To fill out Form GC-310, the California Petition for Appointment of Probate Conservator, you work through an eight-page Judicial Council form that asks who you are, who needs protection, what authority you want the court to grant, and why the conservatorship is necessary. You then file it in the Superior Court’s probate division in the county where the proposed conservatee lives, together with a set of companion forms and a $435 filing fee. The form itself is the centerpiece, but it does not stand alone, and the choices you make on the first page shape everything that follows.
Decide What Authority You Are Asking For
The top of GC-310 asks you to check whether you want to be appointed conservator of the person, conservator of the estate, or both. That choice drives which attachments you need, whether a bond will be required, and what the court will scrutinize.
Conservator of the person covers daily-life decisions: housing, food, clothing, medical care, and personal safety, with specific powers drawn from Probate Code sections 2351 through 2358. Conservator of the estate covers financial affairs: collecting income, paying bills, managing investments, and protecting assets. Major transactions like selling real property still need separate court approval unless the court grants independent powers under Probate Code section 2590.1California Legislative Information. California Code PROB 2590
A limited conservatorship is different. It exists only for adults with developmental disabilities, and the judge grants only the specific powers needed to protect the person while preserving as much independence as possible.2California Courts | Self Help Guide. Limited Conservatorships If that describes your situation, you will also be checking the limited-conservatorship box on the form and pulling in a different set of companion documents.
Who Can File
Probate Code section 1820 lets the petition be filed by the proposed conservatee, a spouse or domestic partner, a relative, any interested person, or an interested state or local entity. If you are filing on someone else’s behalf, GC-310 asks you to explain your relationship, and, if you are a professional fiduciary, to disclose your engagement history. The form also asks whether you are a creditor or debtor of the proposed conservatee, so the court can see any financial conflict of interest at the outset.3Justia Law. California Probate Code Sections 1820-1835
Information to Gather Before You Start
Because the form is long and the clerk will reject incomplete filings, pull your information together before opening the PDF.
About the proposed conservatee, you need the full legal name, current address, phone number, and California residency status. You need to know whether the person is a patient in a state institution, receives Veterans Affairs benefits, or is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe. Each of these triggers extra notice requirements and appears in Item 4.4Judicial Council of California. Petition for Appointment of Probate Conservator GC-310
You also need names and addresses for the proposed conservatee’s spouse or domestic partner and every relative within the second degree of kinship: parents, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren. If none of those relatives are known to you, the statute directs you to alternative contacts: a stepparent, children of a deceased spouse, aunts and uncles, or nieces and nephews.3Justia Law. California Probate Code Sections 1820-1835
If you are asking to be conservator of the estate, gather a description of the person’s property broken into personal property, real property, and expected annual income. Those figures feed the estate description on the petition and later drive the bond the court sets.
Filling Out Form GC-310 Section by Section
Download the current version of GC-310 from the California Courts website; it is available as a fillable PDF.5California Courts | Self Help Guide. Petition for Appointment of Probate Conservator GC-310
Caption and Header (Page 1)
Enter the court name, county, and branch. Write “Conservatorship of” followed by the proposed conservatee’s name. Check whether you want appointment over the person, the estate, or both.
Item 1 — Orders Requested (Page 2)
This is where you tell the court what specific orders you want. Common requests include independent powers under section 2590 for estate conservatorships, orders touching legal capacity under sections 1873 or 1901, and orders defining authority over the person under sections 2351 through 2358. Check only what you actually need. Each box you check invites additional court scrutiny.4Judicial Council of California. Petition for Appointment of Probate Conservator GC-310
Item 2 — Proposed Conservatee (Page 2)
Enter the proposed conservatee’s name, phone number, and current address. Confirm California residency and the county of residence.
Item 3 — Petitioner (Pages 2–3)
Describe your relationship to the proposed conservatee. Options include spouse, relative, interested person, or professional fiduciary. Professional fiduciaries provide additional engagement and prior-relationship information in Item 3d. Item 3e is where the estate property description goes if you are seeking estate authority. Item 3f covers due diligence: if the proposed conservatee did not file the petition themselves, you must explain what steps you took to determine that a conservatorship is necessary.
Item 4 — Special Status (Page 4)
Indicate whether the proposed conservatee is in a state institution, receives VA benefits, or has tribal membership. Each answer triggers notice to specific agencies later in the process.
Item 5 — Why a Conservatorship Is Needed (Pages 4–6)
This is the heart of the petition. Item 5c asks for supporting facts: for a conservatorship of the person, whether the individual cannot provide for their own physical health, food, clothing, or shelter; for the estate, whether the person cannot manage their financial resources or resist fraud and undue influence. Item 5d addresses whether the person has a developmental disability, which converts the case into a limited conservatorship. Item 5f confirms that a Confidential Supplemental Information form (GC-312) is being filed alongside the petition.3Justia Law. California Probate Code Sections 1820-1835
Items 6–9 — Marital Status, Attendance, and Medical Consent (Pages 6–7)
These items cover the proposed conservatee’s marital or domestic-partnership status, whether the person is able to attend the hearing, and whether they have capacity to give informed consent for medical treatment. A requested finding of inability to consent to medical treatment carries significant legal consequences, and the court will examine it closely.
Item 10 — Temporary Conservatorship (Page 7)
Check whether you are also filing a Petition for Appointment of Temporary Conservator (Form GC-111) alongside GC-310. A temporary petition is available when the proposed conservatee faces immediate risk, such as financial exploitation, medical neglect, or a threat to personal safety.6California Courts | Self Help Guide. Petition for Appointment of Temporary Conservator GC-111
Item 11 — Relatives List (Page 7)
List every relative within the second degree, with names, addresses, and relationships. This is the notice list the court will use to make sure everyone entitled to know about the proceeding gets served.
Items 12–14 — Attachments and Signature (Page 8)
Confirm whether you are submitting the Confidential Conservator Screening Form (GC-314) and the proposed Order Appointing Court Investigator (GC-330). Sign the petition under penalty of perjury. If there are multiple petitioners, everyone signs.7California Courts | Self Help Guide. Start a Limited Conservatorship Case
Companion Forms You File With GC-310
GC-310 travels with a stack of other forms. Missing one can send your filing back at the counter.
- GC-312, Confidential Supplemental Information, with detailed facts about why the conservatorship is needed, the proposed conservatee’s health and living situation, alternatives you considered, and any health or social services received in the past year.
- GC-314, Confidential Conservator Screening Form, giving your background information as the proposed conservator, including criminal and financial history.
- GC-335, Confidential Capacity Assessment and Declaration, completed by a physician, psychologist, or religious healing practitioner to document the proposed conservatee’s mental capacity.8California Courts | Self Help Guide. Confidential Capacity Assessment and Declaration – Probate Conservatorship GC-335
- GC-325, Confidential Declaration on Medical Ability to Attend Hearing, when the proposed conservatee cannot physically attend.
- GC-313 if applicable, an attachment for special orders including a dementia finding.
- GC-348, Duties of Conservator, an acknowledgment you sign confirming you understand your obligations.
- GC-020, Notice of Hearing, the form you use to notify relatives and other required parties of the court date.9California Courts | Self Help Guide. Notice of Hearing – Guardianship or Conservatorship GC-020
- GC-320, Citation for Conservatorship, which must be personally served on the proposed conservatee.
Some counties add local forms. Check the probate division website for the county where you plan to file. San Mateo Superior Court, for example, requires a local form for the conservatee’s information and relative list on top of the statewide package.10San Mateo County Superior Court. Documents Required When Filing a Conservatorship
Filing and Fees
Take the completed GC-310 and its attachments to the probate clerk’s office at the Superior Court in the county where the proposed conservatee lives. The filing fee is $435, set by Government Code section 70653 and uniform across California counties.11Los Angeles Superior Court. Civil Fee Schedule – January 1, 2026
If the proposed conservatee cannot afford the fee, request a waiver using Form FW-001-GC, Request to Waive Court Fees for Ward or Conservatee, together with Form FW-003-GC. The waiver looks at the conservatee’s finances, not yours: whether the conservatee receives public benefits, has low income, or cannot cover basic needs and court costs at the same time.12California Courts | Self Help Guide. Fee Waivers in Guardianships and Conservatorships Use the -GC versions of these forms in a conservatorship case, not the generic FW-001 and FW-003 used in other civil filings.13California Courts | Self Help Guide. Request to Waive Court Fees (Ward or Conservatee) FW-001-GC
When the clerk accepts your filing, you get a case number and a hearing date. Keep both close. You will need the case number on every later filing, and the hearing date sets your notice deadlines.
What Happens After Filing
Filing the petition starts the case, but it does not get you appointed. Three things happen next, and knowing about them helps you fill out GC-310 correctly the first time.
You must serve notice at least 15 days before the hearing on the proposed conservatee, their spouse or domestic partner, and every relative within the second degree that you listed in Item 11. Anyone who has filed a request for special notice under Probate Code section 2700 must also be served.14California Legislative Information. California Code PROB 1460 Most parties can be served by mail, but the proposed conservatee must be personally served with the Citation for Conservatorship (GC-320). You cannot serve the papers yourself; someone else does it on your behalf and completes a proof of service that you file with the court.15Judicial Council of California. Notice of Hearing – Guardianship or Conservatorship GC-020
The court then assigns an investigator to evaluate the case. Under Probate Code section 1826, the investigator personally interviews the proposed conservatee, explains the proceeding, informs the person of their rights (including the right to oppose the conservatorship, attend the hearing, request a jury trial, and have an attorney), and files a written report at least five days before the hearing. You get a copy of the report, and it carries weight with the judge.16California Courts | Self Help Guide. Conservatorship Investigation and Reports
At the hearing, the judge reviews the petition, the investigator’s report, the capacity declaration, and any objections. Relatives or other interested parties can object using Form GC-215, which requires them to explain their grounds.17Judicial Council of California. Objection to Petition for Appointment of Guardian GC-215 If the judge approves the petition, you receive Letters of Conservatorship, the document that proves your authority to act. For an estate conservatorship, the court sets a bond amount before issuing the Letters, based on the value of the personal property, the value of any real property you can sell under independent powers, and the probable annual income and gross payments of the estate.18California Courts. Rule 7.207 – Bonds of Conservators and Guardians
One point worth flagging as you complete the form: for a limited conservatorship involving an adult with a developmental disability, the court must appoint counsel for the proposed conservatee automatically, whether or not the person requests it. In other cases, the court appoints counsel if the proposed conservatee asks for a lawyer and cannot afford one, or if the investigator’s report suggests representation is warranted.19California Legislative Information. California Probate Code 1471 Knowing that in advance helps you anticipate who will be at the hearing and what questions the court is likely to ask.