Safekeeping Of Wills

Pursuant to Texas Estates Code Chapter 252.001, Safekeeping and Custody of Wills - A testator, another person for the testator, an attorney, business entity, or other person in possession of a testator's will may deposit the will with the County Clerk of the County of the testator's residence.

When an original will is deposited in safekeeping, the will is not recorded or filed. The will is given a certificate number, indexed, and kept in a secure storage area. The purpose of a deposit of a will in the County Clerk's Office is to solely provide a safe and convenient repository for the will and has no legal significance.

 

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Depositing a Will

When a will is deposited with the County Clerk, the person depositing the will must complete the Certificate of Deposit and the Will Deposit Wrapper, in full.

Information on the forms include, but is not limited to:

• Name, address, and signature of the testator.
• Name and address of each person(s) who are authorized to withdraw the will, OR
• Name and address of the executor named in the will, including any alternate executors.

A receipt of deposit will be issued upon completion to the depositor.

 

The fee for depositing a Will in Safekeeping is $5.00. _{[ Local Government Code 118.052(3)(E) ]}

If the will is withdrawn and redeposited, another fee of $5.00 must be paid with each new deposit.

 

Withdrawing a Will

Wills deposited in safekeeping are not public records. Only the testator or the person(s) authorized by the testator will be allowed to withdraw the will. 

If the will is withdrawn during the lifetime of the testator:

• The testator must have the Receipt of Deposit and a Photo ID.
• A person authorized to withdraw the will must have the Receipt of Deposit, a Photo ID, and a Sworn Written Order, signed by the testator and notarized, allowing them to withdraw the will.

If the will is withdrawn after the death of the testator:

• A person authorized to withdraw the will must have a Photo ID and Proof of Death of the Testator.
• The name of the person authorized to withdraw the will and the name on the photo ID must match, or the Clerk will require additional documentation to prove a name change.

A receipt of withdrawal will be issued to the person upon completion of withdrawing the will.

 

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Wills for Safekeeping can be deposited at:
Fort Bend County Clerk, Justice Center
1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, STE #11005
Richmond, Texas 77469

Monday thru Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

If you have any questions regarding Safekeeping of Wills, please email the Courts Division at:
cclerkcourts@fortbendcountytx.gov

Fort Bend County Offices will be closed to observe the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Also, on this day we will also have the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service event. Click the link for more information.

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Fort Bend is one of the most diverse counties in Texas, and County Clerk Laura Richard is proud to offer more than 240 language translations when doing business with the Fort Bend County Clerk's office. We have access to world-class linguists to assist customers in communicating with us.  Confidentiality and security of all personal information is of the utmost importance with this service.

By providing this service to our customers, we are ensuring compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  

Whether you need a marriage license, birth certificate, need help filing a DBA, property records or transacting County Clerk court business within our office, we are ready to assist you in your spoken language at all of our locations.
 

Payment Information

Personal checks (as of October 28, 2024) and business checks (as of January 1, 2025) will no longer be accepted in Official Public Records. Payment may be made by cash (in person only), Money Order, credit cards (Visa, Master Card, Discover, and American Express), or cashier's check.

TABC Certification Requests 

The Fort Bend County Clerk’s office certifies TABC pre-qualification packets as required by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code.

We verify the following:

• Wet/dry status
• Permit type
• Whether or not the location violates Local Alcohol Distance Regulations
• Address is within Fort Bend County

Please bring or mail the following documents when requesting certification:

• The most recent required certification form. The L-CERT form version 7/2022 or later is preferred but we will accept the summary printout. All pages must be included or it will not be accepted. Printed screen shots will not be accepted. Please note Late Hours (LH) is an additional printout in AIMS.  
• Fees: $5.00 for each type of certification required.

Per code, the County Clerk’s office has 30 days in which to certify or deny the application. Length of time is dependent upon the workload of the investigation team which reports to another county department.

The staff in the County Clerk's office are not attorneys and will not give any legal advice. For more information on TABC pre-qualification packet, please visit the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission website or contact your local TABC office.
 

 

Scheduled Maintenance
Thursday evening, January 20th from 7:00PM – 12:00am
We will be performing a system maintenance. During the maintenance window the County Clerk's public access sites may experience a short amount of downtime.

All Fort Bend County Clerk locations will be observing the holiday hours of 8 AM – 2 PM on Wednesday, December 22. Offices will be closed on Thursday, December 23 and Friday, December 24 in observance of Christmas. Our offices will resume normal hours on Monday, December 27. 
Thank you!

Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP) processing daily at our Main Office (William B. Travis Building) from 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM.