Surviving spouse may sell, convey or encumber community / quasi-community real property after 40 days from death

40 days after date of the deceased spouse's death, under Cal. Prob. Code 13540(a).

Rule text

(a) Except as provided in Section 13541, after 40 days from the death of a spouse, the surviving spouse or the personal representative, guardian of the estate, or conservator of the estate of the surviving spouse has full power to sell, convey, lease, mortgage, or otherwise deal with and dispose of the community or quasi-community real property, and the right, title, and interest of any grantee, purchaser, encumbrancer, or lessee shall be free of rights of the estate of the deceased spouse or of devisees or creditors of the deceased spouse to the same extent as if the property had been owned as the separate property of the surviving spouse.

Cal. Prob. Code 13540(a), official source

Calculate this deadline

Deadline
Thursday, December 17, 2026
  1. Trigger (Date of the deceased spouse's death): Friday, November 6, 2026.
  2. Exclude the trigger day and count 40 calendar days: Wednesday, December 16, 2026.
  3. The period includes its last day, so the earliest day to act is the next court day: Thursday, December 17, 2026.
Rules applied
Cal. Prob. Code 13540(a)
(a) Except as provided in Section 13541, after 40 days from the death of a spouse, the surviving spouse or the personal representative, guardian of the estate, or conservator of the estate of the surviving spouse has full power to sell, convey, lease, mortgage, or otherwise deal with and dispose of the community or quasi-community real property, and the right, title, and interest of any grantee, purchaser, encumbrancer, or lessee shall be free of rights of the estate of the deceased spouse or of devisees or creditors of the deceased spouse to the same extent as if the property had been owned as the separate property of the surviving spouse.
Official source
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 12, 12a, 12b, 10, 17(b)(4), applied to probate proceedings by Prob. Code 1000; Cal. Rules of Court, rule 1.10
CCP 12: "The time in which any act provided by law is to be done is computed by excluding the first day, and including the last, unless the last day is a holiday, and then it is also excluded." CCP 12a(a): "If the last day for the performance of any act provided or required by law to be performed within a specified period of time is a holiday, then that period is hereby extended to and including the next day that is not a holiday. For purposes of this section, “holiday” means all day on Saturdays, all holidays specified in Section 135 and, to the extent provided in Section 12b, all days that by terms of Section 12b are required to be considered as holidays." CCP 12b: "If any city, county, state, or public office, other than a branch office, is closed for the whole of any day, insofar as the business of that office is concerned, that day shall be considered as a holiday for the purposes of computing time under Sections 12 and 12a." CCP 10: "Holidays within the meaning of this code are every Sunday and any other days that are specified or provided for as judicial holidays in Section 135." CCP 17(b)(4): "“Month” means a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed." Prob. Code 1000(a): "Except to the extent that this code provides applicable rules, the rules of practice applicable to civil actions, including discovery proceedings and proceedings under Title 3a (commencing with Section 391) of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, apply to, and constitute the rules of practice in, proceedings under this code."
Official source
  • Earliest date. 'After 40 days' read as the day after the 40th day (day_after). Defeated if a 13541 notice of interest is recorded. Amended by Stats. 1994, ch. 806.
  • If the clerk's office is closed or inaccessible on the last day (weather, emergency or local closure orders), the deadline may be extended. Check local orders.

This calculator applies the cited rules to the dates you enter. It is not legal advice. Court orders, local rules, and case-specific facts can change a deadline; verify before relying on it. Rule set pending attorney review.

Worked example

Date of the deceased spouse's death on Monday, March 15, 2027, personal service: due Monday, April 26, 2027.

  1. Trigger (Date of the deceased spouse's death): Monday, March 15, 2027.
  2. Exclude the trigger day and count 40 calendar days: Saturday, April 24, 2027.
  3. That day is a Saturday, but this date is fixed by the rule and does not move: Saturday, April 24, 2027.
  4. The period includes its last day, so the earliest day to act is the next court day: Monday, April 26, 2027.

Notes

Earliest date. 'After 40 days' read as the day after the 40th day (day_after). Defeated if a 13541 notice of interest is recorded. Amended by Stats. 1994, ch. 806.

Related deadlines

All California probate deadlines

Local rules by county

County local rules and courtroom procedures can add to or change this deadline. Pick a county to calculate with them applied.

Rules current as of 2026-10-23. Confirm against the official source and any local rule or court order before relying on a date. Rules changelog.