Probate in Santa Barbara County

Probate Court Record

Santa Barbara County Superior Court - Anacapa Division

Santa Barbara County

Hours

Monday-Friday 9:00 AM-3:00 PM

Office

1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Filing in person

Walk-ins accepted

Self-represented filing

Allowed

Self-help forms

How to file probate in Santa Barbara County →

Verified October 15, 2026 · Source

Do I need a lawyer for probate in Santa Barbara County? →Settling an estate in Santa Barbara County →

Asset Protection Firms Serving Santa Barbara County

Represents executors and successor trustees through probate and trust administration across Los Angeles, Ventura, and Kern Counties, from offices in Oxnard, Valencia, Bakersfield, and West Los Angeles. It litigates will contests, trust disputes, and financial elder abuse, and handles Medi-Cal planning. Its principal attorney is a State Bar certified specialist in probate and trust law.

Serves 4 countiesVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+7

Ventura firm serving Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles Counties with probating a will, probate litigation, and trust litigation alongside estate planning, conservatorships, and guardianships. Robert M. Baskin was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1975 and has practiced in Ventura for over 40 years. Free initial consultation for new clients.

Serves 3 countiesFree consultationEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationConservatorship+2

Serves Marin County from San Rafael, with offices across Northern and Southern California and statewide service by phone and video. Handles probate, trust administration, and Medi-Cal and elder law matters alongside estate and tax planning. Founder Jim Cunningham heads the San Rafael office and is a State Bar certified specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law.

Serves the whole stateFree consultationVirtual consultationsEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawTax Planning+3

Bakersfield boutique serving Kern and Tulare counties from offices in Bakersfield and Visalia, and probate matters throughout California. Supports executors and administrators through California probate and represents heirs, excluded heirs, and fiduciaries in estate disputes, including will contests, breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims, and trust-distribution litigation.

Serves the whole stateEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust LitigationAsset Protection

Riverside practice serving Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and Los Angeles counties. Handles probate and estate administration, trust administration, trust and will litigation, spousal property petitions, conservatorships, and guardianships. Kristine M. Borgia is a State Bar of California certified specialist in trust, estate planning, and probate law, and is fluent in Spanish.

Solo PracticeServes the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate LitigationTrust Litigation+5

Newport Beach firm serving Orange County and families throughout California, founded by Darlynn Morgan in July 2005. Handles probate administration and executor guidance through the court, trust administration after a death, and special needs and Medi-Cal planning. Offers a no-charge post-death estate review.

Serves the whole stateFree consultationEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder LawSpecial Needs Planning+2

All 9 California asset protection firms serving Santa Barbara County →

Forms for Planning Your Estate in California

Free forms for planning your estate in California: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for California.

$12/month

Revocable Living Trust

Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.

Get Started
Free

Pour-Over Will

In California, a pour-over will is signed before 2Cal. Prob. Code § 6110Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.

Get Started
Free

Transfer on Death Deed

In California, a revocable transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryCal. Prob. Code 5600-5698Verified Oct 18, 2026View source and 2Cal. Prob. Code 5600-5698Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathCal. Prob. Code 5600-5698Verified Oct 18, 2026View source, within 60 daysCal. Prob. Code 5600-5698Verified Oct 18, 2026View source of notarization. California does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.

Get Started
Free

Last Will and Testament

In California, a will is signed before 2Cal. Prob. Code § 6110Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and the witnesses sign an affidavit at probate instead of a self-proving affidavitCal. Prob. Code § 6110Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

Get Started

All California forms

Tools for Planning Your Estate in California

Free tools for planning your estate in California: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for California.

Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In California, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees set by statute as a percentage of the gross estateCal. Prob. Code § 10810Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.

Calculate Costs

How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in California runs $4,320Estimate: 10 hours at $432, Clio's California Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $6,480Estimate: 15 hours at $432, Clio's California Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

Calculate Costs

Do I Need a TOD Deed?

California authorizes transfer on death deedsCal. Prob. Code 5600-5698Verified Oct 17, 2026View source: a recorded, revocable deed that passes real property at death outside probate.

Get the Answer

Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

California automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorceCal. Prob. Code § 5040Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.

Get the Answer

All California tools