Central FL · Circuit 10

Polk County probate help.

We serve Polk County (including Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, and surrounding areas) under the 10th Judicial Circuit, with the county seat in Bartow. Probate, estate planning, and trust administration — all on flat fees, all remote-friendly.

Call 941.352.1006 Join the waitlist

Polk County sits between Tampa and Orlando along I-4 — Florida's fourth-largest county by area. About 725,000 residents, anchored by Lakeland (the largest city) and Bartow (the seat). 10th Judicial Circuit (shared with Highlands and Hardee).

— A probate attorney near you

Looking for a probate or estate planning attorney near you in Polk County?

We serve all of Polk County — Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, Auburndale, 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 Polk County.New-client intake is closed until late October 2026; the Polk County filing details on this page stay free to use.

— At a glance

Where you'll go. What you'll need.

The courthouse

Polk County Courthouse

Address255 N Broadway Ave, Bartow, FL 33830Phone(863) 534-4478HoursMonday–Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm

Probate Division at the main Bartow courthouse. E-filing required via myflcourtaccess.com.

Clerk's website ↗E-file portal ↗

Death certificates

FL Department of Health in Polk · Vital Statistics

Address3241 Lakeland Hills Blvd, Lakeland, FL 33805Phone(863) 519-8446HoursMonday–Friday, 8:00am – 4:00pm

Cost · $10 per certified copy · order 8–12 copies for an estate

Order 8–12 certified copies — banks, title companies, the IRS, and the court each need their own. Ordering more upfront saves trips back later.

Order online ↗

— Local notes

Probate in Polk County, as we see it.

Polk's economy is layered: Publix HQ in Lakeland, phosphate mining around Bartow, citrus across the central county, and explosive Disney-adjacent growth in northeast Polk (Haines City, Davenport). Each layer brings its own probate flavor.

Probate filings go to the Polk County Courthouse in Bartow under the 10th Judicial Circuit. E-filing via myflcourtaccess.com.

Phosphate-industry estates show up — Mosaic mineral rights and severed-mineral interests appear in Bartow-area probates more often than other Florida counties. Citrus groves are still actively held; agricultural classifications matter for property tax. Disney-adjacent NE Polk generates short-term-rental property estates with non-resident owners — ancillary administration is regular work.

— What's different about probate here

Local quirks worth knowing.

10th Judicial Circuit. Shared with Highlands and Hardee.
Phosphate-industry estates. Mosaic mineral rights and severed-mineral interests appear in Bartow-area probates.
Citrus-grove and ag-land valuations. Many estates include working groves with agricultural classification.
Disney-adjacent NE Polk growth. Haines City/Davenport short-term rental property estates, often non-resident owners.
Hurricane Ian (2022) inland damage. Significant insurance-claim assets still showing up in current estates.

— Cities & neighborhoods