Contra Costa County, CA Probate Information

Before filing anything in Martinez, 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. Contra Costa's probate examiners review every petition and publish calendar notes itemizing each deficiency 6–8 days before the hearing; a petition filed before the family understands the estate draws NEEDED items on the notes, and uncleared items mean continuances.

Identify every bank account, retirement plan, brokerage account, life insurance policy, and parcel of real property — and every debt — before choosing the path. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.

The Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa concentrates all probate in Martinez: by the court's filing rules, all probate, guardianship, and conservatorship documents are filed and heard in the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse at 725 Court Street. Unlike small claims or family law matters, probate is never routed to the Richmond or Pittsburg courthouses — families from every community in the county, including Richmond, El Cerrito, Hercules, Concord, Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, Lafayette, Martinez, Antioch, Pittsburg, Brentwood, and Oakley, file in Martinez.

Probate is filed here when the decedent was domiciled in Contra Costa County at death (Cal. Prob. Code § 7051), or owned Contra Costa County real property as a non-resident (ancillary administration). Decedents' estates, trust matters, succession and spousal petitions, conservatorships, and guardianships are all heard on the probate calendars in Departments 30 and 38, and every petition is reviewed by the court's probate examiners before the hearing.

One probate courthouse for the whole county. Other Contra Costa case types are routed by city — small claims from Antioch go to Pittsburg, from El Cerrito to Richmond — but probate never is. All probate, guardianship, and conservatorship matters file and are heard at the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse in Martinez, Departments 30 and 38, at 9:00 AM.

Examiner notes, then a tentative ruling. Contra Costa runs a two-stage review: probate examiners publish calendar notes itemizing deficiencies 6–8 days before the hearing, and the department posts a tentative ruling 3–5 court days out. Clear NEEDED items at least 5 days before the hearing; contest a tentative ruling no later than 2 court days before, with an endorsed-filed copy delivered to the examiner.

Uncontested matters are decided on the papers. Under Local Rule 7.52, appearances at the first hearing in uncontested matters are not normally required — if the notes are clear and the tentative ruling grants the petition, nobody has to drive to Martinez.

Orders are due before the hearing, not after. Local Rule 7.54 requires the proposed order at least 3 court days before the hearing, written as if the petition will be granted. Orders submitted late are processed after the hearing.

Registers of actions online, documents by request. The Court Public Portal shows probate registers of actions and calendar notes, but probate case documents are not online — request them from Court Records (Room 103, Wakefield Taylor Courthouse, effective January 12, 2026; 50 cents per page, $40.00 plus copies for certification). The court is scanning about 12 million pages to move to a paperless file with public online document access.

A Contra Costa attorney is advisable when the estate exceeds $1 million, when a will contest or heir dispute is likely, when the estate holds business interests or out-of-state property, when ancillary administration is needed for a non-resident decedent, or when calendar notes recur and the family cannot clear them. Because the court's Self-Help Resource Center and Probate Facilitator do not assist with decedents' estates, self-represented families here rely on the statewide self-help guide and the law library — workable for cooperative-family cases, but thin support for anything contested. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Contra Costa probate attorney when the situation requires counsel.

Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and Contra Costa County public records to surface bank accounts, retirement plans, brokerage holdings, life insurance, real estate (with community-property characterization), and unclaimed property.

Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the statewide Judicial Council DE-series forms for your estate settlement path, the only forms Contra Costa requires, ready for e-filing through counsel or paper filing at the Martinez courthouse.

Find a local probate attorney. When the situation calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Contra Costa probate attorney.

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).