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Medina County, TX Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Two courts, concurrent jurisdiction. The County Court at Law of Medina County is a statutory county court created by Government Code section 25.1651; the county's own page names Honorable Mark Cashion as its judge, with Court Coordinator Shanna Curiel (verified August 2026). Section 25.1652 was read in full and adds no probate carve-out, only family-law jurisdiction and a split clerkship for family-law cases, so the county court at law's probate jurisdiction comes from general law (Government Code section 25.0003(d)) and is CONCURRENT with the Medina County Court, the constitutional county court presided over by the elected County Judge (Estates Code section 32.002(b)). Medina County publishes no allocation of estates between the two; ask the County Clerk when you file |
| Filing office | The Medina County Clerk (Gina Champion, verified August 2026), who is the clerk of the county court and, for probate matters, of the county court at law (Government Code section 25.1652(e); Texas Constitution article V, section 20). The office names a Chief Deputy, Probate and Guardianship Clerk on its own staff list, which is a genuine local signal of how probate is handled at the counter |
| Courthouse | Medina County Annex, 1300 Ave. M, Room 163, Hondo, TX 78861, for the County Clerk. The County Court at Law sits in the same building at 1300 Ave M, Rm 248. Do not confuse the Annex with the Medina County Courthouse at 1100 16th Street in Hondo, which houses other county offices |
| Mailing address | None published separately by the County Clerk; mail to 1300 Ave. M, Room 163, Hondo, TX 78861 |
| Phone | (830) 741-6040 for the Medina County Clerk, the office's own direct line (the general courthouse switchboard is (830) 741-6000). The County Court at Law's office and coordinator are at (830) 741-6060 |
| Fax | (830) 741-6015 for the Medina County Clerk |
| Office hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., per the County Clerk's own page. Recording for civil and probate documents cuts off earlier in the day, at 3:30 p.m.; official public records recording cuts off at 4:00 p.m. The County Court at Law's own hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed for lunch from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., and hearings have been held in person since April 1, 2021 |
| Filing fee | $360.00 for an original filing of probate of letters testamentary, independent or dependent administration, or will annexed, on the County Clerk's own fee schedule effective January 1, 2024, itemized across thirteen statutory funds and matching the statewide statutory base: $223 (Local Government Code section 135.102(a)(1)) plus $137 (section 133.151(a)(1)). Muniment of title and determination of heirship are also $360.00 on the same schedule; an adverse probate action is $120.00. Confirm the current total with the County Clerk at (830) 741-6040 |
| Local forms | A Small Estates Affidavit Checklist and a pro se policy, but no county application, order, oath or inventory form. Texas as a whole has no comprehensive statewide set of probate procedure forms; the checklist and policy are what Medina County publishes instead |
| E-filing | Mandatory for attorneys statewide (Supreme Court of Texas Misc. Docket No. 13-9164; Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(1)), and the Medina County Clerk's own page adds a local instruction: "Please call our office to setup you up for e-filing with Criminal Records, Civil Records, & Probate/Guardianship Records." An unrepresented party may e-file but is not required to under the statewide rule. Filing goes through eFileTexas.gov |
| Case search | Medina County runs its own Tyler Technologies Odyssey Public Access portal, separate from re:SearchTX, but its search interface loads through JavaScript and returned no readable content to a plain fetch this session, so its exact probate coverage could not be confirmed. Documents e-filed in a Medina County probate case may also be visible through the statewide re:SearchTX portal, which requires free registration, charges for documents, and states that it provides an unofficial copy and that the clerk of the court is the official custodian of the records |
| Remote appearance | Not published for probate. The County Court at Law's own page states only that hearings have been held in person since April 1, 2021 and publishes no telephone or video option. Ask the Court Coordinator at (830) 741-6060 |
| Website | https://www.medinatx.gov/page/County.Clerk (the Medina County Clerk) and https://www.medinatx.gov/page/County.Court (the County Court at Law). The clerk's fee schedule is at https://www.medinatx.gov/upload/page/0077/docs/CountyClerk/FEE%20SCHEDULE%202024.pdf |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Hondo, 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 work the same way in all 254 Texas counties; they are explained on the Texas state page. Getting the answer before your first filing matters here because Medina County publishes its own Small Estates Affidavit checklist and warns in its own words that many affidavits "are denied for problems that cannot be corrected" and the filer loses the filing fee, so the route has to be right the first time.
Identify every bank and credit union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life insurance policy, vehicle and parcel of Medina 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 either Medina County court. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for exactly this step, so that the application filed with the Medina County Clerk describes the estate accurately the first time.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Hondo is the single probate filing location for the whole county. The County Clerk's counter is at the Medina County Annex, 1300 Ave. M, Room 163, and the County Court at Law sits in the same building at Room 248. Both courts serve every part of Medina County, including Hondo, Castroville, Devine, Natalia and the rural precincts between them.
Venue is straightforward for a Medina County 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 section 33.001(a)(1)). If the person lived in Medina County, the case belongs here even if they died in a hospital in San Antonio. 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 (section 33.001(a)(2)).
Which court hears the case is the fact a generic page gets wrong here. Medina County has no statutory probate court, but it does have a county court at law exercising general-law probate jurisdiction (Government Code section 25.1651: "Medina County has one statutory county court, the County Court at Law of Medina County"), so the County Court at Law of Medina County and the Medina County Court have CONCURRENT original jurisdiction of probate proceedings (Estates Code section 32.002(b)). Section 25.1652, the county's own court-at-law provisions, was read in full: it adds only family-law concurrent jurisdiction with the district court and a split clerkship for family-law cases, and touches probate nowhere. Medina County publishes no allocation of estates between its two courts, so ask the County Clerk which court your case is set in.
If a matter in the proceeding becomes contested, Medina County uses the county-court-at-law route, not the assignment or district-court route that applies where only a constitutional county court exists. Under Estates Code section 32.004(a), 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 may transfer the entire proceeding there as well. The county court at law hears what is transferred as if it had been filed there originally, and if only the contested matter was transferred, it returns to the county court once resolved, for further proceedings consistent with the county court at law's orders (section 32.004(b)).
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm the route and 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. A will generally has to be offered for probate within four years of the date of death (section 256.003), so do not let the paperwork sit.
- Draft the papers yourself or with an attorney. Texas has no comprehensive set of statewide probate procedure forms, and Medina County's own published documents in this area are a Small Estates Affidavit Checklist and a pro se policy, not fill-in application, order, oath or inventory forms.
- File with the Medina County Clerk at the Annex, 1300 Ave. M, Room 163, Hondo. Attorneys must file electronically through eFileTexas.gov in probate cases, a statewide requirement (Supreme Court of Texas Misc. Docket No. 13-9164; Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(1)). The county clerk's own page adds a local step: call (830) 741-6040 to have the office set your case up for probate and guardianship e-filing. An unrepresented party may e-file but is not required to.
- Deliver the original will to the County Clerk within three business days. 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)).
- Pay the filing fee. The County Clerk's own schedule, effective January 1, 2024, prices an original filing of probate of letters testamentary, independent or dependent administration, or will annexed at $360.00, made up of the statewide statutory base: $223 (Local Government Code section 135.102(a)(1)) plus $137 (section 133.151(a)(1)). Muniment of title and determination of heirship are also $360.00. 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.
- Have citation issued and posted where the route requires it. The clerk's fee schedule prices wills for safekeeping separately at $5.00 and prices an adverse probate action, contest or suit at $120.00 ($75 under Local Government Code section 135.102(a)(2) plus $45 under section 133.151(a)(2)). The county's own Small Estates Affidavit checklist illustrates the pattern for that route specifically: it quotes the $360.00 filing fee plus an $8.00 citation fee plus a $30.00 posting of citation fee, for $398.00 all in.
- Ask the clerk which court your case is set in and confirm the hearing location. The County Court at Law's own page states that hearings have been held in person since April 1, 2021, at 1300 Ave M, Rm 248, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed for lunch from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. No remote or virtual option is published.
- Collect the letters. On an admitted will the court grants Letters Testamentary to a qualifying executor (Estates Code section 306.001); where there is no will, or no named executor qualifies, it grants Letters of Administration (section 306.002). Order enough sets for every bank, transfer agent and title company the estate has to deal with, at the statutory per-document fee (Local Government Code section 118.061).
- Administer the estate and file what the statute requires. The steps that follow, including notice to beneficiaries after an order admitting a will (section 308.002), the published notice to creditors within one month of receiving letters (section 308.051), notice to secured creditors within two months (section 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 (section 309.051(a)), are set by state statute and apply the same way in every Texas county. File them with the Medina County Clerk. A late-filed inventory, after that period or any court-granted extension, draws a statutory $25.00 clerk's fee (Local Government Code section 118.056(d)); a timely inventory files at no clerk fee. Where the estate is being run as an independent administration, the court's involvement after the appointment order and the inventory, or the affidavit in lieu of it, is deliberately minimal (Estates Code chapters 401 to 405).
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Medina County
Medina County publishes no county application to probate a will, no county order, no county oath and no county inventory form. Texas as a whole has no comprehensive set of probate procedure forms either: the Texas Judicial Branch forms page carries 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 section 22.020(b)(1), even though the Legislature directed it to.
What Medina County does publish, and what makes it unusual for a county this size, is a Small Estates Affidavit Checklist and a written Court Policy Regarding Pro Se Applicants. The checklist walks through the Estates Code chapter 205 conditions in plain language and warns, in the county's own words, that "many SEAs are denied for problems that cannot be corrected, and the denied applicants lose their filing fees." It points filers to "the most recent SEA form on Medina County Clerk's Website", which the checklist itself flags as "coming soon"; whether that form has since been posted was not confirmed this session, so call the clerk before assuming one exists.
The pro se policy is direct about who needs a lawyer. Its own text is dated January 24, 2019, and it is the version the county posts today. Quoting it: "individuals applying for letters testamentary, letters of administration, determinations of heirship, and guardianships of the person or estate must be represented by a licensed attorney", with a narrow carve-out for a litigant who is "named executor and sole beneficiary", who "can proceed pro se". One need not be a lawyer to serve as an executor, administrator or guardian, but that person's own filings generally require counsel because the role is a fiduciary one representing beneficiaries and creditors, not only the applicant.
The one genuinely statewide procedural form a Medina County filer may need is the fee waiver: the Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs or an Appeal Bond, required by Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145 and published on the Texas Judicial Branch forms page.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Medina County Small Estates Affidavit Checklist (medinatx.gov) | The county's own plain-language walk-through of the Estates Code chapter 205 conditions, the $398.00 all-in cost the county quotes (filing fee plus citation fee plus posting of citation), and a warning that a defective affidavit forfeits the filing fee |
| Medina County Court Policy Regarding Pro Se Applicants (medinatx.gov) | The county's written policy on who must be represented by a licensed attorney in a probate or guardianship matter, and the narrow sole-beneficiary-executor carve-out |
| Medina County Clerk (medinatx.gov) | The filing office's own page: staff directory including the Chief Deputy, Probate and Guardianship Clerk, office hours and recording cutoffs, and the fee schedule link |
| 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 for probate |
Fees
Medina County publishes a genuinely itemized probate fee schedule, which is uncommon at this county size: a County Clerk's Fee Schedule effective January 1, 2024 that breaks the base filing fee down across thirteen statutory funds. The base itself is not a Medina County decision. It is fixed by Texas statute and is the same in every county: $223 as a local consolidated fee (Local Government Code section 135.102(a)(1)) plus $137 as a state consolidated fee (section 133.151(a)(1)), for a $360 statutory base.
| Item | Amount | Authority or source |
|---|---|---|
| Original filing of probate of letters testamentary, independent or dependent administration, or will annexed | $360.00 | Medina County Clerk fee schedule effective January 1, 2024, itemized across thirteen funds; matches the statewide statutory base of $223 (Local Government Code section 135.102(a)(1)) plus $137 (section 133.151(a)(1)) |
| Muniment of title | $360.00 | Medina County Clerk fee schedule effective January 1, 2024 |
| Determination of heirship | $360.00 | Medina County Clerk fee schedule effective January 1, 2024 |
| Small estate affidavit, all in | $398.00 | Medina County's own Small Estates Affidavit Checklist: the $360.00 filing fee plus an $8.00 citation fee plus a $30.00 posting of citation fee |
| Adverse probate action, contest or suit | $120.00 | Medina County Clerk fee schedule effective January 1, 2024, matching the statutory total for an action other than the original application: $75 (Local Government Code section 135.102(a)(2)) plus $45 (section 133.151(a)(2)) |
| Will deposited for safekeeping | $5.00 | Medina County Clerk fee schedule effective January 1, 2024, matching the statutory deposit-and-safekeeping fee (Local Government Code section 118.062; Estates Code section 252.001(b)) |
| Miscellaneous filing over 25 pages, after the order approving inventory or the 120th day, whichever is first | $27.00 ($25.00 filing fee plus $2.00 judge's fee) | Medina County Clerk fee schedule effective January 1, 2024 (Local Government Code section 118.056). This is not a routine up-front cost; it applies only to a qualifying filing made after that trigger point |
| Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration | $2.00 each | The statutory per-document fee the county clerk collects (Local Government Code section 118.061). Order enough sets for every institution the estate deals with |
| Sheriff or constable service and posting | Set by the commissioners court | Beyond what the clerk's schedule itemizes, service and posting fees are set by the commissioners court, which may not set them higher than is necessary to pay the expenses of providing the service (Local Government Code section 118.131) |
| Electronic filing charges | Set by the vendor, not by Medina County | Filing through eFileTexas.gov carries the electronic filing service provider's own charge and any card surcharge, on top of the court costs above |
| 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 |
One caution. The $360 statutory base is identical in all 254 Texas counties, so the figures above are the base plus Medina County's own itemization, not a different base. Confirm the current total with the County Clerk at (830) 741-6040 before you file.
Local nuance
Medina County-specific considerations
Two courts, one counter in Hondo, and no probate carve-out in the county's own statute. This is the fact worth understanding before you file. Government Code section 25.1652, the section that creates the County Court at Law of Medina County's own provisions, was read in full and touches only family-law jurisdiction and a split clerkship for family-law cases; it says nothing about probate. So the County Court at Law of Medina County and the Medina County Court have concurrent original probate jurisdiction under the general statewide rule (Estates Code section 32.002(b); Government Code section 25.0003(d)), exactly as in most Texas county-court-at-law counties, and neither court displaces the other the way Harris, Parker or Hood counties' statutes displace theirs.
The county runs a written pro se policy, dated January 24, 2019 in its own text and still the version the county posts, and it is stricter than the bare statewide default. Quoting the county's own document: "individuals applying for letters testamentary, letters of administration, determinations of heirship, and guardianships of the person or estate must be represented by a licensed attorney", with a narrow exception for a litigant who is "named executor and sole beneficiary" and who "can proceed pro se". A self-represented filer who does not fit that exception should expect the county to hold the line on the attorney requirement.
The county's own Small Estates Affidavit checklist doubles as a warning label. In the county's words: "many SEAs are denied for problems that cannot be corrected, and the denied applicants lose their filing fees", and the county quotes an all-in cost of $398.00 for the affidavit, not the bare $360.00 base fee.
Recording has an earlier cutoff than the counter's closing time. The County Clerk's page states that recording for civil and probate documents ends at 3:30 p.m., and recording for official public records ends at 4:00 p.m., both ahead of the 4:30 p.m. close. Plan a filing trip to Hondo accordingly.
The county clerk's office sets up e-filing access directly. Unlike a county that simply points filers to eFileTexas.gov, the clerk's own page asks filers to "call our office to setup you up for e-filing with Criminal Records, Civil Records, & Probate/Guardianship Records", a genuine local onboarding step worth knowing about before you try to file cold.
The county's own Odyssey case-search portal exists, but its coverage could not be confirmed this session. The County Court at Law's page links a Tyler Technologies Odyssey Public Access portal at portal-txmedina.tylertech.cloud, separate from the statewide re:SearchTX system; the county does not state what the portal covers for probate, so ask the County Clerk directly about looking up a case.
Small-estate Alternatives
Medina County publishes its own Small Estates Affidavit Checklist, something few Texas counties do, and it is worth reading before you draft anything. The county states plainly, in its own words, why the checklist exists: "Banks, insurance companies, and title companies often tell individuals to file a Small Estates Affidavit (SEA) without considering the limited circumstances in which an SEA can be granted", and "many SEAs are denied for problems that cannot be corrected, and the denied applicants lose their filing fees."
The conditions themselves are statewide (Estates Code section 205.001) and are explained in full on the Texas state page: the route is available only where the decedent died without a will, 30 days must have elapsed since the date of death, no administration may be pending or granted, and the estate's assets, excluding homestead and exempt property, must not exceed $75,000 (section 205.001). Medina County's own checklist restates the 30-day point correctly: it cannot be filed within 30 days of the decedent's death, which is the statute's post-death waiting period, not a separate post-filing wait.
The county's checklist quotes its own real-world cost: "$360.00 filing fee in addition must also include the $8.00 Citation Fee, plus the $30.00 Posting of Citation fee", for $398.00 all in. It directs filers to "the most recent SEA form on Medina County Clerk's Website", which the checklist itself marks "coming soon"; whether that form is live today was not confirmed this session, so call the clerk at (830) 741-6040 before assuming one is posted. Where the small estate route does not fit, real property is usually the sticking point, because the affidavit reaches land only in the narrow homestead case the statute allows (section 205.006); the alternatives are a determination of heirship, an administration, or, if there is a will and no unpaid debts other than a lien on real property, probate as a muniment of title under Estates Code chapter 257.
Recent updates
| Change | What it means in Medina County |
|---|---|
| Probate hearings held in person, effective April 1, 2021 | The County Court at Law of Medina County's own page states that hearings have been held in person since that date, at the Medina County Courthouse Annex, 1300 Ave M, Rm 248. No remote alternative is published |
| S.B. 41 and S.B. 1612 statutory base fee, effective January 1, 2022 and January 1, 2024 | Medina County's own fee schedule, effective January 1, 2024, prices probate filings at $360.00, matching the current statewide consolidated fee amounts under Local Government Code sections 135.102 and 133.151 |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Medina County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Hondo-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 neither Medina County court is involved in the house itself. Where other assets stood in the decedent's sole name, the spouse applies with the Medina County Clerk: attorneys e-file through eFileTexas.gov after calling the clerk's office at (830) 741-6040 to be set up, the wet-ink original will follows within three business days (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(12)), and the clerk sets the case in the County Court at Law of Medina County or the Medina County Court, which share concurrent original probate jurisdiction (Estates Code section 32.002(b)). Budget $360.00 for the filing fee, plus $2.00 per set of letters. | Asset discovery to establish how the home and the accounts are titled and what actually has to reach the court. Packet generation for the Medina County filing. A vetted attorney referral if title or a claim turns out to be disputed. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent died without a will and the estate fits the statutory limits, the small estate affidavit route may work, but Medina County's own checklist is blunt that a defective affidavit forfeits the $398.00 all-in fee (the $360.00 base plus an $8.00 citation fee and a $30.00 posting of citation fee), so get it right before filing. If a will has to be probated instead, attorneys must e-file through eFileTexas.gov after calling the clerk's office to be set up, and an unrepresented party may e-file but is not required to (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(1)). Two things still need a physical connection to Hondo: the original will must reach the clerk within three business days of the application, and the clerk's recording cutoff for civil and probate documents is 3:30 p.m., not the counter's 4:30 p.m. close. | Asset discovery to size the estate from out of state and confirm which route fits before anyone travels to Hondo. Packet generation so the filing is accepted the first time, which matters more where the county's own materials warn that a flawed small estate affidavit forfeits its fee. Attorney referral where the pro se policy's attorney requirement applies. |
| 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 in the County Court at Law of Medina County or the Medina County Court. The parent applies with the Medina County Clerk, citation is issued and posted, and at the hearing the court appoints the personal representative and grants Letters of Administration (Estates Code section 306.002), or Letters Testamentary if there is a will (section 306.001). Order several sets of letters at $2.00 each (Local Government Code section 118.061), because the title company will want a recent set. The inventory follows, filed with the Medina County Clerk before the 91st day after the representative qualifies (section 309.051(a)); a late filing after that period draws a statutory $25.00 clerk's fee (Local Government Code section 118.056(d)), but a timely one does not. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts, insurance and real property. Packet generation for the administration and the inventory. Attorney referral where a sale, a mortgage payoff or a disagreement among heirs makes counsel worthwhile, which matters more here because Medina County's own pro se policy requires a licensed attorney for most probate applicants. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Medina County Clerk (medinatx.gov), (830) 741-6040 | The filing office for estates in Medina County: staff including the Chief Deputy, Probate and Guardianship Clerk, hours and recording cutoffs, the fee schedule and the case-search links. Clerk staff can explain procedure and what the counter needs, but cannot give legal advice |
| County Court at Law of Medina County (medinatx.gov), (830) 741-6060 | The court's own page: the judge, the court coordinator, the in-person hearing notice effective April 1, 2021, the Small Estates Affidavit Checklist and the pro se policy |
| Medina County Small Estates Affidavit Checklist (medinatx.gov) | The county's own plain-language guide to the chapter 205 conditions, its warning that a flawed affidavit forfeits the filing fee, and its quoted $398.00 all-in cost |
| eFileTexas.gov | Registration for the statewide electronic filing system and the list of certified electronic filing service providers. Medina County asks filers to call the clerk's office to be set up before using it for probate and guardianship records |
| 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 Medina 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 |
| TexasCourtHelp.gov | General information and videos about making your way through the Texas court system |
| 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. Useful for orientation; it is not a court site and its materials are not court-approved forms |
| Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (trla.org), (956) 996-8752 or toll free (833) 329-8752 | Free civil legal help for eligible low-income residents. TRLA names Medina in its own 68-county service list, and its nearest office is in San Antonio at 9501 Console Dr. 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. It is a referral service, not a reduced-fee or pro bono program |
| Texas law libraries directory (guides.sll.texas.gov) | The Texas State Law Library's curated directory of law libraries. It lists no law library in Medina County; the nearest listed is the Bexar County Law Library, 100 Dolorosa, 5th Floor, San Antonio, (210) 227-8822. The directory is curated rather than exhaustive |
| 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, letters in chapter 306, notices in chapter 308 and the inventory in chapter 309 |
When to hire an attorney
Medina County's own pro se policy makes counsel more central here than in many small counties. Quoting the county's document: "individuals applying for letters testamentary, letters of administration, determinations of heirship, and guardianships of the person or estate must be represented by a licensed attorney", with a narrow exception for a litigant who is "named executor and sole beneficiary". Counsel also earns its keep when a will or an appointment is likely to be challenged, when there is no will and the heirs have to be determined, when real property has to be sold or divided, when the estate is insolvent or a creditor is pressing, or when a small estate affidavit is a possibility, because the county's own checklist warns in its own words that "many SEAs are denied for problems that cannot be corrected, and the denied applicants lose their filing fees." County Clerk staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Texas probate attorney serving Medina County and the surrounding Hill Country.
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, Medina County real property and unclaimed property, so you know what the estate holds and which estate settlement route fits before anything is filed in Hondo.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the paperwork for your route, ready to file with the Medina County Clerk, and flags where Medina County's own pro se policy and Small Estates Affidavit checklist mean the filing needs to be right the first time.
Find a local probate attorney. When a matter is contested or Medina County's pro se policy calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Texas probate attorney serving Medina 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 Medina County?
With the Medina County Clerk at the Medina County Annex, 1300 Ave. M, Room 163, Hondo, TX 78861, phone (830) 741-6040. The case is heard by the County Court at Law of Medina County or the Medina County Court, which share concurrent original probate jurisdiction because Medina has no statutory probate court (Estates Code section 32.002(b); Government Code section 25.1651). File in Medina County if the decedent lived here and had a domicile or fixed place of residence in Texas (section 33.001(a)(1)).
Do I need a lawyer to probate an estate in Medina County?
Usually, yes. The county's own written policy states that "individuals applying for letters testamentary, letters of administration, determinations of heirship, and guardianships of the person or estate must be represented by a licensed attorney", with a narrow exception for a litigant who is "named executor and sole beneficiary" and who can proceed pro se. One need not be a lawyer to serve as an executor, administrator or guardian, but that person's own court filings generally require counsel because the role represents beneficiaries and creditors, not only the applicant.
Is e-filing required for probate in Medina County?
For attorneys, yes, under the statewide rule (Supreme Court of Texas Misc. Docket No. 13-9164; Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(1)), and filing goes through eFileTexas.gov. The Medina County Clerk's own page adds a local step: call (830) 741-6040 to have the office set you up for e-filing on probate and guardianship records. An unrepresented party may e-file but is not required to.
What does probate cost in Medina County?
$360.00 for an original filing of probate of letters testamentary, independent or dependent administration, or will annexed, on the County Clerk's own fee schedule effective January 1, 2024. That figure matches the statewide statutory base: $223 (Local Government Code section 135.102(a)(1)) plus $137 (section 133.151(a)(1)). Muniment of title and determination of heirship are also $360.00, and a small estate affidavit runs $398.00 all in on the county's own checklist. A later adverse or contested probate action is $120.00. Confirm the current total with the County Clerk. If you cannot afford the cost, file a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145).
Does Medina County have its own small estate affidavit form?
The county publishes a Small Estates Affidavit Checklist that walks through the statewide Estates Code chapter 205 conditions and warns, in its own words, that "many SEAs are denied for problems that cannot be corrected, and the denied applicants lose their filing fees." The checklist directs filers to "the most recent SEA form on Medina County Clerk's Website", which the checklist itself marks "coming soon"; call the clerk to confirm whether a form has since been posted.
How do I look up a Medina County probate case online?
Medina County runs its own Tyler Technologies Odyssey Public Access portal, but its search interface loads through JavaScript and its exact probate coverage could not be confirmed this session. Documents e-filed in a Medina County probate case may also be visible through the statewide re:SearchTX portal, which requires free registration and charges for documents, and which states that it supplies an unofficial copy and that the clerk of the court is the official custodian of the records. For a definitive answer call the Medina County Clerk at (830) 741-6040.
What happens if someone contests probate in Medina County?
Because Medina County has a county court at law exercising general-law probate jurisdiction rather than only a constitutional county court, the contested-matter route is Estates Code section 32.004, not section 32.003: 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 of Medina County, and may transfer the entire proceeding there. If only the contested matter is transferred, it returns to the county court once resolved.
Do I have to travel to Hondo to settle an estate in Medina County?
For the hearing, yes. The County Court at Law of Medina County has held probate hearings in person since April 1, 2021, and publishes no remote alternative. Much of the rest can be handled at a distance: attorneys e-file through eFileTexas.gov, and the county clerk's office at (830) 741-6040 can walk you through setup. The original will must still reach the clerk within three business days of the application (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(12)), and recording for civil and probate documents cuts off at 3:30 p.m., ahead of the counter's 4:30 p.m. close.
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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.