Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: In Tennessee, you have 2 years to contest a will that has already been admitted to probate, running from entry of the order admitting the will to probate.
How long do you have to contest a will in Tennessee?
| Deadline to contest an admitted will | 2 years |
| What starts the clock | entry of the order admitting the will to probate |
| Dedicated will-contest statute? | Yes |
“All actions or proceedings to set aside the probate of any will, or petitions to certify a will for an issue of devisavit vel non, must be brought within two (2) years from entry of the order admitting the will to probate, or be forever barred.”
Source: Tenn. Code Ann. § 32-4-108
What makes Tennessee different
Tennessee’s 2-year window explicitly preserves minority and incompetency tolling under the state’s general tolling statute (Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-1-106). The controlling authority is Tenn. Code Ann. § 32-4-108, and the window runs from entry of the order admitting the will to probate.
What happens once this deadline passes?
Once the window above closes, Tennessee’s probate of the will generally becomes final and binding on everyone who had the chance to object, subject only to the tolling or discovery exceptions described above; a separate objection Tennessee allowed at the original probate hearing does not reopen or extend it.
Sources
| Statute / rule | Tenn. Code Ann. § 32-4-108 |
| Tennessee courts (general reference) | Tennessee judicial branch |
| Confidence | High |
Every statute or rule quoted on this Tennessee page was read directly from the state’s own legislature/court/code site this session, or, where that site blocked automated access, from a reputable legal-citation mirror quoting the same official text with its official citation (disclosed below). General information, not legal advice; whether a specific contest is still timely can turn on facts (exactly when notice was given, how the will was probated, whether a disability applies) that only your own Tennessee probate court file can confirm.