Florida Statute 735.201
“Summary administration; nature of proceedings”
What it means
Summary administration is Florida's short-form probate — no personal representative appointed, no letters, a petition and an order of distribution. Section 735.201 sets the gate. It is available for residents and nonresidents, testate or intestate, so long as a testate decedent's will does not direct administration under chapter 733.
Then one of two doors must open: the value of the entire estate subject to administration in Florida, less exempt property, does not exceed $150,000 — raised from $75,000 effective July 1, 2026 — or the decedent has been dead more than 2 years, the same 2 years after which §733.710 bars most creditor claims.
- Cap: the entire Florida estate subject to administration, less exempt property, may not exceed $150,000.
- The cap was $75,000 for decades; chapter 2026-57, Laws of Florida, raised it to $150,000 effective July 1, 2026.
- Alternative door with no dollar cap: the decedent has been dead more than 2 years.
- In a testate estate, the will must not direct chapter 733 administration — one sentence in a will can close this route.
- Available for resident and nonresident decedents, testate and intestate alike.
How it plays out
Summary administration is the workhorse for the estates we see most — a bank account, a car, maybe a homestead, which doesn't count against the cap because it isn't subject to administration. The 2026 change matters enormously in practice: estates that missed the old $75,000 line by a car's value now qualify. The two-year door is the other half of our summary docket — families who never probated and surface years later can usually take the short form regardless of estate size.
Where this shows up
Pages on this site where § 735.201 does real work: