The legal process for a California probate starts when a Petition for Probate is filed at the court. When the Petition for Probate is filed at the Superior Court having jurisdiction, a case number is assigned and a date for a hearing is set. At the hearing, an executor or administrator is named and given authority to manage the estate until after the estate assets are distributed. Notices are given, the business of identifying and managing the property, and the payment of expenses and taxes are made until the time that an order is made to distribute the assets to […]

Overview: A Spousal Property Petition is a set of documents to request a probate hearing in which the court can make an order to transfer certain specific assets obtained through marriage or a domestic partnership. In this process, the court will give an order to transfer and confirm property to a surviving spouse. The California Court’s website states,
If the surviving spouse/partner is legally entitled to all of the property, a more complicated probate procedure may not be required.
With a Spousal Property Petition, property can be legally transferred to the surviving spouse in a little over one month’s time with less […]

There are different fees for filing a probate case in Riverside County depending on the type of probate case being filed.  Here is a list of fees:

Petition filing fee: Filing a Petition for Probate, Spousal or Domestic Property Petitions, and Petitions to Determine Succession to Real Property all have a filing fee of $450 payable to the Riverside Superior Court. The filing fee for the Petition for Probate will be paid twice, once when the first petition is filed and again when the final petition is filed.

Court reporter fee: When the petitions listed above are filed, a mandatory hearing will […]