Back to California
Sierra County, CA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Superior Court of California, County of Sierra |
| Courthouse | 100 Courthouse Square, Second Floor, Downieville, CA 95936 |
| Mailing address | P.O. Box 476, Downieville, CA 95936 |
| Phone | (530) 289-3698 (telephone hours Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM) |
| Fax | (530) 289-0205 |
| [email protected] | |
| Clerk's office window hours | Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM (closed 12:00–1:00 PM for lunch) |
| Filing fee (petition for probate) | $435 — statewide fee, no Sierra County surcharge (Cal. Gov. Code § 70650(a)) |
| Local probate forms | None — statewide Judicial Council DE-series only |
| E-filing | Not available — file in person or by mail |
| Online case search | Not available — the clerk confirms calendar and case status by phone |
| Remote appearance | Permitted for many probate hearings without a motion; trials and evidentiary hearings require Judicial Council form RA-010 (Code Civ. Proc. § 367.75) |
| Self-help | SHARP Self-Help Center at the Downieville courthouse and the Loyalton Family Resource Center — (530) 993-1110; decedent-estate help through the Nevada City Self-Help Center |
| Website | https://www.sierra.courts.ca.gov |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before filing anything with the Sierra 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. Sierra runs one small courthouse with no online case access, so a petition filed on the wrong path means a phone call to the Downieville clerk and a return trip or another mailing to fix it.
Identify every bank account, retirement plan, insurance policy, and parcel of real property — including cabins and mountain and ranch property, which are common in Sierra 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 Sierra serves the entire county from one courthouse in Downieville, including Loyalton, Sierraville, Sierra City, Alleghany, Calpine, and Downieville itself. Probate is filed here when the decedent was domiciled in Sierra County at death (Cal. Prob. Code § 7051), or owned Sierra County real property as a non-resident (ancillary administration).
All probate matters — decedents' estates, the succession and spousal property petitions, conservatorships, and guardianships — are heard at the Downieville courthouse. There is no separate probate department and no dedicated probate examiner; the court's general calendar handles probate, and the clerk confirms hearing dates by phone at (530) 289-3698.
The jurisdiction process
- Prepare the statewide Judicial Council DE-series forms for your path. Sierra County requires no local forms or cover sheets.
- Lodge the decedent's original will with the clerk within 30 days of learning of the death (Cal. Prob. Code § 8200), if you hold it.
- File the petition with the clerk: in person at 100 Courthouse Square, Second Floor, Downieville (window hours 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM), or by mail to P.O. Box 476, Downieville, CA 95936.
- Pay the $435 filing fee (statewide fee; no Sierra 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 notice to heirs and beneficiaries at least 15 days before the hearing (DE-121).
- The clerk sets the hearing on the court's general calendar and confirms the date and department by phone; there is no online case portal.
- Appear at the hearing. Many probate hearings may be attended remotely without filing a motion; for a hearing that requires one (a trial or evidentiary hearing), file Judicial Council form RA-010 (Notice of Remote Appearance) under Code Civ. Proc. § 367.75. 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 Sierra County
Sierra County has no local probate forms. Every filing uses the statewide Judicial Council DE-series (DE-111 Petition for Probate, DE-121 Notice of Petition to Administer Estate, DE-140 Order, DE-147 Duties and Liabilities, DE-150 Letters, DE-160 Inventory and Appraisal, and the rest). The court publishes no probate cover sheet and no county-specific attachments for decedents' estates.
The only Sierra-specific paperwork is procedural: Judicial Council form RA-010 (Notice of Remote Appearance) if you must file for a remote appearance at a trial or evidentiary hearing. All Judicial Council forms are downloadable from courts.ca.gov.
Local nuance
Sierra County-specific considerations
One small courthouse. Every Sierra County probate is filed and heard at 100 Courthouse Square in Downieville. There is no separate probate department and no probate examiner; the general calendar handles probate matters.
Midday closure and counter hours. The clerk's window is open 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM and closes entirely for lunch from noon to 1:00 PM. Telephone hours run wider — 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM — so a call gets through when the counter is closed.
Paper court, no online access. Sierra offers no e-filing and no online case portal. File in person or by mail to P.O. Box 476, and call (530) 289-3698 to confirm a hearing date or case status; the court notes its posted courtroom calendars are drafts and may not list every case.
Remote appearance is broadly available. Under Code Civ. Proc. § 367.75, many probate hearing types allow parties and attorneys to appear remotely without filing anything. Only trials and evidentiary hearings require a filed remote-appearance form (RA-010).
Self-help is split across two towns. The SHARP Self-Help Center operates at the Downieville courthouse (2nd floor) and at the Loyalton Family Resource Center, 315 Main Street. Because SHARP does not cover decedents' estates, the court routes probate self-help to the shared Nevada City Self-Help Center.
Recent updates
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Statewide Civil Fee Schedule reissued; the probate first-paper fee is unchanged at $435 and Sierra adds no county surcharge | Judicial Council Statewide Civil Fee Schedule |
| 2026 | The court continues modified operations under Code Civ. Proc. § 367.75, allowing remote appearance for many hearing types without a motion | Sierra Superior Court Probate & Conservatorship page |
| 2026 | Self-help is delivered through the SHARP program (Downieville courthouse and Loyalton Family Resource Center); decedent-estate help is routed to the shared Nevada City Self-Help Center | Sierra Superior Court Self-Help page |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Sierra County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | Spousal/Domestic Partner Property Petition heard on the Downieville calendar, often attended remotely. The court signs DE-226; record it with the Sierra 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 Sierra filing at all — it goes directly to the banks. A cabin or other Sierra real property up to $69,625 can pass by the § 13200 affidavit (DE-305) filed with the Downieville clerk by mail; a primary residence up to $750,000 uses the §§ 13150–13157 petition, which can be attended remotely. | Asset discovery to confirm the estate fits the caps. Packet generation. Online notarization so nobody has to travel to Downieville. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Full IAEA probate at the Downieville courthouse. With no e-filing, file by mail and appear remotely where allowed. 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. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| SHARP Self-Help Center — (530) 993-1110 (Downieville courthouse, 2nd floor; Loyalton Family Resource Center, 315 Main St) | The court's self-represented-litigant program for family law, guardianship, restraining orders, name changes, and fee waivers; it does not cover decedents' estates |
| Nevada City Self-Help Center — [email protected] | The shared regional self-help center that Sierra directs probate and estate-planning questions to (walk-in help in Nevada City and Truckee) |
| California Courts Self-Help Guide — Probate (selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/probate) | The Judicial Council's official plain-language guide to every California probate path |
| Legal Services of Northern California (lsnc.net) | Free civil legal aid for low-income residents of Sierra County and the northern-California region |
| LawHelpCA (lawhelpca.org) | Statewide directory of free and low-cost legal aid programs |
When to hire an attorney
Most cooperative-family Sierra County probates — spousal petitions, small-estate paths, and uncontested IAEA administration — are completed without an attorney, and the court's broad remote-appearance rules make that practical even for out-of-area families. 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 Sierra County real property. Because the SHARP self-help program does not cover decedents' estates, families handling a contested or complex estate have thin local support. Sunset can connect families to a vetted California probate attorney serving Sierra County.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and California public records to surface bank accounts, retirement plans, brokerage holdings, life insurance, Sierra County real estate, and unclaimed property.
Generate the probate packet. For estate settlement, Sunset assembles the statewide Judicial Council DE-series forms for your path, the only forms Sierra County requires, ready for signature and filing by mail.
Find a local probate attorney. When the situation calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted California probate attorney serving Sierra 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 Sierra County?
At the Superior Court of California, County of Sierra: in person at 100 Courthouse Square, Second Floor, Downieville (window hours 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM), or by mail to P.O. Box 476, Downieville, CA 95936.
Can I e-file probate documents in Sierra County?
No. Sierra Superior Court offers no e-filing for probate. File in person at the Downieville courthouse or by mail.
Can I check my Sierra County probate case status online?
No. The court has no public online case portal. Call the clerk at (530) 289-3698 (telephone hours 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM); the court's posted courtroom calendars are drafts and may not list every case.
Can I appear at a Sierra County probate hearing remotely?
Usually yes. Under Code Civ. Proc. § 367.75, many probate hearing types allow parties and attorneys to appear remotely without filing anything. Only trials and evidentiary hearings require a filed remote-appearance form (Judicial Council RA-010).
Does Sierra County have local probate forms?
No. Sierra requires only the statewide Judicial Council DE-series forms. There is no county probate cover sheet or local attachment.
How much does it cost to file for probate in Sierra County?
$435 for the first petition (Cal. Gov. Code § 70650(a), statewide Civil Fee Schedule). Sierra adds no county surcharge. Fee waivers are available on Judicial Council forms FW-001/FW-003.
Why is the Sierra County clerk's office closed midday?
The clerk's filing window closes for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 PM. It is open 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday, while the phones are answered until 5:00 PM.
Is there a probate self-help center in Sierra County?
The court's SHARP Self-Help Center (Downieville courthouse and the Loyalton Family Resource Center) helps self-represented litigants but does not cover decedents' estates. For probate and estate-planning questions the court directs families to the shared Nevada City Self-Help Center.
Do I have to travel to Downieville to settle an estate in Sierra County?
Often not. Petitions can be filed by mail, many probate hearings can be attended remotely, 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.