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The probate courts' order (signed July 9, 2024) that any small estate affidavit under Estates Code ch. 205 must substantially comply with the form posted on the Probate Court No. 1 website to be approved; every affidavit filed after July 9, 2024 requires a posted general citation (Estates Code §§ 51.001, 51.003, 51.053, 51.104) with no action until the first Monday after the citation is returned; and the applicant must file an original death certificate with the first six digits of the decedent's Social Security number redacted.
Texas > Denton County > Probate Court No. 1 and Probate Court No. 2 — applicants filing small estate affidavits under Estates Code ch. 205.
[File stamp: FILE FOR RECORD, DENTON COUNTY CLERK, AUG 05 2024, JULI LUKE, by [initials] DEPUTY] S.O. PR-2024-00001 Administrative Order Regarding Small Estate Affidavits § In the Probate Courts of Denton County, Texas Administrative and Standing Order Regarding The Filing of a Small Estate Affidavit in the Denton County Probate Court On this day, the Court finds there is need for an administrative order regarding the form to be used when a Small Estate Affidavit is filed in the Denton County Probate Court under Texas Estates Code Chapter 205. The Court finds that a significant number of Small Estate Affidavits filed in Denton County do not provide all of the information the Code and Court require. Approval of a Small Estate Affidavit is within the Court's discretion (see Estates Code §205.003). Therefore, the Court has created a Small Estate Affidavit Form that if completely and correctly filled out includes all of the information necessary for the Court to determine whether or not the Small Estate Affidavit should be approved or denied. Any Small Estate Affidavit filed with the Court should substantially comply with the form and content of the Small Estate Affidavit, which is posted on the Denton Probate Court No. 1's website: https://www.dentoncounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2660/Complete-Small-Estate-Affidavit-PDF. The Court finds that it is in the best interest of each Estate for which a Small Estate Affidavit is filed that the Affidavit substantially comply with the form and content of the Small Estate Affidavit provided on the Denton County Probate Court's website. The Court finds that it is in the best interest of each Estate for which a Small Estate Affidavit is filed that a general citation shall be posted and returned in accordance with Texas Estates Codes §51.001, §51.003, §51.053 and §51.104. The Court finds that it is in the best interest of each Estate for which a Small Estate Affidavit is filed for an original Certificate of Death, with the first six (6) digits of the Decedent's social security number redacted (XXX-XX-X123), to be filed with the County Clerk. It is ORDERED that any Small Estate Affidavit filed after July 9, 2024 shall have a General Citation posted. It is ORDERED that the contents of the General Citation shall be in a form that substantially complies with TEC §51.003. It is ORDERED that the service of citation shall be by posting in a manner that substantially complies with §51.053 and §51.104. It is ORDERD no action will be taken on a Small Estate Affidavit until the first Monday after the General Citation is returned to the Court. It is therefore ORDERED that in order to be approved by the Court a Small Estate Affidavit filed after September 1, 2017 must substantially comply with the form and content of the Small Estate Affidavit provided on the Denton County Probate Court's website. It is ORDERED that the Applicant(s) filing a Small Estate Affidavit after July 9, 2024 shall also file with the Denton County Probate Clerk an original Certificate of Death, with the first six (6) digits of the Decedent's social security number redacted (XXX-XX-X123). Signed on July 9, 2024 [signature] Hon. David W. Jahn, Presiding Judge, Probate Court No. 1, Denton County, Texas [seal: Probate Court, Denton County, Texas] [signature] Hon. Christopher Everett, Presiding Judge, Probate Court No. 2, Denton County, Texas [Footer on page 1: 00001]
[File stamp: FILE FOR RECORD, DENTON COUNTY CLERK, AUG 05 2024, JULI LUKE, by [initials] DEPUTY] S.O. PR-2024-00001 Administrative Order Regarding Small Estate Affidavits § In the Probate Courts of Denton County, Texas Administrative and Standing Order Regarding The Filing of a Small Estate Affidavit in the Denton County Probate Court On this day, the Court finds there is need for an administrativ
Reviewer note: Text-layer registration (2 pp) read in full 2026-09-06; quoted verbatim; signed by Judge Christopher J. Everett (Court No. 2). Composed benchpath-ajr8-denton. County-site receipt(s) in custody 2026-09-06: https://www.dentoncounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2614/Administration-and-Standing-Order-Regarding-the-Filing-of-a-Small-Estate-Affidavit-in-the-Denton-County-Probate-Court-PDF (identical edition). [TRANSCRIBED BY EYE 2026-09-21 (corpus-0920 P12): every page of the registered file (sha256 216750aa658d..., 2 page(s), digital layer that failed the machine checks; text taken from the layer and corrected word by word from the page) read against the rendered file; verbatim, source typos kept, stamps/signatures bracketed; the earlier abstract replaced by the full instrument; confidence high. benchpath-tx-corpus0920-p12-2026-09-21]
Standing order of the 109th Judicial District Court for every pending or later-filed case in Andrews, Winkler and Crane Counties: any attorney or self-represented litigant who uses any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting in a case must, before using AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, sign and submit the court's certification form stating that all language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments and legal analysis created or contributed to by generative AI were verified as accurate by a human through traditional (non-AI) legal sources, and acknowledging responsibility and potential sanctions for their or their co-counsel's failure to comply. Effective immediately; in effect until rescinded or replaced.
Standing order of the 109th Judicial District Court for every pending or later-filed case in Andrews, Winkler and Crane Counties: any attorney or self-represented litigant who uses any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting in a case must, before using AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, sign and submit the court's certification form stating that all language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments and legal analysis created or contributed to by generative AI were verified as accurate by a human through traditional (non-AI) legal sources, and acknowledging responsibility and potential sanctions for their or their co-counsel's failure to comply. Effective immediately; in effect until rescinded or replaced.