By Corcoran Smith Law Corp. · Published · Updated
Probate in Solano County, California
Probate for a Solano County resident is filed with the Superior Court of California, County of Solano, seated at Fairfield. Under Probate Code section 7051 the proper county is where the decedent was domiciled, regardless of where they actually died.
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 Solano County |
|---|---|
| Court | Superior Court of California, County of Solano |
| Where probate is heard | Old Solano Courthouse |
| Address | 580 Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533 |
| Probate department | Department 22, Courtroom 3, hears trusts, estates and other probate petitions at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday to Friday. (court page, ) |
| Probate clerk | Filing is at the Hall of Justice, 600 Union Avenue, Fairfield. Clerk phone (707) 207-7341, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.; drop-in 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (court page, ) |
| Filing | Papers left in the Fairfield drop box between 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. count as deposited that day; later ones, the next court day. (court page, ) |
| E-filing | Since January 2, 2025 (Local Rule 20) attorneys must e-file in probate. Self-represented parties are exempt, and ex parte applications are excluded. (court page, ) |
| Ex parte | Estate ex parte applications are heard by appointment. Call Department 22 at (707) 207-7322 for a date before filing. (court page, ) |
| County seat | Fairfield |
| 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 Solano County is heard at the Old Solano Courthouse, 580 Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533. Estates and trusts are heard in Department 22. Read from thecourt’s own probate pages on 2026-08-31.
Details not verified here: Self-help. Check the official court website above; an omitted detail does not mean the service is unavailable.
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 Solano County is decided by what homes here are worth. Across the 3 Solano County cities this site covers, the median owner-occupied home runs from $589,500 to $624,300, with a midpoint of $620,900.
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. Every Solano County city on this site has a median home under that ceiling, so the shorter route is realistically open here.
| In Solano County | Median home | Statutory fees | §13151 residence petition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo | $589,500 | $29,580 | Open |
| Fairfield | $624,300 | $30,972 | Open |
| Vacaville | $620,900 | $30,836 | Open |
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 Solano 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