By Corcoran Smith Law Corp. · Published · Updated
Probate in San Mateo County, California
Probate for a San Mateo County resident is filed with the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo, seated at Redwood City. Under Probate Code section 7051 the proper county is where the decedent was domiciled, regardless of where they actually died.
Find the case and prepare for the next hearing
San Mateo publishes probate tentative rulings by hearing day, normally by 3 p.m. on the prior court day, and retains them online for five calendar days. Probate hearings are at the Southern Branch. Remote probate appearances use Zoom audio/video; obtain the current credentials and follow the linked appearance procedure rather than reusing an old meeting link.
Official court resources checked . Confirm current filing and appearance requirements with the court. If a record is unavailable online, ask the clerk about access and copies.
A resident’s estate normally belongs in the county of domicile under section 7051. For a person domiciled outside California, section 7052 supplies a different property-based rule. Check the nonresident process before filing. Appointment and issued letters are needed before acting as personal representative; see opening an estate.
Sources: Probate Code s.7051 - Proper county is the county of domicile · Probate Code s.7052 - Venue where the decedent was not domiciled in California · Probate Code s.8000 - Petition commencing administration · Probate Code s.8400 - No power to administer until letters issue · Verified 2026-08-20.
The court that will hear it
| Detail | For San Mateo County |
|---|---|
| Court | Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo |
| Where probate is heard | Hall of Justice |
| Address | 400 County Center, Redwood City, CA 94063 |
| Probate department | Department 13, Courtroom 2C, at the Hall of Justice, 400 County Center, Redwood City. (court page, ) |
| Probate clerk | Phone (650) 261-5100, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The counter keeps the same hours, by appointment only. (court page, ) |
| Filing | For a new estate, lodge the original will before the hearing and submit the proposed Order for Probate at least 7 days before it. (court page, ) |
| E-filing | Attorneys must e-file in probate. Wills, codicils, bonds and small-value real property affidavits are filed on paper. Email a Word copy of each proposed order to the court’s probate address. (court page, ) |
| Self-help | The court’s Self-Prep and File program fills in the estate forms from your answers and can e-file them. (court page, ) |
| County seat | Redwood City |
| Court website | Filing information and local rules |
| Venue rule | Domicile of the decedent — Prob. Code §7051 |
| Inventory deadline | Four months from letters — §8800 |
| Creditor window | Later of four months after first letters to a general personal representative or 60 days after notice is mailed or personally delivered — §9100 |
Probate for San Mateo County is heard at the Hall of Justice, 400 County Center, Redwood City, CA 94063. Read from thecourt’s own probate pages on 2026-08-31.
Departments, filing windows and local forms are set by the court itself and change. Confirm current requirements on the court’s own site before filing.
Estate fees and filing costs
The ordinary compensation schedule is statewide. It applies separately to the representative and attorney, on gross probate value before mortgages. Court filing charges, extraordinary work and other expenses are additional; check the court’s current fee schedule for the actual petition. Compare city home-value examples or use the fee calculator for your own estimate.
What an estate here actually faces
The statute is statewide; the arithmetic is not. Sections 10800 and 10810 run on gross value, so what probate costs in San Mateo County is decided by what homes here are worth. Across the 4 San Mateo County cities this site covers, the median owner-occupied home runs from $1,115,000 to $1,801,700, with a midpoint of $1,403,750.
The second question is whether the estate can avoid full administration at all. Probate Code section 13151 caps the petition to determine succession to a primary residence at $750,000 for deaths on or after 1 April 2025. No San Mateo County city on this site has a median home under that ceiling, so full administration is the working assumption here.
| In San Mateo County | Median home | Statutory fees | §13151 residence petition |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Mateo | $1,618,700 | $58,374 | Over the limit |
| Daly City | $1,115,000 | $48,300 | Over the limit |
| Redwood City | $1,801,700 | $62,034 | Over the limit |
| South San Francisco | $1,188,800 | $49,776 | Over the limit |
Median owner-occupied home values are U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-year estimates. The fee column is the personal representative’s and the attorney’s statutory compensation combined, on gross value, before any mortgage is deducted. A specific estate is decided by its appraisal, not by a median.
Estate disputes and trust proceedings
Check the existing San Mateo County estate docket for a will contest or an objection to the representative’s account. A trust proceeding has separate venue rules under Probate Code section 17005; it does not automatically follow the estate’s court. Confirm the trust’s principal place of administration and the applicable venue rule with counsel.
Related: how probate disputes are litigated, what it takes to contest a will, the administration process end to end, opening the estate, how long it takes, and whether you can avoid probate altogether.
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.
Also cited above, explained elsewhere on this site
- Probate Code section 7051
- Proper county is the county of domicile. Where section 7051 is explained
- Probate Code section 7052
- Venue where the decedent was not domiciled in California. Where section 7052 is explained
- Probate Code section 8800
- Inventory and appraisal, four-month deadline. Where section 8800 is explained
- Probate Code section 13151
- Petition to determine succession to a primary residence. Where section 13151 is explained
Before you call: What probate costs · How long it takes · Which court hears it