By Corcoran Smith Law Corp. · Published 2026-08-14 · Updated 2026-09-10

Probate Courts in All 58 California Counties

California has 58 counties and a superior court in each. If a decedent was domiciled in California, section 7051 places estate administration in that county regardless of where the death occurred. A nonresident's California estate follows section 7052 instead. California attorney licensing is statewide.

A straight answer about geography. California attorneys are licensed by the State Bar for the entire state and appear in any superior court, and most probate motion practice is now handled remotely. Your county decides which court hears the matter — it does not decide who can represent you. What follows names every county in the state, because the rule is the same in all of them.

Every California county

All 58, as the Judicial Council lists them. The linked ones have a page here with that court, its seat, and what the statewide statutory fee looks like against local home values. A county without a dedicated page remains covered by the statewide rules above; use the Judicial Council’s court directory and the court’s own local rules for current filing details.

55 of the 58 have a page of their own so far, with court links and local information where verified. Not seeing a link next to yours changes nothing about the answer or about whether the firm can act.

Where we meet clients in person

Representation is statewide; meetings happen in three places. Most matters run to completion without an in-person meeting at all.

Meetings in San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles. Representation everywhere in California.

Which court will hear your case

For a California-domiciled decedent, section 7051 fixes estate-administration venue by domicile. Section 7052 supplies a different property-based rule for a nonresident. Trust proceedings have their own venue statutes, so the probate rule should not be assumed to answer a trust petition.

Probate venues verified from the courts’ own current pages. Confirm the department before filing — assignments change.
County	Where probate is heard
Los Angeles County	Stanley Mosk Courthouse
Sacramento County	William R. Ridgeway Family Relations Courthouse — The probate unit is on the second floor, room 214.
Marin County	Marin County Superior Court, at the Civic Center — The probate division sits in the Hall of Justice, room 113.
Orange County	Costa Mesa Justice Complex — The probate clerk's office is on the first floor.
San Diego County	Central Courthouse
San Mateo County	Hall of Justice
Santa Clara County	Downtown Superior Court
Solano County	Old Solano Courthouse — Estates and trusts are heard in Department 22.

If your county has no page here

It makes no difference to whether the firm can act. For a California domiciliary, section 7051 applies the same domicile rule in every county; for a nonresident, section 7052 applies the property-based rule. Sections 10800 and 10810 set ordinary statutory compensation statewide. Buildings, local rules, calendars and some administration expenses vary, so confirm them with the court before filing.

Need help with legal fees?

We litigate select cases on contingency, with no upfront fees.

Costs are separate from the fee, and whether you are responsible for them is set out in the written agreement before you sign anything.

You pay no fee unless there is a recoveryThe firm carries the risk of the case. If nothing is recovered, no fee is owed.

The rate is negotiable, and must say soCalifornia requires the written agreement to state that the fee is not set by law.

Costs are separate, and disclosed up frontThe agreement must state how costs affect the fee before you sign it.

How contingency fees work in California

A contingency fee means the attorney is paid from what is recovered rather than by the hour, so a beneficiary who cannot fund litigation out of pocket can still bring a claim. California regulates these agreements closely. Under Business and Professions Code section 6147, the agreement must be in writing and the attorney must give the client a duplicate copy, signed by both, when the contract is made. It must state the agreed contingency rate; how disbursements and costs incurred in prosecuting or settling the claim will affect that fee; and to what extent the client could be required to pay for related matters. Unless the matter falls under section 6146, the agreement must also state that the fee is not set by law and is negotiable. These are not formalities: failure to comply with any provision of section 6147 makes the agreement voidable at the client’s option, leaving the attorney entitled only to a reasonable fee.

Sources: Business and Professions Code s.6147 - Contingency fee contracts · Verified 2026-08-03.

Not every matter suits a contingency arrangement, and the firm does not take every case on one. Whether yours qualifies depends on the facts, the likely recovery, and the assets actually available to satisfy a judgment. Ask when you call.

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The Probate Code sections behind this page

Each section links to its official text at the California Legislature’s own site. The full index of sections covers the rest of the Code.

Probate Code section 7051: Proper county is the county of domicile. Read section 7051
Probate Code section 7052: Venue where the decedent was not domiciled in California. Read section 7052

Also cited above, explained elsewhere on this site

Probate Code section 10800: Statutory compensation of the personal representative. Where section 10800 is explained
Probate Code section 10810: Statutory compensation of the estate attorney. Where section 10810 is explained

Talk through your next step.

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Tell us the county and we will tell you which probate department hears it and what the timing looks like.

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