Probate Attorney for Pensacola, Florida

Probate in Escambia County: Where It’s Filed

Pensacola is in Escambia County, which sits in Florida’s 1st Judicial Circuit. Probate is filed with the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court, in the county where the decedent was domiciled at death. Cases are handled at the M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building at 190 West Government Street in Pensacola. Attorneys e-file every document through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, which is why an out-of-state family can have a Escambia County estate handled without anyone traveling to the courthouse.

We serve Pensacola and Escambia County residents, including Pensacola, Pensacola Beach, Cantonment, Molino, Brent, Ferry Pass, Bellview, Gonzalez.

Which Kind of Probate You’ll Need

Most Escambia 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 Escambia 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 Escambia 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 Pensacola and Escambia 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 Escambia County, including which division gets the case, which checklists are required, and how proposed orders reach the judge. Escambia requires a signed attorney certification checklist filed at the same moment as the petition, one for opening a formal administration, one for summary administration, and one for closing, and the opening checklist makes the attorney certify line by line that the original will was filed and that it is self-proved or backed by a witness oath. A conflict in an Escambia probate case also does not move it to another probate judge, it sends the case to a civil division. The circuit keeps circuit-wide administrative orders and a separate set of county administrative directives, and in Escambia it is the county directives that govern probate practice.

• Administrative orders of the First Judicial Circuit
• First Judicial Circuit judges directory
• The clerk’s probate office for Escambia 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 Escambia 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 Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court (1st 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 Pensacola and Escambia County residents from Miami; this is not a Pensacola office.