Bay County probate help.
We serve Bay County (including Panama City, Panama City Beach, Lynn Haven, and surrounding areas) under the 14th Judicial Circuit, with the county seat in Panama City. Probate, estate planning, and trust administration — all on flat fees, all remote-friendly.
Looking for a probate or estate planning attorney near you in Bay County?
We serve all of Bay County — Panama City, Panama City Beach, Lynn Haven, Callaway, and the surrounding communities — with flat-fee probate, estate planning, wills, and trusts. Most of it happens by phone, email, and e-signature, so “near me” really means wherever you are in Bay County.New-client intake is closed until late October 2026; the Bay County filing details on this page stay free to use.
Where you'll go. What you'll need.
Probate in Bay County, as we see it.
Bay County is still rebuilding from Hurricane Michael, the Category 5 storm whose eyewall passed directly over Mexico Beach, Panama City, and Lynn Haven on October 10, 2018. Seven-plus years later, that storm is still in the background of a meaningful share of estates here. Unresolved insurance claims, contractor disputes, demolished-or-rebuilt homestead questions, and clouded titles from emergency repairs and lost recordings continue to surface — every Bay County intake includes a Michael check.
Probate filings go to the Bay County Courthouse in downtown Panama City under the 14th Judicial Circuit — the same circuit serving Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington (different procedures and judges from the 1st Circuit Panhandle counties). The probate office is in Room 105.
Beyond Michael, Bay's caseload is shaped by Tyndall AFB (military and DoD-civilian decedents with TSP, SBP, and VA benefit issues), Panama City Beach tourism real estate (Gulf-front condos and short-term rentals that have to be administered during probate), and standard small-city probate. Open FEMA claims and SBA disaster loans frequently survive a decedent and must be resolved by the personal representative.
Local quirks worth knowing.
- Hurricane Michael's long shadow. Mexico Beach, Panama City, Lynn Haven — many estates still involve unresolved insurance claims, demolished or partially-rebuilt homesteads, contractor disputes, or recording-office gaps from the 2018 storm.
- 14th Judicial Circuit (not the 1st). Bay sits in the 14th with Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Washington — separate from the 1st Circuit Panhandle counties (Escambia/Santa Rosa/Okaloosa/Walton).
- Tyndall AFB. Active-duty, retired military, and DoD-civilian decedents are common. Survivor Benefit Plan, TSP, and VA paperwork run alongside the probate.
- Panama City Beach short-term rentals. Gulf-front condos and rental properties show up in many estates. Existing reservation calendars, rental income, and sales-tax accounts have to be managed during administration.
- Federal disaster aid in estates. FEMA grants and SBA disaster loans tied to Michael often have open status post-decedent; the personal representative inherits the claim.
Local where you live — Bay County, top to bottom.
Save these to your phone.
Homestead exemption, post-Michael rebuild valuations, Save Our Homes portability
Vehicle title transfers, property tax. Branches in Panama City Beach and Callaway.
Bay's main hospital — records release for estate claims
One-tap kit for Bay County probate.
Adds the firm + courthouse + vital records + property appraiser + tax collector to your phone contacts in one tap.
DownloadSingle-page printable cheatsheet — courthouse address, hours, where to get death certificates, our contact, top 5 first-call resources.
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