California CodesProbate CodeDivision 1 - PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS AND DEFINITIONSPart 1 - PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS§ 12§ 12Enacted by Stats. 1990, Ch. 79.“Shall” is mandatory and “may” is permissive.Cite this sectionCal. Prob. Code § 12 (2026)Copyhttps://ca.codecond.com/codes/prob/division-1-preliminary-provisions-and-definitions/part-1-preliminary-provisions/section-12CopyOther sections in Part 1 - PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS§ 1§ 2§ 3§ 4§ 5§ 6§ 7§ 8§ 9§ 10§ 11§ 12§ 13← § 11§ 13 →