Tex. Estates Code § 31.002
This is the official text of Tex. Estates Code § 31.002, 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.
§ 31.002. MATTERS RELATED TO PROBATE PROCEEDING.
Official statutory text
(a) For purposes of this code, in a county in which there is no statutory probate court or county court at law exercising original probate jurisdiction, a matter related to a probate proceeding includes:
(1) an action against a personal representative or former personal representative arising out of the representative's performance of the duties of a personal representative;
(2) an action against a surety of a personal representative or former personal representative;
(3) a claim brought by a personal representative on behalf of an estate;
(4) an action brought against a personal representative in the representative's capacity as personal representative;
(5) an action for trial of title to real property that is estate property, including the enforcement of a lien against the property; and
(6) an action for trial of the right of property that is estate property.
(b) For purposes of this code, in a county in which there is no statutory probate court, but in which there is a county court at law exercising original probate jurisdiction, a matter related to a probate proceeding includes:
(1) all matters and actions described in Subsection (a);
(2) the interpretation and administration of a testamentary trust if the will creating the trust has been admitted to probate in the court; and
(3) the interpretation and administration of an inter vivos trust created by a decedent whose will has been admitted to probate in the court.
(c) For purposes of this code, in a county in which there is a statutory probate court, a matter related to a probate proceeding includes:
(1) all matters and actions described in Subsections (a) and (b); and
(2) any cause of action in which a personal representative of an estate pending in the statutory probate court is a party in the representative's capacity as personal representative.
(1) an action against a personal representative or former personal representative arising out of the representative's performance of the duties of a personal representative;
(2) an action against a surety of a personal representative or former personal representative;
(3) a claim brought by a personal representative on behalf of an estate;
(4) an action brought against a personal representative in the representative's capacity as personal representative;
(5) an action for trial of title to real property that is estate property, including the enforcement of a lien against the property; and
(6) an action for trial of the right of property that is estate property.
(b) For purposes of this code, in a county in which there is no statutory probate court, but in which there is a county court at law exercising original probate jurisdiction, a matter related to a probate proceeding includes:
(1) all matters and actions described in Subsection (a);
(2) the interpretation and administration of a testamentary trust if the will creating the trust has been admitted to probate in the court; and
(3) the interpretation and administration of an inter vivos trust created by a decedent whose will has been admitted to probate in the court.
(c) For purposes of this code, in a county in which there is a statutory probate court, a matter related to a probate proceeding includes:
(1) all matters and actions described in Subsections (a) and (b); and
(2) any cause of action in which a personal representative of an estate pending in the statutory probate court is a party in the representative's capacity as personal representative.
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.