Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: California charges a uniform $355.00 statewide for the first petition for letters of administration or letters testamentary.
If a trust could save your estate this fee in California
A living trust avoids probate entirely in California, which means the estate skips the $355.00 above along with every other cost the court charges once a case is open. LawDepot builds a state-specific one.
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What California charges to open probate
This is a flat fee in California: $355.00 is what it costs whether the estate is worth $40,000 or $4,000,000.
| First petition for letters (flat, statewide) | $355.00 |
| Total to open the estate | $355.00 |
| Fee whether the estate is $200,000 or $5,000,000 | same $355.00 (flat, doesn’t scale) |
Where this money goes and who sets it
The authority for this figure is Cal. Gov. Code § 70650. In the source’s own words: “the uniform filing fee for the first petition for letters of administration or letters testamentary… is three hundred fifty-five dollars ($355)”
What this fee doesn’t cover
Because California’s fee is flat, it doesn’t rise as the estate grows, but it also doesn’t shrink for a small, simple estate the way a percentage-based state’s fee would. Either way, this is the court’s own charge just to open the file and issue letters, separate from what an attorney charges to actually handle the estate and separate from any state estate or inheritance tax the estate itself might owe.
Sources
Source: Cal. Gov. Code § 70650.