Back to Texas
Navarro County, TX Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Two courts share concurrent original probate jurisdiction: the County Court at Law of Navarro County (Government Code § 25.1771) and the Navarro County Court, the constitutional county court presided over by the elected County Judge (Estates Code § 32.002(b)). The County Court at Law's own page states it "has concurrent jurisdiction with the 13th District Court, except for capital murder ... This court can also hear class A & B misdemeanors, probate matters, and appeals from the justice and municipal courts" (Government Code § 25.1772(a)). The Honorable Amanda D. Putman presides over the County Court at Law (verified July 2026) |
| Filing office | The Navarro County Clerk, at the county courthouse in Corsicana. The clerk's own page describes the office's probate role: it "issues citations, writs of execution, letters of guardianship, letters testamentary, notices, and other documents as required by law or requested by the customer". The page does not say which of the office's two departments takes probate filings, so call ahead |
| Courthouse | Navarro County Courthouse, 300 West 3rd Avenue, Corsicana, TX 75110. The clerk's Civil Department is in the Basement, Suite 001A, and its Criminal Department is on the 1st Floor, Suite 101; the clerk's page does not say which counter takes probate filings, so confirm at (903) 654-3035 before visiting |
| Mailing address | P.O. Box 423, Corsicana, Texas 75151-0423, per the County Clerk's own page |
| Phone | (903) 654-3035, the Navarro County Clerk's main line |
| Fax | None published by the County Clerk |
| Office hours | Civil Department: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., no lunch closure stated. Criminal Department: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Both per the County Clerk's own page, which publishes no days of the week (verified July 2026) |
| Filing fee | $360.00 statutory base to open most probate matters, per the County Clerk's own "Schedule of Fees as of 1-1-2024": a $223 local consolidated fee (Local Government Code § 135.102(a)(1)) plus a $137 state consolidated fee (§ 133.151(a)(1)). Navarro's own schedule then itemizes a standard probate opening (with citation and posting) at $418.00, and a small estate affidavit, foreign will or open safe deposit box opening (no posting needed) at $362.00. Confirm the current total with the County Clerk before filing |
| Local forms | None published by Navarro County. Texas has no comprehensive statewide set of probate procedure forms either, so the application, proof of death and other facts, order, oath and inventory are drafted documents |
| E-filing | Mandatory for attorneys statewide since July 1, 2016 at the latest (Misc. Docket No. 13-9164; Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(1)). Navarro County publishes no county-specific e-filing notice or effective date of its own, so the statewide rule applies: an unrepresented party may e-file but is not required to. Filing is through eFileTexas.gov |
| Case search | Navarro County runs its own Odyssey Public Access portal, linked from the County Clerk's page as "Search Navarro County Court Records (Criminal, Civil, Family & Probate)"; the portal's own search page, titled "Navarro County Courts Records Inquiry", offers "Civil, Family & Probate Case Records". A separately linked "Historical Probate Search From 1800 to 2015" resource sits behind the county's own records-search disclaimer. Documents e-filed in a Navarro probate case may also be reachable through the statewide re:SearchTX portal, which requires free registration and charges for documents |
| Remote appearance | Not published for probate hearings. Ask the County Court at Law Coordinator, 903-875-3322, or the County Clerk, (903) 654-3035 |
| Website | https://www.co.navarro.tx.us/page/navarro.County.Clerk (the Navarro County Clerk) and https://www.co.navarro.tx.us/page/County.CourtAtLaw (the County Court at Law). The county's probate and civil fee schedule is at https://www.co.navarro.tx.us/upload/page/0078/docs/CountyClerk/2024%20Probate%20and%20Civil%20Fees%201-1-2024.pdf |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before filing in Corsicana, 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 right before your first filing matters here because Navarro County has two courts sharing probate jurisdiction and its own dollar-itemized fee schedule that varies by the type of filing, so budgeting the right total the first time avoids a return trip to the clerk's office.
Identify every bank and credit union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life insurance policy, vehicle and parcel of Navarro 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 Navarro 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 Navarro County Clerk describes the estate accurately the first time.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Navarro County Courthouse at 300 West 3rd Avenue in Corsicana is the single probate filing location for the county. The County Clerk's office there is split between a Civil Department in the Basement at Suite 001A and a Criminal Department upstairs in Suite 101, each with its own hours; the clerk's page does not say which counter takes probate filings, so call (903) 654-3035 before visiting. The court serves the whole county, including Corsicana, Blooming Grove, Dawson, Kerens, Rice and the surrounding rural areas.
Venue is straightforward for a Navarro 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 § 33.001(a)(1)). For a decedent with no Texas domicile or fixed residence, venue depends on where the death happened and where the estate or the nearest of kin are (§ 33.001(a)(2)).
Two courts share original probate jurisdiction in Navarro County, and neither displaces the other. Government Code § 25.1771 creates "one statutory county court, the County Court at Law of Navarro County," and because Navarro has no statutory probate court, that county court at law and the Navarro County Court, the constitutional county court, have concurrent original probate jurisdiction (Estates Code § 32.002(b)). Navarro County also carries an unusual extra grant: Government Code § 25.1772(a) gives the County Court at Law "concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in ... (5) probate matters; (6) disputes ancillary to probate ... relating to the adjudication and determination of land titles and trusts." That is additional authority layered on top of the ordinary grant, not a substitute for it, and it does not change where routine estate filings are docketed: they go to the Navarro County Clerk, whose own page describes the office's probate role directly and which runs the county's own probate-inclusive case search.
If a matter in the proceeding becomes contested, the transfer route in a county-court-at-law county like Navarro is the county court at law, not the district court. Estates Code § 32.004(a), verbatim: in a county with a county court at law exercising original probate jurisdiction, "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. In addition, the judge of the county court ... may transfer the entire proceeding to the county court at law." The routes in § 32.003 and § 32.005 do not apply here: the first covers counties with only the constitutional county court, the second covers statutory-probate-court counties, and Navarro is neither.
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.
- Draft the papers yourself or with an attorney. Texas has no comprehensive statewide set of probate procedure forms and Navarro County publishes none of its own, so the application, the proof of death and other facts, the proposed order, the oath and the inventory are drafted documents.
- E-file the application through eFileTexas.gov if you are represented by an attorney; attorneys must e-file in probate matters statewide (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(1)). An unrepresented party may e-file but is not required to; confirm with the County Clerk, (903) 654-3035, before filing on paper.
- 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)). Take or send the wet-ink original to the Navarro County Clerk, 300 West 3rd Avenue, Corsicana, TX 75110 (mail: P.O. Box 423, Corsicana, Texas 75151-0423), and call (903) 654-3035 to confirm the right counter.
- Pay the filing fee. Navarro County's own Schedule of Fees as of 1-1-2024 states the Probate Consolidated Base Fee is $360.00 (the statutory $223 local plus $137 state consolidated fees), and prices a standard probate opening with citation and sheriff posting at $418.00, and a small estate affidavit, foreign will, or open safe deposit box opening at $362.00. 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 the citation issued and served or posted. Navarro's fee schedule prices citation issuance at $8.00 (Local Government Code § 118.059(c)) and service by posting at $50.00 (§ 118.131) for a standard probate opening. Nothing is heard until the posting or service period has run and the return is on file.
- Attend the hearing before whichever court is docketing the matter, the Navarro County Court at Law or the Navarro County Court. Navarro publishes no filing-to-hearing interval or docket day for probate; ask the County Clerk, (903) 654-3035, or the County Court at Law Coordinator, 903-875-3322, what to expect.
- Collect the letters. 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). Navarro's fee schedule prices each set at $2.00 (Local Government Code § 118.061), so order enough for every bank, transfer agent and title company the estate has to deal with.
- Administer the estate and file what the statute requires. 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)), apply the same way in every Texas county. File them with the Navarro County Clerk. Navarro's own fee schedule confirms the inventory carries no filing fee if it is timely; a late inventory (after the 90th day) costs $25.00 (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).
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Navarro County
Navarro County publishes no local probate forms. There is no county application to probate a will, no county order, no county oath and no county small estate affidavit template. Texas as a whole has no comprehensive 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). In practice this means the application, the proof of death and other facts, the proposed order, the oath and the inventory in a Navarro County estate are drafted documents.
What Navarro County does publish, and what is unusual for a county this size, is a dollar-itemized probate and civil fee schedule under the County Clerk's own name, effective January 1, 2024, plus its own Odyssey court-records search covering criminal, civil, family and probate cases. Neither is a fill-in form, but both are worth reading before you file.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Navarro County Clerk's Schedule of Fees as of 1-1-2024 (co.navarro.tx.us) | The county's own dollar-itemized probate, guardianship and civil fee schedule, including the $360.00 statutory base and the county's own totals for a standard probate opening ($418.00), a small estate affidavit or muniment of title opening, letters, wills for safekeeping and late-inventory fees |
| Navarro County Court at Law (co.navarro.tx.us) | The court's own page naming the presiding judge, the court's concurrent jurisdiction with the 13th District Court and its probate role, and the court coordinator's contact information |
| 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
Navarro County publishes its own dollar-itemized probate fee schedule, effective January 1, 2024, under the County Clerk's own name, which is unusual at this county size and lines up with the statutory base.
| Item | Amount | Authority or source |
|---|---|---|
| Opening a standard probate case (with citation and posting) | $418.00 | Navarro County Clerk's Schedule of Fees as of 1-1-2024: the $360.00 statutory base ($223 local consolidated fee, Local Government Code § 135.102(a)(1), plus $137 state consolidated fee, § 133.151(a)(1)) plus an $8.00 citation (§ 118.059(c)) and a $50.00 posting fee (§ 118.131) |
| Small estate affidavit, foreign will, or open safe deposit box (no posting) | $362.00 | Navarro County Clerk's schedule: the $360.00 base plus a $2.00 judge's signature fee (Local Government Code § 118.101) |
| Muniment of title | $418.00 | Navarro County Clerk's schedule: the $360.00 base plus $8.00 citation and $50.00 posting |
| Guardianship | $526.00 | Navarro County Clerk's schedule: the $360.00 base plus $16.00 for two citations, $100.00 for personal service and $50.00 for service by posting |
| Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration | $2.00 each | Local Government Code § 118.061, matched by Navarro's own schedule |
| Wills for safekeeping | $5.00 | Local Government Code § 118.062, matched by Navarro's own schedule |
| Inventory, appraisement and list of claims, filed on time | No fee | Local Government Code § 118.056(d) only charges a fee for a late inventory (after the 90th day following qualification); a timely inventory filing carries no clerk fee |
| Inventory, appraisement and list of claims, filed late | $25.00 | Local Government Code § 118.056(d), applicable only after the 90th day following qualification or an extended court deadline |
| Later contested or adverse probate action | $120.00 | $75 under Local Government Code § 135.102(a)(2) plus $45 under § 133.151(a)(2) |
| 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 |
The base $360.00 is fixed by statute and identical in all 254 Texas counties; Navarro County's own schedule adds the county's actual citation, posting and service charges on top of it. Confirm the current total with the County Clerk before you file.
Local nuance
Navarro County-specific considerations
Two courts, one clerk, two departments. Navarro County's probate jurisdiction is shared between the County Court at Law of Navarro County and the Navarro County Court, and both are served by the same Navarro County Clerk, but the clerk's Civil Department (Basement, Suite 001A) and Criminal Department (1st Floor, Suite 101) keep different hours, and the clerk's page does not say which counter takes probate filings. Call (903) 654-3035 before you go.
The County Court at Law carries an unusual extra grant worth knowing about, even though it does not change where you file. Government Code § 25.1772(a) gives the court "concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in ... (5) probate matters; (6) disputes ancillary to probate ... relating to the adjudication and determination of land titles and trusts," on top of the ordinary grant the court already has concurrent with the Navarro County Court (Estates Code § 32.002(b)). In practice, both probate roles run through the same County Clerk's office and the same case-search portal.
Navarro County runs a real, probate-inclusive case search, which is rare for a county this size. The clerk's Odyssey Public Access portal is labelled by the county itself as covering "Criminal, Civil, Family & Probate" records, and the portal's own landing page offers a "Civil, Family & Probate Case Records" search. A separate portal offers a historical probate search back to 1800, behind the county's own records-search disclaimer.
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Navarro County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Corsicana-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. Where other assets stood in the decedent's sole name, the spouse applies with the Navarro County Clerk, and the case is heard in whichever of the two Navarro County courts dockets it (Estates Code § 32.002(b)). Budget $418.00 for a standard opening with citation and posting, per the County Clerk's own fee schedule, and deliver the wet-ink original will within three business days if the application is e-filed (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(12)). | Asset discovery to establish how the home and the accounts are titled and what actually has to reach the court. Packet generation for the Navarro County filing. A vetted attorney referral if title or a claim turns out to be disputed. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | Much of this can be done from out of state. Attorneys must e-file through eFileTexas.gov; an unrepresented party may e-file but is not required to (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(1)). If the estate qualifies for a small estate affidavit, foreign will or open safe deposit box filing, Navarro's own fee schedule prices that opening at $362.00, with no posting needed. Two things still require a physical connection to Corsicana: the original will must reach the County Clerk within three business days of an e-filed application, and any hearing is held at the courthouse with no remote-appearance policy published for probate. | Asset discovery to size the estate from out of state and confirm which route fits before anyone travels. Packet generation so the filing is accepted the first time. Attorney referral where local representation makes the trip unnecessary. |
| 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 one of Navarro County's two courts. The parent applies with the County Clerk, budgets $418.00 for the opening (citation plus posting, per the county's own schedule), and once appointed receives Letters of Administration (Estates Code § 306.002) or Letters Testamentary if there is a will (§ 306.001) at $2.00 each. The inventory follows, filed with the County Clerk before the 91st day after the representative qualifies (§ 309.051(a)), which carries no fee if timely under Navarro's own schedule. | 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 a contested matter can be transferred to the County Court at Law of Navarro County (Estates Code § 32.004). |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Navarro County Clerk (co.navarro.tx.us), (903) 654-3035 | The filing office for estates in Navarro County: the office's two departments with their hours and suite locations, the fee schedule, and the county's own case-search portal. Clerk staff can explain procedure and what the counter needs, but cannot give legal advice |
| Navarro County Court at Law (co.navarro.tx.us), 903-875-3322 | The court's own page naming the presiding judge and the court coordinator, and describing the court's concurrent jurisdiction, including probate matters |
| Navarro County Odyssey Public Access (portal-txnavarro.tylertech.cloud) | The county's own case-search portal, offering a "Civil, Family & Probate Case Records" search on its own landing page. The clerk's page also links a separate historical probate search from 1800 to 2015, which sits behind the county's own records-search disclaimer |
| eFileTexas.gov | Registration for the statewide electronic filing system, the list of certified electronic filing service providers, and filing instructions. This is where a Navarro County probate application is filed by an attorney |
| 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 Navarro 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 |
| 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, organized by region. Contact a library directly about public access; no Navarro County law library was found in this directory |
| Texas Estates Code (statutes.capitol.texas.gov) | The statute itself, including the court structure provisions in chapter 32, venue in chapter 33, letters in chapter 306, notices in chapter 308 and the inventory in chapter 309 |
When to hire an attorney
Plenty of uncontested Navarro County estates are handled without a lawyer, especially where the county's own itemized fee schedule and case search make the paperwork and the tracking easier to follow than in a county that publishes neither. Counsel 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, when a business or out-of-state property is involved, or when a guardianship has to run alongside the estate. Navarro County's contested-matter route matters here: if a matter becomes contested, the judge of the county court may, on the judge's own motion, or shall, on a party's motion, transfer the contested matter to the County Court at Law of Navarro County, and may transfer the entire proceeding there as well (Estates Code § 32.004(a)). County Clerk staff can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Texas probate attorney serving Navarro County.
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, Navarro County real property and unclaimed property, so you know what the estate holds and which estate settlement route fits before anything is filed in Corsicana.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the paperwork for your route, ready to file with the Navarro County Clerk.
Find a local probate attorney. When a matter is contested or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Texas probate attorney serving Navarro 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 Navarro County?
With the Navarro County Clerk, at the Navarro County Courthouse, 300 West 3rd Avenue, Corsicana, TX 75110. The clerk's office has a Civil Department (Basement, Suite 001A) and a Criminal Department (1st Floor, Suite 101); its page does not say which counter takes probate filings, so call (903) 654-3035 first. The case is heard by whichever of Navarro County's two courts with concurrent original probate jurisdiction dockets it: the County Court at Law of Navarro County or the Navarro County Court, the constitutional county court (Estates Code § 32.002(b)). File in Navarro County if the decedent lived here and had a domicile or fixed place of residence in Texas (§ 33.001(a)(1)).
Which court hears probate in Navarro County?
Two courts share it. Government Code § 25.1771 creates the County Court at Law of Navarro County, and because Navarro has no statutory probate court, that court and the Navarro County Court have concurrent original probate jurisdiction (Estates Code § 32.002(b)). Navarro also carries an extra grant giving the County Court at Law jurisdiction concurrent with the district court over probate matters (Government Code § 25.1772(a)(5)), but filings, fees and records stay with the Navarro County Clerk either way.
Is e-filing required for probate in Navarro County?
For attorneys, yes, statewide, since July 1, 2016 at the latest (Misc. Docket No. 13-9164). Navarro County publishes no county-specific e-filing notice of its own. An unrepresented party may e-file but is not required to under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(1); confirm with the County Clerk, (903) 654-3035, before filing on paper.
What do I do with the original will in Navarro County?
Get the wet-ink original to the County Clerk within three business days of e-filing the application. 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 it to the Navarro County Clerk, 300 West 3rd Avenue, Corsicana, TX 75110, or mail it to P.O. Box 423, Corsicana, Texas 75151-0423.
How much does it cost to file probate in Navarro County?
The County Clerk's own Schedule of Fees as of 1-1-2024 prices a standard probate opening (with citation and sheriff posting) at $418.00, built from the $360.00 statutory base ($223 local consolidated fee under Local Government Code § 135.102(a)(1) plus $137 state consolidated fee under § 133.151(a)(1)), an $8.00 citation and a $50.00 posting fee. A small estate affidavit, foreign will or open safe deposit box filing, which needs no posting, is priced at $362.00. Letters cost $2.00 each, and a later contested or adverse probate action is $120.00. A filer who cannot afford the cost files a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145).
Are there local probate forms in Navarro County?
No. Navarro County publishes no probate application, order, oath or small estate affidavit template, and Texas has no comprehensive statewide set of probate procedure forms either, so those documents are drafted by you or your attorney. What the county does publish is its own itemized fee schedule and its own probate-inclusive case search, both worth reading before you file.
How do I look up a Navarro County probate case online?
Navarro County runs its own Odyssey Public Access portal, whose own landing page offers a "Civil, Family & Probate Case Records" search. The County Clerk's page also links a separate historical probate search from 1800 to 2015, which sits behind the county's own records-search disclaimer. Documents e-filed in a Navarro probate case may also be reachable through the statewide re:SearchTX portal, which requires free registration and charges for documents. For a definitive answer, call the Navarro County Clerk at (903) 654-3035.
What happens if someone contests the will in Navarro County?
The contested matter moves to the County Court at Law of Navarro County. Estates Code § 32.004(a): "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. In addition, the judge of the county court ... may transfer the entire proceeding to the county court at law." This is different from a constitutional-county-court-only county, where a contest goes to the district court or an assigned statutory probate judge instead (§ 32.003).
Do I have to travel to Corsicana to settle an estate in Navarro County?
For the hearing, most likely, since Navarro publishes no probate remote-appearance policy. Much of the rest can be handled at a distance: attorneys e-file through eFileTexas.gov, and the county runs its own case-search portal so you can track the filing without a trip. The original will must still reach the County Clerk within three business days of an e-filed application (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21(f)(12)); it can be mailed to P.O. Box 423, Corsicana, Texas 75151-0423. The clerk's Civil Department posts hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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.