Back to Tennessee
Hickman County, TN Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Court | Hickman County Chancery Court |
| Filing office | Clerk and Master |
| Courthouse address | 104 College Avenue, Suite 202, Centerville, TN 37033 |
| Mailing address | Use the street address. The county page does not publish a separate mailing address. |
| Phone | (931) 729-2522 |
| Fax | (931) 729-3726. Call before sending time-sensitive papers. |
| Hours | The county page does not publish Clerk and Master hours. Call before visiting. |
| Cost to open | The statewide clerk's fee for a probate estate is $275, effective January 1, 2026, under 2025 Public Chapter 486. Hickman's local schedule, effective January 1, 2026, lists a probate, guardianship, conservatorship administration, small estate under T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 to 30-4-105, and muniment of title under T.C.A. § 32-2-111 total of three hundred fifty-four dollars and fifty cents, with litigation taxes included when applicable under T.C.A. § 8-21-401. |
| Local forms | The Clerk and Master publishes local fee schedules, but the county page does not publish a probate petition, checklist, or forms packet. |
| Electronic filing | Tennessee has no statewide trial-court e-filing system. Hickman's 2026 fee schedule prices fax and email filing with a cover page, but the schedule does not state which documents are excluded. |
| Online lookup | hickman.tncrtinfo.com searches Circuit Court and General Sessions matters only. The search form does not include Chancery Court. |
| Remote appearance | Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 55, adopted June 8, 2023, leaves remote proceedings to the trial court's discretion. Ask the Hickman County Chancery Court how it applies the rule. |
| Website | https://hickmancountytn.gov/departments/law-court-services |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you submit papers in Hickman County, identify the assets, debts, beneficiaries, and any real estate involved. The right estate settlement path depends on what needs court authority, what passes outside probate, and whether the Clerk and Master needs original documents.
Sunset can search across 2,300 institutions to help you find accounts and assets before you build the probate packet. That inventory work makes the Hickman County estate settlement filing more accurate and reduces the chance that an account is missed after letters issue.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Hickman County probate matters are handled at the courthouse in Centerville. Tennessee law sends the estate to the court that exercises probate authority in the county where the person lived at death, and the small-estate venue definition uses the court exercising probate jurisdiction in that county, T.C.A. § 30-4-102. Because no Hickman County private act changing probate was identified, Hickman follows the chancery default in T.C.A. § 16-16-201.
For Hickman County, that means papers go through the Hickman County Chancery Court and its Clerk and Master, not through the Circuit Court or General Sessions case-search portal.
The jurisdiction process
- Collect the will, death certificate, asset list, debt list, names of heirs or beneficiaries, and any real-estate information before preparing the petition.
- Use Tennessee's statewide requirements for a verified petition. If the estate is uncontested, Tennessee common form probate proceeds under T.C.A. § 30-1-117. If the estate is a statutory small estate, use the petition for limited letters under T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 to 30-4-105.
- Check whether the Hickman County Clerk and Master has updated local instructions before you submit the packet, because the county page publishes fee schedules but not a probate forms packet.
- Submit the petition to the Hickman County Clerk and Master at 104 College Avenue, Suite 202, Centerville. Call first to confirm current hours and whether the office will accept the specific paper by fax or email.
- Pay the required costs. The statewide clerk's fee for a probate estate is $275, effective January 1, 2026, under 2025 Public Chapter 486, and Hickman's local schedule effective January 1, 2026 adds litigation taxes and local charges as applicable under T.C.A. § 8-21-401.
- If notice is required, follow Tennessee's notice rules. The clerk gives notice to creditors after letters issue under T.C.A. § 30-2-306, and the personal representative handles mailed notice to known or reasonably ascertainable creditors under that statute.
- If the court sets a hearing, ask the Clerk and Master how the Hickman County Chancery Court schedules it. Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 55, adopted June 8, 2023, allows remote technology only at the court's discretion.
- After the court grants authority, the Clerk and Master issues letters testamentary when there is a will or letters of administration when there is no will, T.C.A. § 30-1-117. Small estates receive limited letters under T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 to 30-4-105.
- Administer the estate, gather assets, address creditor claims, complete any inventory required by T.C.A. § 30-2-301, make distributions, and close the estate as the court directs.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Hickman County
Tennessee's Administrative Office of the Courts does not publish a statewide probate form set. Its self-help page directs estate and probate readers to the clerk in their county.
Hickman County's Clerk and Master publishes local fee schedules on the Law and Court Services page, but that page does not publish a probate petition, checklist, or forms packet. Before you prepare the filing, call the Clerk and Master to ask whether the office supplies current local templates at the counter or expects attorney-prepared pleadings.
Fees
| Charge | Hickman County detail |
|---|---|
| Probate estate clerk charge | The statewide clerk's fee is $275, effective January 1, 2026, under 2025 Public Chapter 486, with state and local litigation taxes and any required deposit added under T.C.A. § 8-21-401. |
| Hickman local probate schedule | The Hickman County schedule effective January 1, 2026 lists the probate, guardianship, conservatorship administration, small estate under T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 to 30-4-105, and muniment of title under T.C.A. § 32-2-111 total as three hundred fifty-four dollars and fifty cents, and states that scheduled charges include litigation taxes when applicable under T.C.A. § 8-21-401. |
| Creditor publication preparation | The Hickman schedule effective January 1, 2026 lists notice to creditors preparation and local newspaper publication as a $245.00 total, effective January 1, 2026, tied to notice to creditors under T.C.A. § 30-2-306. |
| Real-property and family-allowance requests | The Hickman schedule effective January 1, 2026 lists requests to sell real property, year's support, exempt property, homestead, insolvency, or interpretation as two hundred dollars under T.C.A. § 8-21-401. |
| Fax and email filing | The Hickman schedule effective January 1, 2026 prices fax and email filings with a cover page, adds a per-page copy charge, caps the filing at 50 pages including the cover page, and requires payment within 10 days. Call the Clerk and Master to confirm whether your document type may use that channel. |
Local nuance
Hickman County-specific considerations
| Local point | What it means |
|---|---|
| Default chancery county | Hickman County remains a chancery filing county under T.C.A. § 16-16-201. The Clerk and Master is the local filing officer for estates. |
| No published hours | The county page lists the Clerk and Master contact information but not office hours. Call before traveling to Centerville. |
| Fax and email filing priced locally | The 2026 local schedule prices fax and email filing, but it does not say whether original wills, new estates, or other documents are excluded. Confirm scope before relying on that channel. |
| Online lookup is limited | The Hickman tncrtinfo.com site lists Circuit Court and General Sessions only. Chancery estate matters are not included in that search form. |
Recent updates
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Hickman County's probate, guardianship, and conservatorship fee schedule took effect on the same date as the statewide $275 probate estate clerk's fee under 2025 Public Chapter 486 and T.C.A. § 8-21-401. |
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely Hickman County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with a co-owned home | Start by separating assets that pass outside probate from assets titled only in the decedent's name. If probate authority is needed, submit the estate papers through the Hickman County Clerk and Master in Centerville. | Sunset helps identify accounts, debts, and title issues before the spouse decides what court authority is needed for estate settlement. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a small estate | Ask the Clerk and Master what current local paperwork is required for limited letters under T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 to 30-4-105, because Hickman publishes a fee schedule but not a probate forms packet. Confirm whether any step can be handled by fax or email before mailing originals. | Sunset helps organize the asset list and generate a packet for attorney or clerk review before the child makes a trip to Centerville. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A sale of real property generally needs careful court and title work. Hickman's current schedule includes a local charge for requests to sell real property under T.C.A. § 8-21-401, so counsel should review the petition before it is submitted to the Clerk and Master. | Sunset helps collect account information and can connect the family with a local probate attorney for the real-estate portion of the estate settlement. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps |
|---|---|
| Hickman County Clerk and Master | Local filing office for Hickman County probate matters. The office can provide filing logistics, current costs, and counter procedures, but court staff cannot give legal advice under T.C.A. § 16-3-804. |
| Hickman County Law and Court Services page | Publishes the Clerk and Master address, phone, fax listing, and local fee schedules: https://hickmancountytn.gov/departments/law-court-services |
| Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts self-help center | Directs estate and probate readers to the county clerk and explains that state court employees may not give legal advice under T.C.A. § 16-3-804: https://www.tncourts.gov/programs/self-help-center |
| Tennessee court clerks list | Statewide tool for locating the correct court clerk when a Tennessee estate may belong in another county: https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/court-clerks/clerks-list |
| Justice for All Tennessee | Statewide access-to-justice site linked from the Tennessee judiciary self-help page: https://justiceforalltn.com |
When to hire an attorney
Consider a Tennessee probate attorney if the will may be challenged, heirs disagree, creditors are active, the estate includes real property to sell, or you are trying to handle the Hickman County case from outside Tennessee. Counsel is especially useful when the county page does not publish a forms packet and the estate settlement depends on drafting the right petition. When that help is needed, Sunset connects you to a vetted probate attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches for financial accounts, insurance, retirement assets, and other property so the family can build a more complete estate settlement plan before contacting the Hickman County Clerk and Master.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the family intake into organized probate documents and checklists that can be reviewed by a Tennessee attorney or used to prepare for the Clerk and Master.
Find a local probate attorney. When the estate needs legal judgment, such as a disputed will, a real-estate sale, creditor problems, or a filing from out of state, Sunset connects the family with a vetted probate attorney.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to organize the estate, understand next steps, and decide whether attorney help is needed without paying Sunset.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Hickman County?
Hickman County probate matters are handled through the Hickman County Chancery Court and the Clerk and Master at 104 College Avenue, Suite 202, Centerville, TN 37033. Tennessee's county-court structure depends on the court exercising probate jurisdiction under T.C.A. § 16-16-201, and Hickman follows the chancery default.
Does Hickman County publish probate forms online?
The Clerk and Master publishes local fee schedules, but the county page does not publish a probate petition, checklist, or packet. Call the office before preparing papers, especially for a small estate under T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 to 30-4-105.
How much does it cost to open a Hickman County probate estate?
The statewide clerk's fee for a probate estate is $275, effective January 1, 2026, under 2025 Public Chapter 486. Hickman's local schedule effective January 1, 2026 lists a probate administration total of three hundred fifty-four dollars and fifty cents, including litigation taxes when applicable under T.C.A. § 8-21-401.
Can I use fax or email filing in Hickman County probate?
Hickman's January 1, 2026 fee schedule prices fax and email filing with a cover page, a per-page charge, a 50-page cap including the cover page, and payment due within 10 days. The schedule does not say which document types are excluded, so call the Clerk and Master before sending probate papers that way.
Can I look up a Hickman County probate case online?
Hickman has a tncrtinfo.com lookup site, but its search form is limited to Circuit Court and General Sessions. Because Hickman probate is in Chancery Court under T.C.A. § 16-16-201, that lookup does not cover the estate docket.
Can I attend a Hickman County probate hearing by phone or video?
Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 55, adopted June 8, 2023, says remote technology is permissible at the trial court's discretion. The rule creates no statewide default, so ask the Hickman County Chancery Court how it handles any hearing in your case.
What letters does the Hickman County Clerk and Master issue?
For a regular estate, Tennessee uses letters testamentary when there is a will and letters of administration when there is no will, T.C.A. § 30-1-117. For a small estate, the court uses limited letters under T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 to 30-4-105.
Do I have to travel to Centerville to start estate settlement?
Call the Clerk and Master first. Hickman's schedule prices fax and email filing, but it does not state whether new estates, original wills, or other documents must be handled another way. Sunset can help prepare the estate settlement packet before you decide whether a trip or a local attorney is needed.
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.