Probate Attorney for Gainesville, Florida

Probate in Alachua County: Where It’s Filed

Gainesville is in Alachua County, which sits in Florida’s 8th Judicial Circuit. Probate is filed with the Alachua County Clerk of the Court, in the county where the decedent was domiciled at death. Cases are handled at the Family and Civil Justice Center at 201 East University Avenue in Gainesville. Attorneys e-file every document through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, which is why an out-of-state family can have a Alachua County estate handled without anyone traveling to the courthouse.

In Alachua County, probate is handled at the Family and Civil Justice Center, separate from the criminal courthouse. We serve Gainesville and Alachua County residents, including Gainesville, Alachua, Newberry, High Springs, Archer, Hawthorne.

Which Kind of Probate You’ll Need

Most Alachua County estates pass through one of three doors. The cheapest one may be open.

• Disposition without administration. Tiny estates with only exempt property and final-expense reimbursement; days to weeks.
• Summary administration. Estates of $150,000 or less (raised from $75,000 on July 1, 2026) after exempt property, or when the decedent died more than two years ago; often weeks.
• Formal administration. Everything else; a personal representative is appointed and the case runs about 6 to 12 months.

We confirm which applies at your consultation and quote a flat fee. Estimate the cost and timeline first →

How Long, and What It Costs

Formal administration is paced by the 3-month creditor-claim window; clean distribution waits for it to pass. Florida law sets a presumed-reasonable attorney fee scaled to the estate, but it’s a ceiling, not a mandate. Our flat fees start at $1,500 (disposition), $2,500 (summary), and $3,500 (formal). Government costs, the Alachua County filing fee (about $400), newspaper publication, and certified copies, are additional and passed through at cost. See the full Florida probate guide →

Out-of-State Personal Representatives

Under Florida law, you can serve as personal representative of a Alachua County estate from another state if you’re related to the decedent by blood, adoption, or marriage; an out-of-state child qualifies. We represent personal representatives across Gainesville and Alachua County by phone, video, and e-signature.

Local Rules, Judges, and the Clerk’s Probate Office

Every circuit publishes administrative orders and local procedures that control how probate actually runs in Alachua County, including which division gets the case, which checklists are required, and how proposed orders reach the judge. The court will not enter an order determining homestead until the creditor publication period and the known creditor claim period have both expired, unless you move for it on good cause and set a hearing. Filing is also not presenting. The court is not notified of new filings, so the parties have to place the matter before the court by email, and nothing is entered until the clerk has docketed and imaged everything, which the court warns can take 7 to 10 days. The circuit numbers its orders in series, and Series 7 is the probate and guardianship series. The order that changes timelines most often is 7.14, which blocks an order determining homestead until the creditor periods have run.

• Administrative orders of the Eighth Judicial Circuit
• Eighth Judicial Circuit judges directory
• The clerk’s probate office for Alachua County
• Local probate forms and checklists

You do not have to learn any of this yourself. Part of what a flat fee covers is an attorney who already files under these rules, so nothing bounces back for a missing checklist.

Rather handle the filing yourself? Our Alachua County Probate Court filing guide is the procedural version of this page, with the courthouse address, where the original will goes, which forms the county wants, the posted filing fee, and an eleven-step checklist for opening the estate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Fla. Stat. ch. 733 to 735 (administration); §733.304 (nonresident PR); §733.702 (creditor claims); Fla. Prob. R. 5.030 (attorney required). Filing via the Alachua County Clerk of the Court (8th Judicial Circuit) and the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. (retrieved 2026-06-07)

Updated September 29, 2026. Reviewed by Kevin D. Klagge, Esq., Fla. Bar No. 99502. Attorney Kevin Klagge represents families, businesses, and international clients in estate and tax planning, business structuring, and international law, with a focus on Florida legal tools. He litigates estate and business issues in court. General information about Florida law, not legal advice. We serve Gainesville and Alachua County residents from Miami; this is not a Gainesville office.