Tex. Estates Code § 151.001
This is the official text of Tex. Estates Code § 151.001, part of Texas’s Estates Code — governs wills, probate, and estate administration.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 151.001. EXAMINATION OF DOCUMENTS OR SAFE DEPOSIT BOX WITH COURT ORDER.
Official statutory text
(a) A judge of a court that has probate jurisdiction of a decedent's estate may order a person to permit a court representative named in the order to examine a decedent's documents or safe deposit box if it is shown to the judge that:
(1) the person may possess or control the documents or that the person leased the safe deposit box to the decedent; and
(2) the documents or safe deposit box may contain:
(A) a will of the decedent;
(B) a deed to a burial plot in which the decedent is to be buried; or
(C) an insurance policy issued in the decedent's name and payable to a beneficiary named in the policy.
(b) The court representative shall examine the decedent's documents or safe deposit box in the presence of:
(1) the judge ordering the examination or an agent of the judge; and
(2) the person who has possession or control of the documents or who leased the safe deposit box or, if that person is a corporation, an officer of the corporation or an agent of an officer.
(1) the person may possess or control the documents or that the person leased the safe deposit box to the decedent; and
(2) the documents or safe deposit box may contain:
(A) a will of the decedent;
(B) a deed to a burial plot in which the decedent is to be buried; or
(C) an insurance policy issued in the decedent's name and payable to a beneficiary named in the policy.
(b) The court representative shall examine the decedent's documents or safe deposit box in the presence of:
(1) the judge ordering the examination or an agent of the judge; and
(2) the person who has possession or control of the documents or who leased the safe deposit box or, if that person is a corporation, an officer of the corporation or an agent of an officer.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a probate matter in Texas?
See all Texas Probate lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.