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Roane County, TN Probate Information
Quick facts
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Court for estates | General Sessions Court of Roane County exercises probate jurisdiction under Private Acts of 1959, ch. 77, as amended, within the Tennessee structure recognized by T.C.A. § 16-16-201. |
| Filing office | Clerk and Master, serving as clerk for probate and estate matters under the county's private act. |
| Courthouse address | 200 E. Race Street, Suite 12, Kingston, TN 37763. |
| Mailing | No separate mailing address is published for this office on the county page. Call before mailing probate papers. |
| Phone | 865-376-2487. |
| Fax | 865-376-1228. |
| Hours | Call before visiting for current hours. The office schedules passport appointments by phone between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and a separate Roane courts page lists courthouse hours as 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. |
| Cost to start | The clerk's fee for a probate estate is $275, effective January 1, 2026, under 2025 Public Chapter 486 and T.C.A. § 8-21-401. The same act raises that amount to $300 in 2027 and $325 in 2028. State and local litigation taxes and any costs deposit may be added under § 8-21-401. Roane County does not publish a total estate-opening amount on its Clerk and Master page. |
| Roane forms | The Clerk and Master page and the county's Most Common Forms page do not publish a probate petition, probate packet, or probate checklist. |
| Online filing | No Roane County e-filing portal for Chancery and Probate Court filings is published on the county pages. Tennessee does not operate a statewide trial-court e-filing system. |
| Case lookup | Roane County publishes a Roane County Online Court Records System at roane.tncrtinfo.com. Call the Clerk and Master to ask whether the search includes the probate matter you need. |
| Remote hearings | Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 55, adopted by order filed June 8, 2023, leaves teleconferencing, video conferencing, and other remote court technology to the trial court's discretion. Ask the Roane County Clerk and Master how the court handles a particular probate setting. |
| Website | roanecountytn.gov/clerk-and-master/ |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file in Roane County, make a working list of the accounts, debts, vehicles, real property, beneficiary designations, and possible creditors. The right estate settlement path depends on what is actually in the probate estate, not just whether there is a will.
Sunset can help you search across 2,300 institutions for accounts and assets, then organize what you find for the Roane County Clerk and Master. That asset work is often the part of estate settlement that determines whether a standard estate, a court-supervised sale, or a limited small-estate path under T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 to 30-4-105 is realistic.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Roane County estate filings are handled in Kingston at the Roane County Courthouse. The Clerk and Master serves as the filing office for probate and administration of estates, even though the General Sessions Court is the court with probate jurisdiction under Private Acts of 1959, ch. 77, as amended, and Tennessee's exception-based probate statute (T.C.A. § 16-16-201).
Tennessee law sends an estate to the court exercising probate jurisdiction in the county where the person had legal residence at death (T.C.A. § 30-4-102). For a Roane County resident, that means starting with the Clerk and Master at 200 E. Race Street, Suite 12, Kingston, TN 37763, unless a lawyer or the court directs a different filing for a specific issue.
The jurisdiction process
- Identify the probate assets, debts, will, heirs, beneficiaries, and any real estate before choosing the filing path. If the estate may qualify for the small estate route, use the current petition-for-limited-letters framework under T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 to 30-4-105, not an old affidavit-only description.
- Prepare the petition for letters testamentary if there is a will, or letters of administration if there is not, using the information required by T.C.A. § 30-1-117. Roane County does not publish a local probate packet online, so call the Clerk and Master before you prepare the final filing.
- File the papers with the Roane County Clerk and Master at the courthouse in Kingston. The local private act makes the Clerk and Master the clerk for probate matters even though the General Sessions Court exercises the probate jurisdiction recognized under T.C.A. § 16-16-201.
- Be ready to pay the statutory clerk's fee and local add-ons. The clerk's fee for a probate estate is $275, effective January 1, 2026, under 2025 Public Chapter 486 and T.C.A. § 8-21-401; it rises to $300 in 2027 and $325 in 2028. State and local litigation taxes and any costs deposit may be charged in addition under § 8-21-401.
- Ask the Clerk and Master how the court will handle any required hearing. Common form probate under T.C.A. § 30-1-117 generally does not require notice of the probate proceeding, while solemn form probate under § 30-1-117 requires notice to interested persons.
- If a hearing is set, ask whether the court will allow any remote participation. Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 55, adopted by order filed June 8, 2023, makes teleconferencing, video conferencing, or other remote court technology permissible at the trial court's discretion.
- After approval, obtain the authority document from the Clerk and Master. Tennessee calls it letters testamentary when there is a will and letters of administration when there is not (T.C.A. § 30-1-117).
- Administer the estate after letters issue. The clerk gives notice to creditors within the time required by T.C.A. § 30-2-306, and the personal representative handles known-creditor notices, inventory duties under T.C.A. § 30-2-301, claims, distributions, and closing steps as the court requires.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Roane County
Tennessee's Administrative Office of the Courts does not publish a statewide probate form set. Its Self-Help Center says probate and estate matters are handled by the Clerk and Master in your county. In Roane County, that statewide wording matches the local filing office for estates: the Clerk and Master receives probate filings for the General Sessions Court under the county's private act and T.C.A. § 16-16-201.
Roane County's Clerk and Master page and the county's Most Common Forms page do not publish a probate petition, probate packet, or probate checklist. The county's Most Common Forms page includes an Affidavit of Inheritance for vehicle-title transfer when an estate was not probated in court; that is a County Clerk motor-vehicle form, not a probate filing for the Clerk and Master.
Before you file, call 865-376-2487 and ask what petition, proposed order, oath, bond information, death certificate, will, and copies the Clerk and Master wants for the specific estate settlement you are opening.
Fees
Roane County adds one local payment fact to the statewide fee picture: the Clerk and Master page says the office accepts credit card payments and adds a 2.5% fee for that service.
| Cost item | What to know |
|---|---|
| Statutory clerk charge | The clerk's fee for a probate estate is $275, effective January 1, 2026, under 2025 Public Chapter 486 and T.C.A. § 8-21-401. It rises to $300 in 2027 and $325 in 2028. |
| Added taxes and deposits | State and local litigation taxes and any costs deposit may be charged in addition under T.C.A. § 8-21-401. |
| Roane published total | The Roane County Clerk and Master page does not publish a total dollar amount for opening an estate. |
| Card payments | The office states that credit card payments carry a 2.5% fee. |
Local nuance
Roane County-specific considerations
Roane County is not a simple chancery-court county for probate. Private Acts of 1959, ch. 77, as amended by Private Acts of 1982, ch. 312, gives the General Sessions Court authority over probate and administration of wills and estates. Tennessee's statewide statute allows county-specific public, private, special, or local acts to change the usual chancery default (T.C.A. § 16-16-201).
The filing office still remains the Clerk and Master. The same Roane County private-act language says the Clerk and Master of the Chancery Court of Roane County serves as clerk to the General Sessions judge for those probate and estate matters only. In practical terms, a Roane County estate starts at the Clerk and Master's office in Kingston, not at a separate General Sessions Court Clerk counter.
Recent updates
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely Roane County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with co-owned home | Start by separating probate assets from property that may pass outside probate. If court authority is needed, file through the Roane County Clerk and Master in Kingston for letters testamentary or letters of administration under T.C.A. § 30-1-117. | Sunset helps identify accounts, debts, and ownership details so the spouse can see what belongs in the estate settlement and what may pass another way. |
| Out-of-state adult child with small estate | Call the Clerk and Master before traveling. If the estate fits the small estate path, Tennessee uses a petition for limited letters under T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 to 30-4-105, and the Roane County Clerk and Master is the filing office. | Sunset helps gather institution information, organize the asset list, and prepare questions for the Clerk and Master before the child drives or flies to Kingston. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A home sale usually requires full probate authority rather than the personal-property-only small estate route under T.C.A. § 30-4-102. File through the Clerk and Master and ask how the General Sessions Court handles any sale-related petition. | Sunset helps build the estate inventory, locate accounts, and connect the parent with a Roane County probate attorney for the real-estate and court-approval issues. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Roane County Clerk and Master | The local filing office for probate and estate matters. Call 865-376-2487 or visit 200 E. Race Street, Suite 12, Kingston, TN 37763. | Court staff can provide office procedures, but cannot choose forms, draft filings, or give legal advice. |
| Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts Self-Help Center | The AOC Self-Help Center says probate and estate matters are handled by the Clerk and Master in your county, and Roane County's private act keeps the Clerk and Master as the probate filing office. | The same self-help materials state that state court employees cannot engage in the practice of law, including legal referrals, legal research, or legal advice (T.C.A. § 16-3-804). |
| Tennessee court clerks list | The statewide clerks list is useful if you need to confirm the correct Tennessee county or contact a different county where the person lived at death. | It is a directory, not a substitute for calling the Roane County Clerk and Master about local filing steps. |
| Roane County Most Common Forms page | Useful for checking whether a county form is posted for a related county-office task. | The posted Affidavit of Inheritance is a vehicle-title form for estates not probated in court; it is not a Roane probate petition. |
When to hire an attorney
Consider hiring a Tennessee probate attorney if the will may be contested, heirs disagree, the estate includes a home that must be sold, creditor issues are unclear, TennCare questions arise under T.C.A. § 71-5-116, or you live outside Tennessee and need help working with the Roane County Clerk and Master. Sunset connects families with a vetted probate attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset helps families locate accounts, policies, and property clues so the personal representative can understand what belongs in the estate settlement before filing in Roane County.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset turns the information you provide into an organized probate packet for attorney review or for your call with the Roane County Clerk and Master.
Find a local probate attorney. When a Roane County estate needs legal advice, contested-court help, or real-estate sale guidance, Sunset can connect you with a vetted Tennessee probate attorney.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to organize the estate settlement, understand next steps, and get matched with help without paying Sunset.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Roane County?
File through the Roane County Clerk and Master at 200 E. Race Street, Suite 12, Kingston, TN 37763. Roane County is unusual because Private Acts of 1959, ch. 77, as amended, gives probate jurisdiction to the General Sessions Court while the Clerk and Master serves as the clerk for probate and estate matters under Tennessee's exception-based structure (T.C.A. § 16-16-201).
Is Roane County probate filed with the General Sessions Court Clerk or the Clerk and Master?
Use the Clerk and Master. The General Sessions Court exercises the probate authority, but the Roane County private act makes the Clerk and Master the filing office for probate and administration of estates (T.C.A. § 16-16-201; Private Acts of 1959, ch. 77).
Does Roane County publish probate forms online?
The Clerk and Master page and the county's Most Common Forms page do not publish a probate petition, packet, or checklist. Call 865-376-2487 before you prepare papers for letters testamentary or letters of administration under T.C.A. § 30-1-117.
What is the Roane County probate filing fee?
The clerk's fee for a probate estate is $275, effective January 1, 2026, under 2025 Public Chapter 486 and T.C.A. § 8-21-401. The amount rises to $300 in 2027 and $325 in 2028. State and local litigation taxes and any costs deposit may be added under § 8-21-401. Roane County does not publish a total estate-opening amount on the Clerk and Master page.
Can I pay Roane County probate costs by credit card?
The Clerk and Master page states that the office accepts credit card payments and adds a 2.5% fee for that service. Call the office before filing to confirm accepted payment methods and the full amount due under T.C.A. § 8-21-401.
Can I file a Roane County probate case electronically?
No Roane County e-filing portal for Chancery and Probate Court filings is published on the county pages. Tennessee also does not operate a statewide trial-court e-filing system, so call the Clerk and Master about current filing options.
How do I look up a Roane County probate case?
Roane County publishes a Roane County Online Court Records System at roane.tncrtinfo.com. Because the available case types for probate matters are not stated on the page summary, call the Clerk and Master if you cannot find the estate you need.
Can I attend a Roane County probate hearing by phone or video?
Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 55, adopted by order filed June 8, 2023, says remote court technology, including teleconferencing and video conferencing, is permissible at the discretion of the trial court. Ask the Clerk and Master how the court will handle your specific hearing.
Do I have to travel to Kingston for Roane County probate?
Maybe. The filing office is in Kingston, and Roane County does not publish a local remote-appearance procedure for probate matters. Call the Clerk and Master before traveling, especially if you live outside Tennessee or need to ask whether a hearing can use Rule 55 technology, adopted June 8, 2023.
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.