Last verified 2026-07-14, every fact checked against the primary sources below

How probate works in Fresno County

Last verified: July 14, 2026

The short answer: If the person who died lived in Fresno County, you file the Petition for Probate (form DE-111) with the Probate Clerk at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse, 1130 O Street in downtown Fresno. The filing fee is $435, and the clerk assigns your hearing date when you file. Attorneys must e-file; if you are handling it yourself, you can file on paper at Room 300. Two Fresno deadlines matter more than most: your proposed order is due 10 days before the hearing, and any fix for problems the probate examiners flag must be filed at least two court days before the hearing.

Before you file anything, check whether you need probate at all. The simplified paths at the bottom of this page skip the process entirely for many families.

Fresno County probate at a glance

Where do you file probate in Fresno County?

"Filing a petition with the Probate Clerk in The B.F. Sisk Courthouse starts the probate proceeding" (fresno.courts.ca.gov):

Probate matters are currently heard in Department 402 per the court's judicial assignments.

How much does it cost to file probate in Fresno County?

If you e-file, the e-filing service provider charges its own convenience fee on top of the $435.

How do you file the petition?

E-filing is mandatory for represented parties in all probate actions and optional for self-represented filers, who "are encouraged to participate" but may file on paper at Room 300 (efile resources). Fresno runs on the Journal Technologies platform through approved service providers including One Legal, Green Filing, and InfoTrack. The probate e-file desk answers at [email protected] or (559) 457-1888.

When you file, the Probate Clerk assigns the hearing date — you do not pick it.

How long until the first hearing?

State law says the hearing on the petition "shall be set for a day not less than 15 nor more than 30 days after the petition is filed," or 30 to 45 days out if you request it (Prob. Code § 8003).

Use the gap well — and calendar one Fresno-specific deadline immediately: your proposed Order must reach the Probate Filing Clerk 10 days before the hearing or the matter may be continued (Local Rule 7.1.1(D), local rules). You must also publish notice of the hearing in a newspaper and mail notice to heirs.

What are Probate Examiner Notes and how do you clear them?

The court's probate examiners review every filing before the hearing: "Any potential deficiencies will be listed on the Probate Examiner Notes and should be addressed and/or corrected before the matter is heard" (fresno.courts.ca.gov).

What local quirks should an executor know?

• The proposed-order deadline (10 days before the hearing) is earlier than the defect-cure deadline (2 court days). Miss the first and the second may not matter.
• Remote appearance is opt-in only: file a Notice of Remote Appearance (form RA-010) at least five court days before the hearing, with your email address — late requests are rejected and you appear in person (Local Rule 7.2.2).
• No court reporter is assigned to probate matters. If you want a transcript, bring your own reporter.
• Whoever holds the original will must deposit it with the Probate Clerk within 30 days of the death (decedent's estate page).
• The petition must list the date of death of any deceased beneficiary or heir (Local Rule 7.1.1(C)) — a detail examiners routinely flag.

Can you skip probate entirely?

Formal probate is the expensive road. Two shortcuts cover many Fresno County families, using the thresholds on Judicial Council form DE-300 (rev. April 2025) for deaths on or after April 1, 2025:

For what counts toward those numbers and what skips probate automatically, see our first-30-days guide.

The Estate Desk handles this for California families. theestatedesk.com