10 county schedules · 4 states
County probate court fees
In most states the probate fee is set statewide and is on the state fee pages. In Texas, Illinois and Pennsylvania the county clerk or register publishes its own total, and Ohio's probate courts each set their own cost deposits. These are the county schedules that could be read on the county's official site.
- 1Highest at $100k $591
- 2Lowest at $100k $25
- 3Median at $100k $175
- 4Schedules 19
| County | $50,000 | $500,000 | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County, IL | $479 | $479 | Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Probate Division |
| Cuyahoga County, OH | $250 | $250 | Cuyahoga County Probate Court |
| Franklin County, OH | $125 | $125 | Franklin County Probate Court |
| Hamilton County, OH | $260 | $260 | Hamilton County Probate Court |
| Allegheny County, PA | $244.75 | $594.75 | Department of Court Records, Wills/Orphans' Court Division |
| Bexar County, TX | $415 | $415 | Bexar County Clerk, Probate Department |
| Collin County, TX | $393 | $393 | Collin County Clerk, County Court at Law Clerks (probate) |
| Dallas County, TX | $360 | $360 | Dallas County Clerk, Probate Division |
| Harris County, TX | $360 | $360 | Harris County Clerk, Probate Courts |
| Travis County, TX | $360 | $360 | Travis County Clerk, Probate Division |
Why counties differ
Texas county clerks add county fund charges, notice posting and the state consolidated fee into one filing total, so the amount changes from county to county and usually each January. Ohio lets each probate court ask for an advance deposit against its costs, and the courts publish different deposits for a full administration and for release or summary release. Illinois clerks of the circuit court set their own probate filing fees, and Pennsylvania registers of wills charge by the value of the estate under county schedules.
Counties not listed
- Tarrant County, Texas: The 2026 fee schedule PDF was read, but its text lists 15 amounts for 17 filing types, so the amounts could not be matched to filings with confidence.
- Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania: The current Register of Wills schedule (revised November 18, 2024) lost its probate bracket amounts in text extraction, and the readable October 2022 schedule has a different fixed charge, so its totals are out of date.
- New England counties: Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine set probate fees statewide (Rhode Island's probate courts are municipal), so a county page would repeat the state figure. Massachusetts is on its state fee page; the other statewide schedules could not be read.
- Other large counties: In states that set probate fees by statute (Arizona, Washington, Nevada, New York, Florida, Michigan and others) the county probate court applies the state schedule shown on the state fee page. Other county schedules were not searched for once the web-search budget ran out.
See also probate court fees compared and the small estate limits, since a small-estate route often avoids opening an estate at all.
General information, not legal advice. Probate Clock does not refer anyone to lawyers.