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Standard Index GroupThe End of Life PlannerUnited States by Valoren

General information · not a substitute for the advice of an attorney · Valoren is a publisher, not a law firm.

Free · general informationCalifornia

What to do when someone dies in California

The first things California’s own law asks for after a death, quoted word for word, then the pages for everything that follows, in the order it usually comes. Nothing here decides what a particular family must do. That belongs to the office named, the court, or an attorney in California.

  • Every fact dated, in the official words
  • Each state’s own law

Every quotation checked October 11, 2026

Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.

Registering the death: where, and how soon

Registering the death comes first. These are California’s own words on who files the record, and how soon.

Each death shall be registered with the local registrar of births and deaths in the district in which the death was officially pronounced or the body was found, within eight calendar days after death and prior to any disposition of the human remains.

California · general information · checked October 11, 2026 · Cal. Health & Safety Code §102775

The medical certification of the death: who completes it, how soon, and where it goes

(a) The medical and health section data and the physician's, nurse practitioner's, or coroner's certification shall be completed by the attending physician or nurse practitioner within 15 hours after the death or by the coroner within three days after examination of the body.

(b) The physician or nurse practitioner shall, within 15 hours after the death, deposit the certificate at the place of death or deliver it to the attending funeral director …

California · general information · checked October 11, 2026 · Cal. Health & Safety Code §102800

What the person holding the will must do, and how soon

The will has its own rules. These are California’s own words on who brings it to the court after a death, and what the court does with it.

Unless a petition for probate of the will is earlier filed, the custodian of a will shall, within 30 days after having knowledge of the death of the testator, do both of the following: (1) Deliver the will, personally or by registered or certified mail, to the clerk of the superior court of the county in which the estate of the decedent may be administered. (2) Deliver a copy of the will … to the person named in the will as executor…

(b) A custodian of a will who fails to comply with the requirements of this section shall be liable for all damages sustained by any person injured by the failure.

California · general information · checked October 11, 2026 · Cal. Prob. Code §8200

The first weeks

The estate: probate in California, its route for a smaller estate, what falls to whoever is settling it, and the accounts that pass outside the will.

FAQ

Common questions

Each death shall be registered with the local registrar of births and deaths in the district in which the death was officially pronounced or the body was found, within eight calendar days after death and prior to any disposition of the human remains.

California · general information · checked October 11, 2026 · Cal. Health & Safety Code §102775

(a) The medical and health section data and the physician's, nurse practitioner's, or coroner's certification shall be completed by the attending physician or nurse practitioner within 15 hours after the death or by the coroner within three days after examination of the body.

(b) The physician or nurse practitioner shall, within 15 hours after the death, deposit the certificate at the place of death or deliver it to the attending funeral director …

California · general information · checked October 11, 2026 · Cal. Health & Safety Code §102800

Unless a petition for probate of the will is earlier filed, the custodian of a will shall, within 30 days after having knowledge of the death of the testator, do both of the following: (1) Deliver the will, personally or by registered or certified mail, to the clerk of the superior court of the county in which the estate of the decedent may be administered. (2) Deliver a copy of the will … to the person named in the will as executor…

(b) A custodian of a will who fails to comply with the requirements of this section shall be liable for all damages sustained by any person injured by the failure.

California · general information · checked October 11, 2026 · Cal. Prob. Code §8200