San Francisco County Probate Court: Filing, Fees & Forms

Where to File Probate in San Francisco County

You file a California probate case with the Superior Court in the county where the deceased person legally resided. For San Francisco County, that means:

Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco

Civic Center Courthouse
400 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Phone: (415) 551-4000 · Hours: Clerk's office: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Probate Clerk's Office, Room 103; records in Room 202

San Francisco is a combined city and county, so all San Francisco probate is filed at the Civic Center Courthouse. The Probate Department calendars are heard in Department 204 at the Civic Center Courthouse.

Before you go, confirm the current department, hours, and filing method on the official court website (linked in the sidebar), since courts update assignments and procedures periodically. If the decedent owned real estate in another state, you may also need a separate ancillary probate there.

San Francisco County Probate Filing Fees

California court fees are largely set statewide. Here's what to budget for a San Francisco County probate:

Item	Typical cost	Notes
Petition for Probate (DE-111)	$435	Opens the estate; set by Gov. Code §70650. Plus applicable surcharges.
Petition for Final Distribution	$435	Filed near the end to close the estate and distribute assets.
Certified copy of Letters	~$25–$40 each	Order several — banks and institutions require recent certified copies.
Newspaper publication	~$200–$500	Paid to the newspaper, not the court (Probate Code §8121).
Probate referee	0.1% of non-cash assets	Min $75 / max $10,000 (Probate Code §8961); appraises non-cash assets.

Can't afford the fees? California lets you request a fee waiver (form FW-001) if you meet the income guidelines. And remember: the court fees above are separate from — and usually much smaller than — California's statutory attorney and executor fees, which are a percentage of the estate's gross value. Estimate those with our probate cost calculator.

Required Probate Forms

California uses statewide Judicial Council forms. These are the core ones to open a case — all free to download:

DE-111

Petition for Probate. Opens the estate and requests appointment of the personal representative.

DE-147

Duties and Liabilities of Personal Representative. Signed and filed with the petition.

DE-121

Notice of Petition to Administer Estate. Published in a newspaper and mailed to heirs.

DE-120

Notice of Hearing. Mailed to heirs and beneficiaries at least 15 days before the hearing.

DE-140

Order for Probate and DE-150 Letters — the appointment order and your Letters (your authority to act).

Download official forms free from the California Courts Judicial Council forms site — never pay a third party for them. See our full probate documents checklist for what each stage requires.

E-Filing, Records & Publication

Two practical things first-time filers ask about: how to file electronically, and the newspaper publication rule.

E-filing. Yes — San Francisco Superior Court supports electronic filing for probate through approved providers; check the court site for current requirements. It's generally done through an approved e-filing service provider. Confirm current requirements on the court's website, and note that the original will usually must still be lodged in paper form.

Publication (the step people miss). California Probate Code §8121 requires publishing a Notice of Petition to Administer Estate (form DE-121) in a newspaper of general circulation in San Francisco (for example, the San Francisco Daily Journal or the San Francisco Examiner), once a week for three consecutive weeks, before the hearing. The newspaper must be one of general circulation qualified to publish legal notices. This is separate from mailing notice to heirs, and it typically costs $200–$500. Ask the clerk or an attorney which local papers are court-adjudicated for San Francisco County.

Do You Even Need Full Probate?

Not every San Francisco County estate requires full formal probate. California has simplified paths that skip most of it:

If the estate's qualifying personal property is under the small-estate threshold, heirs can often use a small estate affidavit (Probate Code §13100) instead of opening probate — no court case required. And a real-property petition can transfer a home under a separate value threshold with a streamlined court process. These thresholds are indexed and change periodically, so check the current figures with our small estate checker rather than relying on a fixed number. A surviving spouse may also use a Spousal Property Petition (§13650) to confirm ownership without full probate.

Not sure which path fits? The estate complexity quiz gives you a quick read, and the California probate guide walks through the full process.

San Francisco County Probate FAQ

Probate for San Francisco County is handled by the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco — a probate matter is filed with the Superior Court in the county where the deceased person legally resided at the time of death. San Francisco is a combined city and county, so all San Francisco probate is filed at the Civic Center Courthouse. The courthouse is the Civic Center Courthouse, located at 400 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Before filing, confirm the current department, hours, and whether documents must be e-filed or can be dropped off, since the court updates these periodically. You file the Petition for Probate (Judicial Council form DE-111) along with the original will (if any), a certified death certificate, and the Duties and Liabilities of Personal Representative (DE-147). The clerk's office and the court's website are the authoritative sources for current filing procedures.

The initial filing fee for a Petition for Probate in San Francisco County is $435, set under California Government Code §70650 (plus any applicable local surcharges). The same base fee generally applies to the later Petition for Final Distribution. Beyond the filing fee, expect additional costs: certified copies of Letters (roughly $25–$40 each), newspaper publication of the Notice of Petition to Administer Estate (about $200–$500, paid to the newspaper), and the probate referee's fee for appraising non-cash assets (0.1% of their value, minimum $75 and maximum $10,000). If you cannot afford the fees, you may ask the court to waive them by filing a fee waiver request. Note that California's statutory attorney and executor fees — calculated as a percentage of the estate's gross value — are separate and typically far larger than the court fees themselves.

Yes — San Francisco Superior Court supports electronic filing for probate through approved providers; check the court site for current requirements. Electronic filing is generally done through an approved third-party e-filing service provider rather than directly with the court. Because e-filing requirements, accepted providers, and any exceptions change over time, confirm the current process on the San Francisco County Superior Court website before you file. Even where e-filing is available, some documents (such as the original will) may need to be lodged with the court in paper form. The clerk's office can tell you exactly what must be filed electronically versus delivered in person.

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Filing probate in San Francisco County?

California probate has real complexity — statutory fees, the publication rule, probate referees, and local court quirks. A San Francisco County probate attorney knows this court, files it right the first time, and keeps your case moving. The cost typically comes from the estate, not your pocket.

Find a San Francisco County Attorney →

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Inherited a house in San Francisco County?

If the estate includes a property you'd rather not maintain, insure, or wait months to sell on the open market, you can get a no-obligation cash offer — even mid-probate, and as-is. No repairs, no agent fees, no cleanup.

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Full California Probate Guide Court Locator (Other States)