Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California

Re: Obtaining a copy of a will

The wills of living people are private documents, not of public record. The only legal way to obtain a copy of such a will is to get it from the one who wrote it - the testator. Otherwise, if the testator has died and the will has been filed for probate, then one may obtain a copy from the Clerk of the Court in which the probate is pending. After death, the will becomes public when filed in the probate court.