Probate Attorney for Crawfordville, Florida

Probate in Wakulla County: Where It’s Filed

Crawfordville is in Wakulla County, which sits in Florida’s 2nd Judicial Circuit. Probate is filed with Greg James, the Wakulla County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller, in the county where the decedent was domiciled at death. Cases are handled at the Wakulla County Courthouse at 3056 Crawfordville Highway in Crawfordville, where the Clerk’s Courts Department takes probate filings and the county’s own circuit judge keeps chambers. Attorneys e-file every document through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, which is why an out-of-state family can have a Wakulla County estate handled without anyone traveling to the courthouse.

The Wakulla Clerk’s Courts Department, which takes probate filings, closes at 4:00 p.m. while the Official Records counter stays open until 5:00, and the Clerk publishes a rule that anyone who arrives with a filing deadline between 4 and 5 will not be treated as late if they file the next day before 4. We serve Crawfordville and Wakulla County residents, including Crawfordville, Panacea, Sopchoppy, St. Marks, Medart, Shell Point, Wakulla Station.

Which Kind of Probate You’ll Need

Most Wakulla 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 consult 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 Wakulla 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 Wakulla 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 Crawfordville and Wakulla 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 Wakulla County, including which division gets the case, which checklists are required, and how proposed orders reach the judge. Wakulla takes the Second Circuit’s own Affidavit of Heirs, a local circuit form rather than a Florida Probate Rules form, and the circuit checklists say in bold that it must be filed to proceed. The Clerk adds requirements no statute carries, namely a death certificate filed with a deposited original will, a Receipt for Deposit of Will and one courtesy certified copy handed back, and a disposition of personal property petition that a deputy clerk completes with you in person at the counter. The Courts Department that takes a probate filing closes at 4:00 p.m. while Official Records stays open until 5:00. No administrative order sets general probate practice in the Second Circuit, and no order in the index names Wakulla. What governs a Wakulla estate is the circuit’s four approved checklists and forms, because the circuit judge who hears every Wakulla case publishes a one page document saying he keeps no individual practices or procedures.

• Administrative orders of the Second Judicial Circuit
• Second Judicial Circuit judges directory
• The clerk’s probate office for Wakulla 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 Wakulla 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 Greg James, the Wakulla County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller (2nd Judicial Circuit) and the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. (retrieved 2026-06-07)

Updated August 12, 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 Crawfordville and Wakulla County residents from Miami; this is not a Crawfordville office.