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DE-111Mandatory

Petition for Probate

California · Judicial Council of California · Effective July 1, 2017

This form is used to ask the court to start the legal process for handling a deceased person's property, paying off any debts, and settling their financial matters. It asks for details about the deceased person and the estate's assets.

The court describes it as: Ask the court to start the process for distributing a deceased person’s property, paying debts owed by the deceased person, and settling the financial affairs of the deceased person.

Open the official PDFfrom Judicial Council of California

Where this fits in a case

Start a case

Stage: Start a case

This form is used when someone needs to begin the legal process to manage the estate of a person who has passed away.

Usually filed by the person starting the case.

Official instructions

How-to guides published by the court for this form.

Common questions

Who fills out this form?
The form is for the petitioner, which is the person asking the court to start the probate process.
What kind of information does it ask for?
It asks for details about the deceased person, the estate's property, and who should be appointed to manage the estate.
Does this form require a fee?
The form does not mention a specific filing fee, but it does have sections for financial details.

Revision history

No changes recorded since we started tracking this form on October 9, 2026. The current version took effect July 1, 2017.

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