Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: Fulton County, Georgia’s most populous, charges $209.00 to file a petition to probate a will or to open administration without one.
If a trust could save your estate this fee in Georgia
A living trust avoids probate entirely in Georgia, which means the estate skips the $209.00 above along with every other cost the court charges once a case is open. LawDepot builds a state-specific one.
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What Georgia charges to open probate
Georgia sets the base probate court filing fee by statute, O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60, which charges $175.00 for an estate petition, and the clerk collects other sums required by law in addition to it, so the total at the counter can be higher than the base fee.
| Petition to probate a will, initial filing (Fulton County) | $209.00 |
| Petition for letters of administration, initial filing (Fulton County) | $209.00 |
| Subsequent filing (Fulton County) | $205.00 |
Georgia’s base probate fees are set by statute, O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60; Fulton County (Atlanta) is shown as the largest-county example.
Where this money goes and who sets it
The authority for this figure is O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60, as rewritten by Senate Bill 232 effective January 1, 2025; Fulton County Probate Court fee schedule. In the source’s own words: “$209 Initial Filing”
What this fee doesn’t cover
Because Georgia sets the base fee by statute, the base fee is the same in every county, although add-on charges collected with it can make the total differ. Either way, this is the court’s own charge just to open the file and issue letters, separate from what an attorney charges to actually handle the estate and separate from any state estate or inheritance tax the estate itself might owe.
Sources
Source: O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60, as rewritten by Senate Bill 232 effective January 1, 2025; Fulton County Probate Court fee schedule.
- O.C.G.A. § 15-9-60, as rewritten by Senate Bill 232 effective January 1, 2025; Fulton County Probate Court fee schedule
- Georgia state court / legislature site
Considering a trust instead? How much a living trust costs in Georgia compares attorney and DIY pricing against what probate itself would cost here.