Chapter 733 — Administration of Estates

Florida Statute 733.207

“Establishment and probate of lost or destroyed will”

What it means

Section 733.207 provides a way to probate a will that cannot be produced. Any interested person may establish the full and precise terms of a lost or destroyed will and offer it for probate.

The specific content of the will must be proved by the testimony of two disinterested witnesses. If a correct copy is provided, the content is instead proved by one disinterested witness. The section states only these proof requirements.

— What it says

Any interested person may establish a lost or destroyed will and offer it for probate (§ 733.207).
The required proof is testimony on the will's full and precise terms (§ 733.207).
The specific content must be proved by two disinterested witnesses (§ 733.207).
If a correct copy is provided, the content is proved by one disinterested witness (§ 733.207).

Text of the statute (2026)

§ 733.207

Any interested person may establish the full and precise terms of a lost or destroyed will and offer the will for probate. The specific content of the will must be proved by the testimony of two disinterested witnesses, or, if a correct copy is provided, it shall be proved by one disinterested witness.

Excerpts are the subsections the summary relies on. Read the full official text of § 733.207.

History. s. 1, ch. 74-106; s. 57, ch. 75-220; s. 91, ch. 2001-226.

— In a Florida probate

How it applies

A petition under this section is filed in the estate proceeding by an interested person, with testimony on the content of the will. A correct copy, such as a photocopy of the signed original, reduces the required testimony from two disinterested witnesses to one.

The statute addresses only proof of content: two disinterested witnesses, or one disinterested witness when a correct copy is provided.

Where this shows up

Pages on this site where § 733.207 does real work:

Related sections

§ 733.201Proof of wills § 732.502Execution of wills § 732.901Production of wills § 733.107Burden of proof in contests; presumption of undue influence

Questions people ask

Can you probate a copy of a will in Florida?

Yes, a lost or destroyed will can be established under Florida Statute 733.207. If a correct copy is provided, the content is proved by one disinterested witness; without a copy, two disinterested witnesses are required.

Who can petition to probate a lost will in Florida?

Any interested person may establish the full and precise terms of a lost or destroyed will and offer it for probate (Florida Statute 733.207).

Sources

Fla. Stat. § 733.207 (Who may establish a lost or destroyed will and the witness proof required.)

Last checked: October 17, 2026

The official text

This page is a plain-English summary, verified against the 2026 Florida Statutes — it is not the statute, and it isn't legal advice for your situation.

Read § 733.207

Published by the Probate.Help editorial team.How these pages are written and checked.