Solano County Probate Home Sales | Bart Hubbard, Realtor

Solano County splits probate across two buildings, which is worth knowing before your first trip. You file at the Hall of Justice, 600 Union Ave in Fairfield, at the Family Law and Probate Divisions Clerk’s Office. You appear on estate and trust matters in Department 22, Courtroom 3, at the Old Solano Courthouse, 580 Texas Street, also in Fairfield, per the Solano Superior Court estates and trusts page. Bart Hubbard sells probate and trust homes across the county for personal representatives, the executors and administrators a court appoints, and for successor trustees, who take over a trust after the person who created it dies.

Solano packs real geographic variety into a short drive. Interstate 80 runs through the middle, with grassy hills that turn gold by early summer behind several cities. There is waterfront along the Carquinez Strait, farmland to the east, and a Delta river town at the far edge.

The housing follows that spread. An estate here might be a 1950s single-story with a wide driveway, a 1990s stucco two-story in a planned subdivision, a nineteenth century house in a historic downtown grid, or a parcel at the edge of farmland with outbuildings and a well. Each draws a different buyer and inspection list.

Key Facts

Filing happens at the Hall of Justice, 600 Union Ave, Fairfield, CA 94533, Family Law and Probate Divisions Clerk’s Office, clerk phone (707) 207-7341. Phone hours are 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. weekdays; the counter takes drop-ins and appointments 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (probate division).
Estate and trust hearings are in Department 22, Courtroom 3, Old Solano Courthouse, 580 Texas Street, Fairfield (estates and trusts).
Those petitions are heard Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 9:00 a.m., capped at 12 per day, no more than 5 of them trust cases. Hearing scheduling: (707) 207-7340.
Pre-grants post after 2:00 p.m. the day before the hearing, and probate notes are generally available one week before through the court’s public portal. A recorded pre-grants line, (707) 207-7331, opens after 5:00 p.m. the night before (pre-grants and notes).
Probate is Rule 7 of the Solano County local rules, in three parts covering probate generally, proceedings other than trusts, and trusts (complete local rules, July 2025).
Solano County Assessor/Recorder: 675 Texas Street, Ste 2700, Fairfield. The Recorder Division is (707) 784-6290, recording 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays (Recorder Division).
Recorder staff “is prohibited from giving legal advice; nor can staff assist the public in the preparation of legal documents.”
A court-confirmed private sale requires an offer of at least 90% of an appraisal made within one year of the hearing, under Probate Code 10309.

Where do you file, and where do you appear?

Two addresses, both in Fairfield. Filings and clerk questions go to the Hall of Justice on Union Avenue. Hearings happen in Department 22 at the Old Solano Courthouse on Texas Street. People regularly arrive at the wrong one on a hearing morning.

How many probate matters does Department 22 hear in a day?

Twelve, and no more than five of those can be trust cases. That published cap is the main reason a Solano County continuance costs more calendar time than you would expect. Getting a petition right the first time matters more here.

What are probate pre-grants, and when do they post?

A pre-grant is the court’s advance signal on a matter it is prepared to grant. Solano posts them after 2:00 p.m. the day before the hearing, and reads them on a recorded line at (707) 207-7331 after 5:00 p.m. that evening. Probate notes, which flag issues rather than outcomes, post about a week ahead on the public portal.

Do you need a court confirmation hearing to sell?

Not if the personal representative holds full authority under the Independent Administration of Estates Act, shortened to IAEA. Full authority removes the confirmation hearing, the published notice of sale and the 90% floor, under Probate Code 10503. Limited authority does not cover real estate, so those sales go back to court under Probate Code 10501(b). Read full IAEA authority vs. court confirmation before accepting an offer.

What happens at an overbid hearing?

Another buyer can bid against your accepted offer in open court. Under Probate Code 10311, the first qualifying overbid must beat the original bid by 10% of the first $10,000 and 5% of the amount above that. On a $500,000 accepted offer, the first overbid is $525,500. The court confirms to the highest qualifying offer.

Where do you record the deed in Solano County?

At 675 Texas Street, Suite 2700 in Fairfield, which houses the Assessor Division and the Recorder Division in one department. Recording runs 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays. Because staff cannot give legal advice, have the attorney or title company draft the deed first.

Cities and communities served

Vallejo, population 122,702
Fairfield, population 121,389
Vacaville, population 103,195
Suisun City, population 29,720
Benicia, population 26,074
Dixon, population 20,567
Rio Vista, population 10,345

Those are the county’s seven incorporated cities, with California Department of Finance estimates as of January 1, 2026, from the E-1 release. Homes in unincorporated areas are served as well. Ask through the contact page about a specific unincorporated community.

What should you do first?

Confirm whether the property was held in a trust. A trust home rarely reaches Department 22.
Have a California probate attorney check which petition fits and whether a small-estate route is open.
Calendar the hearing day early, given the twelve-case cap, and plan filings backward from it.
Secure the house and tell the insurer in writing if it is unoccupied.
Get a written value opinion as of the date of death before committing to repairs or a cash offer.
Check pre-grants and probate notes on the public portal before every hearing.

Summary

Solano County probate filings go to the Hall of Justice, 600 Union Ave, Fairfield, at (707) 207-7341.
Estate and trust hearings are in Department 22 at the Old Solano Courthouse, 580 Texas Street.
Those hearings run Wednesday through Friday at 9:00 a.m., capped at 12 cases and 5 trust cases.
Pre-grants post after 2:00 p.m. the day before; probate notes are generally available a week ahead.
Local probate practice is Rule 7 of the Solano County local rules.
The Assessor and Recorder share 675 Texas Street, Suite 2700, recording 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
A court-confirmed private sale requires at least 90% of a recent appraised value.

Next Steps

Talk with Bart: Book a free 15-minute call. I’ll listen to where you are in the process, look at the property, and tell you your options, including the ones that don’t involve hiring me.

Read the probate sale process: A step-by-step walkthrough from letters through confirmation and closing.

About the Author

Bart Hubbard is a Realtor with HomeSmart ICARE Realty (DRE #01815497) and a C.A.R. Certified Probate and Trust Specialist who helps families across the greater Sacramento area sell inherited, probate and trust homes. He works alongside probate attorneys, fiduciaries and local vendors to handle pricing, cleanouts, repairs and court-confirmation sales, so executors can focus on their families. More about Bart is on his bio page.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Probate and tax rules depend on your facts. Talk with a California probate attorney or CPA before acting. Figures current as of October 2026.

Solano County Probate and Trust Home Sales