CHAPTER 3. Temporary Guardians and Conservators [2250. - 2258.]

Cal. Probate Code - PROB 3.

in effect

Cal. Probate Code - PROB § 2250. Section 2250.

(a) On or after the filing of a petition for appointment of a guardian or conservator, any person entitled to petition for appointment of the guardian or conservator may file a petition for appointment of: (1) A temporary guardian of the person or estate, or both. (2) A temporary conservator of the person or estate, or both. (b) The petition shall state facts that establish good cause for appointment of the temporary guardian or temporary conservator. The court, upon that petition or other showing as it may require, may appoint a temporary guardian of the person or estate, or both, or a temporary conservator of the person or estate, or both, to serve pending the final determination of the court upon the petition for the appointment of the guardian or conservator. (c) If the petitioner, proposed guardian, or proposed conservator is a professional fiduciary, as described in Section 2340, who is required to be licensed under the Professional Fiduciaries Act (Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 6500) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code), the petition for appointment of a temporary guardian or temporary conservator shall include the following: (1) The petitioner’s, proposed guardian’s, or proposed conservator’s proposed hourly fee schedule or another statement of their proposed compensation from the estate of the proposed ward or proposed conservatee for services performed as a guardian or conservator. The petitioner’s, proposed guardian’s, or proposed conservator’s provision of a proposed hourly fee schedule or another statement of their proposed compensation, as required by this paragraph, shall not preclude a court from later reducing the petitioner’s, proposed guardian’s, or proposed conservator’s fees or other compensation. (2) Unless a petition for appointment of a guardian or conservator that contains the statements required by this paragraph is filed together with a petition for appointment of a temporary guardian or temporary conservator, both of the following: (A) A statement of the petitioner’s, proposed guardian’s, or proposed conservator’s registration or license information. (B) A statement explaining who engaged the petitioner, proposed guardian, or proposed conservator or how the petitioner, proposed guardian, or proposed conservator was engaged to file the petition for appointment of a temporary guardian or temporary conservator or to agree to accept the appointment as temporary guardian or temporary conservator and what prior relationship the petitioner, proposed guardian, or proposed conservator had with the proposed ward or proposed conservatee or the proposed ward’s or proposed conservatee’s family or friends. (d) If the petition is filed by a party other than the proposed conservatee, the petition shall include a declaration of due diligence showing both of the following: (1) Either the efforts to find the proposed conservatee’s relatives named in the petition for appointment of a general conservator or why it was not feasible to contact any of them. (2) Either the preferences of the proposed conservatee concerning the appointment of a temporary conservator and the appointment of the proposed temporary conservator or why it was not feasible to ascertain those preferences. (e) Unless the court for good cause otherwise orders, at least five court days before the hearing on the petition, notice of the hearing shall be given as follows: (1) Notice of the hearing shall be personally delivered to the proposed ward if the proposed ward is 12 years of age or older, to the parent or parents of the proposed ward, and to any person having a valid visitation order with the proposed ward that was effective at the time of the filing of the petition. Notice of the hearing shall not be delivered to the proposed ward if the proposed ward is under 12 years of age. In a proceeding for temporary guardianship of the person, evidence that a custodial parent has died or become incapacitated, and that the petitioner or proposed guardian is the nominee of the custodial parent, may constitute good cause for the court to order that this notice not be delivered. (2) Notice of the hearing shall be personally delivered to the proposed conservatee, and notice of the hearing shall be delivered pursuant to Section 1215 on the persons required to be named in the petition for appointment of conservator. If the petition states that the petitioner and the proposed conservator have no prior relationship with the proposed conservatee and have not been nominated by a family member, friend, or other person with a relationship to the proposed conservatee, notice of hearing shall be delivered pursuant to Section 1215 on the public guardian of the county in which the petition is filed. (3) A copy of the petition for temporary appointment shall be delivered pursuant to Section 1215 with the notice of hearing. (f) If a temporary guardianship is granted ex parte and the hearing on the general guardianship petition is not to be held within 30 days of the granting of the temporary guardianship, the court shall set a hearing within 30 days to reconsider the temporary guardianship. Notice of the hearing for reconsideration of the temporary guardianship shall be provided pursuant to Section 1511, except that the court may for good cause shorten the time for the notice of the hearing. (g) Visitation orders with the proposed ward granted before the filing of a petition for temporary guardianship shall remain in effect, unless for good cause the court orders otherwise. (h) (1) If a temporary conservatorship is granted ex parte, and a petition to terminate the temporary conservatorship is filed more than 15 days before the first hearing on the general petition for appointment of conservator, the court shall set a hearing within 15 days of the filing of the petition for termination of the temporary conservatorship to reconsider the temporary conservatorship. Unless the court otherwise orders, notice of the hearing on the petition to terminate the temporary conservatorship shall be given at least 10 days before the hearing. (2) If a petition to terminate the temporary conservatorship is filed within 15 days before the first hearing on the general petition for appointment of a conservator, the court shall set the hearing at the same time that the hearing on the general petition is set. Unless the court otherwise orders, notice of the hearing on the petition to terminate the temporary conservatorship pursuant to this section shall be given at least five court days before the hearing. (i) If the court suspends powers of the guardian or conservator under Section 2334 or 2654 or under any other provision of this division, the court may appoint a temporary guardian or conservator to exercise those powers until the powers are restored to the guardian or conservator or a new guardian or conservator is appointed. (j) If for any reason a vacancy occurs in the office of guardian or conservator, the court, on a petition filed under subdivision (a) or on its own motion, may appoint a temporary guardian or conservator to exercise the powers of the guardian or conservator until a new guardian or conservator is appointed. (k) A superior court shall not be required to perform any duties imposed pursuant to the amendments to this section enacted by Chapter 493 of the Statutes of 2006 until the Legislature makes an appropriation identified for this purpose.

Cal. Probate Code - PROB § 2250.2. Section 2250.2.

(a) On or after the filing of a petition for appointment of a conservator, any person entitled to petition for appointment of the conservator may file a petition for appointment of a temporary conservator of the person or estate or both. (b) The petition shall state facts that establish good cause for appointment of the temporary conservator. The court, upon that petition or any other showing as it may require, may appoint a temporary conservator of the person or estate or both, to serve pending the final determination of the court upon the petition for the appointment of the conservator. (c) Unless the court for good cause otherwise orders, not less than five days before the appointment of the temporary conservator, notice of the proposed appointment shall be personally delivered to the proposed conservatee. (d) If the court suspends powers of the conservator under Section 2334 or 2654 or under any other provision of this division, the court may appoint a temporary conservator to exercise those powers until the powers are restored to the conservator or a new conservator is appointed. (e) If for any reason a vacancy occurs in the office of conservator, the court, on a petition filed under subdivision (a) or on its own motion, may appoint a temporary conservator to exercise the powers of the conservator until a new conservator is appointed. (f) This section shall only apply to proceedings under Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 5350) of Part 1 of Division 5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

Cal. Probate Code - PROB § 2250.4. Section 2250.4.

The proposed temporary conservatee shall attend the hearing except in the following cases: (a) If the proposed temporary conservatee is out of the state when served and is not the petitioner. (b) If the proposed temporary conservatee is unable to attend the hearing by reason of medical inability. (c) If the court investigator has visited the proposed conservatee prior to the hearing and the court investigator has reported to the court that the proposed temporary conservatee has expressly communicated that all of the following apply: (1) The proposed conservatee is not willing to attend the hearing. (2) The proposed conservatee does not wish to contest the establishment of the temporary conservatorship. (3) The proposed conservatee does not object to the proposed temporary conservator or prefer that another person act as temporary conservator. (d) If the court determines that the proposed conservatee is unable or unwilling to attend the hearing, and holding the hearing in the absence of the proposed conservatee is necessary to protect the conservatee from substantial harm. (e) A superior court shall not be required to perform any duties imposed by this section until the Legislature makes an appropriation identified for this purpose.

Cal. Probate Code - PROB § 2250.6. Section 2250.6.

(a) Regardless of whether the proposed temporary conservatee attends the hearing, the court investigator shall do all of the following before the hearing, unless it is not feasible to do so, in which case the court investigator shall comply with the requirements set forth in subdivision (b): (1) Interview the proposed conservatee personally. The court investigator also shall do all of the following: (A) Interview the petitioner and the proposed conservator, if different from the petitioner. (B) To the greatest extent possible, interview the proposed conservatee’s spouse or registered domestic partner, relatives within the first degree, neighbors, and, if known, close friends. (C) To the extent possible, interview the proposed conservatee’s relatives within the second degree as set forth in subdivision (b) of Section 1821, before the hearing. (2) Inform the proposed conservatee of the contents of the citation, of the nature, purpose, and effect of the temporary conservatorship, and of the right of the proposed conservatee to oppose the petition, to attend the hearing, to have the matter of the establishment of the conservatorship tried by jury, to be represented by legal counsel, and to have legal counsel appointed by the court. (3) Determine whether it appears that the proposed conservatee is unable to attend the hearing and, if able to attend, whether the proposed conservatee is willing to attend the hearing. (4) Determine whether the proposed conservatee wishes to oppose the establishment of the conservatorship. (5) Determine whether the proposed conservatee objects to the proposed conservator or prefers another person to act as conservator. (6) Report to the court, in writing, concerning all of the foregoing. (b) If not feasible before the hearing, the court investigator shall do all of the following within two court days after the hearing: (1) Interview the conservatee personally. The court investigator also shall do all of the following: (A) Interview the petitioner and the proposed conservator, if different from the petitioner. (B) To the greatest extent possible, interview the proposed conservatee’s spouse or registered domestic partner, relatives within the first degree, neighbors, and, if known, close friends. (C) To the extent possible, interview the proposed conservatee’s relatives within the second degree as set forth in subdivision (b) of Section 1821. (2) Inform the conservatee of the nature, purpose, and effect of the temporary conservatorship, as well as the right of the conservatee to oppose the petition to appoint a general conservator, to attend the hearing, to have the matter of the establishment of the conservatorship tried by jury, to be represented by legal counsel, and to have legal counsel appointed by the court if not otherwise represented by legal counsel. (c) If the investigator does not visit the conservatee until after the hearing at which a temporary conservator was appointed, and the conservatee objects to the appointment of the temporary conservator, or requests appointment of legal counsel, the court investigator shall report this information promptly, and in no event more than three court days later, to the court. Upon receipt of that information, the court may proceed with appointment of legal counsel as provided in Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 1470) of Part 1. (d) If it appears to the court investigator that the temporary conservatorship is inappropriate, the court investigator shall immediately, and in no event more than two court days later, provide a written report to the court so the court can consider taking appropriate action on its own motion. (e) A superior court shall not be required to perform any duties imposed by this section until the Legislature makes an appropriation identified for this purpose.

Cal. Probate Code - PROB § 2250.8. Section 2250.8.

Sections 2250, 2250.4, and 2250.6 shall not apply to proceedings under Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 5350) of Part 1 of Division 5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

Cal. Probate Code - PROB § 2251. Section 2251.

A temporary guardian or temporary conservator shall be issued letters of temporary guardianship or conservatorship upon taking the oath and filing the bond as in the case of a guardian or conservator. The letters shall indicate the termination date of the temporary appointment.

Cal. Probate Code - PROB § 2252. Section 2252.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivisions (b) and (c), a temporary guardian or temporary conservator has only those powers and duties of a guardian or conservator that are necessary to provide for the temporary care, maintenance, and support of the ward or conservatee and that are necessary to conserve and protect the property of the ward or conservatee from loss or injury. (b) Unless the court otherwise orders: (1) A temporary guardian of the person has the powers and duties specified in Section 2353 (medical treatment). (2) A temporary conservator of the person has the powers and duties specified in Section 2354 (medical treatment). (3) A temporary guardian of the estate or temporary conservator of the estate may marshal assets and establish accounts at financial institutions. (c) The temporary guardian or temporary conservator has the additional powers and duties as may be ordered by the court (1) in the order of appointment or (2) by subsequent order made with or without notice as the court may require. Notwithstanding subdivision (e), those additional powers and duties may include relief granted pursuant to Article 10 (commencing with Section 2580) of Chapter 6 if this relief is not requested in a petition for the appointment of a temporary conservator but is requested in a separate petition. (d) The terms of any order made under subdivision (b) or (c) shall be included in the letters of temporary guardianship or conservatorship. (e) A temporary conservator is not permitted to sell or relinquish, on the conservatee’s behalf, any lease or estate in real or personal property used as or within the conservatee’s place of residence without the specific approval of the court. This approval may be granted only if the conservatee has been served with notice of the hearing, the notice to be personally delivered to the temporary conservatee unless the court for good cause otherwise orders, and only if the court finds that the conservatee will be unable to return to the residence and exercise dominion over it and that the action is necessary to avert irreparable harm to the conservatee. The temporary conservator is not permitted to sell or relinquish on the conservatee’s behalf any estate or interest in other real or personal property without specific approval of the court, which may be granted only upon a finding that the action is necessary to avert irreparable harm to the conservatee. A finding of irreparable harm as to real property may be based upon a reasonable showing that the real property is vacant, that it cannot reasonably be rented, and that it is impossible or impractical to obtain fire or liability insurance on the property.

Cal. Probate Code - PROB § 2253. Section 2253.

(a) If a temporary conservator of the person proposes to fix the residence of the conservatee at a place other than that where the conservatee resided before the commencement of the proceedings, that power shall be requested of the court in writing, unless the change of residence is required of the conservatee by a prior court order. The request shall be filed with the petition for temporary conservatorship or, if a temporary conservatorship has already been established, separately. The request shall specify in detail the place to which the temporary conservator proposes to move the conservatee, the precise reasons that the petitioner or temporary conservator has concluded that the conservatee will suffer irreparable harm if the change of residence is not permitted, and why no means less restrictive of the conservatee’s liberty will suffice to prevent that harm. (b) The court investigator shall do all of the following: (1) Interview the conservatee personally. (2) Inform the conservatee of the nature, purpose, and effect of the request made under subdivision (a), and of the right of the conservatee to oppose the request, attend the hearing, be represented by legal counsel, and to have legal counsel appointed by the court if not otherwise represented by legal counsel. (3) Determine whether the conservatee is unable to attend the hearing because of medical inability and, if able to attend, whether the conservatee is willing to attend the hearing. (4) Determine whether the conservatee wishes to oppose the request. (5) Determine whether the conservatee wishes to be represented by legal counsel at the hearing and, if so, whether the conservatee has retained legal counsel and, if not, whether the conservatee plans to retain legal counsel. (6) Determine, by considering, among other things, the medical information received pursuant to paragraph (7), whether the proposed change of place of residence is required to prevent irreparable harm to the conservatee and whether no means less restrictive of the conservatee’s liberty will suffice to prevent that harm. (7) Gather and review relevant medical reports regarding the proposed conservatee from the proposed conservatee’s primary care physician and other relevant mental and physical health care providers. (8) Report to the court in writing, at least two days before the hearing, concerning all of the foregoing, including the conservatee’s express communications concerning representation by legal counsel and whether the conservatee is not willing to attend the hearing and does not wish to oppose the request. (c) Within seven days of the date of filing of a temporary conservator’s request to remove the conservatee from the conservatee’s previous place of residence, the court shall hold a hearing on the request. (d) The conservatee shall be present at the hearing except in the following cases: (1) Where the conservatee is unable to attend the hearing by reason of medical inability. Emotional or psychological instability is not good cause for the absence of the conservatee from the hearing unless, by reason of that instability, attendance at the hearing is likely to cause serious and immediate physiological damage to the conservatee. (2) Where the court investigator has reported to the court that the conservatee has expressly communicated that the conservatee is not willing to attend the hearing and does not wish to oppose the request, and the court makes an order that the conservatee need not attend the hearing. (e) If the conservatee is unable to attend the hearing because of medical inability, that inability shall be established (1) by the affidavit or certificate of a licensed medical practitioner or (2) if the conservatee is an adherent of a religion whose tenets and practices call for reliance on prayer alone for healing and is under treatment by an accredited practitioner of that religion, by the affidavit of the practitioner. The affidavit or certificate is evidence only of the conservatee’s inability to attend the hearing and shall not be considered in determining the issue of need for the establishment of a conservatorship. (f) At the hearing, the conservatee has the right to be represented by counsel and the right to confront and cross-examine any witness presented by, or on behalf of, the temporary conservator and to present evidence on their own behalf. (g) The court may approve the request to remove the conservatee from the previous place of residence only if the court finds (1) that change of residence is required to prevent irreparable harm to the conservatee and (2) that no means less restrictive of the conservatee’s liberty will suffice to prevent that harm. If an order is made authorizing the temporary conservator to remove the conservatee from the previous place of residence, the order shall specify the specific place wherein the temporary conservator is authorized to place the conservatee. The temporary conservator may not be authorized to remove the conservatee from this state unless it is additionally shown that the removal is required to permit the performance of specified nonpsychiatric medical treatment, consented to by the conservatee, which is essential to the conservatee’s physical survival. A temporary conservator who willfully removes a temporary conservatee from this state without authorization of the court is guilty of a felony. (h) Subject to subdivision (e) of Section 2252, the court shall also order the temporary conservator to take all reasonable steps to preserve the status quo concerning the conservatee’s previous place of residence. (i) (1) The report required by this section shall be confidential and shall be made available only to parties, their attorneys, and the court. The clerk of the court shall limit disclosure of the report exclusively to persons entitled to the report pursuant to this section. (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), confidential medical information and confidential information from the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) shall be placed in a separate attachment to the report and shall not be made available to the petitioner or proposed temporary conservator if the request is filed with the petition, the temporary conservatee’s spouse or registered domestic partner, and the conservatee’s relatives in the first degree or, if there are no such relatives, to the next closest relative. (j) (1) A superior court shall not be required to perform any duties imposed pursuant to the amendments to this section enacted by Chapter 493 of the Statutes of 2006 until the Legislature makes an appropriation identified for this purpose. (2) A superior court shall not be required to perform any duties imposed pursuant to the amendments to this section enacted by the measure that added this paragraph until the Legislature makes an appropriation identified for this purpose.

Cal. Probate Code - PROB § 2254. Section 2254.

(a) Notwithstanding Section 2253, a temporary conservator may remove a temporary conservatee from the temporary conservatee’s place of residence without court authorization if an emergency exists. For the purposes of this section, an emergency exists if the temporary conservatee’s place of residence is unfit for habitation or if the temporary conservator determines in good faith based upon medical advice that the case is an emergency case in which removal from the place of residence is required (1) to provide medical treatment needed to alleviate severe pain or (2) to diagnose or treat a medical condition which, if not immediately diagnosed and treated, will lead to serious disability or death. (b) No later than one judicial day after the emergency removal of the temporary conservatee, the temporary conservator shall file a written request pursuant to Section 2253 for authorization to fix the residence of the temporary conservatee at a place other than the temporary conservatee’s previous place of residence. (c) Nothing in this chapter prevents a temporary conservator from removing a temporary conservatee from the place of residence to a health facility for treatment without court authorization when the temporary conservatee has given informed consent to the removal. (d) Nothing in this chapter prevents a temporary conservator from removing a temporary conservatee without court authorization from one health facility where the conservatee is receiving medical care to another health facility where the conservatee will receive medical care.

Cal. Probate Code - PROB § 2255. Section 2255.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), an inventory and appraisal of the estate shall be filed by the temporary guardian or temporary conservator of the estate as required by Article 2 (commencing with Section 2610) of Chapter 7. (b) A temporary guardian or temporary conservator of the estate may inventory the estate in the final account, without the necessity for an appraisal of the estate, if the final account is filed within 90 days after the appointment of the temporary guardian or temporary conservator.

Cal. Probate Code - PROB § 2256. Section 2256.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), the temporary guardian or temporary conservator of the estate shall present his or her account to the court for settlement and allowance within 90 days after the appointment of a guardian or conservator of the estate or within such other time as the court may fix. (b) If the temporary guardian or temporary conservator of the estate is appointed guardian or conservator of the estate, the guardian or conservator may account for the administration as temporary guardian or temporary conservator in his or her first regular account. (c) Accounts are subject to Sections 2621 to 2626, inclusive, Sections 2630 to 2633, inclusive, and Sections 2640 to 2642, inclusive.

Cal. Probate Code - PROB § 2257. Section 2257.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), the powers of a temporary guardian or temporary conservator terminate, except for the rendering of the account, at the earliest of the following times: (1) The time the temporary guardian or conservator acquires notice that a guardian or conservator is appointed and qualified. (2) Thirty days after the appointment of the temporary guardian or temporary conservator or such earlier time as the court may specify in the order of appointment. (b) With or without notice as the court may require, the court may for good cause order that the time for the termination of the powers of the temporary guardian or temporary conservator be extended or shortened pending final determination by the court of the petition for appointment of a guardian or conservator or pending the final decision on appeal therefrom or for other cause. The order which extends the time for termination shall fix the time when the powers of the temporary guardian or temporary conservator terminate except for the rendering of the account.

Cal. Probate Code - PROB § 2258. Section 2258.

A temporary guardian or temporary conservator is subject to the provisions of this division governing the suspension, removal, resignation, and discharge of a guardian or conservator.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026