Self Help
Clearing Probate Notes
Kern County’s Probate Court hears several types of cases. The kinds of cases heard in the Probate Court include Guardianships, Conservatorships, and Decedents’ Estates.
The court wants hearings in these cases to proceed on schedule. Superior Court staff members called Probate Examiners review cases in the Probate Court that have a scheduled hearing date to make sure the parties in the case have notified all necessary parties, filed all the forms required so the hearing is ready to proceed, and that the forms aren’t missing important information.
If there are missing forms, or the forms are incomplete or unclear, the Probate Examiners will give the party that asked for the hearing date “notes” to explain what is missing to get them ready for their hearing.
This page is here to help you understand how to fix the issues the Probate Examiners identify. This is called “clearing probate notes.”
If you want to better understand what is meant by “Clearing Probate Notes” with specific reference to Kern County’s Probate Court, click the link below to learn:
What Are Probate Notes And How Do I Find Them?
Guardianship & Conservatorships – Issues With Notice
One of the most important steps in preparing for a hearing in a Guardianship or Conservatorship matter is to provide proper notice to the parties who are entitled to it. This just means they have to be informed of the hearing far enough in advance – it does not mean that you have to make sure they show up on the hearing date.
If your probate notes tell you that you have failed to notify someone who should have been informed of the hearing to appoint a conservator or a guardian, you may want to check out the following slideshow.
Please pay close attention to the top of each slide – this slideshow contains information that has to do with Guardianships and Conservatorships.
Decedents’ Estates (Wills) –
Issues With Notice
One of the most common issues people have when they start probate is failure to notify the proper parties. A Notice of Petition for Probate has to be published in one of the Adjudicated Newspapers of Kern County (Click link to access) plus parties with an interest in the estate must be notified by a special mailing.
The list of newspapers above includes price quotes from March 2026 for the cost of publishing your Notice, but we strongly encourage you to call the newspaper to get current price information before selecting them for publication.
Whether your issue was with publication of your Notice, or if it was getting it mailed to the people with an interest in the estate, you can check out the content below for information on how to provide proper notice of your Petition for Probate or other petition.
Problems with Notice in Decedents’ Estates (click link to access)
Using a Verified Supplement to Clear Probate Notes
For all probate matters (Guardianships, Conservatorships, and Decedents’ Estates), there may be times where the probate examiners will need more information from you to determine that you are ready for your hearing.
If the note they provide is not about your failure to give a party Notice, then it usually a note you can clear with a Verified Supplement. Check out the slideshow below to get a tutorial on how this works.
Check out the following slideshow if you want some information on Using a Verified Supplement to Clear Probate Notes (click link to access).
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AN EDITABLE VERIFIED SUPPLEMENT (Click link to access).
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(661) 610-6325
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