Marin County Probate Estates Held by the State Controller

• The State Controller currently holds 73,482 claimable Marin County probate estates worth $65,635,668 combined.
• 794 of those estates are worth $10,000 or more.
• The 10 per cent fee cap under CCP §1582 applies to property reported under §1530; the Controller states there is no fee restriction for county probated estates handled by an investigator.
• There is no deadline to claim, except for estates that have been permanently escheated, which cannot be recovered.
• A recovery agreement cannot be signed during the blackout window between a holder's report and the State's receipt of the property, and never before the claim is approved and paid.

How many Marin County probate estates are still unclaimed?

Our index currently shows 73,482 claimable probate estates that originated in Marin County, together holding $65,635,668 still with the State Controller. Of those, 794 estates are valued at $10,000 or more. These are not routine dormant bank accounts or uncashed checks; they arrived through the probate court process after a Marin County resident died and the estate’s remaining balance, after debts and distributions, was turned over to the State because no heir came forward to claim it.

The State Controller publishes this information as the Estates of Deceased Persons File, refreshed twice a year, on the first business day of April and of October. It lists the decedent’s name, the recorded heirs, the county of probate, the case number, and the remaining balance. The file is separate from the Controller’s main unclaimed property database, which covers bank accounts, insurance proceeds, wages and similar property reported under a different statute.

Why would a relative's probate money end up with the State at all?

When someone dies and an estate goes through probate in Marin County, the court oversees payment of debts, taxes and expenses, then distribution of what remains to the heirs or beneficiaries named in the will or determined by intestate succession. If an heir cannot be located, does not respond, or the distribution is otherwise left unresolved, the county transfers the remaining balance to the State Controller rather than holding it indefinitely at the local level.

Once there, the funds sit under the decedent’s name and probate case number, waiting to be claimed. No one at the Controller’s office is actively looking for the heirs; the file simply exists for whoever checks it. This is why a family often has no idea the estate was ever fully resolved. We make no judgment about who is legally entitled to inherit any particular estate — that determination was made during probate, or remains a question for an estate attorney if it was not.

Does the usual 10 per cent fee cap apply here?

Not in the same way. California law caps a recovery fee at 10 per cent of the property recovered, but only for property reported under Code of Civil Procedure §1530, which covers the ordinary unclaimed property file (bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance proceeds and the like). Estates that reach the Controller through county probate arrive under the Probate Code instead, and the State Controller has stated there are no fee restrictions for investigators filing on behalf of the owners or heirs of county probated estates.

We disclose our fee structure in writing before any agreement is signed, as the law requires for all recovery agreements, and we are paid only after the Controller approves and pays a claim. Nothing is owed up front, and nothing is owed if nothing is recovered.

Is there a deadline to claim a Marin County probate estate?

No. California places no general deadline on claiming unclaimed property, and that includes probate estates sitting with the Controller. The one exception is an estate that has been permanently escheated, meaning the State has taken final title; those cannot be recovered under any circumstances, and we will tell you plainly if that is the situation rather than suggest otherwise.

Short of permanent escheatment, an estate can sit on the file for years, and the balance does not shrink or expire while it waits. There is also no waiting period, 24-month or otherwise, that must pass after an estate is remitted before a recovery agreement can be signed; that older rule was repealed effective 1 January 2023. The only timing restriction left is that an agreement cannot be made during the narrow window between a holder’s report and the State’s actual receipt of the property.

What do I actually need to file a claim as an heir?

The Controller requires documentation establishing the relationship between the claimant and the decedent, along with proof of identity, and in many cases certified copies of probate court documents such as letters of administration or a decree of distribution. Claims involving cash of $1,000 or more must be notarized, as must all securities and safe deposit box claims regardless of amount; a California notary can charge at most $15 per signature for this. If the estate included the contents of a safe deposit box, bear in mind the State holds only the proceeds from auctioning those contents, not the original items.

Gathering the correct probate records, particularly for an estate closed years or decades ago, is usually the part that takes the most time and causes the most confusion for families acting alone.

How does California Unclaimed Property Services help with a Marin County estate?

We search our index of probate estates and property records to see whether a specific Marin County decedent’s estate appears on the Controller’s file, what the recorded balance is, and who the file currently lists as heirs. If your relative’s estate is there, we prepare the claim, assemble the required probate documentation, and handle the filing with the Controller on your behalf under a written agreement that discloses the nature and value of the property before you sign anything.

Our fee is a percentage of what is actually recovered, owed only once the Controller approves and pays the claim. You may also search the property records yourself, or review how the claims process and required paperwork work in general, before deciding how you want to proceed.

Questions People Ask

Figures on this page are from our copy of the State Controller’s published file as it stood on 9 October 2026. The State republishes the file weekly, so current totals will differ. Search is always against the latest copy.