How to Give Notice of Probate Petition in California

Once you have filed your probate petition in Court you will need to give notice in two ways for interested parties, beneficiaries and heirs. You will give Notice via first class mail and through publication.

Notice via First Class Mail

You need to fill out form De-121 and mail a copy of this notice to all the parties listed on this form. You must mail this notice at least 15 days before your scheduled hearing date. For instructions on filling out this form go to: How to Fill Out Notice of Petition to Administer Estate . You can also mail a copy of the Probate Petition with this Notice but is not required.

After the notice is served you must file the proof of service with the court.

Notice via Publication

You must publish the Notice of Petition to Administer Estate in:

A publication of general circulation in the city where the decedent resided at the time of death.
Notice must be published 3 times before the hearing date.
First publication must be at least 15 days before the hearing date
Three publications in a newspaper published once a week or more often, with at least five days intervening between the first and last publication dates, not counting the first and last publication dates as part of the five-day period, are sufficient.

Finding Newspapers to publish notice

The first option is to check with your Superior court in the county where the probate petition was filed. They may have a list of general circulation newspapers where you can publication your notice. Below is a list for some Southern California counties:

After the notice is published you must file proof of publication with the court.