Quick answer: personal property only, at or under $75,000, 30 days passed — the affidavit. A house with a will, debts paid, and the rest of the estate within $75,000 — Muniment of Title. Larger or contested — full administration. Check your own numbers with the Mississippi small estate checker.
A middle path between the affidavit and full probate
Unknown heirs still get notified
In a heirship suit clearing title, known heirs are served directly, and unknown heirs are notified by publication, before the Chancery Court's decree can actually clear title for a sale.
Heirs' property is a real Mississippi issue
Property, often farmland, passed down through generations without a clear title-clearing process is governed by Mississippi's Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act — a significant issue for family land across the state, particularly in the Delta.
What skips probate before any threshold matters
Estates held in a revocable living trust skip probate entirely, since the successor trustee handles distribution privately, alongside jointly titled property and a recorded Transfer on Death deed.
The decision, in order
- Is the property in a trust, jointly titled, or covered by a TOD deed? → Skips probate entirely.
- Personal property only, at or under $75,000, 30 days passed? → Small estate affidavit.
- A house, a will, debts paid, rest of the estate within $75,000? → Muniment of Title.
- None of the above fits → Full administration.
A local probate attorney can review your estate — many offer a free consultation.
Whichever track applies, filing happens with the Chancery Court in the decedent's own Mississippi county.