Except as otherwise expressly provided by law, the seal of a court need not be affixed to any proceeding therein, or to any document, except to the following:
§ 153.Documents under seal
Title 1. Organization and Jurisdiction · Chapter 6. General Provisions Respecting Courts of Justice · Article 6. Seals of Courts · Last amended 1989 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 153 limits when a court seal must be affixed to a document, requiring it only on a writ, a summons, or a warrant of arrest, unless some other law expressly requires it elsewhere.
Full Text of § 153
Plain-English Summary
Section 153 answers a narrow but practical question: which documents need the court’s seal on them? The default is that a seal is not required at all, on any proceeding or document, except for the three items the section lists — a writ, a summons, and a warrant of arrest — and except where some other law expressly requires the seal for something else.
The section has been trimmed over the years as other, more specific statutes took over responsibility for particular filings. Earlier versions addressed authentication of copies of judicial records and papers in probate matters, but those subjects are now governed by dedicated provisions elsewhere — the Evidence Code’s rules on authenticating writings, and the Probate Code’s own seal requirements for letters of guardianship, conservatorship, and similar documents. What is left in Section 153 is the short, general list still governed here.
Official Comment
The following official comments are published by the California Law Revision Commission (and, for a few older sections, its predecessor Code Commissioners) alongside the statute itself — not commentary from this site.
1965 Law Revision Commission Comment. The deleted language, which relates to the authentication of copies of judicial records, is superseded by Evidence Code Section 1530. See also Tentative Recommendation and Study by California Law Revision Commission, dated January 1964, relating to the uniform rules of evidence—authentication and content of writings.
1979 Law Revision Commission Comment. Section 153 is amended to add the certificate of appointment of a conservator to the exceptions stated in subdivision 4.
1988 Law Revision Commission Comment. Section 153 is amended to delete the former reference to papers in probate. This provision was unnecessary, since the seal is expressly provided for in the relevant statutes in these cases. See, e.g., Prob. Code §§ 2311 (letters of guardianship or conservatorship), 8405 (letters of personal representative).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every court document need to be sealed in California?
No. Section 153 requires a seal only on a writ, a summons, or a warrant of arrest, unless another law specifically requires it for something else.
Why doesn’t Section 153 mention probate documents anymore?
Those requirements moved to the Probate Code itself, which now expressly provides for sealing letters of guardianship, conservatorship, and similar documents, making a separate reference in Section 153 unnecessary.
Amendment History
Enacted 1872 as § 152. Amended Code Amdts 1873–74 ch 383 § 12. Repealed and re-enacted as § 153 Code Amdts 1880 ch 35 § 1. Amended Stats 1933 ch 743 § 42; Stats 1951 ch 1737 § 35, operative January 1, 1952; Stats 1965 ch 299 § 18, operative January 1, 1967; Stats 1979 ch 730 § 15, operative January 1, 1981; Stats 1988 ch 1199 § 2, operative July 1, 1989.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
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