Collin County, TX Probate Information

Before you file anything in Collin County, know what is in the estate, how each asset is titled, and what is owed. Which Texas route fits depends on whether there is a will, whether the estate owes unpaid debts other than debts secured by liens on real estate, whether all the heirs agree, and what the assets are actually worth. Those routes are created by state statute and are identical in all 254 counties, so they are covered on the Texas state page. Getting the route right before the first filing matters here for two Collin reasons. The clerk states that Chapter 81 of the Texas Government Code requires a licensed attorney to represent the legal interests of any person serving as administrator or executor of an estate, and that the judge of the Collin County Probate Court cannot appoint a person as administrator or executor unless that person is represented by a licensed attorney. The county also states the other side of that line: an attorney is not required to probate a will where administration of the estate is not necessary, and an attorney is not required to initiate small estate affidavit proceedings. Which side of the line you are on is decided by the asset and debt picture, so establish that picture before you pay the $393.00 filing fee (the Collin County Clerk's Probate and Mental Health Fee Schedule, published effective January 1, 2022, verified July 2026).

Identify every bank and credit union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life insurance policy, vehicle, business interest and parcel of Collin County real estate, along with every debt, before you file. Titling decides whether an asset reaches the court at all: property held with a right of survivorship, accounts with a named beneficiary, and McKinney, Plano or Frisco land covered by a transfer on death deed recorded before death pass directly to the survivor or beneficiary and never reach a probate court. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step, so the application you or your attorney e-file describes the estate accurately the first time, and so the inventory that follows is right.

Collin County's probate work runs through one court and one filing counter. Probate Court No. 1 of Collin County is created by Government Code § 25.0451(b), and in a county that has a statutory probate court, that court has original jurisdiction of probate proceedings (Estates Code § 32.002(c)). Every application, whatever the route, is filed with the Collin County Clerk's probate department in the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building at 2100 Bloomdale Road, McKinney, TX 75071, because the county clerk serves as clerk of each statutory probate court (Government Code § 25.0030(b)). There is no branch or annex probate counter: the County Clerk's Plano office at 900 E. Park Blvd. handles birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, military discharges and assumed names, not estates, and the clerk's McKinney office at 2300 Bloomdale Road is a separate address from the probate counter. Collin's seven county courts at law cannot take an estate either. That is general law rather than a Collin quirk: in a county that has a statutory probate court, a statutory probate court is the only county court created by statute with probate jurisdiction, and a statutory county court does not have the jurisdiction of a statutory probate court (Government Code § 25.0003(e), (f)).

The court serves the whole county. The county's own list of Collin County cities and towns names Allen, Anna, Blue Ridge, Carrollton, Celina, Copeville, Dallas, Fairview, Farmersville, Frisco, Garland, Josephine, Lavon, Lowry Crossing, Lucas, McKinney, Melissa, Murphy, Nevada, New Hope, Parker, Plano, Princeton, Prosper, Richardson, Royse City, Sachse, Saint Paul, Van Alstyne, Weston and Wylie. That list is worth reading twice, because a good number of those cities straddle a county line.

Venue is the county where the decedent lived. You file in the county in which the decedent resided, if the decedent had a domicile or fixed place of residence in Texas (Estates Code § 33.001(a)(1)). For a decedent with no Texas domicile or fixed residence, venue depends on where the death happened and where the estate or the nearest of kin are (§ 33.001(a)(2)). In Collin County this needs checking more often than in most Texas counties, because the county sits inside the Dallas and Fort Worth metropolitan area and its city limits cross county lines in both directions. A Dallas, Garland, Richardson or Carrollton address can be inside Collin County, and a Frisco, Prosper, Celina, Royse City, Van Alstyne or Sachse address can sit in Denton, Grayson, Rockwall, Hunt or Dallas County instead, each of which has its own court and its own filing counter, and Denton and Dallas have statutory probate courts of their own. Confirm which county the decedent's home actually sat in before you file.

A contested matter does not leave the probate court here, and that is the single biggest structural difference between Collin County and the 156 Texas counties that have only a constitutional county court. In a county with a statutory probate court, that court has exclusive jurisdiction of all probate proceedings, regardless of whether contested or uncontested, and a cause of action related to the probate proceeding must be brought in a statutory probate court unless its jurisdiction is concurrent with a district court under Estates Code § 32.007 or with another court (§ 32.005(a)). So there is no transfer of a will contest or an heirship dispute to a Collin County district court and no request for an assigned judge: Probate Court No. 1 keeps the case. What changes when a matter becomes contested is the booking route, and the county publishes it: an attorney seeking a setting for a contested probate or guardianship matter schedules through the court's court coordinator by email, must copy all counsel of record, and is told plainly that a hearing will not be set unless all attorneys are included on the email. The court also notes that the judge of a statutory probate court may provide, unless a party objects, that a proceeding be recorded by a good quality electronic recording device instead of by a court reporter (Government Code § 25.0453(g)), which is why a request for a recording or transcript of a contested hearing goes to the court by email with the cause number, the hearing date and whether the hearing was in person, on Zoom or hybrid.

One probate court, seven county courts at law, and none of the seven can touch an estate. Collin is one of twelve Texas counties with a statutory probate court, and its structure is worth understanding because the county also runs one of the largest county-court-at-law benches in the state. Government Code § 25.0451 lists County Court at Law No. 1 through No. 7 of Collin County in subsection (a) and then, in subsection (b), one statutory probate court, the Probate Court No. 1 of Collin County. General law keeps the two apart: in a county that has a statutory probate court, a statutory probate court is the only county court created by statute with probate jurisdiction, and a statutory county court does not have the jurisdiction of a statutory probate court granted statutory probate courts by the Estates Code (§ 25.0003(e), (f)). So if you are reading Collin County material that mentions a county court at law, it is not about your estate.

The attorney rule is written down, and Collin publishes both sides of it. Most Texas counties leave the question of whether you need a lawyer unanswered. Collin answers it twice. The County Clerk's probate page states that Chapter 81 of the Texas Government Code requires a licensed attorney to represent the legal interests of any person serving as the administrator or as the executor of an estate, that the judge of the Collin County Probate Court cannot appoint a person as administrator or executor unless that person is represented by a licensed attorney, and that all persons seeking appointment must be represented by an attorney. The court's own page states that it requires an attorney to be involved in all probate cases requiring estate administration, and that all incoming guardianship applications and out-of-state guardianship transfers must be filed by an attorney, with counsel remaining in a guardianship of the estate to file annual accountings for the duration. Then the county marks the other side of the line in its own FAQ: an attorney is not required to probate a will if administration of the estate is not necessary, and an attorney is not required to initiate small estate affidavit proceedings. You can still serve as executor or administrator without being a lawyer; you need a lawyer to be appointed one.

Zoom is the default, and the seven-day document deadline is the trap. The Collin County Probate Court states that it allows participation in hearings by Zoom at no cost to participants and that this is the default option unless one or more party to the hearing objects, and the court's home page adds that uncontested probate and guardianship cases are often handled by Zoom. It publishes a standing meeting link and meeting ID with no password and six dial-in numbers, which is unusual: there is no per-hearing invitation to wait for. The condition attached to that convenience is strict. All signed court documents, including the proposed proof, signed oaths and proposed orders, must be emailed to the clerk's office seven days before the hearing, and the court states that if they are not, the hearing will be canceled. Everything else, including requests for letters, is still e-filed. The court also warns that all hearings are open to the public just as the courtroom is, and are subject to recording and archiving.

No hearing until the original will is physically on file. The statewide rule is that wills are not required to be filed electronically (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(4)(A)) and that the original must reach the clerk within three business days of the e-filed application (Rule 21(f)(12)). Collin publishes the enforcement on both of its probate pages: a hearing will not be set until the original will has been received. It also publishes two refinements you will not find in most counties. The rule is stated as a general one, with the exception that a hearing may be set where the application states that the original will is not available, and the court notes that photocopies of a will can be used in some circumstances where the original is missing and cannot be produced in court. If you are handling a Collin estate from out of town, this is the one step that cannot be done online: the wet-ink will has to arrive at 2100 Bloomdale Road before the calendar will move.

The paper file is going away, and viewing it takes an appointment. The clerk states that in an effort to become a paperless office all probate cases can be viewed on the public computers in the probate office, and that if you need to review a paper file you should make an appointment, which will be scheduled the same business day as requested, on (972) 548-6461. That is a genuinely useful published commitment for anyone researching an older Collin County estate, and it pairs with the county's other published limit: probate cases before 1984 are not in the online tools at all and need a manual record search requested in writing or in person at the clerk's office.

Four search tools, different refresh rates, and one stale instruction. Collin runs its own case search rather than sending readers to the statewide portal, and the county publishes how each tool differs. The Online Judicial Search is the one-stop search of court cases past and present. Case Search uses a single search screen across all case types and its data is updated daily at 6 p.m., so a change made during the business day will not show until after 6 p.m. Case Record Inquiry searches one case type at a time, selected before you search, and is updated in real time. Court Calendar Search browses the calendar by case type. Coverage for estates is stated plainly: active cases in any Collin County district, county court at law including probate, or justice court, and historical probate cases from 1984 to the present. One instruction on that page has not kept up: it tells you to search the probate calendar by judicial officer and select Copeland, Weldon S, while the court's own pages and the June 11, 2025 courthouse policies order name Sarah Duff as the judge of Probate Court No. 1. Follow the instruction as published if the calendar still keys to that name, and call the probate department if your case does not come back.

The building has a signed policies order, and it applies to probate hearings. Collin County's district courts and statutory county courts, including Probate Court No. 1, jointly signed a Courthouse Policies Order for the Russell Steindam Courthouse, approved June 11, 2025. It is short and practical. Courtroom attire is required and shorts, tank tops and flip flops are not permitted anywhere in the courthouse. Electronic devices must be silenced in courtrooms and no one may make voice calls there. Children not mature enough to maintain decorum are not permitted in courtrooms. Recording and photography of individuals with matters before the courts is prohibited without prior approval, and that prohibition extends to the hallways and common areas past the security checkpoint; devices capable of photography or recording, other than personal cell phones or personal computers, are prohibited inside the courthouse. Anyone not permitted to carry a weapon into a courtroom must secure it at the security desk in the courthouse lobby, and courthouse security is the purview of the Collin County Sheriff. Violations can draw exclusion from the building or contempt sanctions.

A contested case can be recorded electronically rather than by a court reporter. This is a real Collin County statutory detail and it changes how you ask for a transcript. The judge of a statutory probate court may, unless a party objects, provide that a proceeding be recorded by a good quality electronic recording device instead of by a court reporter, a stenographic record is not required except on the judge's order, and where a recording device is used the court reporter need not be present to certify the record (Government Code § 25.0453(g)). So a request for a recording or a transcript of a contested hearing goes to the court by email, and the court asks for your name, the cause number, the date the hearing occurred and whether it was held in person, over Zoom or hybrid.

Contested matters stay here, and that is the Collin structure. In a county with a statutory probate court, that court has exclusive jurisdiction of all probate proceedings, regardless of whether contested or uncontested (Estates Code § 32.005(a)). There is no transfer of a contested matter to a district court and no request for an assigned judge, both of which are the norm in the 156 Texas counties that have only a constitutional county court, and no transfer to a county court at law, which is the norm in the 80 county-court-at-law counties. Statutory probate courts do hold concurrent jurisdiction with district courts in lawsuits by or against executors, administrators, guardians and trustees (§ 32.007). The county's own guidance for a would-be contestant is short and honest: the process of challenging a will is very complex and you should consult an attorney, and contestants to guardianships need legal representation.

The court publishes a referral list but will not recommend a lawyer. The Collin County Probate Court publishes a Resources for Legal Representation in Texas sheet, and it opens by explaining why it exists: because the court is unable to recommend or refer attorneys in probate, guardianship or any other area of law, it has compiled a list of resources instead, with an emphasis on low-income representation and a note that a maximum income threshold may apply. The list names the State Bar of Texas Find a Lawyer tool, the Collin County Bar Association Attorney Referral Directory, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, the TexasLawHelp legal event and clinic calendar and legal help directory, and the State Bar's referral directory for low-income Texans. The court also invites clinics serving Collin County to contact it to be added, and asks to be told when a link on the sheet stops working.

Collin County is one of the Texas counties where this question has a published answer, so start there rather than with general Texas advice. The Collin County Clerk states that Chapter 81 of the Texas Government Code requires a licensed attorney to represent the legal interests of any person serving as the administrator or as the executor of an estate, that the judge of the Collin County Probate Court cannot appoint a person as administrator or executor unless that person is represented by a licensed attorney, and that all persons seeking appointment must be represented by an attorney; the court adds that it requires an attorney to be involved in all probate cases requiring estate administration, and that all incoming guardianship applications and out-of-state guardianship transfers must be filed by an attorney, with counsel remaining in a guardianship of the estate to file the annual accountings. You do not need to be a lawyer to serve as executor or administrator; you need a lawyer to be appointed one. The county marks the exceptions itself: an attorney is not required to probate a will where administration of the estate is not necessary, which is the muniment of title route (Estates Code § 257.001), and an attorney is not required to initiate small estate affidavit proceedings, though the county recommends counsel for both. Beyond that rule, counsel makes sense for the usual reasons and for some Collin-specific ones: when a will is contested or an heirship is disputed, because a statutory probate court keeps the contested matter rather than sending it to a district court (Estates Code § 32.005(a)) and a contested setting has to be booked through the court's court coordinator with all counsel of record copied; when a will is being offered more than four years after death (Estates Code § 256.003) or cannot be produced in court; when Collin County real estate has to be sold through a dependent administration; when a nonresident must appoint a resident agent to qualify (Estates Code § 304.003(a)(3)); and when a guardianship runs alongside the estate. The court publishes a referral sheet but states that it cannot recommend or refer attorneys. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Collin County probate attorney when the situation calls for counsel.

Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and public records to surface bank and credit union accounts, retirement plans, brokerage holdings, life insurance, Collin County real estate, business interests and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and its debts, and therefore which Texas estate settlement route fits, before anything is filed at 2100 Bloomdale Road.

Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the paperwork for your route and pairs it with Collin County's own small estate affidavit packet and Request for Issuance form, prepared so an attorney can e-file it through eFileTexas.gov and printed single-sided where the county asks for that.

Find a local probate attorney. Collin County requires a licensed attorney for anyone seeking to be appointed executor or administrator, so counsel is the norm here rather than the exception. Sunset connects families to a vetted Texas probate attorney serving Collin County, McKinney and the Plano and Frisco area.

Sunset is free for families. Revenue comes from bank partners that pay Sunset while estate funds sit in an FDIC-insured estate account ($3M coverage).