To look up probate records in California, start with the Superior Court in the county where the deceased person lived. Each county keeps its own probate files, and most offer some form of online case access, in-person review at the clerk’s office, and mail requests for copies. Fees begin at $0.50 per page, and viewing a file at the courthouse costs nothing.
Find the Right County Superior Court
California probate cases are filed in the Superior Court of the county where the deceased person was domiciled at death. Where they actually died doesn’t matter. Jurisdiction follows the home address.1Justia Law. California Probate Code 7050-7052
If the deceased lived out of state but owned California property, the case is filed in the county where that property sits. When property was spread across multiple California counties, jurisdiction goes to whichever county receives the first petition.1Justia Law. California Probate Code 7050-7052
Not sure which county? Start with the last known home address. The California Courts directory lists every county Superior Court, and most county sites have a dedicated probate division page with phone numbers and hours.
What You Need Before You Search
The probate case number is the most useful thing you can have. With it, the clerk can pull the file immediately and you skip any search fee. Without it, courts index cases by party name, so the deceased person’s full legal name is your next best tool. Their approximate date of death or the year they died helps narrow results when common names return several matches.
You cannot search California probate indexes by property address. If real estate is the reason you’re looking, the county assessor’s office can identify the owner, and that name becomes your search key.
Search the County’s Online Portal
There is no statewide probate portal. Each county Superior Court operates its own online case access system, and features vary widely. Some let you search by party name and view documents from home; others limit you to a case index or require a case number to search at all.
Larger counties tend to have more capable systems. Orange County’s Probate Case Access portal lets the public search case data without visiting the courthouse.2Superior Court of California | County of Orange. Probate Case Access Sacramento County moved its probate records to a new system that requires an account before you can view case information.3Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento. Probate Home Some portals show full documents; others show only the index and route you to the courthouse for the actual filings.
Online systems often lag behind the paper file. Recent filings may not appear for days or weeks. If you need the latest activity in an active case, call the clerk or go in person.
Visit the Courthouse
You can walk into the Superior Court clerk’s office in the relevant county and ask to view a probate file. Give the clerk the deceased person’s name or the case number, and they’ll pull the file or point you to a public access terminal. Some courthouses have self-service kiosks for searching case indexes, and staff can help locate physical files if the case predates the electronic system. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID; most courts require one before releasing records.4California Courts. Who, Where, and How of Viewing Courts Electronic Case Records
Viewing costs nothing. You only pay if you want copies. That makes an in-person visit the cheapest way to work through a file when you aren’t sure yet which documents you actually need.
Request Records by Mail
If you can’t visit, send a written request to the clerk’s office. Include the case name, case number, and a clear description of the specific documents you want. Enclose a check or money order for the estimated copying cost, payable to the county clerk of the court, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope large enough to hold the documents.5Justia. Mail Request for Court Records REC-01 If you don’t know the exact cost, some counties accept a “not to exceed” check with a stated maximum. Expect mail requests to take several weeks, longer if the clerk has to search for the case or retrieve the file from off-site storage.
Fees for Copies and Searches
California sets court copy and search fees statewide. As of January 1, 2026:
- Photocopies: $0.50 per page
- Certified copies: $40 per document
- Records search: $15 for each search that takes longer than 10 minutes
The search fee applies when you don’t have a case number and the clerk has to hunt through the index.6California Courts. Statewide Civil Fee Schedule Effective January 1, 2026 With a case number in hand, you skip it. Only request certified copies when you need the court’s official stamp, such as when transferring property or filing in another court. Regular photocopies are enough for almost everything else.
Fee Waivers
If you can’t afford the fees, California offers a waiver through Form FW-001. You qualify if your gross monthly household income falls below set thresholds. For 2026 those are $2,660 for a single person, $3,606.67 for a family of two, $4,553.33 for a family of three, and $5,500 for a family of four. You can also qualify by receiving certain public benefits or by showing that your income doesn’t cover basic needs plus court costs.7California Courts. FW-001 Request to Waive Court Fees The waiver covers making and certifying copies of court records.8California Courts. Information Sheet on Waiver of Superior Court Fees and Costs
What You Won’t See in the File
Probate files are public, but not everything inside them is visible. California Rule of Court 1.201 requires parties to redact Social Security numbers (only the last four digits may appear) and financial account numbers from any document filed in the public file, whether paper or electronic.9California Courts. Rule 1.201 Protection of Privacy
Beyond that routine redaction, a court can seal entire documents or portions of a file. Sealing requires a court order; the parties can’t just agree to it.10California Courts. Rule 2.551 Procedures for Filing Records Under Seal If a file you’re reviewing contains sealed material, getting access would require your own motion and a compelling reason. That situation is rare for most people looking up records.
Older and Archived Cases
California courts are required to keep probate files for deceased persons’ estates permanently, so a case from any era should still exist somewhere in the system.11Justia Law. California Government Code Chapter 1.4 Management of Trial Court Records Finding very old records in practice can take more work. The file may live off-site, on microfilm, or outside the court’s electronic index.
For research going back into the 1800s and early 1900s, two additional sources help:
- California State Archives holds probate records from 28 California counties, primarily covering the mid-1800s through the early 1900s, including Amador, Butte, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Sonoma. Most are on microfilm. Contact the Archives through the Secretary of State’s office or visit in person in Sacramento.12California Secretary of State. Local Government Records at the California State Archives
- FamilySearch.org has digitized more than two million images of California probate estate files from 1833 to 1991, covering counties including Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Napa, Sacramento, San Benito, and Solano. Browsing is free.13FamilySearch. California, Probate Estate Files, 1833-1991
For older records that haven’t been digitized, plan on working with microfilm or physical documents. Indexes for those collections are sometimes incomplete, so a full name and an approximate date of death matter even more.