Probate Attorney for West Palm Beach, Florida

Probate in Palm Beach County: Where It’s Filed

West Palm Beach is in Palm Beach County, which sits in Florida’s 15th Judicial Circuit. Probate is filed with the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, in the county where the decedent was domiciled at death. Cases are handled at the Main Courthouse at 205 North Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach, one of two Palm Beach County courthouses where a probate division sits (the other is the South County Courthouse in Delray Beach). Attorneys e-file every document through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, which is why an out-of-state family can have a Palm Beach County estate handled without anyone traveling to the courthouse.

Attorneys e-file everything else, but the original will itself cannot be e-filed in Palm Beach County; the Clerk’s Probate Division in West Palm Beach takes it by hand delivery or mail, and Florida law gives whoever holds the will 10 days to deposit it after learning of the death. We serve West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County residents, including West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Royal Palm Beach, Greenacres, Lake Worth Beach, Riviera Beach, Loxahatchee.

Which Kind of Probate You’ll Need

Most Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach 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 West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County by phone, video, and e-signature.

Inherited a house or other real property here, or took charge of one as personal representative or trustee? Our guide to inheriting a house in Palm Beach County maps every office that now matters to you, including the property appraiser, tax deadlines, code enforcement, and how to watch what the county is planning near the property.

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

Every circuit publishes administrative orders and local procedures that control how probate actually runs in Palm Beach County, including which division gets the case, which checklists are required, and how proposed orders reach the judge. Under Administrative Order 6.201-3/22, ten common petition types (including formal and summary administration) are rejected with leave to refile if the completed, signed checklist is not e-filed with the petition. Roughly nineteen types of uncontested petitions get an initial review by a case manager or staff attorney before a judge sees them, and proposed orders are uploaded through the circuit’s online scheduling system.

• Administrative orders of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit
• Fifteenth Judicial Circuit judges directory
• The clerk’s probate office for Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller (15th 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 West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County residents from Miami; this is not a West Palm Beach office.