California Probate Access Index

What the statewide comparison shows

As of August 18, 2026, 8 counties document all five scored elements in our reviewed sources, while 33 score at least 8 out of 10. 2 counties currently have only the baseline plus county-specific starting guidance in the reviewed material.

California has one superior court in every county, but the public path is not uniform. Some courts publish the filing channel, examiner comments, correction timing, and remote-hearing process together. Others require an executor to assemble the same answers across division pages, local rules, forms, and general remote-appearance instructions.

Use the index diagnostically: open the county guide, follow its official sources, and reconfirm the procedure before filing. A high documentation score does not mean a case is simple, and a lower score does not mean the court is inaccessible.

Methodology and update policy

The Estate Desk reviewed official California superior-court pages, current local rules, Judicial Council materials, and court-published forms. Each county guide lists its sources and verification date. We score only information established in that guide; we do not infer that a feature exists from another county's practice.

Corrections are welcome at [email protected]. We update the underlying county guide and this index when a primary source changes.