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Colusa County, CA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Superior Court of California, County of Colusa |
| Courthouse (probate) | Main Courthouse, Department 1, 547 Market Street, Colusa, CA 95932 |
| Courthouse Annex | Department 2, 532 Oak Street, Colusa, CA 95932 (annex; probate is not heard here) |
| Mailing address | Clerk of Court, 547 Market Street, Colusa, CA 95932 |
| Phone | (530) 458-5149 (single clerk's office line for both buildings) |
| Fax | (530) 458-2230 — fax filings accepted only through a fax filing agency, not directly from a party |
| Clerk's office hours | Mon–Fri 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Probate calendar | Department 1, Tuesdays at 9:00 a.m. (Case Management, Civil Unlimited, Family Law, and Probate) |
| Filing fee (petition for probate) | $435 — statewide fee, no Colusa County surcharge (Cal. Gov. Code § 70650(a)) |
| Local probate forms | None — the statewide Judicial Council DE-series is used |
| E-filing | Permissive (optional) for all probate matters, initial and subsequent, via any e-Filing Service Provider (live since October 1, 2024); paper filing in person or by mail is also accepted. Wills, codicils, and testamentary trusts must be lodged on paper |
| Online case search | Online Calendar Portal temporarily unavailable until further notice; no public document-search portal |
| Remote appearance | Under Local Rule 15.06, uncontested verified probate petitions are deemed submitted without an appearance (except sale confirmations); confirm any telephonic/video option with the clerk before your hearing |
| Website | https://www.colusa.courts.ca.gov/probate |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before filing anything with the Colusa County clerk, know exactly what is in the estate. The right path — small-estate affidavit, Petition to Determine Succession to Real Property, Spousal Property Petition, or full probate — depends entirely on the value and type of the assets. Colusa hears probate on one calendar a week in Department 1, so a petition filed on the wrong path or with a defect simply gets continued to a later Tuesday.
Identify every bank account, retirement plan, brokerage account, life insurance policy, and parcel of real property — including the farmland, orchard, and rice-ground acreage common in Colusa County estates — and every debt, before choosing the path. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Superior Court of California, County of Colusa hears every probate matter in the county from its courthouse in the City of Colusa, covering Colusa, Williams, Arbuckle, Maxwell, Grimes, Princeton, Stonyford, and the rest of the county. Probate is filed here when the decedent was domiciled in Colusa County at death (Cal. Prob. Code § 7051), or owned Colusa County real property as a non-resident (ancillary administration).
The court operates from two buildings a block apart: the Main Courthouse (Department 1) at 547 Market Street and the Courthouse Annex (Department 2) at 532 Oak Street. Probate — along with decedents' estates, succession and spousal property petitions, conservatorships, guardianships, and trust matters — is heard in Department 1 on the Tuesday morning calendar. There is no separate probate business office and no probate examiner note system; probate is processed through the Clerk's Office.
The jurisdiction process
- Prepare the statewide Judicial Council DE-series forms for your path (DE-111 Petition for Probate and its attachments). Colusa requires no local cover sheet. Under Local Rule 15.01 the caption must state everything the order will cover — and must say so if any part of the estate passes to a trust.
- File the petition. Colusa accepts permissive e-filing for probate (initial and subsequent filings) through any e-Filing Service Provider, or you may file on paper in person or by mail at the Clerk's Office, 547 Market Street, Colusa, CA 95932. The original will or codicil must be lodged on paper — it cannot be e-filed.
- Pay the $435 filing fee (statewide fee; no Colusa County surcharge). Fee waivers are available on Judicial Council forms FW-001/FW-003.
- Complete notice: publish in a newspaper of general circulation in Colusa County and mail DE-121 notice to heirs and beneficiaries at least 15 days before the hearing.
- The clerk sets the matter on the Department 1 probate calendar, heard Tuesdays at 9:00 a.m.
- Lodge the proposed order (DE-140) and the affidavit of publication with the clerk at least three court days before the hearing (Local Rule 15.05).
- For an uncontested, verified petition you generally do not need to appear — under Local Rule 15.06 the matter is deemed submitted on the papers (the exception is a petition to confirm the sale of real property, or personal property worth more than $100). Confirm with the clerk whether the court expects an appearance or offers a telephonic/video option for your date.
- Once the petition is granted, the judge admits the will, appoints the personal representative, and issues Letters (DE-150).
- Administer and close the estate under the statewide process: creditor notice, the 4-month claim period, Inventory and Appraisal (DE-160), and the petition for final distribution.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Colusa County
Colusa County has no local probate forms for a decedent's estate. Every filing uses the statewide Judicial Council DE-series (DE-111 Petition for Probate, DE-121 Notice, DE-140 Order, DE-147 Duties and Liabilities, DE-150 Letters, DE-160 Inventory and Appraisal, and the rest), downloadable from the Judicial Council forms website. The court publishes no mandatory local cover sheet for probate.
Colusa's local requirements are procedural rather than form-based: Section 15 of the court's Local Rules governs probate practice. The caption of the petition must be all-inclusive (Rule 15.01), pleadings must be verified by the personal representative and not merely the attorney (Rule 15.02), and the proposed order plus the affidavit of publication must be lodged at least three court days before the hearing (Rule 15.05).
Local nuance
Colusa County-specific considerations
Two buildings — probate is at the Main Courthouse. The court runs from the Main Courthouse (Department 1) at 547 Market Street and the Courthouse Annex (Department 2) at 532 Oak Street, a block apart. Probate is heard in Department 1 at 547 Market Street; 532 Oak is the annex. Both share the clerk's line, (530) 458-5149.
One weekly calendar. Probate is heard in Department 1 on the Tuesday 9:00 a.m. calendar, shared with case management, civil unlimited, and family law. Guardianships, conservatorships, and adoptions are heard the same Tuesday at 8:45 a.m. There is no separate probate department and no probate examiner note system.
Uncontested petitions decided without an appearance. Under Local Rule 15.06, all verified probate petitions may be deemed submitted without an appearance — the notable exception being a petition to confirm the sale of real property (or of personal property worth more than $100). Before denying a petition where no one appears, the court continues it about two weeks to give the petitioner a chance to show up. This makes it practical for an out-of-area family to settle a Colusa estate almost entirely on the papers.
E-filing is permissive, with paper exceptions. Since October 1, 2024, Colusa accepts e-filing for all probate matters (initial and subsequent) through any e-Filing Service Provider — the court endorses no particular vendor. E-filing is optional; paper filing in person or by mail remains available. Wills, codicils, and testamentary trusts cannot be e-filed and must be lodged on paper.
Self-Help Center covers guardianships only. The Colusa County Self-Help Center at 547 Market Street, (530) 458-0598, assists with guardianships only — it does not help with decedents' estates. Estate filers rely on the statewide probate self-help guide and, where the situation calls for it, an attorney.
Case portal offline; fax only through an agency. The court's Online Calendar Portal is temporarily unavailable until further notice, and there is no public document-search portal — call the clerk for case status. A faxed filing is accepted only when submitted through a fax filing agency at (530) 458-2230, not directly from a party.
Recent updates
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Statewide civil fee schedule in effect; the probate first-paper fee is $435 and Colusa adds no county surcharge | Colusa Superior Court fee schedule (eff. 1/1/2026); Cal. Gov. Code § 70650(a) |
| October 1, 2024 | Colusa launched permissive e-filing for all civil, probate, family law, and juvenile dependency matters through any e-Filing Service Provider | Colusa Superior Court E-Filing / Online Services pages |
| Ongoing | The court's Online Calendar Portal is temporarily unavailable until further notice; case status is handled by the Clerk's Office | Colusa Superior Court website notice |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Colusa County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | Spousal/Domestic Partner Property Petition set on the Department 1 Tuesday probate calendar. Because it is an uncontested verified petition, it can generally be decided without an appearance under Local Rule 15.06. The court signs DE-226; record it with the Colusa County Recorder to complete the title transfer. | Asset discovery to confirm community vs. separate property. Packet generation for DE-221, DE-226, MC-025. Title-transfer guidance. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | Small Estate Affidavit under Cal. Prob. Code § 13100 (personal property up to $208,850 for deaths on or after April 1, 2025) goes directly to the banks — no Colusa filing at all. A primary residence up to $750,000 uses the §§ 13150–13157 succession petition on the Department 1 calendar; the § 13200 affidavit (DE-305) covers Colusa real property up to $69,625 and is filed with the clerk. | Asset discovery to confirm the estate fits the caps. Packet generation. Online notarization so the child never has to travel to Colusa. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Full IAEA probate in Department 1, filed by e-filing or by mail. The personal representative sells the property under IAEA authority with a Notice of Proposed Action (DE-165). Note that a petition to confirm a court-supervised sale of real property is one matter where Rule 15.06 requires an appearance. | Asset discovery for the child's assets. Packet generation for DE-111 with IAEA full authority requested. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Colusa County Self-Help Center — 547 Market Street, Colusa; (530) 458-0598 | The court's self-help center. It assists with guardianships only and does not help with decedents' estates, so estate filers rely on the statewide guide below |
| California Courts Self-Help Guide — Probate (selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/probate) | The Judicial Council's official plain-language guide to every California probate path |
| LawHelpCA (lawhelpca.org) | Statewide directory of free and low-cost legal aid programs serving Colusa County |
When to hire an attorney
Most cooperative-family Colusa County probates — spousal petitions, small-estate paths, and uncontested IAEA administration — are completed without an attorney, and Colusa makes that especially practical: e-filing is available and, under Local Rule 15.06, an uncontested verified petition is decided on the papers without an appearance. Consider counsel when the estate exceeds $1 million, a will contest or heir dispute is likely, the estate holds business interests or out-of-state property, or ancillary administration is needed for a non-resident who owned Colusa County real property. Because the county Self-Help Center covers guardianships only, self-represented families with a decedent's estate lean on the statewide self-help guide. Sunset can connect families to a vetted California probate attorney serving Colusa County.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and Colusa County public records to surface bank accounts, retirement plans, brokerage holdings, life insurance, Colusa County real estate and farmland, and unclaimed property.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the statewide Judicial Council DE-series forms for your estate settlement path, the forms Colusa County requires for a decedent's estate, ready for signature and filing by e-filing, in person, or by mail.
Find a local probate attorney. When the situation calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted California probate attorney serving Colusa County.
Sunset is free for families. Revenue comes from bank partners that pay Sunset while estate funds sit in an FDIC-insured estate account ($3M coverage).
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file a probate case in Colusa County?
At the Superior Court of California, County of Colusa, Clerk's Office, 547 Market Street, Colusa, CA 95932. You can e-file through an e-Filing Service Provider or file on paper in person or by mail. Probate is heard in Department 1 at the Main Courthouse — not the Courthouse Annex at 532 Oak Street.
When are probate hearings held in Colusa County?
In Department 1 on the Tuesday 9:00 a.m. calendar, which the court shares among case management, civil unlimited, family law, and probate. Guardianships, conservatorships, and adoptions are heard the same Tuesday at 8:45 a.m.
Do I have to appear in person at a Colusa County probate hearing?
Usually not. Under Colusa Local Rule 15.06, an uncontested verified probate petition is deemed submitted without an appearance. The main exception is a petition to confirm the sale of real property (or personal property worth more than $100), where the petitioner or attorney must appear. Confirm with the clerk whether the court expects an appearance for your matter.
Can I e-file probate documents in Colusa County?
Yes. Since October 1, 2024, Colusa accepts permissive e-filing for all probate matters (initial and subsequent) through any e-Filing Service Provider; the court endorses none in particular. E-filing is optional — you may still file on paper. Wills, codicils, and testamentary trusts must be lodged on paper and cannot be e-filed.
Does Colusa County have local probate forms?
No. A decedent's estate in Colusa County uses only the statewide Judicial Council DE-series, and there is no mandatory local cover sheet. Colusa's local requirements are procedural (Section 15 of the Local Rules): an all-inclusive caption, verification by the personal representative, and lodging the order and affidavit of publication at least three court days before the hearing.
Can I check my Colusa County probate case online?
Not at the moment. The court's Online Calendar Portal is temporarily unavailable until further notice, and Colusa has no public document-search portal. For case status and copies, contact the Clerk's Office at (530) 458-5149.
How much does it cost to file for probate in Colusa County?
$435 for the first petition (Cal. Gov. Code § 70650(a), statewide civil fee schedule effective January 1, 2026). Colusa adds no county surcharge. Fee waivers are available on Judicial Council forms FW-001/FW-003.
Is there a probate self-help center in Colusa County?
The Colusa County Self-Help Center at 547 Market Street, (530) 458-0598, assists with guardianships only — it does not help with decedents' estates. For a decedent's estate, use the statewide probate self-help guide at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/probate, or engage an attorney.
Do I have to travel to Colusa to settle an estate there?
Often not. Petitions can be e-filed or mailed, uncontested verified petitions are decided without an appearance under Local Rule 15.06, and the small-estate affidavit under Cal. Prob. Code § 13100 never touches the court at all — it is presented directly to banks and asset holders.
Shaped by the families we've helped
Thank you to the thousands of families who have trusted Sunset to help settle their loved ones' estates. This page is shaped by the questions they actually asked and the obstacles they actually hit — and that hard-won experience is what keeps it accurate, current, and genuinely useful to the families who come next.