Nevada County, CA Probate Information

Before filing anything with the Nevada County Civil Division, 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. The court posts a probate tentative ruling the court day before each hearing, so a petition filed on the wrong path or with gaps draws a tentative that keeps you appearing, or continues the matter to a later calendar.

Identify every bank account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life insurance policy, business interest, and parcel of real property — including the foothill and Truckee-Tahoe second homes and cabins common in Nevada 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.

The Superior Court of California, County of Nevada hears every probate matter in the county — decedents' estates, succession and spousal petitions, trust matters, conservatorships, and guardianships — through its Civil Division. Venue is proper in Nevada County when the decedent was domiciled here at death (Cal. Prob. Code § 7051), or owned Nevada County real property as a non-resident (ancillary administration).

Nevada County runs two probate calendars. Cases filed at the Nevada City Courthouse, 201 Church Street — serving Nevada City, Grass Valley, Penn Valley, and the western county — are assigned for all purposes to the judge in Department 6 (Local Rule 8.32) and heard on the weekly Friday probate calendar. The Truckee Courthouse at the Joseph Government Center, 10075 Levon Avenue — serving Truckee and the Lake Tahoe-basin communities of the eastern county — runs its own periodic Monday probate calendar. File where the case belongs geographically; remote appearance through CourtCall means families rarely have to make the drive over the Sierra crest either way.

Two courthouses, two calendars. Nevada County hears probate at both the Nevada City Courthouse (201 Church Street) and the Truckee Courthouse (10075 Levon Avenue). Nevada City estate, trust, and conservatorship/guardianship cases are assigned to Department 6 (Local Rule 8.32) and heard on the weekly Friday probate calendar; Truckee runs its own periodic Monday calendar for the eastern county. File where the case belongs geographically.

Tentative rulings, posted the day before. The court posts probate tentative rulings on its website by 2:00 PM at least one court day before the hearing (Local Rule 8.27). Ordinarily the tentative states whether you must appear. If you intend to appear, notify the other side and the clerk by 4:00 PM that day — [email protected] for Nevada City, [email protected] for Truckee, or (530) 362-4309.

Remote appearances run on CourtCall. Unlike counties that use Zoom, Nevada County uses CourtCall. Register through the CourtCall Remote Court Scheduler and registration closes 15 minutes before the hearing. For probate, only an evidentiary hearing requires Judicial Council form RA-010 (10 court days' notice); for a routine non-evidentiary probate hearing you notice the other parties, and proof of service is not required.

Three-court-day paper deadline. All papers relating to a probate hearing — the proposed order, any affidavit of publication — and any written objections must be filed or lodged at least three (3) court days before the hearing (Local Rules 8.14 and 8.15). Late papers can get the matter continued.

Wills that pour into a trust. If the will distributes to a trust, Local Rule 8.30 requires notice to all trustees, successor trustees, and beneficiaries, and either an authenticated copy of the trust filed with the petition or a declaration identifying them. Build this into the filing rather than discovering it at the hearing.

Many cooperative-family Nevada County probates — spousal petitions, small-estate paths, and uncontested IAEA administration — are completed without an attorney, and the court's CourtCall remote appearances and posted tentative rulings make that practical even for out-of-area families and those on the far side of the Sierra crest. 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, ancillary administration is needed for a non-resident who owned Nevada County real property, or a will that pours into a trust raises notice-and-filing questions under Local Rule 8.30. Sunset can connect families to a vetted California probate attorney serving Nevada County.

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

Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the statewide Judicial Council DE-series forms for your estate settlement path, the core of a Nevada County filing, ready for signature and e-filing or paper filing through the Civil Division at the Nevada City or Truckee courthouse.

Find a local probate attorney. When the situation calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted California probate attorney serving Nevada 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).