Chico firm serving Butte, Tehama, Glenn, Lassen, Plumas, Modoc, Lake, Mendocino, and Shasta Counties, representing the executor or trustee in administering a decedent's estate from initial probate through final accounting. Also handles Medi-Cal and long-term-care planning, special needs trusts, and veterans benefits. Partners Neil A. Harris and Nicole R. Plottel are Certified Elder Law Attorneys.
Probate in Shasta County
Probate Court Record
Shasta County Superior Court - Probate Division
Shasta County
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Filing in person
Self-represented filing
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Shasta County →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Shasta County? →Settling an estate in Shasta County →
Estate Law Firms Serving Shasta County
Serves Butte County and the northern Sacramento Valley from an office in Chico. Spencer M. Gysin prepares wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, and advance health care directives, and handles probate conservatorships for adults who can no longer manage their own affairs. The practice also covers family law and guardianships.
Red Bluff firm serving Tehama and Shasta Counties since 1976, originally Hedlund & McCarthy. Handles trust administration, probate, and decedent's estate administration for estates of all sizes, from smaller estates eligible for expedited administration to large, complex estates requiring litigation.
Chico practice serving Butte, Plumas, Placer, Sacramento, Lassen, and Glenn counties, with satellite offices in Rocklin, Sacramento, and Lake Almanor. Handles probate for personal representatives, making the court appearances and preparing the pleadings an estate requires, and resolves probate and trust litigation. Daniel Alexander has practiced in these areas since 1996.
General-practice law firm with offices in Chico and Red Bluff serving Butte, Glenn, Tehama, and Yuba Counties. Estate practice covers wills, trusts, and probate — assisting testators, administrators, and beneficiaries — alongside family law and personal injury matters.
Serves San Francisco and the greater Bay Area from downtown San Francisco, and handles probate proceedings in every California county. Guides executors, administrators, and trustees through probate and trust administration alongside estate planning, billing probate work at California Probate Code statutory rates. Founded in 2018.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in California
Free California forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for California.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
California allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2Cal. Prob. Code § 4701Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
Financial Power of Attorney
California requires explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacityCal. Prob. Code §§ 56, 4053, 4120, 4121, 4122, 4123, 4124, 4127, 4128, 4129, 4130, 4150, 4152, 4200, 4230, 4264, 4300, 4401, 4402, 4450, 4451, 4452, 4453, 4455, 4456, 4457, 4459, 4461, 4462, 4463, 4464, 4465; Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1095, 1189, 1556, 2356, 2933; Cal. Fam. Code § 6500; AB 2199 (Stats. 2026, ch. 47) §§ 4401, 4466 eff. 2027-01-01 per Cal. Const. art. IV § 8(c)(1); verified against leginfo.legislature.ca.gov 2026-07-14, re-verified 2026-09-18; Cal. Prob. Code §§ 3, 872, 879.1, 879.2, 4054, 4409 and Stats. 2024, ch. 799 (SB 1458) read 2026-10-11Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, and it is signed before 2Cal. Prob. Code §§ 56, 4053, 4120, 4121, 4122, 4123, 4124, 4127, 4128, 4129, 4130, 4150, 4152, 4200, 4230, 4264, 4300, 4401, 4402, 4450, 4451, 4452, 4453, 4455, 4456, 4457, 4459, 4461, 4462, 4463, 4464, 4465; Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1095, 1189, 1556, 2356, 2933; Cal. Fam. Code § 6500; AB 2199 (Stats. 2026, ch. 47) §§ 4401, 4466 eff. 2027-01-01 per Cal. Const. art. IV § 8(c)(1); verified against leginfo.legislature.ca.gov 2026-07-14, re-verified 2026-09-18; Cal. Prob. Code §§ 3, 872, 879.1, 879.2, 4054, 4409 and Stats. 2024, ch. 799 (SB 1458) read 2026-10-11Verified Sep 18, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
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.
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.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in California
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in California: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. 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.
Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in California takes 9 months to 12 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees set by statute as a percentage of the gross estateCal. Prob. Code § 10810Verified Sep 8, 2026View source; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in California costs an estimated $27,235Cal. Prob. Code § 10810Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees are statutory (set by law)Cal. Prob. Code § 10810Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in California costs an estimated $27,235Cal. Prob. Code § 10810Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 9 months to 12 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees set by statute as a percentage of the gross estateCal. Prob. Code § 10810Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Estates under $208,850Cal. Prob. Code § 13100Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in California: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 120 daysCal. Prob. Code §§ 8800-8804, 8900-8903Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsCal. Prob. Code §§ 9050-9054, 9100-9104, 9150, 9153, 9256, 9353, 11420; CCP § 366.2Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 9 months to 12 months.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable 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 and a simple will $1,329Estimate: 3 hours at $443, Clio's California Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,658Estimate: 6 hours at $443, Clio's California Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
