Back to California
Madera County, CA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Superior Court of California, County of Madera — Civil Division (Probate) |
| Courthouse | 200 South G Street, Madera, CA 93637 |
| Mailing address | 200 South G Street, Madera, CA 93637 (no separate probate P.O. box) |
| Phone | (559) 416-5525 — Civil Division, for probate filing questions and tentative calendar dates |
| Clerk's window hours | Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM; document drop box open 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (no cash in the drop box) |
| Ex parte probate hearings | Departments 37, 40, 44, or 45, Monday–Friday at 8:15 AM; papers with the 24-hour notice or non-notice declaration due by 10:00 AM the day before |
| Filing deadline before a hearing | All documents must be filed two court days before the court date |
| Probate examiner | None — Madera Superior Court does not have a probate examiner on staff |
| Filing fee (petition for probate) | $435 — statewide fee, no Madera County surcharge (Cal. Gov. Code § 70650(a)) |
| Local probate forms | None for decedents' estates — statewide Judicial Council DE-series only (Madera's local probate forms cover guardianship and conservatorship) |
| E-filing | Available in probate through an approved EFSP but not mandatory; the court's EFM provider is Journal Technologies ([email protected]) |
| Online case search | Public case portal at madera-prod-portal.ecourt.com/public-portal |
| Remote appearance | Zoom is offered for civil matters via the court's Zoom Appearance Request Form; probate is not separately enumerated — confirm the hearing type with the Civil Division ((559) 416-5525) or the remote-appearance line ((559) 416-5585) |
| Website | https://www.madera.courts.ca.gov/divisions/probate-court |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Because Madera Superior Court has no probate examiner, no court staffer will pre-screen your petition and flag defects before the hearing the way larger counties do. A petition that is incomplete or filed on the wrong path is more likely to surface as a problem at the hearing itself, costing a continuance. Getting the estate picture right before you file matters more here, not less.
Before filing anything with the Madera clerk, identify every bank account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life insurance policy, and parcel of real property — including foothill and mountain property near Oakhurst, Coarsegold, and Bass Lake, common in Madera County estates — and every debt. Only then can you choose the right path: small-estate affidavit, Petition to Determine Succession to Real Property, Spousal Property Petition, or full probate. 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 Madera hears every probate matter in the county — decedents' estates, succession and spousal petitions, conservatorships, and guardianships — from one courthouse at 200 South G Street in the city of Madera. Families throughout the county, from Chowchilla in the west to Oakhurst, Coarsegold, and the Bass Lake and Yosemite-gateway communities in the eastern foothills, file at this courthouse.
Probate is filed in Madera County when the decedent was domiciled in the county at death (Cal. Prob. Code § 7051), or owned Madera County real property as a non-resident (ancillary administration). Probate is handled within the court's Civil Division; ex parte probate matters are heard in Departments 37, 40, 44, or 45.
The jurisdiction process
- Prepare the statewide Judicial Council DE-series forms for your path. Madera County requires no local forms or cover sheets for a decedent's estate.
- File the petition. You may e-file through an approved Electronic Filing Service Provider (e-filing is available in probate but not mandatory), file on paper at the clerk's window (200 South G Street, Madera, 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM), or use the document drop box (3:00 PM – 4:00 PM; no cash). All documents must be filed at least two court days before any hearing date.
- Pay the $435 filing fee (statewide first-paper fee; no Madera County surcharge). Fee waivers are available on Judicial Council forms FW-001/FW-003.
- Complete notice: publish in a newspaper of general circulation and mail DE-121 notice to heirs and beneficiaries at least 15 days before the hearing.
- Confirm the hearing date. Because Madera has no probate examiner, there are no online examiner notes to clear; call the Civil Division at (559) 416-5525 for tentative calendar dates, and review your own petition carefully for completeness before the hearing.
- For an ex parte request, appear in Department 37, 40, 44, or 45 at 8:15 AM; submit the papers with the 24-hour notice or non-notice declaration by 10:00 AM the day before.
- To appear remotely, submit the court's Zoom Appearance Request Form; Zoom is offered for civil matters, and because probate is not separately enumerated, confirm eligibility for your hearing type with the Civil Division ((559) 416-5525) or the remote-appearance line ((559) 416-5585).
- Attend the hearing. 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 Madera County
Madera County has no local probate forms for decedents' estates. 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), which the court directs filers to obtain from the California Courts forms website.
The only probate-tagged local forms Madera publishes concern guardianship and conservatorship — for example the MAD-FCS investigation and intake forms and MAD-CIV guardianship forms — not the administration of a decedent's estate. There is no mandatory cover sheet for a probate petition.
Local nuance
Madera County-specific considerations
No probate examiner. Madera Superior Court states plainly that it does not have a probate examiner on staff. Unlike large counties, there are no pre-hearing examiner notes to read or respond to — but there is also no safety net catching defects before the hearing, so a self-represented petitioner must self-review the petition for completeness.
Ex parte in four departments. Ex parte probate matters are heard in Departments 37, 40, 44, or 45, Monday through Friday at 8:15 AM. The moving papers, with the 24-hour notice or a non-notice declaration, must reach the court by 10:00 AM the day before the hearing.
File two days ahead. All documents must be filed two court days before the court date. Plan filing around this window, especially for noticed hearings.
Window closes at 3:00, drop box until 4:00. Clerk's windows accept filings from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with peak lines from 8:00–10:00 AM and 2:00–3:00 PM. A document drop box is open from 3:00 to 4:00 PM, but it takes no cash.
E-filing available, not mandatory. Probate is one of the case types eligible for e-filing through an approved EFSP, using the court's Journal Technologies electronic filing system. Madera has not made e-filing mandatory for anyone, so attorneys and self-represented filers alike may still file on paper.
Zoom is civil-first. The court runs remote appearances on Zoom and lists them for criminal and civil cases and DV/GV petition hearings; probate is not separately called out. Submit the Zoom Appearance Request Form and confirm your hearing type qualifies before relying on a remote appearance.
Recent updates
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Madera Superior Court Local Rules reissued; e-filing continues to be governed by Division 6 and remains available but not mandatory across eligible case types including probate | Madera Superior Court Local Rules (eff. 1/1/2026) |
| Through December 31, 2026 | Remote video (Zoom) appearances remain authorized for civil and criminal cases under AB 170; requests are made through the court's Zoom Appearance Request Form | Madera Superior Court Remote Video Appearances page |
| November 1, 2023 | Expanded public and attorney case access went live on the court's eCourt public portal (madera-prod-portal.ecourt.com) | Madera Superior Court eFiling & Online Case Information page |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Madera County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | Spousal/Domestic Partner Property Petition filed with the Civil Division at 200 South G Street. The court signs DE-226; record it with the Madera 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) needs no Madera filing at all — it goes directly to the banks. Madera County real property up to $69,625 can pass by the § 13200 affidavit (DE-305) filed with the clerk; a primary residence up to $750,000 uses the §§ 13150–13157 petition heard at the Madera courthouse. | Asset discovery to confirm the estate fits the caps. Packet generation. Online notarization so nobody has to travel to Madera. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Full IAEA probate at the Madera courthouse. File on paper at the window or e-file, and file all documents two court days before the hearing. The personal representative sells the property under IAEA authority with a Notice of Proposed Action (DE-165). | Asset discovery for the child's assets. Packet generation for DE-111 with IAEA full authority requested. Because Madera has no examiner, help self-checking the petition for completeness before filing. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Madera Superior Court Self-Help Center — (559) 416-5520, [email protected] | The court's self-help center; note that its services and Family Law Facilitator cover family law and guardianship, not decedents'-estate probate, so estate filers rely on the statewide guide and forms 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 |
| Madera Superior Court probate page (madera.courts.ca.gov/divisions/probate-court) | Local filing logistics: window hours, the two-days-prior rule, ex parte departments, and the no-examiner notice |
| LawHelpCA (lawhelpca.org) | Statewide directory of free and low-cost legal aid programs serving Madera County |
When to hire an attorney
Many cooperative-family Madera County probates — spousal petitions, small-estate paths, and uncontested IAEA administration — are completed without an attorney. Because Madera has no probate examiner and no decedents'-estate facilitator, the self-represented filer carries more of the burden of getting the petition right, which raises the value of counsel in anything but a clean, cooperative case. Consider an attorney 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 Madera County real property. Sunset can connect families to a vetted California probate attorney serving Madera County.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. For estate settlement, Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and California public records to surface bank accounts, retirement plans, brokerage holdings, life insurance, Madera County real estate, business interests, and unclaimed property.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the statewide Judicial Council DE-series forms for your path, the only forms Madera County requires for a decedent's estate, ready for signature and filing at the window, by drop box, or by e-filing.
Find a local probate attorney. When the situation calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted California probate attorney serving Madera 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 Madera County?
At the Superior Court of California, County of Madera, 200 South G Street, Madera, CA 93637, in the Civil Division. File at the clerk's window from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, use the document drop box from 3:00 to 4:00 PM (no cash), or e-file through an approved service provider.
Can I e-file probate documents in Madera County?
Yes. Probate is one of the case types eligible for e-filing through an approved Electronic Filing Service Provider, using the court's Journal Technologies system. E-filing is not mandatory in Madera, so you may still file on paper at the window or drop box.
Does Madera County have a probate examiner?
No. Madera Superior Court does not have a probate examiner on staff. There are no pre-hearing examiner notes to review or clear, so it is on the petitioner to file a complete, correct petition — there is no staff review catching defects before the hearing.
Does Madera County have local probate forms?
Not for decedents' estates. Every estate filing uses the statewide Judicial Council DE-series. Madera's only probate-tagged local forms cover guardianship and conservatorship, and there is no mandatory cover sheet for a probate petition.
When are probate hearings held in Madera County?
Ex parte probate matters are heard in Departments 37, 40, 44, or 45, Monday through Friday at 8:15 AM, with papers due by 10:00 AM the day before. For noticed-hearing calendar dates, call the Civil Division at (559) 416-5525; all documents must be filed two court days before the hearing.
Can I appear at a Madera County probate hearing by Zoom?
The court offers Zoom remote appearances for civil matters through its Zoom Appearance Request Form, but probate is not separately listed among the enumerated case types. Confirm eligibility for your hearing with the Civil Division at (559) 416-5525 or the remote-appearance line at (559) 416-5585 before relying on it.
Can I check my Madera County probate case online?
Yes. The court maintains a public case-information portal at madera-prod-portal.ecourt.com/public-portal, where you can look up case information.
How much does it cost to file for probate in Madera County?
$435 for the first petition (Cal. Gov. Code § 70650(a)). Madera adds no county surcharge. Fee waivers are available on Judicial Council forms FW-001/FW-003.
Do I have to travel to Madera to settle an estate here?
Often not. Petitions can be e-filed or mailed, and the small-estate affidavit under Cal. Prob. Code § 13100 never touches the court — it is presented directly to banks and asset holders. Where a hearing is required, ask the Civil Division whether a Zoom appearance is available for your matter.
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.