California Code
DIVISION 7 - ADMINISTRATION OF ESTATES OF DECEDENTS
PART 2 - OPENING ESTATE ADMINISTRATION

CHAPTER 1 - Commencement of Proceedings

Section 8000. - 8000. (a) At any time after a decedent’s death, any...

Section 8001. - 8001. Unless good cause for delay is shown, if a...

Section 8002. - 8002. (a) The petition shall contain all of the following...

Section 8003. - 8003. (a) The hearing on the petition shall be set...

Section 8004. - 8004. (a) If appointment of the personal representative is contested,...

Section 8005. - 8005. (a) At the hearing on the petition, the court...

Section 8006. - 8006. (a) If the court finds that the matters referred...

Section 8007. - 8007. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), an order...

CHAPTER 2 - Notice of Hearing

ARTICLE 1 - Contents

Section 8100. - 8100. The notice of hearing of a petition for administration...

ARTICLE 2 - Service of Notice of Hearing

Section 8110. - 8110. At least 15 days before the hearing of a...

Section 8111. - 8111. If the decedent’s will involves or may involve a...

Section 8112. - 8112. A general personal representative shall give notice of administration...

Section 8113. - 8113. If a citizen of a foreign country dies without...

ARTICLE 3 - Publication

Section 8120. - 8120. In addition to service of the notice of hearing...

Section 8121. - 8121. (a) The first publication date of the notice shall...

Section 8122. - 8122. The Legislature finds and declares that, to be most...

Section 8123. - 8123. The caption of a notice under this article shall...

Section 8124. - 8124. A petition for administration of a decedent’s estate shall...

Section 8125. - 8125. Notwithstanding Section 8100, after the notice of hearing is...

CHAPTER 3 - Probate of Will

ARTICLE 1 - Production of Will

Section 8200. - 8200. (a) Unless a petition for probate of the will...

Section 8201. - 8201. If, on petition to the superior court of the...

Section 8202. - 8202. If the will of a person who was domiciled...

Section 8203. - 8203. If a will has been delivered to the clerk...

ARTICLE 2 - Proof of Will

Section 8220. - 8220. Unless there is a contest of a will: (a)...

Section 8221. - 8221. If no subscribing witness is available as a witness...

Section 8222. - 8222. A holographic will may be proved in the same...

Section 8223. - 8223. The petition for probate of a lost or destroyed...

Section 8224. - 8224. The testimony of each witness in a proceeding concerning...

Section 8225. - 8225. When the court admits a will to probate, that...

Section 8226. - 8226. (a) If no person contests the validity of a...

ARTICLE 3 - Contest of Will

Section 8250. - 8250. (a) When a will is contested under Section 8004,...

Section 8251. - 8251. (a) The petitioner and any other interested person may...

Section 8252. - 8252. (a) At the trial, the proponents of the will...

Section 8253. - 8253. At the trial, each subscribing witness shall be produced...

Section 8254. - 8254. The court may make appropriate orders, including orders sustaining...

ARTICLE 4 - Revocation of Probate

Section 8270. - 8270. (a) Within 120 days after a will is admitted...

Section 8271. - 8271. (a) On the filing of the petition, a summons...

Section 8272. - 8272. (a) If it appears on satisfactory proof that the...

CHAPTER 4 - Appointment of Personal Representative

ARTICLE 1 - General Provisions

Section 8400. - 8400. (a) A person has no power to administer the...

Section 8401. - 8401. (a) Notwithstanding Section 8400, a petitioner for appointment as...

Section 8402. - 8402. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a...

Section 8403. - 8403. (a) Before letters are issued, the personal representative shall...

Section 8404. - 8404. (a) Before letters are issued, the personal representative (other...

Section 8405. - 8405. Letters shall be signed by the clerk under the...

ARTICLE 2 - Executors

Section 8420. - 8420. The person named as executor in the decedent’s will...

Section 8421. - 8421. If a person is not named as executor in...

Section 8422. - 8422. (a) The testator may by will confer on a...

Section 8423. - 8423. If the executor named in the will is a...

Section 8424. - 8424. (a) If a person named as executor is under...

Section 8425. - 8425. If the court does not appoint all the persons...

ARTICLE 3 - Administrators With the Will Annexed

Section 8440. - 8440. An administrator with the will annexed shall be appointed...

Section 8441. - 8441. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), persons and...

Section 8442. - 8442. (a) Subject to subdivision (b), an administrator with the...

ARTICLE 4 - Administrators

Section 8460. - 8460. (a) If the decedent dies intestate, the court shall...

Section 8461. - 8461. Subject to the provisions of this article, a person...

Section 8462. - 8462. The surviving spouse or domestic partner of the decedent,...

Section 8463. - 8463. If the surviving spouse is a party to an...

Section 8464. - 8464. If a person otherwise entitled to appointment as administrator...

Section 8465. - 8465. (a) The court may appoint as administrator a person...

Section 8466. - 8466. If a person whose only priority is that of...

Section 8467. - 8467. If several persons have equal priority for appointment as...

Section 8468. - 8468. If persons having priority fail to claim appointment as...

Section 8469. - 8469. (a) For good cause, the court may allow the...

ARTICLE 5 - Bond

Section 8480. - 8480. (a) Except as otherwise provided by statute, every person...

Section 8481. - 8481. (a) A bond is not required in either of...

Section 8482. - 8482. (a) The court in its discretion may fix the...

Section 8483. - 8483. (a) This section applies where property in the estate...

Section 8484. - 8484. If a personal representative petitions to have the amount...

Section 8485. - 8485. A personal representative who petitions for substitution or release...

Section 8486. - 8486. The personal representative shall be allowed the reasonable cost...

Section 8487. - 8487. The provisions of the Bond and Undertaking Law (Chapter...

Section 8488. - 8488. (a) In case of a breach of a condition...

ARTICLE 6 - Removal From Office

Section 8500. - 8500. (a) Any interested person may petition for removal of...

Section 8501. - 8501. On removal of a personal representative from office, the...

Section 8502. - 8502. A personal representative may be removed from office for...

Section 8503. - 8503. (a) Subject to subdivision (b), an administrator may be...

Section 8504. - 8504. (a) After appointment of an administrator on the ground...

Section 8505. - 8505. (a) A personal representative may be removed from office...

ARTICLE 7 - Changes in Administration

Section 8520. - 8520. A vacancy occurs in the office of a personal...

Section 8521. - 8521. (a) Unless the will provides otherwise or the court...

Section 8522. - 8522. (a) If a vacancy occurs in the office of...

Section 8523. - 8523. The court may make orders that are necessary to...

Section 8524. - 8524. (a) A successor personal representative is entitled to demand,...

Section 8525. - 8525. (a) The acts of the personal representative before a...

ARTICLE 8 - Special Administrators

Section 8540. - 8540. (a) If the circumstances of the estate require the...

Section 8541. - 8541. (a) Appointment of a special administrator may be made...

Section 8542. - 8542. (a) The clerk shall issue letters to the special...

Section 8543. - 8543. Subject to subdivision (b) of Section 8481, the court...

Section 8544. - 8544. (a) Except to the extent the order appointing a...

Section 8545. - 8545. (a) Notwithstanding Section 8544, the court may grant a...

Section 8546. - 8546. (a) The powers of a special administrator cease on...

Section 8547. - 8547. (a) Subject to the limitations of this section, the...

ARTICLE 9 - Nonresident Personal Representative

Section 8570. - 8570. As used in this article, “nonresident personal representative” means...

Section 8571. - 8571. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter and notwithstanding...

Section 8572. - 8572. (a) Acceptance of appointment by a nonresident personal representative...

Section 8573. - 8573. A nonresident personal representative shall sign and file with...

Section 8574. - 8574. (a) Service of process or notice of a motion...

Section 8575. - 8575. Proof of compliance with Section 8574 shall be made...

Section 8576. - 8576. (a) Except as provided in this section, service made...

Section 8577. - 8577. (a) Failure of a nonresident personal representative to comply...