2026 state court fee data · California
Guardianship in California
Recorded at $465 - mid-pack among the civil filings in California, and one of 10 states where we price this filing.
Fee rank is not wait rank
Signature reading for Guardianship in California: 7 steps on published procedural depth for this filing. On this filing's state cohort, California sits in the upper third of recorded max fees ($465). California records a short end of the waiting-period distribution for this filing (45 days). The published step list sits near the 6-step median for this filing (7 steps). According to PlainCivil's compiled state court fee schedules, Guardianship in California ranks #17 of 120 process-state filings by maximum filing fee (highest max fee = #1). Florida lists the highest guardianship filing-fee ceiling at $500 among 10 states for this filing and also the recorded wait (60 days). Wait rank is still a separate board: Illinois records 60 days on a $400 ceiling.
Guardianship figures for California are compiled schedule reference, not legal advice - verify with the clerk where you intend to file.
In-state wait inventory
Waiting periods among California civil filings
Exclusive split of all 12 tracked filings in California - orthogonal to in-state fee placement below.
Compare a state record
Compare guardianship with another state
Start with California, then inspect another published court-schedule record without leaving this page.
In-state placement
Where guardianship sits among California filings
Of the 12 civil filings we track in California, guardianship ranks 5 by recorded maximum fee: mid-pack among the civil filings in California. Neighbours: Court Mediation at $500 and Eviction at $450.
Same-state corpus only, not a national ranking. How we place filings
10 of 10 states publishing a waiting-period field for this filing impose one; California records 45 days.
The California row lists 7 procedural steps against a 6-step median for this filing: a reading of published detail, not difficulty.
Filing Fee Details
Probate Court filing fee $465. Investigator fees additional (~$600-$1,200).
California's high-band fee among states
California sits in the upper third of this filing's state cohort at $465 (rank #2 of 10 by max fee).
Source: state court filing-fee schedules (upper-bound fee per state). Verify current amounts with the relevant court. How we calculate this ranking →
Key Requirements
- Petition for Appointment of Guardian
- Medical evaluation of ward
- Background check of proposed guardian
- Court hearing with notice to relatives
- Letters of Guardianship issued
Step-by-Step Process
- 1
File Petition for Guardianship in Probate Court
- 2
Court appoints guardian ad litem
- 3
Medical/psychological evaluation of ward
- 4
Background check on proposed guardian
- 5
Notice sent to ward relatives
- 6
Hearing before judge
- 7
Letters of Guardianship issued
Grounds / Eligibility
Minor (under 18) with no parents, or adult with incapacity
Quick Reference
- Fee stamp
- HEAVY schedule band
- Wait stamp
- MID clock band
- Filing Fee
- $465
- Residency
- Ward must reside in California
- Waiting Period
- 45 days
- Typical Timeline
- 3-6 months
Official Resources
Nearest fee-schedule peers in California
Ordered by ABS(filing_fee_max) to this row's HEAVY stamp - not an A-Z process catalog.
Take this with you
What to do with guardianship in California's numbers, next.
- Read the step-by-step guide for guardianship Guardianship guide
- See how every state compares on guardianship filing fees View state rankings
- Check where this fee sits against every other filing we track Use the fee percentile tool
Filing fees and requirements change; verify current figures with your local court before filing.
| Publisher | PlainCivil |
| Sources | Public state court datasets and federal civil-justice records |