NC-120

Order to Show Cause for Change of Name

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California · Publish 4 consecutive weeks before the hearing.

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What is NC-120?

California Judicial Council mandatory-use Order to Show Cause that the court issues after the petitioner files NC-100. The petitioner pre-fills the caption, lists the same present-name and proposed-name pairs from NC-100 item 2, picks the newspaper of general circulation that will publish the order, and brings the form to the clerk. The clerk inserts the hearing date, time, department, and room, and the judge signs. The petitioner then publishes a copy of the signed NC-120 in the chosen newspaper once a week for four consecutive weeks before the hearing (Code of Civil Procedure section 1277(a)).

What happens if you miss the deadline: If publication is not completed at least the required four consecutive weeks before the hearing, the court usually continues the hearing rather than denying the petition. The newspaper files a Proof of Publication with the court before the hearing; if it is missing, the petitioner must request a continuance.

How to file

Filing fee: No separate filing fee. NC-120 is filed inside the NC-100 case and travels under the NC-100 filing fee.
Filing method: in-person, mail, efile (county-specific)
Filing deadline: File NC-120 with NC-100 (or as soon as the clerk asks for it). After the judge signs, the petitioner must publish the order in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for four consecutive weeks before the hearing (CCP 1277(a)). NC-100-INFO item 6 advises requesting a hearing date at least six weeks out so publication can be completed in time. The newspaper files Proof of Publication directly with the court.
How to serve: Two outbound steps after the judge signs: (1) publication in the chosen newspaper, four consecutive weeks before the hearing (newspaper files Proof of Publication); (2) for a child name change where the nonconsenting parent has not joined, personal service of the signed NC-120 on that parent under CCP 413.10, 414.10, 415.10, or 415.40, at least 30 days before the hearing (NC-100-INFO item 8(a)). NC-121 (Proof of Service) is filed before the hearing.
Wet signature: No
Notarization: No
Original and copies: Original plus two copies. Clerk file-stamps the original and returns two endorsed copies after the judge signs.

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Other Ezel-supported forms that commonly file alongside NC-120. Each one has its own guided fill, AI review, and PDF render.

NC-100

Petition for Change of Name

Petition for Change of Name. NC-120 is the court-issued Order to Show Cause that travels with NC-100 through the entire name-change process from filing to entered NC-130 decree; NC-100 + NC-120 must be filed together at the civil clerk's window or the packet is rejected as incomplete. The petitioner pre-fills the caption (court, county, case number once assigned) and item 1 (the present-name / proposed-name pairs and birth dates) on NC-120 from NC-100, plus item 3 (the newspaper of general circulation that will publish under Cal. Rules of Court rule 2.530). The clerk completes the hearing date, time, department, and room while the petitioner waits, and a judge signs NC-120 to set the OSC. Every present-name / proposed-name pair on NC-120 item 1 must match NC-100 item 1 verbatim, including middle names, suffixes, and accents; any typo or omission requires refiling, and a published NC-120 with a typo cannot be cured by amendment at the hearing. Once signed, the petitioner takes the certified NC-120 to a newspaper of general circulation for publication under Code of Civil Procedure section 1277(a) and CRC 2.532: once a week for 4 consecutive weeks before the hearing, with the last publication at least 30 days before the hearing. The newspaper files an Affidavit of Publication (Form NC-121 or equivalent) directly with the court after the run ends. Without a published NC-120 + proof of publication on file, the judge cannot grant the name change at the hearing under CCP 1278. CCP 1277(a)(4) carves out limited confidentiality cases (transgender petitioners, domestic-violence survivors with a current restraining order) where publication is waived and the petitioner files NC-110G or NC-110A instead.

POS-030

Proof of Service by First-Class Mail (Civil)

Proof of Service by First-Class Mail. NC-120 (Order to Show Cause for Change of Name) is published in a newspaper of general circulation for 4 consecutive weeks before the hearing under Code Civ. Proc. section 1277(a), and the newspaper files its own proof of publication directly with the court (the petitioner does not file a POS-030 for the publication leg). POS-030 covers the separate inter-party service obligations the NC-100-INFO instruction sheet imposes for special petitioners: (1) a person in jail or prison must mail the signed NC-120 to the warden, parole administrator, sheriff, or other custodian overseeing them under CCP 1277(a) so the custodial agency has notice and opportunity to object; (2) a minor's NC-100 requires mail service on the other (non-petitioning) parent under FC 7611 / 7613 (when both legal parents are known and not deceased) and on any guardian, even when CCP 1277.5(c) confidentiality applies (notice to a non-petitioning parent of a minor cannot be omitted under 1277.5(c); only general-public publication can be omitted under that subsection); (3) NC-300 gender-conforming changes (filed concurrently with NC-100) require service on local-government records custodians (DMV under Veh Code 12800, vital records under H&S Code 103430) following entry of the order; (4) any party who previously filed an objection or who has a known interest in the petitioner's identity (creditors in active litigation, family-law adverse parties with active orders, criminal-case prosecutors for petitioners on probation under PC 1203.097) get NC-120 notice. The petitioner uses POS-030 to document each of those mailings. The server must be 18 or older and not a party (CCP 1013(a) and 1013a); the petitioner cannot personally mail the NC-120 packet on their own behalf. The signed POS-030 files with the court before the hearing so the judge can confirm all required noticees received the NC-120; missing POS-030 for a required notice party can cause the court to continue the hearing for re-noticing under CCP 1277(c) (continuance for adequate notice; the OSC hearing can be reset to the next available date typically 6 to 8 weeks out, restarting the 4-week publication clock if publication was deficient too).

FW-001

Request to Waive Court Fees

Request to Waive Court Fees. NC-120 has no separate filing fee; it is the court-issued Order to Show Cause that sits inside the NC-100 case, which carries the first-appearance fee set by Gov. Code section 70611 (uniform statewide first-paper filing fee, currently $435 with per-county surcharges adding $30 to $100 depending on the county). FW-001 is filed in the same packet as NC-100 + NC-120 at intake under Cal. Rules of Court rule 3.51; the clerk holds the entire packet, including the NC-120 the clerk would otherwise issue, until the FW-001 ruling is entered (which the clerk decides ex parte within 5 court days under CRC rule 3.51 or refers to a judicial officer for review under Gov. Code section 68634). Eligibility is the standard ladder under Gov. Code sections 68631 to 68633.5: (1) item 5.a means-tested public benefits under Gov. Code section 68632(a) (CalWORKs, SSI / SSP, CalFresh, county General Assistance, Medi-Cal, Tribal TANF, IHSS, CAPI) with a benefit-verification letter or a current benefit-issuance stub; (2) item 5.b household income at or below 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guideline under Gov. Code section 68632(b) with pay-stub / tax-return / IRS-transcript evidence; (3) item 5.c discretionary financial hardship under Gov. Code section 68632(c) with FW-001 item 7 line-by-line monthly income / expense breakdown where regular fees would deprive the petitioner of necessities. A granted FW-001 carries forward under Gov. Code section 68632(c) to every subsequent filing in the same case (NC-130 Decree, post-judgment certified copies, FL-300 RFOs in related family-law cases) without a fresh waiver. A separate question is publication cost (the four-week newspaper run under CCP 1277(a)) which is NOT a court fee and is therefore not covered by FW-001; petitioners on public benefits can ask the court to dispense with or reduce publication under CCP 1277(e) (court may order publication in a newspaper of lesser circulation if statutorily-eligible newspapers would impose hardship) and the constitutional access-to-courts analysis under Boddie v. Connecticut, 401 U.S. 371 (1971), as applied in California via Earls v. Superior Court (1971) 6 Cal. 3d 109; some counties (LA, SF, Alameda) have indigent-publication agreements with local court-bulletin newspapers under local rule (LA Local Rule 4.50, SF Local Rule 8.5) that offer reduced rates for FW-001-granted petitioners. NC-120 published in a court-approved publication of general circulation costs $40 to $1,000 depending on county; the lowest-rate option is often the Daily Journal or county-bar publication. For minor-name-change petitioners or DV-protected petitioners (CCP 1277.5 confidentiality petitions), the court may waive publication entirely under CCP 1277.5(c), making the FW-001 the only cost item to address. Denied FW-001 is reviewed on FW-006 within 10 days under CRC 3.55(d).

MC-025

Attachment to Judicial Council Form

Attachment (continuation page). MC-025 is the standard continuation for NC-120 item 2 (the table of present-name and proposed-name pairs that the court orders any objector to show cause against). NC-120 item 2 has only five inline rows; when the petitioner is changing more than five name pairs (a legal name plus several aliases under Code Civ. Proc. section 1276, family members joined in the same NC-100 / NC-120 proceeding under CCP 1278, or a minor's name plus the parents' surname update), attach MC-025 labeled 'Attachment 2 to NC-120 (Order to Show Cause for Change of Name)' and format the rows identically to the inline NC-120 grid (Present name | Proposed name). The exact same name-pair list must appear on NC-100 item 1 (the petition's request), NC-120 item 2 (the OSC), NC-130 (the publication-order notice the court issues for the 4-week newspaper run under CCP 1277(a)), and any signed NC-130 affidavit of publication; mismatched MC-025 attachments across these forms are the most common reason a name-change petition is continued at the hearing because the judge cannot grant relief on names that were not properly noticed. CCP 1277(b)(1) and (b)(2) carve out publication for petitioners with safety concerns (former intimate-partner abuse, stalking, gender-identity transitions, victims of sex crimes); MC-025 attached to NC-120 in those cases should still list the full set on the petition side but the published notice (NC-130) is omitted by court order. Each MC-025 attachment is incorporated by reference on the NC-120 face by checking item 2 and writing 'See Attachment 2 to NC-120'. Sign MC-025 separately only if it adds sworn factual averments; the petitioner's NC-100 verification under penalty of perjury covers the attached name list.

Field-by-field guidance

We've mapped every field on NC-120: what it asks, what counts as a blocker, what trips most filers up. Ezel applies all of it as you fill. Plain-English questions in, court-ready PDF out.

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Atty Bar No

none

Attorney bar number; pro se filers leave blank.

Pro se filer fills with driver's license number.
Out-of-state attorney fills home-state bar number.

Filer Name

blocker

Filer name. Must match NC-100 caption.

Filer types proposed name; this caption uses current legal name.
Filer drops middle name listed on NC-100.

Filer Firm

none

Firm name. Pro se filers leave blank.

Pro se filer fills with employer or self-help center.
Attorney lists firm short name rather than the full firm name.

Filer Street

blocker

Filer street address.

Filer fills proposed new address before the order is signed.
Filer uses a P.O. Box that does not match the residence used on NC-100 item 1a.

Filer City

blocker

Filer city.

Filer abbreviates ('LA' instead of 'Los Angeles').
Filer types neighborhood instead of city.

Filer State

blocker

Filer state.

Filer leaves blank when residence is in CA but mailing address is out of state.
Filer types full state name in a small field; abbreviation expected.

Filer Zip

blocker

Filer ZIP.

Filer leaves blank.
Filer enters ZIP+4 with no separator; basic 5-digit ZIP is fine.

Filer Phone

blocker

Filer phone.

Filer leaves blank for privacy; the form treats it as required.
Filer lists a number disconnected since NC-100 was filed.

Filer Fax

none

Filer fax. Effectively obsolete.

Pro se filer types a phone number for fax.
Filer fills 'N/A' instead of leaving blank.

Filer Email

none

Filer email. Optional but recommended.

Filer lists a stale email no longer monitored.
Filer omits and the court emails an updated NC-120 to the wrong address.

Filer Atty For

blocker

'Attorney for' caption. Pro se filers type 'Self-Represented' or 'In Pro Per'.

Pro se filer leaves blank.
Pro se filer types 'N/A'.

Court County

blocker

Court county. Same as NC-100.

Filer types county of residence rather than court county. Should match NC-100.
Filer abbreviates 'L.A.'

Court Street

warning

Court street address.

Filer copies a closed-courthouse address from older paperwork.
Filer uses the mailing address only.

Court Mailing

warning

Court mailing address.

Filer duplicates the street address when the courthouse uses a separate P.O. Box.
Filer leaves blank in counties where mail goes through a separate P.O. Box.

Court City Zip

warning

Court city and ZIP.

Filer omits the ZIP.
Filer types the wrong ZIP for a courthouse with multiple ZIPs.

Court Branch

warning

Court branch.

Filer guesses a branch name in a multi-branch county.
Filer types 'Main' or 'Central' when the local court uses a different branch name.

Petition Caption Name

blocker

Petitioner caption name(s). Match NC-100 caption exactly.

Listing the proposed (new) name. The caption uses the petitioner's CURRENT legal name.
Filer types only the first petitioner when NC-100 listed two.

Case Number

none

Case number from the clerk. Leave blank if filing NC-120 together with NC-100; the clerk stamps it on.

Filer guesses a case number when filing concurrently with NC-100.
Filer types a related case number from a different matter.

Petitioner Present Name

blocker

Item 1: petitioner's current legal name. Must match NC-100 item 1.

Filer types the proposed name here; this is the current legal name.
Filer's spelling differs from the NC-100 caption.

Name Change 1 Present

blocker

Item 1 row a: present name of the first person whose name is changing. Must match NC-100 item 2 row a.

Filer types the proposed name in this field.
Filer drops middle name.

Name Change 1 Proposed

blocker

Item 1 row a: proposed name of the first person.

Filer mixes up rows when more than one person changing name; row a present and row a proposed must match.
Filer uses initials or numbers; rejected in practice (In re Useldinger, 35 Cal.App.2d 723 (1939); clerk discretion under CCP 1278(a)(1)).

Name Change 2 Present

none

Item 1 row b: optional second person's present name.

Filer leaves blank when NC-100 listed a second person.
Filer enters the same name as row a.

Name Change 2 Proposed

none

Item 1 row b: optional second person's proposed name.

Filer accidentally uses row b for an alias of the row a person.
Filer omits middle name when proposed change includes one.

Name Change 3 Present

none

Item 1 row c: optional third person's present name.

Filer leaves blank when NC-100 listed a third person.
Filer types text in the field by mistake.

Name Change 3 Proposed

none

Item 1 row c: optional third person's proposed name.

Filer uses initials or numbers (rejected in practice; In re Useldinger, 35 Cal.App.2d 723 (1939); clerk discretion under CCP 1278(a)(1)).
Filer leaves blank when row c present is filled.

Name Change 4 Present

none

Item 1 row d: optional fourth person's present name.

Filer leaves blank when NC-100 listed a fourth person.
Filer types 'same as above'.

Name Change 4 Proposed

none

Item 1 row d: optional fourth person's proposed name.

Filer leaves blank when row d present is filled.
Filer uses initials or numbers.

Name Change 5 Present

none

Item 1 row e: optional fifth person's present name.

Filer leaves blank when NC-100 listed a fifth person.
Filer fills in row e present without filling row e proposed.

Name Change 5 Proposed

none

Item 1 row e: optional fifth person's proposed name.

Filer leaves blank when row e present is filled.
Filer uses initials or numbers.

Name Changes Continued

none

Item 1 'Continued on Attachment 1' checkbox. Check only if more than five name pairs.

Filer checks even though only five name pairs are listed.
Filer adds a sixth pair to the form margins instead of using Attachment 1.

Hearing Date

none

Item 2a hearing date. CLERK fills this in. Leave blank.

Filling in a date. The clerk picks the date when you bring the form in.
Filer copies a date from another case.

Hearing Time

none

Item 2a hearing time. CLERK fills this in. Leave blank.

Filer guesses a time of day.
Filer types 'TBD'.

Hearing Dept

none

Item 2a department. CLERK fills this in. Leave blank.

Filer guesses a department.
Filer types 'TBD'.

Hearing Room

none

Item 2a room. CLERK fills this in. Leave blank.

Filer guesses a room number.
Filer types 'TBD'.

Hearing Address Choice

info

Item 2b: hearing address radio. Almost always 'Same as above'. The 'Other' option is only used if the clerk tells you the hearing is at a different branch.

Filer checks 'Other' when the hearing is at the same courthouse as filing.
Filer leaves both options blank.

Hearing Other Address

none

Item 2b: 'Other' hearing address. Used only if 'Other' radio is selected.

Filer fills in 'Other' address when 'Same as above' is checked.
Filer leaves blank after checking 'Other'.

Publication Required

warning

Item 3a: publication requirement checkbox. Check 3a unless an exemption applies (gender identity / NC-125, Safe at Home, State Witness Program, juvenile-court minor).

Leaving 3a blank because the user thought the clerk would check it. The petitioner must check it; otherwise the order is unclear about whether publication is required.
Checking 3a in a Safe at Home / NC-125 / juvenile-court / State Witness exempt case.

Publication County Choice

warning

Item 3a sub-radio: which county the newspaper serves. Resident filers pick 'In this county'. Non-resident filers (NC-100 item 1b) pick the petitioner's county of residence option.

Resident filer accidentally checks the non-resident option.
Non-resident filer leaves both options blank.

Newspaper Name

warning

Item 3a: name of the newspaper of general circulation. Each county clerk has a list of qualified newspapers; ask the clerk for it.

Picking a non-qualifying paper (e.g., a free shopper or an HOA newsletter). The newspaper must be 'legally qualified to publish orders and notices'.
Filer picks a paper that does not cover the petitioner's county of residence.

Publication Other

none

Item 3b: 'Other' checkbox. Use when a publication exemption applies; describe the basis in the specify field.

Filer checks 3b without filing the supporting NC-125 (gender identity) or other exemption paperwork.
Filer checks 3b alongside 3a; only one should be checked.

Publication Other Text

warning

Item 3b: free-text basis for an exemption (e.g., 'Petitioner is a participant in the Safe at Home address-confidentiality program; CCP 1277(b)' or 'Name change to conform to petitioner's gender identity; CCP 1277.5').

Filer leaves blank after checking 3b.
Filer cites a non-existent statute.

Judge Sig Date

none

Date the judge signs. JUDGE fills. Leave blank.

Filer types in the date.
Filer asks the clerk to fill in this date; the JUDGE signs and dates.

Sources

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