Probate in Kings County: One Courthouse, Statewide Rules and the Sale of a House

Kings Superior Court in Hanford

The county of domicile is the county of probate for a California resident, wherever the death occurred, so a Kings County resident's estate goes to the Superior Court of California, County of Kings. The court has one courthouse, Kings Superior Court at 1640 Kings County Drive in Hanford. Its Civil Division serves civil litigation, juvenile, probate and landlord-tenant matters, and the court's forms and filings page lists a probate contact for e-filing questions.

Standing Order No. 2026-18, filed May 4, 2026, lists probate, guardianships and conservatorships among Department 6's case types. Local Rule 114 says probate matters are routinely assigned to a Superior Court Commissioner, and the parties must stipulate before the commissioner can serve as a temporary judge. Notice of each petition's hearing tells interested persons when and where it will be heard.

Under Local Rule 130 the court does not normally provide official court reporters in probate cases, and a notice effective September 1, 2024 says court reporter services for probate are no longer assured. A California probate attorney can explain how hearings run for a particular estate.

Tentative Rulings and Mandatory E-Filing

No probate examiner notes page appears on Kings Superior Court's website. Its civil law-and-motion chapter covers all non-criminal, non-family cases, and under Local Rule 313 a tentative ruling or notice to appear is generally available by 4:00 p.m. the court day before the hearing, on the court's website or by calling the court.

Since July 1, 2021, electronic filing has been mandatory in every probate case type, through a provider on the court's approved EFSP list. Self-represented parties are exempt under rule 2.253(b)(2) of the California Rules of Court. Three probate filings can't go through e-filing at all: wills, codicils and bonds. A probate attorney can explain how a filing reaches the court in a particular case.

Local Rules Without a Probate Chapter

Kings' local rules, effective July 1, 2026, end with Chapter 7, Family Court Rules, and contain no separate probate chapter; the court's forms page shows no probate-specific local forms either. Probate cases there run on the statewide framework, with Judicial Council forms from the DE-111 petition and DE-150 letters through the DE-165 Notice of Proposed Action and the DE-260 report of sale.

So the Probate Code's own clock governs: a hearing usually 15 to 30 days after filing (30 to 45 days if the petitioner asks when filing), notice to heirs and named beneficiaries at least 15 days before it, the inventory within four months after letters, and a status report or petition for final distribution within a year after letters. A California probate attorney can keep those dates straight for a particular estate.

Recording at the Kings County Government Center

Kings County's Clerk/Recorder is in the Government Center at 1400 W. Lacey Blvd. in Hanford; the office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and recordings are taken from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Probate Code section 7263 makes the personal representative record a certified copy of an order confirming a sale of real property, distributing it, setting apart a probate homestead or settling another title matter, in each county where any part of the property sits. The county's recording guidelines make the same point about place, citing Civil Code 1169: an instrument entitled to be recorded is recorded in the county where the affected real property is located.

A valid assessor's parcel number, along with the property's street address, must appear on the face of every document pertaining to real property submitted for recording in Kings County, and a document missing those elements will not be recorded. When a change in ownership is recorded without a Preliminary Change of Ownership Report, the Recorder charges an additional $20. An affidavit of death, including the affidavit of death of a joint tenant, is recorded with a certified copy of the death certificate.

Kings does not offer online access to its recorded documents, real estate records or indexes; for other ways to view or obtain documents, it asks people to contact the Clerk/Recorder's office directly. A probate attorney or title officer can explain which documents a particular transfer requires.

Reporting the Death to the Kings County Assessor

The Kings County Assessor lists BOE 502-D, Change in Ownership Statement Death of Real Property Owner, among its standard forms, and quotes the state rule that a personal representative files the statement with the county recorder or assessor before or when the inventory and appraisal is filed with the court clerk.

Its FAQ also explains how to report an owner's death: fill out a Preliminary Change in Ownership Report and send it to the Assessor's Office with a copy of the death certificate. Failing to report a death may result in penalties, the Assessor warns. The Assessor shares the Government Center address, 1400 W. Lacey Blvd. in Hanford. A tax professional or a California probate attorney can explain how reassessment applies to a particular inheritance.

Selling a Kings County House Through Probate

The sequence below is the statewide process as it plays out in Hanford. A California probate attorney can say which steps a particular estate needs.

• 1 · The will: its custodian delivers the original to the superior court clerk within 30 days after learning of the death, unless a petition was filed first; Kings does not accept wills by e-filing.
• 2 · The route: assets with a named beneficiary, a house in a living trust and joint tenancy property can usually pass without probate court, and California real estate with a combined gross value of $69,625 or less (deaths on or after April 1, 2025) can pass by an affidavit (form DE-305) filed with the court no sooner than six months after the death.
• 3 · The petition: a Petition for Probate (DE-111) goes to Kings Superior Court, e-filed unless the petitioner is self-represented; the state self-help guide lists $435 as the typical filing fee.
• 4 · Notice: heirs and named beneficiaries get notice at least 15 days before the hearing, and the hearing notice is also published in a newspaper where the person lived.
• 5 · The hearing and letters: the court's May 4, 2026 standing order lists probate among Department 6's case types, and the representative's powers begin when letters issue.
• 6 · Inventory and the BOE 502-D: the inventory and appraisal, with a referee's value for the house, is due within four months after letters, and the change in ownership statement is filed by then.
• 7 · Creditors: claims are due by the later of four months after letters or 60 days after a creditor is given notice.
• 8 · The sale: full IAEA authority allows a sale without a confirmation hearing once a Notice of Proposed Action has been delivered at least 15 days ahead, unless someone objects; otherwise the sale is reported on DE-260 and confirmed at a hearing where overbids can be made.
• 9 · Recording: the deed, with its parcel number, street address and PCOR, and a certified copy of any confirmation order are recorded at 1400 W. Lacey Blvd.
• 10 · Closing: a status report or petition for final distribution is due within a year after letters, and the estate closes after a final hearing on distribution.

This is general information about how the process works, not legal or tax advice. Every situation is different — talk with a California attorney (and a tax professional) about yours.

Hanford, Lemoore, Corcoran and Avenal

Our homepage lists Hanford, Lemoore, Corcoran and Avenal as the Kings County cities where we buy houses. With one courthouse in the county, an estate from any of them is probated in Hanford.

Selling the Estate's House to Spark Home Offers

We buy single-family homes, townhomes, condos, duplexes and small multifamily throughout the Central Valley, and we buy them as-is. We pay the standard closing costs. A sale that needs court confirmation can still be overbid at the hearing by any qualifying bidder.