General information, not legal advice. NewLastName isn't a law firm, doesn't give legal advice about your situation, and doesn't refer you to lawyers.

Court-ordered adult name change, including California form NC-100

An adult court name change is a petition filed where you live. In California that petition is form NC-100, with NC-110, NC-120, and NC-130. California's filing fee is $435 in most counties and $450 in Riverside and San Francisco. The courts say it generally takes up to 3 months. Most California cases also require newspaper publication.

Source: California Courts, Adult name change; California statewide civil fee schedule

Last checked: 2026-10-10 for the court and agency pages linked here. California's filing fee was checked on the statewide civil fee schedule on 2026-10-12. Other fee figures in tables come from our state cost file, last verified 2026-10-12 (Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. filing fees in that file were verified 2026-10-09). Newspaper and certified-copy amounts were not re-checked against every county fee schedule.

Key facts for California

California's filing fee is $435 ($450 in Riverside and San Francisco counties) (source: California Courts, https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/name-change; county amounts: statewide civil fee schedule), checked 2026-10-12. Newspaper notice and certified copies cost extra and vary; check with the newspaper and your court's fee schedule. Confirm the fee on your court's schedule. See also California name-change cost and name-change cost. The NC form list is the Judicial Council index.

California steps for form NC-100

1. Choose the newspaper before you fill in the forms. Pick the paper first; switching later can mean redoing forms. The California Courts self-help page on starting a name change says you publish in a newspaper of general circulation that prints legal notices in the county where you file. Ask the court if it keeps a list. Prices vary.
2. Forms the court lists: NC-100, NC-110, NC-120, and NC-130. The same page lists NC-100, with NC-110 attached, NC-120, civil cover sheet CM-010 if that court uses it, and the caption plus item 3 of NC-130. Some courts add local forms. Ask the clerk or the self-help center.
3. Ask for a fee waiver if you cannot pay. Use FW-001. Details are on the fee-waiver guide.
4. Copy the packet and file it. Make at least two copies. The court keeps the originals and stamps the copies. One copy is yours. One is for the newspaper. File in the superior court of the county where you live.
5. Publish for one month. The California Courts name-change overview says the request is published in a newspaper for one month before the judge decides. A name change to match gender identity, or one filed with a gender-recognition request, does not require publication. Safety-based confidential filings are described on the forms page.
6. Wait for the judge, then update IDs. The California Courts adult name-change page says the process generally takes up to 3 months. The signed decree is what you take to Social Security and other agencies. The ID-update page lists that next step. Agency order is the short version on this site.

If you are worried about safety

The forms page says you may ask to keep the case confidential if you are in the state witness program or in Safe at Home and you are changing your name to avoid domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking, or sexual assault. The form named there is NC-400-INFO. The same page points people who want a safety plan to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE. Talk to the court's self-help center about the confidential path.

What differs by state

NC-100 is a California form. Other states use their own petitions. The filing fees below are the figures we have for that state. Confirm them on the court page.

Free official help

The superior court self-help center can look at your forms before you file. County law libraries often keep the same Judicial Council forms. This guide does not refer you to a private lawyer.

Also on this site

• Name-change cost
• Cost calculator
• California name-change cost
• Texas name-change cost
• How long a California name change takes
• Marriage and a court order
• All name-change guides
• Fee waivers
• Publication rules
• Documents needed
• A child's name change
• Gender marker and name

Official sources

Forms, fees and rules change. Check these official pages (and your county court) before you file.

• Name change self-help guide (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-09.
• Start the name change process (adult forms) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-10.
• Petition for Change of Name (form NC-100) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-10.
• Name and Information About the Person Whose Name is to be Changed (form NC-110) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-10.
• Order to Show Cause—Change of Name (form NC-120) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-10.
• Decree Changing Name (form NC-130) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-10.
• Court forms: name change (NC) series (Judicial Branch of California) Last checked 2026-10-09.
• Fee waiver self-help guide (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-09.
• Change your name with Social Security (Social Security Administration) Last checked 2026-10-09.

General information, not legal advice. NewLastName isn't a law firm, doesn't give legal advice about your situation, and doesn't refer you to lawyers.