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Ector County, TX Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Three courts share original probate jurisdiction. Government Code § 25.0701 provides that "Ector County has the following statutory county courts: (1) County Court at Law of Ector County; and (2) County Court at Law No. 2 of Ector County", and that "A county court at law sits in Odessa". Chapter 25 creates no statutory probate court here, so under the Texas Estates Code those two courts and the Ector County Court, the constitutional county court presided over by the elected County Judge, have concurrent original jurisdiction of probate proceedings (§ 32.002(b); Government Code § 25.0003(d)). The county clerk's own Probate Department page states it plainly: "The County Court, County Court at Law, and County Court at Law #2 have general jurisdiction of probate court cases." The county's posted probate citations bear cause numbers ending -CC, -CCL and -CCL2, so estates are genuinely opened in all three. The county's own pages name the judges: Brooke Hendricks, County Court at Law, and Christopher M. Clark, County Court at Law #2, who also signs as Administrative Judge of the Ector County Courts (verified August 2026) |
| Filing office | The Ector County Clerk, Probate Department. The clerk is the clerk of the county court (Texas Constitution article V, § 20) and, for probate, of the county courts at law: Government Code § 25.0702(i) splits the clerkship expressly, providing that "The district clerk serves as clerk of a county court at law in matters of concurrent jurisdiction with the district court, and the county clerk serves as clerk of the court in all other cases." Probate is in the "all other cases" bucket. The Ector County District Clerk serves the district courts and the county courts at law in their larger civil cases, and does not open estates |
| Courthouse | Ector County Courthouse, 300 North Grant Avenue, Room 111, Odessa, TX 79761. The county's own pro se policy gives the floor: the original will and application are filed with "the County Clerk, Probate Department, in Rm. 111 on the first floor of the Courthouse at 300 N. Grant." Note that the clerk's contact block prints ZIP 79760 against the same street address, which is the post office box ZIP; the county footer and every other courthouse office use 79761. The County Court at Law is in Room 234, County Court at Law #2 in Room 235, and the County Judge in Room 227 |
| Mailing address | P.O. Box 707, Odessa, TX 79760, published by the County Clerk alongside the street address. Call the Probate Department before mailing an original will |
| Phone | 432-498-4130 for the Ector County Clerk, which is the number the county's own pro se policy gives for current probate filing fees. The courts have their own lines for settings: County Court at Law 432-498-4110 and County Court at Law #2 432-498-4120, with a Civil Court Administrator serving both courts at extension 1218. The County Judge is at 432-498-4100 |
| Fax | 432-498-4177 for the Ector County Clerk. The County Court at Law fax is 432-498-4112 and County Court at Law #2 is 432-498-4121 |
| [email protected], the departmental probate mailbox the clerk publishes on its Probate Department page. Use it rather than an individual staff address | |
| Office hours | 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., published as "Office Hours" on the County Clerk's own page (verified August 2026). Do not confuse this with the clerk's separate Acknowledgement of Paternity window, published as 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., which is a vital records service and not the probate counter |
| Filing fee | $468.00 for "Probate with Posting", per the Ector County Clerk's own "CIVIL AND PROBATE FEES & COURT COSTS" schedule, footered "Revised 01/2026" and linked by the county as effective January 1, 2026. A "Probate Transfer (No Posting)" and a "Small Estate Affidavit & Order" are $360.00 each. Inside every one of those figures is the statewide statutory base of $360.00: a $223 local consolidated fee (Local Government Code § 135.102(a)(1)) plus a $137 state consolidated fee (§ 133.151(a)(1)), both enacted by S.B. 41 and effective January 1, 2022. Confirm the current total with the Probate Department before you file |
| Local forms | No working county application, order or oath. Texas has no comprehensive statewide set of probate procedure forms, and the clerk's general Forms page carries assumed names, vital records, criminal bond, military discharge and marks and brands forms only. The Probate Department page does list a short "Probate Forms" set (a small estate affidavit packet, guardianship reporting forms and an indigence affidavit), but at this review (August 2026) those links returned page-not-found errors or unrelated documents, so ask the clerk for current copies. What Ector reliably publishes is better than most counties' forms: a Pro Se Policy for probate, an eight-page Small Estate Affidavit Checklist with Texas inheritance charts, and the statewide fee-waiver form, which it labels the Statement of Financial Inability to Pay Costs. The checklist points filers to the small estate affidavit form on TexasLawHelp.org, a non-profit site, not to a county form |
| E-filing | Mandatory for attorneys in probate cases, as in every Texas county, and filed through eFileTexas.gov. Under the statewide rule an unrepresented party may e-file but is not required to (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(1)); Ector County publishes no local exception either way, so a self-represented filer should call 432-498-4130 before filing on paper. Court costs can be paid by card through Certified Payments, using the county's published Probate and Civil bureau code 1952212 or by phone at 866-539-2020 |
| Case search | Ector County runs its own portal, branded "ECTOR COUNTY PORTAL - District, County & Justice Court Records", a Tyler Technologies Odyssey portal offering a Smart Search of court records and a hearing search by date range. It publishes no coverage statement and says nothing about probate specifically, so whether estates appear in it could not be confirmed from outside: ask the Probate Department. The county does post probate and guardianship citations themselves online, by cause number and estate name. A counter search is priced at $5.00 on the clerk's fee schedule, matching the statutory file-search fee (Local Government Code § 118.052). Documents e-filed in an Ector probate case may also be visible through the statewide re:SearchTX portal, which requires free registration, charges for documents ($1.00 for a document of 1 to 10 pages and $0.10 per page after that, per its own FAQ), and states that it provides an unofficial copy and that the clerk of the court is the official custodian of the records |
| Remote appearance | Nothing current published for probate. The county courts at law post dockets, standing orders and a dress code but no telephone or video appearance rule for estates; the remote-appearance documents the county does post, a COVID-19 operating plan from 2020 and a juvenile-court detention-hearing procedure, do not apply to estates. Plan on appearing in person in Odessa and ask the court that has your case about any exception |
| Website | https://www.co.ector.tx.us/185/Probate-Department (the County Clerk's Probate Department, with the pro se policy, the small estate affidavit checklist and the probate mailbox), https://www.co.ector.tx.us/174/Civil-Department (which carries the current civil and probate fee schedule) and https://www.co.ector.tx.us/187/County-Courts-at-Law (both county courts at law, their contacts, dockets and standing orders) |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Odessa, work out whether you can file it yourself. Ector County publishes a written Pro Se Policy for probate, and it is the first thing that shapes a family's options here: "The Court does not allow a personal representative, which includes an independent executor, dependent executor, independent administrator, temporary administrator or dependent administrator, of a decedent's estate to be appointed unless represented by an attorney who is licensed to practice law in Texas." The county's small estate affidavit checklist adds that "an applicant for determination of heirship must be represented by an attorney." So in Ector County the routes an unrepresented person can actually complete are narrow, and knowing which one fits before you pay a filing fee matters more than it does in most counties.
Then know what is actually in the estate and what it owes. Which Texas route fits, and whether an administration is needed at all, turns on whether there is a will, who the distributees are, what the assets are worth, and whether there are unpaid debts. Those routes are set by state statute and are the same in all 254 Texas counties; they are explained on the Texas state page. Getting the answer first matters in Ector because the clerk prices each proceeding separately: $468.00 for a probate with posting, $360.00 for a small estate affidavit and order.
Identify every bank and credit union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life insurance policy, vehicle and parcel of Ector County or out-of-county real property, along with every debt, before you apply. How each asset is titled decides whether it passes through the estate at all: survivorship accounts, accounts with a named beneficiary and land covered by a recorded transfer on death deed pass outside the estate and never reach the court. The county's own checklist is blunt about why this matters: a small estate affidavit "can't be approved with any asset of 'unknown value'". Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for exactly this step, so that the application filed with the Ector County Clerk describes the estate accurately the first time.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Ector County has one probate filing counter. Applications, wills and later filings go to the Ector County Clerk's Probate Department in Room 111 on the first floor of the Ector County Courthouse at 300 North Grant Avenue in Odessa. The courts sit in the same building, the County Court at Law in Room 234 and County Court at Law #2 in Room 235, and the County Judge in Room 227. There is no branch or annex counter for estates, and the same clerk and the same courts serve the whole county.
Venue is straightforward for a Permian Basin resident: you file in the county where the decedent lived, if the decedent had a domicile or fixed place of residence in Texas (Estates Code § 33.001(a)(1)). If the person lived in Ector County, the case belongs in Ector County even if they died in a hospital in Midland or Lubbock. 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)). The county applies this strictly in small estates: its checklist says an affidavit "cannot be approved in Ector County unless decedent was residing in Ector County on the date of death or other facts indicate Ector County is the appropriate place to file."
Three Ector County courts can hear a probate case, and naming the right one is the fact most often gotten wrong. Government Code § 25.0701 provides that "Ector County has the following statutory county courts: (1) County Court at Law of Ector County; and (2) County Court at Law No. 2 of Ector County", added effective September 1, 1987, and Chapter 25 creates no statutory probate court in Ector County. So under Estates Code § 32.002(b) those two courts and the Ector County Court, the constitutional county court presided over by the elected County Judge, have concurrent original jurisdiction of probate proceedings, the county courts at law taking their grant from Government Code § 25.0003(d). None of the three displaces the others. Ector's own county court at law provisions in Government Code § 25.0702 add family law jurisdiction concurrent with the district court and split the clerkship without touching probate.
In practice all three courts really are used, and the county's own records show it. The clerk posts probate and guardianship citations online, and their cause numbers carry court suffixes: -CC for the Ector County Court, -CCL for the County Court at Law and -CCL2 for County Court at Law #2. Estates appear under all three. So do not assume your case will land in a particular court; ask the Probate Department which court your cause number is assigned to before you try to get a hearing date, because settings are made by the court, not the clerk.
If a matter in the proceeding becomes contested, the mechanism is a transfer, and it keeps the case inside Ector County. Under Estates Code § 32.004(a), in a county with a county court at law exercising original probate jurisdiction and no statutory probate court, when a matter in a probate proceeding is contested the judge of the county court may, on the judge's own motion, or shall, on the motion of any party to the proceeding, transfer the contested matter to the county court at law, and the same subsection lets the judge of the county court transfer the entire proceeding. The county court at law may then hear the proceeding as if originally filed in that court, and where only the contested matter was transferred, on the resolution of the matter it is returned to the county court for further proceedings not inconsistent with the county court at law's orders (§ 32.004(b)). No out-of-county judge is assigned and nothing goes to a district court on this route.
Ector County has gone one step further and published how the transfer is allocated between its two county courts at law. Its "ORDER ON TRANSFER OF CONTESTED PROBATE CASES FROM THE COUNTY COURT TO THE COUNTY COURTS AT LAW" orders that "in all probate cases filed in the Ector County Court in which the matters in those cases become contested in nature", "All contested cases ending in odd cause numbers shall be transferred to the Ector County Court at Law" and "All contested cases ending in even cause numbers shall be transferred to the Ector County Court at Law #2." The order is signed by the Administrative Judge of the Ector County Courts and carries no printed date, so treat it as the county's published practice and confirm it if a contest actually arises. Very few Texas counties publish a § 32.004 allocation rule at all.
The jurisdiction process
- Read the county's Pro Se Policy before you decide who files. Ector County does not allow a personal representative of a decedent's estate to be appointed unless represented by a Texas-licensed attorney, and its policy explains why: "Pro se representation in these circumstances is the practice of law without a license because these positions have a fiduciary duty to represent the best interests of all heirs or beneficiaries and legitimate creditors of the estate." It adds that "Pro se applicants are allowed to represent only themselves before the court" and may not represent other beneficiaries named in a will. If you want letters testamentary or letters of administration, you are hiring a lawyer in Ector County.
- Check whether the muniment of title carve-out fits you. The same policy allows a pro se applicant to probate a will as a muniment of title under Estates Code chapter 257, where no personal representative is appointed and no letters issue, if all six of the county's conditions are met: four years have not elapsed since the death (which matches the statutory deadline in Estates Code § 256.003), the original will is filed with the court, the will was signed by the decedent and at least two witnesses, the will has a valid self-proving affidavit, the applicant is the sole beneficiary under the will, and there are no unpaid debts other than debts secured by liens on real estate. The county adds a practical warning worth heeding: contact each institution holding assets first, because "Some entities, especially those holding stocks and bonds, will not release the assets without Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration."
- Gather the documents. Collect the original signed will if there is one, a certified copy of the death certificate, the names and addresses of the people who inherit, and a list of assets and debts with values. A person named in a will to settle the estate is an executor; a person appointed by the court where there is no will, or where no named executor qualifies, is an administrator; the Texas Estates Code's umbrella term for either is personal representative.
- Draft the papers. Texas has no comprehensive statewide set of probate procedure forms, and Ector County publishes no working county application, order or oath, so those documents are drafted, not filled in. The county's own probate documents are its Pro Se Policy, its Small Estate Affidavit Checklist and the statewide fee-waiver form, which it labels the Statement of Financial Inability to Pay Costs.
- File with the Probate Department, or e-file. Attorneys must e-file in probate matters in every Texas county, through eFileTexas.gov. An unrepresented party may e-file but is not required to under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(1), and Ector County publishes no local exception either way; its pro se policy simply says the original will and application "should be filed with the County Clerk, Probate Department, in Rm. 111 on the first floor of the Courthouse at 300 N. Grant", and tells filers to call 432-498-4130 for current fees.
- Get the original will to the clerk within three business days if you e-filed. This is statewide and there is no electronic substitute: when a party electronically files an application to probate a document as an original will, the original will must be filed with the clerk within three business days after the application is filed (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(12)). Deliver or send the wet-ink original to the Ector County Clerk, Probate Department, Room 111, 300 North Grant Avenue, Odessa, TX 79761, or to P.O. Box 707, Odessa, TX 79760.
- Pay the county's published amount for your proceeding. Ector County's fee schedule, revised January 2026, prices "Probate with Posting" at $468.00 and "Probate Transfer (No Posting)" and "Small Estate Affidavit & Order" at $360.00 each. The $360.00 is the statewide statutory base ($223 under Local Government Code § 135.102(a)(1) plus $137 under § 133.151(a)(1), effective January 1, 2022). Card payments go through Certified Payments under the county's Probate and Civil bureau code 1952212. A filer who cannot afford the cost files a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs, the statewide form required by Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145, which the county publishes as its Statement of Financial Inability to Pay Costs.
- Watch for your return date. The county's pro se policy describes the posting mechanics: "After filing, the Clerk will issue citation which must be posted at the Courthouse until the next Monday to occur after 10 days from the date of filing. When you file your Application, the Clerk will write this 'Return Date' on your receipt." Nothing is heard before that date. Ector also posts probate citations on its own website, so you can see your estate's citation online while it runs.
- Call the court, not the clerk, for a hearing. The policy is explicit: "You must call the appropriate Court to set a personal hearing on your Application on the Return Date or on any day occurring after this Return Date." The County Court at Law is at 432-498-4110 and County Court at Law #2 at 432-498-4120, and a Civil Court Administrator serves both at extension 1218. Ector publishes no probate docket day, so ask what the next available setting looks like rather than assuming one.
- Come to the hearing with the paperwork the court expects and dressed for the courtroom. For a muniment of title the county states that "At the hearing, you will be required to present the Proof of Death and Other Facts and the Order Admitting Will to Probate as Muniment of Title." Both county courts at law also enforce a written dress code at "ALL FUTURE DOCKET CALLS, HEARINGS, AND TRIAL DATES" that applies to "ALL PERSONS WHO ARE REQUIRED TO ENTER THE COURTROOM" in any civil or criminal matter, and lists hats, flip flops, shorts, ripped jeans and several other items as grounds for being refused admittance.
- Collect the letters if letters were granted. On an admitted will the court grants Letters Testamentary to a qualifying executor (Estates Code § 306.001); where there is no will, or no named executor qualifies, it grants Letters of Administration (§ 306.002). The county clerk's statutory fee is $2.00 for each such document issued (Local Government Code § 118.061), so order enough for every bank, transfer agent and title company the estate has to deal with. Certified copies are $1.00 per page plus a $5.00 certificate fee on Ector's schedule, matching Local Government Code § 118.060.
- Administer the estate and file what the statute requires. The steps that follow, including notice to beneficiaries after an order admitting a will (§ 308.002), the published notice to creditors within one month of receiving letters (§ 308.051), notice to secured creditors within two months (§ 308.053), and the inventory, which must be filed with the court clerk before the 91st day after the personal representative qualifies unless the court grants longer (§ 309.051(a)), are set by state statute and apply the same way in every Texas county. Ector's schedule charges nothing to file a timely inventory and $25.00 for an inventory filed after 90 days, which matches the statutory late-inventory fee (Local Government Code § 118.056(d)). Where the estate is being run as an independent administration, the court's involvement after the appointment order and the inventory is deliberately minimal (Estates Code chapters 401 to 405, § 402.001).
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Ector County
Ector County publishes no working probate application, order, oath or probate cover sheet. Texas as a whole has no comprehensive statewide set of probate procedure forms either: the Texas Judicial Branch forms page carries only will forms, a transfer on death deed kit and civil forms in this area, and the Supreme Court of Texas has not promulgated a small estate affidavit form or a muniment of title form under Government Code § 22.020(b)(1) (Estates Code chapters 205 and 257). The clerk's general Forms page carries assumed name, birth and death, marriage, criminal bond, military discharge and marks and brands forms, and nothing for estates. The Probate Department page does list a short "Probate Forms" set, including a small estate affidavit packet, guardianship reporting forms and an indigence affidavit, but at this review (August 2026) the links behind those titles returned page-not-found errors or unrelated documents, so treat that list as a reason to call the clerk rather than as a working form set. In an Ector County estate the application, the proof of death and other facts, the proposed order, the oath and the inventory are all drafted documents.
What Ector does publish is arguably more useful than a form: two policy documents that tell you whether you can file at all and how to get an affidavit approved. Read both before you draft anything. Note that the county's small estate affidavit checklist directs filers to an outside source for the form itself, saying the current small estate affidavit and order "can be found on the Texaslawhelp.org webpage". TexasLawHelp is published by the Texas Legal Services Center, a non-profit, and its forms are not approved by the Supreme Court of Texas, which has never promulgated one. The checklist still treats it as "the required SEA form" for an Ector County filing, and lists "not using the required SEA form" as the first of the common mistakes it sees.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Pro Se Policy, probate, Ector County (co.ector.tx.us) | Two pages that decide the shape of a self-represented filing here. No personal representative may be appointed without a Texas-licensed attorney; a pro se applicant may represent only themselves; a muniment of title is allowed pro se on six stated conditions; and the last four numbered paragraphs give the filing location, the fee phone number, the citation posting and Return Date mechanics, the instruction to call the court for a hearing, and what to bring to it |
| Small Estate Affidavit Checklist with distribution chart (co.ector.tx.us) | Eight pages: a plain-language warning about when a small estate affidavit cannot work, a seventeen-item checklist keyed to Estates Code chapters 201 and 205, and four Texas descent and distribution charts covering a married or unmarried decedent with or without descendants. It is one of the most substantial self-help documents any Texas county clerk publishes |
| Ector County Clerk civil and probate fees and court costs (co.ector.tx.us) | The county's dollar-itemized schedule, footered "Revised 01/2026": the per-proceeding probate totals, the subsequent-filing and accounting fees, the issuance fees, the sheriff service fees and the copy charges |
| Order on transfer of contested probate cases (co.ector.tx.us) | The Ector County Courts' published rule for Estates Code § 32.004 transfers: contested cases with odd cause numbers go to the Ector County Court at Law, even cause numbers to County Court at Law #2. Signed by the Administrative Judge of the Ector County Courts, with no printed date |
| Texas Judicial Branch court forms (txcourts.gov) | The statewide forms that do exist, including the Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs required by Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145, and the Supreme Court of Texas will forms. There is no statewide application, order, oath or inventory form |
Fees
Ector County publishes a dollar-itemized fee schedule and keeps it current, which puts it ahead of most Texas counties. Read the right copy of it, though. The clerk's Probate Department page still links a version labeled "Probate Fees - Effective January 1, 2022", footered "Revised 01/2022", while the Civil Department page links the same document footered "Revised 01/2026" and labeled effective January 1, 2026. The figures below are from the 2026 revision. The two differ mainly in the sheriff's service charges, which rose.
One thing to ask the clerk about before you write a check. Under the 2022 revision the $468.00 probate total was exactly the $360.00 statutory base plus the $8.00 citation issuance fee plus a $100.00 sheriff service fee. The 2026 revision raised the sheriff's citation by posting fee to $125.00 but left the printed probate total at $468.00, so the published arithmetic no longer adds up on its face. The county publishes both figures, and the Probate Department at 432-498-4130 is the place to confirm what your proceeding will actually cost.
| Item | Amount | Authority or source |
|---|---|---|
| Probate with posting | $468.00 | Ector County Clerk civil and probate fees and court costs, revised January 2026. This is the figure for opening a probate of a will or an administration in Ector County; the posted citation and its service are what separate it from the schedule's $360.00 no-posting lines |
| Probate transfer, no posting | $360.00 | Same schedule. This is the statutory base alone, with no citation or service added |
| Small estate affidavit and order | $360.00 | Same schedule. The line for an affidavit under Estates Code chapter 205 is priced at the statutory base, $108.00 below the probate-with-posting total |
| The statutory base inside every figure above | $360.00 | Identical in every Texas county: a $223 local consolidated fee (Local Government Code § 135.102(a)(1)) plus a $137 state consolidated fee (§ 133.151(a)(1)). Both amounts were enacted by S.B. 41 and took effect January 1, 2022, and both sections have since been amended. No Texas county may charge more or less for the base |
| Contest, adverse probate action, or an application by the same applicant in an existing estate | $120.00 each | Ector County's schedule prices all three at $120.00, which is the statutory figure for an action other than the original application: $75 under Local Government Code § 135.102(a)(2) plus $45 under § 133.151(a)(2) |
| Inventory filed after 90 days | $25.00 | Ector County's schedule, on a line the county heads "Inventory (After 90 days)". It matches the statutory fee for a late inventory and appraisement (Local Government Code § 118.056(d)). An inventory filed on time carries no fee on this schedule |
| Annual account, final account, application to sell real property, application to sell personal property | $25.00 each | Ector County's schedule, under probate subsequent filings |
| Annual report, final report, or a claim against the estate | $10.00 each | Ector County's schedule. The $10.00 claim fee matches the statutory claim fee payable by the claimant (Local Government Code § 118.058) |
| Judge's signature fee | $2.00 | Ector County's schedule. Separately, the county clerk's statutory fee for issuing Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration is $2.00 per document (Local Government Code § 118.061) |
| Issuing a citation, a citation by posting, a citation by publication, a show cause or a subpoena | $8.00 each | Ector County's schedule, matching the statutory document issuance fee (Local Government Code § 118.059). This is the clerk's charge for issuing the paper, not the cost of serving it |
| Sheriff service: citation by posting, by publication, by personal service, show cause, subpoena or summons | $125.00 each | Ector County's schedule, revised January 2026, under "By Ector County Sheriff". Writs are $225.00 and a writ of attachment is $250.00. These are the fees the Commissioners Court sets under Local Government Code § 118.131, which caps them at what is necessary to pay the cost of the service. The 2022 revision of the same schedule priced these at $100.00 and writs at $200.00 |
| Service by certified mail, by the County Clerk | $100.00 | Ector County's schedule. This is a county charge and it is high enough to matter if several notices have to go out, so ask the Probate Department which notices in your case it applies to |
| Certified and plain copies | $1.00 per page certified plus a $5.00 certificate fee, $1.00 per page plain | Ector County's schedule, matching Local Government Code §§ 118.060 and 118.0605. An exemplified copy is $1.00 per page plus a $10.00 exemplification fee, and a non-certified copy of an electronic document is $1.00 for up to 10 pages plus $0.10 per additional page |
| Probate record search with certificate at the counter | $5.00 | Ector County's schedule, and the figure the Probate Department page prints as its "Probate Search Fee: $5". The county clerk's statutory fee for searching files where the docket number is not provided is the same amount (Local Government Code § 118.052) |
| Electronic filing charges | Set by the vendor, not by Ector County | Filing through eFileTexas.gov carries the electronic filing service provider's own charge, and paying by card through the county's Certified Payments account may carry a processing charge. Ector County publishes no county electronic filing fee of its own |
| If you cannot afford the fee | No cost | File a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs, the statewide form required by Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145, which Ector County publishes as its Statement of Financial Inability to Pay Costs on both the Probate Department and Compliance pages. The court must waive the electronic filing fee for a person it determines is indigent (Government Code § 72.031(f)) |
Two cautions. The base $360.00 is fixed by statute and is the same in all 254 Texas counties, so a figure materially above it is either a total that includes service and posting items, as Ector's $468.00 does, or is out of date. And do not lift the wrong number from the same page: the schedule's $350.00 line is a civil New Suit, and its $468.00 and $576.00 guardianship lines are temporary and permanent guardianships, which are not decedents' estates.
Timeline
- File and wait for acceptance. The application is filed with the Ector County Clerk's Probate Department in Room 111, electronically through eFileTexas.gov if an attorney is filing. If the application asks to probate an original will, the wet-ink original must reach the clerk within three business days of the filing (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(12)).
- Note the Return Date the clerk writes on your receipt. Ector County's pro se policy sets out the posting rule: "the Clerk will issue citation which must be posted at the Courthouse until the next Monday to occur after 10 days from the date of filing", and "When you file your Application, the Clerk will write this 'Return Date' on your receipt." Nothing can be heard before that date.
- Watch the citation while it runs. Ector posts its probate and guardianship citations on the county website, listed by cause number and estate name, so you can see the posting for your own estate without going to the courthouse.
- Call the court that has your case for a hearing date. The pro se policy says to call "the appropriate Court" to set a personal hearing on the Return Date or any day after it. Which court that is depends on your cause number: the county's posted citations show estates docketed in the Ector County Court, the County Court at Law and County Court at Law #2. The court lines are 432-498-4110 and 432-498-4120, and a Civil Court Administrator serves both courts at extension 1218.
- Expect an in-person hearing in Odessa. Ector publishes no probate docket day and no remote appearance rule for estates, and the county courts at law enforce a written dress code at all hearings. The county publishes no filing-to-hearing interval, so ask rather than assume.
- If the matter becomes contested, expect a transfer, and expect the destination to be fixed by your cause number. The Ector County Courts' order on transfer of contested probate cases sends odd-numbered cases to the Ector County Court at Law and even-numbered cases to County Court at Law #2. Note also that the county courts at law post a Standing Order Regarding All Civil Cases, dated January 14, 2020 and signed by both judges, requiring the parties to schedule and conduct an alternative dispute resolution procedure under Chapter 154 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code before a civil case is set for a final trial on the merits.
- Then the statutory clock takes over. Notice to beneficiaries follows an order admitting a will (Estates Code § 308.002), published notice to creditors is due within one month of receiving letters (§ 308.051), notice to secured creditors within two months (§ 308.053), and the inventory must be filed with the court clerk before the 91st day after the personal representative qualifies unless the court grants longer (§ 309.051(a)). Those deadlines are statewide, not local, but Ector charges $25.00 for an inventory filed after 90 days (Local Government Code § 118.056(d)).
Local nuance
Ector County-specific considerations
The pro se rule is the most important local fact on this page, and it is in writing. Ector County's Pro Se Policy for probate states: "The Court does not allow a personal representative, which includes an independent executor, dependent executor, independent administrator, temporary administrator or dependent administrator, of a decedent's estate to be appointed unless represented by an attorney who is licensed to practice law in Texas", citing Steele v. McDonald, 202 S.W.3d 926 (Tex. App. Waco 2006, no pet.). It adds that "Pro se applicants are allowed to represent only themselves before the court" and may not represent other beneficiaries named in a will, and the county's small estate affidavit checklist states separately that "an applicant for determination of heirship must be represented by an attorney." The practical effect is that a family without a lawyer in Ector County is limited to a muniment of title on the county's stated conditions or a small estate affidavit.
The muniment carve-out has six conditions and the county lists them. A pro se applicant may probate a will as a muniment of title (Estates Code chapter 257) if four years have not elapsed since the death, the original will is filed with the court, the will was signed by the decedent and at least two witnesses, the will has a valid self-proving affidavit, the applicant is the sole beneficiary under the will, and there are no unpaid debts other than debts secured by liens on real estate. The county also tells applicants to check first that the institutions holding the assets will accept a muniment order, because some, "especially those holding stocks and bonds, will not release the assets without Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration."
Contested estates are split between the two county courts at law by cause number. Ector County publishes an order on transfer of contested probate cases providing that in all probate cases filed in the Ector County Court in which the matters become contested, "All contested cases ending in odd cause numbers shall be transferred to the Ector County Court at Law" and "All contested cases ending in even cause numbers shall be transferred to the Ector County Court at Law #2." That is a published local implementation of Estates Code § 32.004, and it means the destination of a contest is fixed in advance rather than chosen. The order carries no printed date.
Three courts, one counter, and the cause number tells you which court you are in. The county's posted probate citations use suffixes that identify the court: -CC for the Ector County Court, -CCL for the County Court at Law and -CCL2 for County Court at Law #2. Filings go to the Ector County Clerk in Room 111 in every case, because Government Code § 25.0702(i) makes the county clerk the clerk of a county court at law in everything except matters of concurrent district-court jurisdiction. Settings, though, are made by the court, so the suffix on your cause number decides which number you call.
The clerk publishes a working probate mailbox and a card-payment route. Probate questions go to [email protected], a departmental address rather than an individual's, and court costs can be paid through Certified Payments using the county's published Probate and Civil bureau code 1952212 or by phone at 866-539-2020. The counter's published hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the clerk's separate 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. window is for acknowledgements of paternity, not for probate.
There is a courtroom dress code and it is enforced by written order. Both county courts at law observe a dress code "AT ALL FUTURE DOCKET CALLS, HEARINGS, AND TRIAL DATES" that "APPLIES TO ALL PERSONS WHO ARE REQUIRED TO ENTER THE COURTROOM ... FOR ANY AND ALL CIVIL AND CRIMINAL MATTERS", requiring long pants and a tucked-in collared shirt with shoes and socks for men, and a dress, or pants or a skirt with a blouse or casual dress shirt, with shoes, for women. Hats, flip flops, shorts, ripped jeans, t-shirts, halter tops, pajamas and sweat pants are listed as grounds for being refused admittance or removed.
The law library is in the courthouse itself. The Texas State Law Library's directory lists the Ector County Law Library at 300 North Grant, Room 316, Odessa, (432) 498-4295, in the same building as the clerk and the courts. For a self-represented filer working through the county's checklist and the Estates Code, that is an unusually convenient resource.
A new courthouse is coming, but not soon. Ector County is building a new courthouse on the site of the downtown post office at 200 North Texas Avenue in Odessa, with construction anticipated to be complete in the first quarter of 2030. Until then, probate filings and hearings stay at 300 North Grant Avenue. Check the county's project site before assuming an address you read elsewhere is current.
Small-estate Alternatives
Ector County treats the small estate affidavit route more seriously than almost any Texas county, and a filer should read what it publishes before paying anything. The clerk's Small Estate Affidavit Checklist opens with a warning about why so many fail: "Banks, insurance companies, title companies, and others often tell people to file a Small Estate Affidavit (SEA) without thinking about the limited situations in which an SEA can be approved. People then fill out a form without reading the statute and/or understanding Texas intestacy law. They pay a filing fee and expect approval. However, many SEAs are denied for problems that cannot be fixed, and the applicants lose their filing fees." That filing fee is $360.00 on the county's own schedule, and it is not refundable if the affidavit is denied.
The checklist is the county's own restatement of Estates Code chapters 201 and 205 in seventeen numbered items, with four descent and distribution charts covering a married or unmarried decedent with or without descendants. It states the statutory conditions plainly, including that an affidavit cannot be approved if the decedent left a will, that total assets excluding homestead and exempt property cannot exceed $75,000 (Estates Code § 205.001), that the assets must exceed the debts, and that the affidavit must be sworn to by every distributee with capacity and by two disinterested witnesses. It adds several Ector practices worth knowing in advance: "the Court will always check the real property records before approving an SEA"; the Court "will not approve an SEA with a minor heir unless all estate assets the minor heir(s) will inherit can be placed in the registry of the Court until the heir turns 18"; an affidavit cannot be approved "if you cannot locate an heir or if heirs refuse to sign"; and where an heir is missing or has died since the decedent without a representative, the family must file an application to determine heirship instead, which in Ector County requires an attorney.
On hearings and forms, the county is specific. "The Court usually does not require a hearing on SEA applications, but in some circumstances the Court may require a hearing before an SEA will be approved. If a hearing is needed, the Court will contact you to set a hearing. Do not set a hearing unless the Court has asked you to do so." And the form itself is not a county form: the checklist says the current small estate affidavit and order "can be found on the Texaslawhelp.org webpage", a non-profit site whose forms are not approved by the Supreme Court of Texas, which has never promulgated one. Approval remains discretionary with the judge (§ 205.003), and the statewide rules on what the route can and cannot do live on the Texas state page.
Recent updates
| Change | What it means in Ector County |
|---|---|
| Civil and probate fee schedule revised January 2026 | The Ector County Clerk's "CIVIL AND PROBATE FEES & COURT COSTS" schedule now carries the footer "Revised 01/2026" and is linked from the county's Civil Department page as effective January 1, 2026. Against the 2022 revision of the same document, the sheriff's service fees rose from $100.00 to $125.00 for a citation by posting, by publication or by personal service, writs rose from $200.00 to $225.00, and a $250.00 writ of attachment line was added. The printed probate totals of $468.00 and $360.00 did not change. The Probate Department page still links the older 2022 copy, so take the figures from the Civil Department's version and confirm your total with the clerk |
| New Ector County Courthouse under construction, completion anticipated in the first quarter of 2030 | The county is building a new courthouse on the site of the downtown post office at 200 North Texas Avenue in Odessa, and publishes its own project site with the schedule and construction progress. Until it opens, the probate counter, the county courts at law and the county law library remain in the existing courthouse at 300 North Grant Avenue. Do not send a filing to the new address |
| Contested probate transfers are allocated by cause number | The Ector County Courts publish an order on transfer of contested probate cases directing that contested cases with odd cause numbers be transferred to the Ector County Court at Law and those with even cause numbers to County Court at Law #2. It is signed by the Administrative Judge of the Ector County Courts and carries no printed date, so confirm it is still current if a contest arises |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Ector County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Odessa-area home was held with a right of survivorship or passed under a recorded transfer on death deed, it goes to the survivor outside the estate and no Ector County court is involved in the house itself. Where other assets stood in the decedent's sole name and letters are needed, Ector's written pro se policy means an attorney files: no personal representative is appointed here without Texas-licensed counsel. If the spouse is the sole beneficiary under a self-proved will, there are no unpaid debts other than liens on real estate and the death was within four years (Estates Code § 256.003), the county allows a pro se muniment of title instead. Either way the filing goes to the Probate Department in Room 111, the wet-ink original will must reach the clerk within three business days of an e-filed application (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(12)), and the county's schedule prices a probate with posting at $468.00, which contains the $360.00 statutory base (Local Government Code § 135.102(a)(1) and § 133.151(a)(1)). | Asset discovery to establish how the home and the accounts are titled and what actually has to reach the court, which also settles whether the muniment route is open. Packet generation for the Ector County filing, including the proof of death and other facts the county expects at the hearing. A vetted attorney referral, which Ector's pro se policy makes necessary the moment letters are needed. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | Much of this can be done from out of state, but not all of it. Attorneys must e-file through eFileTexas.gov, and an unrepresented party may e-file but is not required to under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(1); Ector publishes no local exception, so call 432-498-4130 before trying to file on paper. Where the estate is intestate, the assets other than homestead and exempt property do not exceed $75,000 and the other conditions are met (Estates Code § 205.001), a small estate affidavit costs $360.00 on the county's schedule and usually needs no hearing, but every distributee and two disinterested witnesses must swear to it before a notary, and Ector's checklist warns that an affidavit fails outright if an heir cannot be located or refuses to sign. Read the county's checklist before filing: a denied affidavit costs the fee. | Asset discovery to size the estate from out of state and to put a precise value on every account, which Ector's checklist requires and which is the most common reason an affidavit is rejected. Packet generation so the filing is accepted the first time. Attorney referral where an heirship determination turns out to be necessary, which Ector requires counsel for. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Selling real property means someone needs the authority document, so this goes through an administration, and in Ector County that means hiring a Texas-licensed attorney: the county does not appoint a personal representative to an unrepresented applicant. The application goes to the Probate Department and the county's schedule prices a probate with posting at $468.00. At the hearing the court appoints the personal representative and grants Letters of Administration (Estates Code § 306.002), or Letters Testamentary if there is a will (§ 306.001), at $2.00 per document issued (Local Government Code § 118.061), because the title company will want a recent set. The inventory follows, filed with the County Clerk before the 91st day after the representative qualifies (§ 309.051(a)), with a $25.00 charge if it is late, and an application to sell real property is $25.00 on the same schedule. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts, insurance and real property. Packet generation for the administration, the inventory and the sale application. Attorney referral, which matters more here than in most counties because Ector requires counsel for an appointment and because a contested matter is transferred to one of the two county courts at law under Estates Code § 32.004, with the destination fixed by whether the cause number is odd or even. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Ector County Clerk, Probate Department (co.ector.tx.us), 432-498-4130, [email protected] | The filing office for estates in Ector County: Room 111 on the first floor at 300 North Grant Avenue, the 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. counter hours, the pro se policy, the small estate affidavit checklist and the $5.00 probate search fee. Clerk staff can explain procedure and what the counter needs, but cannot give legal advice |
| Ector County pro se policy for probate (co.ector.tx.us) | The county's written rule on filing without a lawyer: no appointment as personal representative without Texas-licensed counsel, a six-condition muniment of title carve-out, and the filing, citation and hearing mechanics for a self-represented applicant |
| Ector County small estate affidavit checklist (co.ector.tx.us) | Eight pages of county guidance on Estates Code chapter 205, with a seventeen-item checklist, a list of the most common mistakes, and four Texas descent and distribution charts |
| Ector County Clerk civil and probate fee schedule (co.ector.tx.us) | The county's own dollar-itemized pricing, revised January 2026, covering every probate proceeding, the subsequent filings, the issuance and sheriff service fees and the copy charges |
| Ector County Courts at Law (co.ector.tx.us), 432-498-4110 and 432-498-4120 | Both county courts at law: their rooms, phones, faxes and court administrators, their posted dockets and court calendar, the dress code, the standing order in civil cases and the order on transfer of contested probate cases |
| Ector County posted citations (co.ector.tx.us) | The county's own list of currently posted probate and guardianship citations, by cause number and estate name, so an applicant can see the posting running in their own case |
| Ector County portal, district, county and justice court records (portal-txector.tylertech.cloud) | The county's Tyler Odyssey public portal, with a Smart Search of court records and a hearing search by date range. It publishes no coverage statement, so confirm with the Probate Department whether your estate appears in it |
| eFileTexas.gov | Registration for the statewide electronic filing system, the list of certified electronic filing service providers, and filing instructions. This is where an Ector County probate application is e-filed |
| re:SearchTX (research.txcourts.gov) | The statewide court records portal, run by the Office of Court Administration with Tyler Technologies. Free registration is required, documents are charged for, and the portal states that it provides an unofficial copy and that the clerk of the court is the official custodian. Coverage is set county by county, so confirm anything important with the Ector County Clerk |
| Texas State Law Library probate research guide (guides.sll.texas.gov), (844) 829-2843 toll free in Texas | The strongest government self-help source for Texas probate, from a state agency: general information, probating a will, when there is no will, executors, formal administration, informal methods and legal forms. The library's own caveat is that it cannot tell you what the law means for your situation |
| Ector County Law Library, in the Texas law libraries directory (guides.sll.texas.gov), 300 North Grant, Room 316, Odessa, (432) 498-4295 | A county law library in the courthouse itself, listed in the Texas State Law Library's curated directory. The directory is curated rather than exhaustive, so contact the library directly about public access and hours |
| TexasCourtHelp.gov | General information and videos about making your way through the Texas court system, published by the Office of Court Administration. The Ector County Clerk links it from its own Links page for people with a legal problem |
| TexasLawHelp.org, wills, estate planning and probate (texaslawhelp.org) | Plain-language Texas probate articles and self-help toolkits from the Texas Legal Services Center, a non-profit. Ector County's small estate affidavit checklist sends filers here for the affidavit and order forms. It is not a court site and its materials are not court-approved forms |
| Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (lanwt.org), Odessa office 620 North Grant Avenue, Suite 410, 432-332-1207, Legal Aid Line 1-888-529-5277 | Free civil legal services for eligible low-income residents across the 114 counties the program serves in North and West Texas, with a branch office in Odessa a few blocks from the courthouse. Confirm it can take a decedent's estate matter before relying on it |
| State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral and Information Service (texasbar.com), (800) 252-9690 | Referrals to Texas attorneys, Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central, Spanish spoken. The initial consultation is capped at $20 for 30 minutes. Ector County's own pro se policy names this service and tells readers to "ask for an attorney who specializes in probate law". It is a referral service, not a reduced-fee or pro bono program |
| Texas Estates Code (statutes.capitol.texas.gov) | The statute itself, including the court structure provisions in chapter 32, venue in chapter 33, small estate affidavits in chapter 205, muniment of title in chapter 257, letters in chapter 306, notices in chapter 308 and the inventory in chapter 309 |
When to hire an attorney
Ector County is one of the Texas counties where the question is largely settled by written county policy rather than by preference. Its Pro Se Policy for probate does not allow a personal representative of a decedent's estate, including an independent executor or an independent administrator, to be appointed unless represented by a Texas-licensed attorney, and its small estate affidavit checklist adds that an applicant for a determination of heirship must be represented as well. So if the estate needs letters testamentary or letters of administration, or if the heirs have to be judicially determined, counsel is not optional here. What is left to a self-represented filer is a muniment of title on the county's six stated conditions and a small estate affidavit, and even there the county recommends advice: "Heirs may fill out an SEA without the assistance of an attorney, but an attorney's advice may prevent wasted time and money if a small estate affidavit is not appropriate or may prevent having an SEA denied that could have been approved if prepared correctly." Counsel also earns its keep when real property has to be sold or divided, when the estate is insolvent or a creditor is pressing, when a business or out-of-state property is involved, or when a guardianship has to run alongside the estate, and a contest is a litigation posture: it is transferred to one of the two county courts at law under Estates Code § 32.004, to the Ector County Court at Law if the cause number is odd and to County Court at Law #2 if it is even. County Clerk staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice. Ector's own policy points readers to the State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral Service at (800) 252-9690, and Sunset can connect families to a vetted Texas probate attorney serving Ector County and the surrounding Permian Basin counties.
How Sunset helps
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, Ector County real property and unclaimed property, so you know what the estate holds and which estate settlement route fits before anything is filed in Odessa. That matters here because the county's small estate affidavit checklist rejects an asset listed at an unknown value.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the paperwork for your route, drafted for an Ector County filing and for what the Probate Department and the courts expect, ready to file in Room 111 or to e-file through eFileTexas.gov.
Find a local probate attorney. Ector County will not appoint a personal representative to an unrepresented applicant, so counsel is required for most administrations. Sunset connects families to a vetted Texas probate attorney serving Ector County.
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).
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file for probate in Ector County?
With the Ector County Clerk's Probate Department, Room 111 on the first floor of the Ector County Courthouse, 300 North Grant Avenue, Odessa, TX 79761, or by mail to P.O. Box 707, Odessa, TX 79760. Three courts share original probate jurisdiction: the County Court at Law of Ector County, County Court at Law No. 2 of Ector County and the Ector County Court, the constitutional county court presided over by the elected County Judge (Estates Code § 32.002(b); Government Code §§ 25.0701, 25.0003(d)). Either way the filing counter is the County Clerk, because Government Code § 25.0702(i) makes the county clerk the clerk of a county court at law in everything except matters of concurrent district-court jurisdiction. File in Ector County if the decedent lived here and had a domicile or fixed place of residence in Texas (§ 33.001(a)(1)).
Can I file probate myself in Ector County without a lawyer?
Only for some routes, and the county says so in writing. Its Pro Se Policy for probate states that "The Court does not allow a personal representative, which includes an independent executor, dependent executor, independent administrator, temporary administrator or dependent administrator, of a decedent's estate to be appointed unless represented by an attorney who is licensed to practice law in Texas", and that a pro se applicant may represent only themselves and not other beneficiaries. The county's small estate affidavit checklist adds that an applicant for a determination of heirship must have an attorney. What you can do without one is probate a will as a muniment of title on the county's six conditions, or file a small estate affidavit. For anything that needs letters, you need counsel in Ector County.
What are the conditions for a pro se muniment of title in Ector County?
The county lists six, all of which must be met: four years have not elapsed since the decedent's death, which matches the statutory deadline to offer a will for probate (Estates Code § 256.003); the original will is filed with the court; the will was signed by the decedent and at least two witnesses; the will has a valid self-proving affidavit; the applicant is the sole beneficiary under the will; and there are no unpaid debts owed by the decedent other than debts secured by liens on real estate. A muniment of title under Estates Code chapter 257 appoints no personal representative and issues no letters, so the county also tells applicants to check with the institutions holding the assets first, because some "will not release the assets without Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration."
How much does it cost to file probate in Ector County?
$468.00 for "Probate with Posting", and $360.00 for a probate transfer with no posting or for a small estate affidavit and order. Those figures come from the Ector County Clerk's own civil and probate fee schedule, revised January 2026. Inside every one of them is the $360.00 statewide statutory base, a $223 local consolidated fee (Local Government Code § 135.102(a)(1)) plus a $137 state consolidated fee (§ 133.151(a)(1)), which is identical in all 254 Texas counties. A contest or adverse probate action is $120.00, letters cost $2.00 per document issued (§ 118.061), and an inventory filed after 90 days is $25.00 (§ 118.056(d)). If you cannot afford the cost, file a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145), which the county publishes as its Statement of Financial Inability to Pay Costs.
Which Ector County fee schedule is current?
The one footered "Revised 01/2026", which the county links from its Civil Department page as "Civil and Probate Fees - Effective January 1, 2026". The Probate Department page still links an older copy of the same document labeled "Probate Fees - Effective January 1, 2022". The probate totals are the same in both, but the sheriff service fees are not: the 2022 copy prices a citation by posting, publication or personal service at $100.00 and the 2026 copy at $125.00. Because the printed $468.00 probate total did not change when the service fee rose, ask the Probate Department at 432-498-4130 what your proceeding will actually cost.
Is e-filing required for probate in Ector County?
For attorneys, yes, as in every Texas county, and filing goes through eFileTexas.gov. Under the statewide rule an unrepresented party may e-file but is not required to (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(1)), and Ector County publishes no local exception either way. Its pro se policy simply says the original will and application should be filed with the County Clerk, Probate Department, in Room 111 on the first floor at 300 North Grant, so if you are filing without a lawyer call 432-498-4130 and ask what the office will accept.
What do I do with the original will in Ector County?
You e-file the application with a copy of the will, then get the wet-ink original to the County Clerk. The statewide rule is that when a party electronically files an application to probate a document as an original will, the original will must be filed with the clerk within three business days after the application is filed (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(12)). Deliver or send it to the Ector County Clerk, Probate Department, Room 111, 300 North Grant Avenue, Odessa, TX 79761, or to P.O. Box 707, Odessa, TX 79760. There is no electronic way to satisfy this requirement, and the county's own pro se policy also requires the original will to be filed with the court for a muniment of title.
How do I get a hearing date in Ector County?
You call the court, not the clerk, and not before your Return Date. The county's pro se policy explains the sequence: after filing, "the Clerk will issue citation which must be posted at the Courthouse until the next Monday to occur after 10 days from the date of filing", the clerk writes that Return Date on your receipt, and "You must call the appropriate Court to set a personal hearing on your Application on the Return Date or on any day occurring after this Return Date." Which court is the appropriate one depends on your cause number: the County Court at Law is at 432-498-4110, County Court at Law #2 at 432-498-4120, and a Civil Court Administrator serves both at extension 1218. Ector publishes no probate docket day and no filing-to-hearing interval.
What happens if someone contests the will in Ector County?
The contested matter moves to a county court at law, it stays inside Ector County, and the county has already decided which court gets it. Under Estates Code § 32.004(a), in a county with a county court at law exercising original probate jurisdiction and no statutory probate court, when a matter in a probate proceeding is contested the judge of the county court may, on the judge's own motion, or shall, on the motion of any party, transfer the contested matter to the county court at law, and the judge may also transfer the entire proceeding. Where only the contested matter was transferred it returns to the county court once resolved (§ 32.004(b)). Ector County's published order on transfer of contested probate cases then allocates it: odd cause numbers go to the Ector County Court at Law, even cause numbers to County Court at Law #2. No visiting judge is assigned and nothing goes to the district court on this route. The county prices a contest or adverse probate action at $120.00.
Does Ector County have local probate forms?
No working county application, order or oath, but two county documents that are arguably more useful. Texas has no comprehensive statewide set of probate procedure forms, and Ector's clerk publishes no working set of its own: the clerk's general Forms page carries assumed names, vital records, criminal bond, military discharge and marks and brands forms only, and the short "Probate Forms" list on the Probate Department page returned broken or mismatched links at this review (August 2026). What the Probate Department reliably publishes is a Pro Se Policy for probate, an eight-page Small Estate Affidavit Checklist with Texas inheritance charts, and the statewide fee-waiver form, labeled the Statement of Financial Inability to Pay Costs. For the small estate affidavit itself the checklist sends filers to TexasLawHelp.org, a non-profit site whose forms are not approved by the Supreme Court of Texas.
How do I look up an Ector County probate case online?
Start with the county's own portal. Ector County runs a Tyler Odyssey portal branded "ECTOR COUNTY PORTAL - District, County & Justice Court Records" with a Smart Search of court records and a hearing search, but it publishes no coverage statement, so whether probate cases appear in it cannot be confirmed from outside. The county separately posts current probate and guardianship citations on its own website by cause number and estate name. A counter search with a certificate is $5.00 (Local Government Code § 118.052). Documents e-filed in an Ector probate case may also be reachable through the statewide re:SearchTX portal, which requires free registration, charges for documents, and states that it supplies an unofficial copy and that the clerk of the court is the official custodian. For a definitive answer call the Probate Department at 432-498-4130.
Do I have to travel to Odessa to settle an estate in Ector County?
For the hearing, almost certainly. The Ector County courts at law publish dockets, standing orders and a dress code but no telephone or video appearance rule for probate; the remote-appearance documents the county does post, a COVID-19 operating plan from 2020 and a juvenile-court detention-hearing procedure, do not apply to estates. Plan on appearing in person and ask the court that has your case about any exception. The rest can largely be handled at a distance: applications can be e-filed through eFileTexas.gov, court costs can be paid by card through the county's Certified Payments account, and the clerk answers probate questions by phone at 432-498-4130 and at [email protected]. The one other physical requirement is the original will, which must reach the County Clerk within three business days of an e-filed application (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(12)).
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.