Marshall County Probate Court
Probate Judge Andrea Lecroy is the countywide elected official who administers the Probate Court, Licensing Office, and Public Records Office. The Probate Judge is also Marshall County's chief elections official and serves with Sheriff Phil Sims and Circuit Clerk Angie Johnson on the official Appointing and Canvassing Board for county, state, and federal elections. That broad role explains why the office holds more than estate cases.
The official Marshall County Probate page links forms and instructions for claims against estates, guardianship requests, adult name changes, recording fees, estates, guardianships and conservatorships, involuntary commitments, and adoption. It also links UCC and instrument indexing and business-license material. Probate records may include petitions, notices, bonds, letters, inventories, creditor claims, accountings, court orders, reports, and final settlement records. The public scope depends on the case type.
The county's official Probate page is also the source for local office details and service links.
This office is the primary local source when an online probate result does not include the filed document or certification a requester needs.
Marshall County Probate Terms
Probate files use short terms for the people, property, and court authority involved. These definitions help distinguish an estate appointment from court supervision for a living person.
- Testator
- The person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named to carry out the will, subject to the court process.
- Intestate
- Dying without a will.
- Guardianship
- Court authority focused on the personal care or decisions of a person who needs protection.
- Conservatorship
- Court authority focused on managing protected property or finances.
An estate file can show who sought appointment, whether a bond was required, what letters the court issued, and how claims and assets were handled. Guardianship and conservatorship cases may remain under court supervision through later reports or accountings.
Search Marshall County Probate Records
The Marshall Probate online services portal provides landing-page links to look up land records and probate case records. It also shows account login, sign-up instructions, search instructions, R.E.A.A.C.T., and terms and conditions. The captured page does not expose the detailed case-search fields, so use its search instructions and terms before beginning.
| Portal control | Type | Access note |
|---|---|---|
| Look up Land Records | Portal link | Public landing-page option |
| Look up Probate Case Records | Portal link | Public landing-page option |
| Record Account Login | Login link | Used for account features |
| R.E.A.A.C.T. | Service link | Details require opening the link |
| Search Instructions | Help control | Explains interactive searching |
| Terms and Conditions | Required terms | Prohibits automation and scraping |
- Choose the land-record lookup or probate-case lookup based on the record type.
- Read the search instructions and accept the portal terms. The terms prohibit automation and scraping.
- Use the available account or public search path and identify the estate, party, instrument, or case as precisely as possible.
- Contact the Probate Office when the record is older, unavailable online, or needs a certified copy.
The online services image comes from the Marshall County Probate portal.
The landing page separates probate cases from land records, which helps prevent searching the wrong index.
Marshall County Probate Office Access
Marshall County has one countywide Probate Court office identified in the research. It is across Gunter Avenue from the Marshall County Courthouse rather than inside the Circuit Clerk's suite. In-person visitors can ask about filing, official forms, the current fee sheet, certified copies, and records that do not appear in the portal.
Marshall County Probate Court
Probate Judge: Andrea Lecroy
425 Gunter Avenue, Suite 110
Guntersville, AL 35976
(256) 571-7764 or (256) 571-7732
probate@marshallco.org
Phone or email is the practical fallback before a trip. Ask whether the matter can be searched online, whether identification or authority is needed, and which payment form applies. Probate case files are not maintained through the ordinary Circuit Clerk division menu.
Marshall County Probate Record Fees
The official Probate page links a Probate Court Fee Sheet and recording-fee information. General line-item charges for estates, guardianships, and certified copies were not captured in the research. Those amounts should be confirmed with the office or current fee sheet. Two notary amounts are documented from the office's revised-process notice.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estate or will filing | Confirm with current Probate Court Fee Sheet |
| Guardianship or conservatorship filing | Confirm with Probate Office |
| Certified copy or older-record service | Confirm with Probate Office |
| New notary application filing | $10.00 |
| Notary bond and certificate recording filing | $61.00 |
The notary process also requires a $50,000 notary bond and online training under the office's update effective September 1, 2023. The bond amount is not a filing fee. Probate recording and court charges vary by instrument or case, so the current source controls.
What Marshall County Probate Records Show
An estate file may begin with a petition or application, a will if one exists, and a request to appoint a personal representative. Court review can lead to a bond, letters testamentary or letters of administration, and notice to interested people or creditors. Later records may include inventories, creditor claims, accountings, distribution papers, and a final settlement order.
| Matter | Common record content |
|---|---|
| Estate or will | Petition, will, bond, letters, notices, inventory, claims, accounting, orders |
| Guardianship | Request, incapacity allegations, notice, hearing record, appointment, later reports |
| Conservatorship | Property-management request, bond, accounting, court supervision |
| Adult name change | Application, supporting documents, and court order, subject to access rules |
| Public recording | Instrument index and recorded document information |
A Claim Against Estate PDF and a Request to be Guardian form are among the official links. Use the form that matches the matter. A land-record result is not a substitute for an estate docket, and a probate-case index may not contain every scanned filing.
Restricted Marshall County Probate Records
Adoption and involuntary-commitment matters require special care. Alabama Code Section 26-10E-30 makes adoption records and hearings confidential, with access limited to specified persons or a court order. Mental-health proceedings can contain sensitive medical information. Contact the Probate Court about authorized-party access rather than expecting a public online search.
The official Alabama adoption-record statute is represented in an image sourced from the Alabama Legislature.
The statute is why an adoption handled by Marshall County Probate Court is not an ordinary public probate file.
Other probate documents may contain protected identifiers or be restricted by law, court rule, or order. Guardianship and conservatorship records can also involve private medical or financial detail. The office can explain the access process, but court personnel cannot give legal advice or predict a result.
Public access and authorized-party access are different. A person involved in a restricted matter may have a lawful request route even when the general public cannot search the file. The Probate Office can identify whether a court order, identification, or proof of authority is required. It cannot decide eligibility or act as a lawyer.
File Marshall County Probate Matters
First identify whether the matter is an estate, guardianship, conservatorship, name change, adoption, involuntary commitment, or public recording. Then use the official instructions and form for that category. Estate administration may require court review, bond, letters, notice, inventory or accounting, claims, distribution, and final settlement. Guardianships and conservatorships may require a hearing and ongoing reports.
Typical estate flow: Petition or application › Court review › Bond and letters when required › Notice › Inventory and claims › Accounting and distribution › Final settlement.
Submit the filing to the Probate Office and use the current fee sheet. For a certified copy or an old file, provide the estate or party name and case details that are known. A requester who instead needs a marriage certificate may use Probate or the certified-copy routes described in the Marshall County marriage and divorce records.
An estate creditor can begin with the official Claim Against Estate PDF linked by the Probate Office. A person seeking guardianship should use the linked Request to be Guardian instructions and form. Adult name-change applicants have separate instructions. Choosing the right category helps staff distinguish a court filing from a land-record search, UCC index request, license service, or election-related question.
Estate administration is not complete when letters are issued. Notice, claims, inventory, accountings, distributions, and final settlement can add later entries to the probate record. A current index result may therefore change as the case proceeds. Ask for the particular filed paper when an index or case name alone is not enough.
Note: Probate Court is separate from the Circuit Clerk, even though both offices serve the same county courthouse area.
Marshall County Probate Land Records
The Probate Office also manages public recordings, UCC and instrument indexing, and land-record access. The online services landing page keeps “Look up Land Records” separate from “Look up Probate Case Records.” Select land records for a recorded instrument and probate cases for estates or other court matters. A name in one index does not establish that the same person has a probate estate.
For an official or certified instrument, contact the Probate Office after finding the index entry. Give the names, instrument details, and date range that are known. Current recording fees appear through the official office links. No uncaptured fee should be estimated.