Contra Costa County Probate Estates Held by the State

• Contra Costa County has 322,031 claimable probate estates on file, worth $305,484,027 combined.
• 3,614 of those estates are valued at $10,000 or more.
• Probate estates reach the Controller through the county court, not the §1530 report, so the 10 per cent statutory fee cap does not apply to them.
• California places no deadline on claiming an estate unless it has already been permanently escheated.
• No fee is owed to a recovery firm until the Controller has approved the claim and paid it.

How many Contra Costa County estates does the State hold?

The California State Controller’s Estates of Deceased Persons File currently lists 322,031 claimable probate estates originating in Contra Costa County. Together they hold $305,484,027 that has not yet been paid to an heir or executor. Of that group, 3,614 estates are valued at $10,000 or more. The file is refreshed twice a year, on the first business day of April and October, and it names the decedent, the heirs on record, the county, the probate case number and the remaining balance (State Controller, Estates of Deceased Persons File).

These figures describe estates that remain open to a claim. An estate that has been permanently escheated, meaning the State has taken final title, is not part of this claimable total and cannot be recovered by anyone.

How does a probate estate end up with the State Controller?

Most unclaimed property arrives at the Controller’s office because a business, bank or insurer reports a dormant account under Code of Civil Procedure §1530. Probate estates arrive a different way. When a Contra Costa County probate case closes and money remains that cannot be distributed to a known and located heir, the balance is deposited with the State under the Probate Code rather than under §1530 (CCP §1582(a)(1)).

That distinction matters for anyone searching by county, because it means Contra Costa’s probate total sits in a separate file from the bank accounts, uncashed checks and insurance proceeds tracked in the Controller’s general property records.

Does the 10 per cent fee cap apply to these estates?

No. The law that limits a recovery fee to 10 per cent of the property recovered reaches only property reported under §1530. Estates that pass through county probate are governed by the Probate Code instead, and the Controller states there is no fee restriction for investigators filing on behalf of the owners or heirs of county-probated estates (CCP §1582(a)(1)).

California Unclaimed Property Services charges the same rate regardless: 10 per cent of what is recovered, and nothing if nothing is recovered. We are not obliged to hold ourselves to that figure on a probate estate, but we do, as a matter of policy, on every Contra Costa County estate we work.

Is there a deadline to claim an estate from this county?

California sets no deadline for claiming unclaimed property, and that includes probate balances held for Contra Costa County decedents. The State holds the funds indefinitely until an owner or heir comes forward. The one exception is an estate that has already been permanently escheated, where the State has taken title and no claim will be paid on it (State Controller, Unclaimed Property).

What do I need to claim as an heir or executor?

A claim filed as an heir or executor generally requires proof of death, proof of the claimant’s relationship or appointment, such as letters testamentary or a small-estate affidavit, and identification for every claimant named. Claims of $1,000 or more in cash must be notarized, and a California notary may charge at most $15 per signature (Government Code §8211).

If you engage a recovery firm, the agreement must be in writing, must disclose the nature and value of the property, must state that the Controller holds it, and must give the address where the claim can be filed directly. It must be signed only after you have received that disclosure, and no fee may be collected before the Controller approves and pays the claim (CCP §1582(a)(1)(B), (a)(2)(A)-(B)).

What should I do next?

Search our index of probate estates to see whether a Contra Costa County record matches your relative’s name. If one turns up, our full-service recovery team can prepare the filing, handle the documentation the Controller requires, and take our fee only after the claim is paid. Determining who is legally entitled to an estate is a matter for a probate attorney, not for us, and we will say so plainly if a claim turns on a disputed inheritance.

Questions People Ask

Figures on this page are from our copy of the State Controller’s published file as it stood on 12 September 2026. The State republishes the file weekly, so current totals will differ. Search is always against the latest copy.