Frequently Asked Questions:

This page is designed to help you find answers to Probate Court questions that you may have.

1. FAQs:
   
   
• Adoption
• Conservatorship
• Name Change
• Property, Wills and Trusts
• Other
2. Emailing Probate Court
3. Legal Assistance

1. FAQs
   
   
   • Adoption
     
     
     1. Adoption status of child? I want to know if a child was legally adopted, and if the child would no longer belong to the birthparents.  Click for Answer -->
        
        
     2. Can I be adopted? Can I be adopted by a US citizen? Click for Answer -->
        
   •   Conservatorship:
     
     
     1. How to get money from conservator? I haven't received my disability money for the past two weeks. My Conservator refuses to download my money to my checking account. What can I do?
        Answer: Contact the Court Investigator's Unit at (408) 882-2761 .
        
   • Name Change
     
     
     1. How to change a child's name? My grandson's mother is trying to change his birth certificate to reflect my son's last name. Where are the forms to do this? Click for Answer --> 
        
        
     2. Which newspapers to publicize name change? I am in the process of changing my name. Which newspapers in this county are qualified to publish orders and notices? Answer: Click to see the Probate list of newspapers of general circulation .
        
   • Property, Wills and Trusts:
     
     
     1. Am I in the will? How does one know if they are named in a will, especially if relatives want to keep it a secret? Click for Answer --> 
        
        
     2. Can I get info about business partner's estate? How do I go about finding who are the executors of my business partner's estate are? Can I get a copy of the paperwork? Click for Answer -->
        
        
     3. What is a Quit Claim Deed and where can I find one? Click for Answer -->
        
   • Other:
     
     
     1. How can I access Probate Court files? I need a certified copy of a trust to open a bank account for the trust I am responsible for. Click for Answer -->
        
        
     2. How do I get a court transcript? Answer: See info on court transcripts in the Online Services section of this site
        
        
     3.  How can I find out about Probate sales or foreclosures? Click for Answer -->
        
        
     4. Probate Forms, Fees and Rules of Court: Where are the local and state pages for these?
        Click for Answer -->
2. Emailing Probate Court
   
   If you are unable to find the answer to your Family Court-related question after reviewing the pages in our Probate Self-Help section of this website, the Probate Division pages, and the Frequently Asked Questions above, you can contact our Probate Department by email at ssprobinfo@scscourt.org. If your question is not covered on the Court's websites, we will do our best to respond to your question within 48 hours.
    
3. Legal Assistance
   
   We cannot give legal advice, only legal information. Please refer to our Free & Low-Cost Legal Help page, and consider visiting our Self-Help Center/Family Law Facilitator's Office.

Other FAQ pages:

• Civil FAQs
• Courtwide FAQs
• Criminal FAQs
• Family FAQs
• Form and Filing FAQs
• Jury Services FAQs
• Juvenile FAQs
• Small Claims FAQs
• Traffic FAQs