published once a week for four consecutive weeks (RSMo 473.033). Creditors then face Missouri's two claims clocks, including the six-month or two-month rule in (RSMo 473.360) and the one-year-from-death bar in (RSMo 473.444).
- Ask how hearings are set in Texas County and whether your matter requires an in-person appearance in Houston. The county and circuit pages do not post a probate remote appearance procedure, so ask before the hearing date if travel is difficult.
- After the court grants authority, obtain the letters testamentary or letters of administration. A non-attorney personal representative cannot appear in court except through an attorney, although the personal representative may prepare and file their own inventories and settlements (RSMo 473.153).
- Administer and close the estate. Inventory is due within thirty days after letters are granted unless the court allows more time (RSMo 473.233). Independent administration, when authorized by the will or by required consents, can close by statement of account after the statutory timing rules are met (RSMo 473.780 through 473.840).
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Texas County
Texas County does not post a local probate packet, local cover sheet or local probate checklist on the county site, the 25th Judicial Circuit site or the Missouri courts local information page. Start with the Missouri probate forms page, then call the Texas County Circuit Clerk's office at (417) 967-3742 to ask what the clerk wants with your specific filing.
If there is a will, the original will belongs with the probate division on paper. If the estate settlement may qualify for a no-letters path, ask the clerk about the small estate affidavit under (RSMo 473.097) or refusal of letters under (RSMo 473.090) before preparing a full administration packet.
Local nuance
Texas County-specific considerations
| Local point | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Probate counter | The county's Circuit Clerk page lists probate as one of the office's operating divisions, with filings at Suite 202 on the second floor of the Justice Center. No separate probate office address is posted. |
| Case.net dates | For Texas County in the 25th Judicial Circuit, public associate civil and probate case information is listed on Case.net for cases pending as of, or filed after, January 22, 2007. Older judgments are checked through the court office in Houston unless later revived. |
| No posted remote procedure | The county and circuit pages do not provide a probate remote appearance rule. Ask the clerk early if you live outside Texas County. |
Recent updates
Texas County local contact information lists the Circuit Clerk's office at 519 North Grand Avenue, Suite 202, Houston, MO 65483, with hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Case.net help page for the 25th Judicial Circuit gives Texas County probate case availability dates for public case lookup.
Page last reviewed: August 2026.Scenarios
| Scenario | Likely Texas County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with a co-owned home | First confirm how title was held. Property held as tenants by the entirety or joint tenants may be outside the probate estate for the small estate calculation (RSMo 473.097). If probate is needed, the filing is made at the Justice Center in Houston. | Sunset helps identify accounts, title clues and liabilities so the spouse can decide whether a full administration, small estate affidavit or refusal of letters is the right next step. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a small estate | If the entire estate, less liens, debts and encumbrances, does not exceed $40,000, effective August 28, 2002, the adult child may ask whether a small estate affidavit is available after thirty days from death (RSMo 473.097). If travel is hard, call the clerk before filing to ask what can be mailed and whether any hearing is expected. | Sunset organizes the asset list and can generate a probate packet for review, then connect the family with a local attorney if the estate cannot use a no-letters path. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A sale of Texas County real estate often requires clear authority. If letters are needed, the court issues letters testamentary or letters of administration through the probate division in Houston. If a small estate certificate or refusal order affects real estate, the recorded document step follows the Missouri statute for that path. | Sunset helps turn incomplete information into an estate settlement plan by locating accounts, identifying real estate tasks and coordinating with a vetted Missouri probate attorney when court authority is needed. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps |
|---|---|
| Texas County Circuit Clerk | Local filing counter for Texas County probate matters at the Justice Center, Suite 202, with phone, fax and hours. |
| 25th Judicial Circuit site | General circuit information for Texas County and the other counties in the circuit. |
| Case.net | Public browser lookup for Missouri court cases, including Texas County public probate information within the posted Case.net date range. |
| Missouri probate forms page | State probate forms page for Missouri probate filings. Use it with the clerk's instructions because Texas County does not post a local probate packet. |
| Legal Services of Southern Missouri, Rolla office | Free civil legal aid intake for eligible low-income Missourians. The Rolla office lists Texas County among the counties it serves. |
| The Missouri Bar Probate Law Resource Guide | A consumer guide published by The Missouri Bar. Treat it as general education, not a Texas County court checklist. |
When to hire an attorney
In a full Missouri administration, a personal representative who is not a lawyer cannot appear in court except through an attorney, although the personal representative may prepare and file their own inventories and settlements (RSMo 473.153). Counsel is especially important if the estate has real estate to sell, creditor disputes, contested heirs, a will challenge, a business interest or a need for supervised court orders. Sunset connects families to a vetted attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets
Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and helps assemble the asset picture before you file in Texas County. That makes estate settlement less dependent on guesswork.
Generate the probate packet
Sunset turns the family information, asset list and known debts into an organized probate packet for the Texas County filing path you choose. If the estate may qualify for a no-letters option, Sunset helps keep that question visible before a full administration begins.
Find a local probate attorney
Missouri's attorney rule matters in full administrations, and Texas County families often need local counsel when letters, hearings or real estate authority are involved. Sunset can connect you with a vetted Missouri probate attorney.
Sunset is free for families
Sunset is free for families because participating attorneys pay Sunset when they are hired. Families can use Sunset for asset discovery, estate settlement organization and attorney matching without paying Sunset a fee.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Texas County, Missouri?
File with the clerk of the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Texas County at the Texas County Justice Center, 519 North Grand Avenue, Suite 202, Houston, MO 65483. The county's Circuit Clerk office lists probate as one of its operating divisions.
Is there a separate probate office in Texas County?
The county site lists the Circuit Clerk's office as the office that runs probate, and no separate probate office address is posted. Use Suite 202 at the Justice Center unless the clerk gives different instructions.
Can I e-file a Texas County probate case?
Attorneys use the Missouri eFiling System. Self-represented filers are not required to e-file under Court Operating Rule 27.03, effective October 1, 2019. Because Texas County does not post a separate self-represented probate e-filing instruction, call the clerk before relying on electronic filing.
Does Texas County have local probate forms?
Texas County does not post a local probate packet, cover sheet or checklist on the county site, the 25th Circuit site or the Missouri courts local information page. Start with the Missouri probate forms page and ask the clerk what must accompany your filing.
How much does it cost to start a decedent estate in Texas County?
Texas County does not post its own probate cost schedule. Court Operating Rule 21.01, effective September 1, 2023, sets the state component at $115 when original letters are applied for, adds $50 for each additional $50,000 of final inventory value above $50,000 up to $500,000, and caps total fees under that rule at $565. Ask the clerk for the Texas County total before you file.
Can I look up Texas County probate cases online?
Yes. Case.net includes public Texas County associate civil and probate case information for all public cases pending as of, or filed after, January 22, 2007. Texas County electronic case records became available at the courthouse public access terminal beginning July 13, 2015.
Do I have to travel to Houston for a probate hearing?
Possibly. The county and circuit pages do not publish a probate remote appearance procedure. If you live outside Texas County, ask the clerk about hearing expectations before the date is set.
Can a non-lawyer personal representative appear in court in Texas County?
Not unless the personal representative is an attorney. Missouri law says a personal representative who is not a lawyer cannot appear in court except through an attorney, while still allowing the personal representative to prepare and file their own inventories and settlements (RSMo 473.153).
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.