When someone dies in California
The state-specific facts a family needs in the first weeks, with links to the official sources behind each one.
Last updated May 11, 2026. Sources are linked at the bottom of the page.
The first few days
You do not have to do everything at once, and most of it can wait a week. In the first days the real tasks are: get the death legally recorded (the funeral home or direct disposer does this), decide on burial or cremation, tell close family, and locate any instructions the person left. Everything else, the accounts, the house, the paperwork, comes after the death certificate is issued.
California at a glance
| Death certificates issued by | California Department of Public Health, Vital Records |
|---|---|
| First certified copy costs | approx $26 first certified copy |
| Probate court | Superior Court of California. Probate Division (county-level) |
| Probate filing fee | varies by county/court |
| Small-estate shortcut | Yes: Affidavit for collection of personal property; separate procedure for real property |
| State estate tax | No |
| State inheritance tax | No |
| Wait before cremation | 48 hours |
Guides for California
- Death certificates
- Probate and small estates
- When there is no will
- Cremation rules
- Estate taxes and life insurance
Deadlines
| Death certificate filing by funeral director | Within 8 calendar days of death (Cal. H&S Code §102775) |
|---|---|
| Probate will admission | No strict statutory deadline in most states, but creditors' periods and beneficiary interests favor prompt filing |
Official agencies in California
| Vital records (death certificates) | cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHSI/Pages/Vital-Records.aspx |
|---|---|
| Probate court directory | courts.ca.gov/probate.htm |
| State bar lawyer referral | calbar.ca.gov/Public/Need-Legal-Help/Lawyer-Referral-Service |
| Funeral and cremation board | cfb.ca.gov |
| Insurance regulator | insurance.ca.gov |
| Attorney General consumer protection | oag.ca.gov/consumers |
Want this organized for your situation? The free walkthrough asks a few questions about who died, where, and your relationship to them, and builds a checklist for the first days and weeks in California.