Georgia Probate: The Basics

UPDATED: Nov 10, 2024

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UPDATED: Nov 10, 2024

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It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

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UPDATED: Nov 10, 2024

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It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

UPDATED: Nov 10, 2024Fact Checked

Aside from being an emotional process, the death of a loved one can carry legal ramifications as well. In Georgia, the collection and distribution of a decedent’s possessions and property (collectively known as their “estate”) falls under probate law. However, don’t hire a lawyer just yet – some situations allow you to navigate Georgia probate law yourself.

How to Bypass Georgia Probate

Certain property can bypass the Georgia probate process altogether. For example, jointly held property such as bank accounts, cars, or homes are exempt, while living trusts, IRAs, life insurance policies and other contract assetscan also bypass the Georgia probate system. This allows for quick distribution of assets known to be designated for a particular party without having to go through a lengthy court process.

Additional Georgia Probate Resources

Georgia Probate Courts Website

Georgia Probate Code(See Title 53: Wills, Trusts and Administration of Estates)

Atkinson County
Bacon County
Baker County
Baldwin County
Banks County
Barrow County
Bartow County
Ben Hill County
Berrien County
Bibb County
Bleckley County
Brantley County
Brooks County
Bryan County
Bulloch County
Burke County
Butts County
Calhoun County
Camden County
Candler County
Carroll County
Catoosa County
Charlton County
Chatham County
Chattahoochee County
Chattooga County
Cherokee County
Clarke County
Clay County
Clayton County
Clinch County
Cobb County
Coffee County
Colquitt County
Columbia County
Cook County
Coweta County
Crawford County
Crisp County
Dade County
Dawson County
Decatur County
DeKalb County
Dodge County
Dooly County
Dougherty County
Douglas County
Early County
Echols County
Effingham County
Elbert County
Emanuel County
Evans County
Fannin County
Fayette County
Floyd County
Forsyth County
Franklin County
Fulton County
Gilmer County
Glascock County
Glynn County
Gordon County
Grady County
Greene County
Gwinnett County
Habersham County
Hall County
Hancock County
Haralson County
Hart County
Harris County
Heard County
Henry County
Houston County
Irwin County
Jackson County
Jasper County
Jeff Davis County
Jefferson County
Jenkins County
Johnson County
Jones County
Lamar County
Lanier County
Laurens County
Lee County
Liberty County
Lincoln County
Long County
Lowndes County
Lumpkin County
Macon County
Madison County
Marion County
McDuffie County
McIntosh County
Meriwether County
Miller County
Mitchell County
Monroe County
Montgomery County
Morgan County
Murray County
Muscogee County
Newton County
Oconee County
Oglethorpe County
Paulding County
Peach County
Pickens County
Pierce County
Pike County
Polk County
Pulaski County
Putnam County
Quitman County
Rabun County
Randolph County
Richmond County
Rockdale County
Schley County
Screven County
Seminole County
Spalding County
Stephens County
Stewart County
Sumter County
Talbot County
Taliaferro County
Tattnall County
Taylor County
Telfair County
Terrell County
Thomas County
Tift County
Toombs County
Towns County
Treutlen County
Troup County
Turner County
Twiggs County
Union County
Upson County
Walker County
Walton County
Ware County
Warren County
Washington County
Wayne County
Webster County
Wheeler County
White County
Whitfield County
Wilcox County
Wilkes County
Wilkinson County
Worth County

Also, see our article on Georgia Probate Procedure

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Jeffrey Johnson

Insurance Lawyer

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

Insurance Lawyer

Mary Martin

Published Legal Expert

Mary Martin has been a legal writer and editor for over 20 years, responsible for ensuring that content is straightforward, correct, and helpful for the consumer. In addition, she worked on writing monthly newsletter columns for media, lawyers, and consumers. Ms. Martin also has experience with internal staff and HR operations. Mary was employed for almost 30 years by the nationwide legal publi...

Published Legal Expert

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

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