Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.51 · Division 2. Waiver of Fees and Costs
Method of application
Text — As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)
(a) An application for initial fee waiver under rule 3.55 must be made on Request to Waive Court Fees (form FW-001). An application for initial fee waiver under rule 3.56 must be made on Request to Waive Additional Court Fees (Superior Court) (form FW-002). The clerk must provide the forms and the Information Sheet on Waiver of Superior Court Fees and Costs (form FW-001-INFO) without charge to any person who requests any fee waiver application or indicates that he or she is unable to pay any court fee or cost.
(b) Applications involving (proposed) wards and conservatees
An application for initial fee waiver under rules 3.55 and 7.5 by a probate guardian or probate conservator or a petitioner for the appointment of a probate guardian or probate conservator for the benefit of a (proposed) ward or conservatee, in the guardianship or conservatorship proceeding or in a civil action or proceeding in which the guardian or conservator is a party on behalf of the ward or conservatee, must be made on Request to Waive Court Fees (Ward or Conservatee) (form FW-001-GC). An application for initial fee waiver under rule 3.56 by a guardian or conservator or a petitioner for the appointment of a guardian or conservator for the benefit of a (proposed) ward or conservatee must be made on Request to Waive Additional Court Fees (Superior Court) (Ward or Conservatee) (form FW-002-GC).
Notes and commentary — not rule text
History
(Subd (a) lettered effective September 1, 2015; adopted as unlettered subd. effective January 1, 2007.)
(Subd (b) adopted effective September 1, 2015.)
Rule 3.51 amended effective September 1, 2015; adopted effective January 1, 2007; previously amended effective January 1, 2007 and July 1, 2009.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)
- Official file
- https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_51
- Text hash
- sha256 d4b1daa9af011a5639558307a29a274779a05cc4cd4cfe0de93a22de71aeb87a
- Composed by
- compose_crc.py 2026-10-22: the Judicial Council's rule pages read paragraph by paragraph; verify_crc.py's second reading of the Council's per-title PDFs finds every paragraph
This rule cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
California Rules of Court
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.55Court fees and costs included in all initial fee waiversPrinted as rule 3.55 | rules 3.55 and 7.5
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.56Additional court fees and costs that may be included in initial fee waiverPrinted as rule 3.56
- Cal. Rules of Court, rule 7.5Waivers of court fees in decedents' estates, conservatorships, and guardianshipsPrinted as rules 3.55 and 7.5
Cited by 1 provision
Provisions in this library whose text cites Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.51. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
California Rules of Court
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.