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
Steps
- Choose a newspaper that prints legal notices in the county where you live. If you live in California, its name goes on your forms.
- California Courts lists forms NC-100, NC-110 and NC-120, plus NC-130 (it says to fill out the boxes at the top and item 3). Some courts also want form CM-010. It says to make at least 2 copies.
- File at the superior court, in person or by mail (some courts allow e-filing). The fee is $435, or $450 in Riverside and San Francisco counties. You can ask for a fee waiver with form FW-001.
- Have the newspaper print your Order to Show Cause once a week for 4 weeks in a row before your court date, and make sure the proof of publication gets filed.
- Go to your court date if your court holds a hearing. Then get the signed decree and certified copies ($40 each).
- Take a certified copy to each agency. California's courts say to update Social Security before the DMV.
From the California Courts self-help guide and the Judicial Council's statewide fee schedule, checked 2026-10-22. Some people don't publish (see "Who doesn't publish" below). Sources are listed at the end of this page.
California forms and fees
This page covers California's adult name change. The forms are Judicial Council of California forms. California's courts say some courts also have local forms you have to use.
| Form or fee | What the official page says | Official page |
|---|---|---|
| NC-100, Petition for Change of Name | Starts a case to change your name, your minor child's name, or both. If the change is related to gender identity, the court says to use form NC-200 instead (see gender identity name change). Effective July 1, 2026. | CA Courts: NC-100, checked 2026-10-22 |
| NC-110, Name and Information About the Person | One form for each person whose name is changing. It is always attached to the NC-100. Effective July 1, 2026. | CA Courts: NC-110, checked 2026-10-22 |
| NC-120, Order to Show Cause | If you live in California, it lists the newspaper where it will be published. When you file, the clerk writes your court date on it. Effective January 1, 2023. | CA Courts: NC-120, file your forms, checked 2026-10-22 |
| NC-130, Decree Changing Name | The court's decision. California Courts says you fill out the boxes at the top and item 3. Effective July 1, 2026. | CA Courts: NC-130, fill out forms, checked 2026-10-22 |
| CM-010, Civil Case Cover Sheet | Some courts do not require this form. | CA Courts: fill out forms, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Filing fee | $435 ($450 in Riverside and San Francisco counties). Those counties add a local surcharge for courthouse construction. | Statewide civil fee schedule, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Fee waiver, form FW-001 | For people who get public benefits, whose household income is below a set amount, or who can't meet basic needs and pay court fees. It covers court fees, not the fee to publish in the newspaper. FW-001 is effective March 1, 2026. More in our fee waiver guide. | CA Courts: FW-001, fee waiver, file your forms, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Certified copy of the decree | $40 for each certified copy. If you have a fee waiver, you will not have to pay this fee. | CA Courts: get your decree, checked 2026-10-22 |
California's courts say to contact the newspapers to find out what the notice costs, and to ask the court whether it has a list of newspapers (fill out forms, checked 2026-10-22).
Filing, the newspaper notice and the court date
| Step | What the official page says | Official page |
|---|---|---|
| Where to file | If you live in California, the superior court in the county where you live. If you live in another state, see the next section. | CA Courts: file your forms, checked 2026-10-22 |
| How to file | In person: the clerk stamps the forms, keeps the original and returns the copies to you. By mail: send the original and 2 copies, the filing fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the clerk. Some courts allow online filing (e-filing). | CA Courts: file your forms, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Publishing the notice | Publish the Order to Show Cause once a week for 4 weeks in a row before your court date. If you don't, your case can be delayed. If you live in California, use the newspaper written on your NC-120. More in our publication guide. | CA Courts: publish your request, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Changing newspapers | Fill out a new NC-120 with the new newspaper, write "Amended" before the title, and file the original and 2 copies. If there is enough time to publish, you'll likely get the same court date. If not, the clerk will give you a new one. | CA Courts: publish your request, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Proof of publication | If the newspaper mails it to you, file it with the clerk before your court date. If the newspaper files it, check with your court that it was filed. | CA Courts: publish your request, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Court date | In some courts you must go to your court date. In others, you go only if someone objects; if no one objects and you followed every step, you pick up the signed order from the clerk. Ask the clerk which one your court does when you file. | CA Courts: file your forms, checked 2026-10-22 |
| At a hearing | The judge may ask a few questions, like why you're changing your name or whether you published. If information or proof of publication is missing, the judge may ask you to come back another day. Make sure the decree has your new name spelled correctly. | CA Courts: your court date, checked 2026-10-22 |
| How long | The process generally takes up to 3 months. | CA Courts: adult name change, checked 2026-10-22 |
| In jail or prison, or on parole | Give a copy of your NC-100 and NC-110 to the warden (state prison), the county sheriff's department (county jail) or the CDCR regional parole administrator (parole). Ask that office how. | CA Courts: file your forms, checked 2026-10-22 |
Who doesn't publish
You don't publish if the name change is to match your gender identity or is filed with a request for gender change recognition. You also don't publish if the court keeps your request confidential under Safe at Home or the State Witness Program (next sections). Sources: CA Courts: name change, publish your request, checked 2026-10-22.
If you live outside California
If you live in another state and need to change your name on a California birth certificate or marriage certificate, California's courts say you can use the same forms and follow the same steps. File in the county that issued the birth certificate, or in the county where the marriage was entered. If you're changing both, you can file in either county. Publish in a newspaper where you live, not where you file, and you don't need to list the newspaper on the form. This page doesn't cover other states' courts. Sources: CA Courts: out-of-state name change, fill out forms, checked 2026-10-22.
If you are worried about safety
If you take part in Safe at Home, California's address confidentiality program, and you're changing your name to avoid domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking or sexual assault, the court must keep your current name confidential. Your proposed new name is not put into the court records and does not have to be published (Code of Civil Procedure section 1277(b)). The court's information sheet, form NC-400-INFO (effective July 1, 2026), says not to file anything until you are an active Safe at Home participant and have filed a Notice of Intent of Name Change with the Secretary of State's Safe at Home program (toll free 1-877-322-5227).
The same sheet notes that a confidential name change may make it more difficult to enforce a restraining order, get a passport, apply for school programs, buy or rent property, get a job, get credit or start a business, among other things. People in the State Witness Program can also ask the court to keep the request confidential.
California's courts also list the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Your court's self-help center can tell you about the options. Sources: NC-400-INFO, fill out forms, publish your request, checked 2026-10-22.
After the decree
Records don't update on their own. California's courts say to take a certified copy of the decree to each agency, and to update Social Security before the DMV, because the DMV checks your information with Social Security. Sources: CA Courts: get your decree, update your documents, checked 2026-10-22.
| Record | What the official page says | Official page |
|---|---|---|
| California birth certificate | Apply by mail to CDPH Vital Records with form VS 23 (Application to Amend a Birth Certificate After a Court Order Name Change). The fee is $26 and includes one copy of the amended record; each extra copy is $31. Fees effective January 1, 2026. | CDPH: amending a birth record, CDPH: fees, checked 2026-10-22 |
| Social Security | Update it before the DMV. California's courts say there's no fee. Social Security says the card arrives by mail 5–10 business days after it completes your request. | CA Courts: update your documents, SSA: change your name, checked 2026-10-22 |
For a California marriage certificate, California's courts say: if you had a public marriage, update the record through CDPH, which will issue a new certificate; if you had a confidential marriage, pay a fee and file the order with the county registrar/recorder in the county that issued the certificate (update your documents, checked 2026-10-22).
For the passport, the driver's license and the other records, see the legal name change guide and the agency guides for Social Security, the passport and the DMV.
Free official help
Your court's self-help center may be able to review your forms before you file them. This guide does not refer you to a private lawyer.
Not legal advice. NewLastName is not a law firm, and not affiliated with any court or government agency.
Common questions
Is there always a court hearing for an adult name change in California?
Not always. California's courts say some courts hold a hearing, and in others you go to the court date only if someone objects. If no one objects and you followed every step, you pick up the signed order from the clerk. Ask the clerk which one your court does when you file.
Source: California Courts: file your forms
Can I file my name change by mail or online?
By mail, yes: send the original and 2 copies, the filing fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the clerk. Some California courts also allow online filing (e-filing); your court's website says whether it does.
Source: California Courts: file your forms; California Courts: fill out adult name-change forms
Does the fee waiver cover the newspaper notice?
No. California's courts say a fee waiver covers court fees, including certified copies of the decree, but not the fee to publish in the newspaper.
Source: California Courts: file your forms; California Courts: get your decree
I don't live in California. Can I still use form NC-100?
Yes, if you're changing your name on a California birth certificate or marriage certificate. You file in the county that issued the birth certificate or where the marriage was entered, and you publish in a newspaper where you live. This page doesn't cover other states' courts.
Source: California Courts: out-of-state name change
Does the decree change my California birth certificate by itself?
For a California birth certificate, not by itself. You apply by mail to CDPH Vital Records with form VS 23. The fee is $26 and includes one copy of the amended record.
Source: California Department of Public Health: amending a birth record; California Department of Public Health: vital records fees
Also on this site
Official sources
Courts and agencies change their forms and fees; these are the pages this guide quotes.
- Adult name change (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Name change self-help guide (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Start the name change process (adult forms) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- File your adult name change forms (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Publish your name change request (adult) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- What to expect on your court date (adult name change) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Get your name change decree (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Change your name or gender marker on a California record if you live out of state (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Update your identity documents (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Fee waiver self-help guide (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Petition for Change of Name (form NC-100) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Name and Information About the Person Whose Name is to be Changed (form NC-110) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Order to Show Cause—Change of Name (form NC-120) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Decree Changing Name (form NC-130) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Request to Waive Court Fees (form FW-001) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Information Sheet for Name Change Proceedings Under Address Confidentiality Program (form NC-400-INFO) (California Courts Self-Help Guide) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Statewide civil fee schedule (name change petition: $435; $450 in Riverside and San Francisco) (Judicial Council of California) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Change your name with Social Security (Social Security Administration) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Amending a California birth record (California Department of Public Health) Last checked 2026-10-22.
- Vital records fees (California Department of Public Health) Last checked 2026-10-22.
Not legal advice. NewLastName is not a law firm, and not affiliated with any court or government agency.