How is an intestate estate divided if there are no surviving relatives?

If someone dies in California without a will and without any surviving relatives, then the estate is divided according to the law of intestate succession. Intestate succession is a set of laws that dictate how a deceased person’s estate is to be divided among their family members or relatives. When there are no living relatives, the estate is distributed to the state. Under California law, if a person dies without a will and without any surviving legal heirs, the entire estate will first go to the deceased person’s surviving spouse. If there is no surviving spouse, then the estate will be divided among the deceased person’s living descendants. If there are no living descendants, the estate will be divided among the deceased person’s surviving parents. If there are no surviving parents, the estate will be divided among the deceased person’s brothers and sisters. If there are no surviving siblings, the estate will be divided among the deceased person’s aunts and uncles. If there are no living aunts and uncles, then the estate will go to the surviving grandparents. If there are no living relatives in the deceased person’s line of descent, then the entire estate will be given to the state. The state will then make sure that the funds are distributed appropriately to any legal creditors of the deceased person. This is the same process that takes place when someone dies without a will and with no living relatives.

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How is an intestate estate divided if there are no surviving relatives?

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