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Adams County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Where probate begins | The Adams County Register of Wills, Room 102 of the courthouse at 117 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA 17325, (717) 337-9826. This is where the original will is filed, the petition for grant of letters is presented, letters testamentary (with a will) or letters of administration (without one) are issued, and the Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (REV-1500) is filed |
| Who supervises administration | The Adams County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (51st Judicial District), whose filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, Room 103 of the same courthouse, (717) 337-9806. It handles the inventory, accounts, distributions, guardianships, adoptions, and disputes, including appeals from the Register of Wills |
| Courthouse | Adams County Courthouse, 117 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA 17325. The Register of Wills is in Room 102 and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court is in Room 103 |
| Phone | Register of Wills (717) 337-9826; Clerk of the Orphans' Court (717) 337-9806. These are the county's own lines, not a statewide call center |
| Fax and email | Register of Wills fax (717) 334-1758, email [email protected]; Clerk of the Orphans' Court fax (717) 334-9333, all per the county's own published pages |
| Office hours | Both offices open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and close on county holidays (the county posts a holiday schedule). The Register of Wills sets a 4:00 p.m. cut-off to begin an estate probate and encourages scheduling a probate appointment, so arrive before 4:00 p.m. if you are opening an estate. Confirm the counter hours before making a trip to Gettysburg |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills fees are set by Adams County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $28.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rising with the estate's value, plus a $41.25 statewide Judicial Computer Project (JCP) surcharge and a $10.00 county automation fee, per the county's fee bill effective December 1, 2025 (42 P.S. § 21022.1); a short certificate is $5.00. The Orphans' Court publishes its own schedule for accounts, petitions, and the small estate petition. See the fees section below, and confirm the current amounts with the offices |
| Local probate forms | Pennsylvania uses a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set published on pacourts.us and used in every county; Adams County also posts its own copies of the Register of Wills forms (a Petition for Letters, the Inventory, the Renunciation, and the Rule 10.5 and 10.6 notices) and the Orphans' Court OC-series forms. The small estate petition is filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court |
| E-filing | The Clerk of the Orphans' Court offers electronic filing through the county's online e-filing portal, for both known cases and new cases, with a $3.00 per-filing e-filing convenience fee. The Register of Wills grant of letters is handled in person: the petitioner appears before the Register, and the Register of Wills accepts cash or check only, not credit cards. Confirm the current options with each office |
| Online case search | The Clerk of the Orphans' Court runs its own online records search (Search Online Records, through CountyFusion, with an Adams County PA Clerk of Courts mobile app). The statewide UJS Portal case search (ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch) also applies, though its coverage of Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate records varies by county |
| Remote appearance | Not published for Adams County estate matters; the Orphans' Court accepts e-filing, but ask the Register of Wills or the Clerk of the Orphans' Court whether a given step can be handled remotely |
| Website | https://www.adamscountypa.gov/departments/registerofwills |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Adams County, know exactly what is in the estate, because which Pennsylvania path fits depends on whether there is a will and on the value and type of the assets. The options are a full grant of letters testamentary or of administration through the Register of Wills, a petition to settle a small estate of $50,000 or less filed with the Orphans' Court (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102), or the release of certain assets without any letters at all (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101). Those paths and their dollar thresholds are statewide and are explained on the Pennsylvania state page; identify the estate first so you present the right petition once, because the grant of letters is handled in person before the Register in Gettysburg.
Identify every bank and credit-union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life-insurance policy, vehicle, business interest, and parcel of Adams County real estate, along with every debt, before you go to the courthouse. How each asset is titled matters, because a jointly owned home with right of survivorship or a beneficiary-designated account passes outside probate while property in the decedent's sole name does not, so the estate that actually goes through probate can be smaller than the family expects. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Adams County Register of Wills and the Adams County Clerk of the Orphans' Court, both in the courthouse at 117 Baltimore Street in Gettysburg, serve all of Adams County. That includes Gettysburg, the county seat, along with Littlestown, McSherrystown, Bonneauville, Biglerville, East Berlin, Carroll Valley, Fairfield, Abbottstown, New Oxford, Arendtsville, York Springs, and the surrounding boroughs and townships in the county's farm country and along the Maryland line. Every Adams County estate is filed in Gettysburg. Adams County is its own single-county judicial district, the 51st Judicial District, so the Orphans' Court judge is a Court of Common Pleas judge sitting in the Orphans' Court Division of that district.
Venue for a decedent's estate is the county where the decedent had a last family or principal residence, under Title 20 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (20 Pa.C.S. § 3151). If the decedent lived in Adams County, file with the Adams County Register of Wills. If the decedent was not domiciled in Pennsylvania but left property in the county, the Register of the county where the property is located may grant letters (20 Pa.C.S. § 3151), which is the basis for an ancillary administration. The Register of Wills keeps the county's original wills and estate records.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue and gather the documents. Adams County is the right county when the decedent had a last family or principal residence here at death (20 Pa.C.S. § 3151). Collect the original signed will (if there is one), a certified copy of the death certificate, the names and addresses of the heirs and beneficiaries, the proposed personal representative's information and identification, and a list of the assets and debts with values. A person named in a will to settle the estate is an executor; a person appointed where there is no will is an administrator. Pennsylvania's umbrella term for either is personal representative.
- Prepare the petition and forms. Pennsylvania uses a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set published on pacourts.us, and Adams County also posts its own copies of the Register of Wills forms. The core filing is the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02, the county's Petition for Letters), presented with the original will and the certified death certificate. A qualifying small estate can instead be settled on a petition to the Orphans' Court division (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102).
- Present the petition to the Register of Wills in person. Take the petition, the original will, and the death certificate to the Register of Wills in Room 102 of the Adams County Courthouse, 117 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg. Pennsylvania practice requires the personal representative to appear before the Register to be sworn, and Adams County handles the grant of letters in person, so plan a trip to Gettysburg. The Register sets a 4:00 p.m. cut-off to begin an estate probate and encourages scheduling a probate appointment, so call (717) 337-9826 before you go.
- Pay the Register of Wills filing fee. The fee is set by Adams County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $28.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rising with the estate's value, plus a $41.25 Judicial Computer Project (JCP) surcharge and a $10.00 county automation fee, per the county's fee bill effective December 1, 2025. The Register of Wills accepts cash or check only, not credit cards. Request several short certificates (certified proof of the letters, $5.00 each), which is what banks and transfer agents rely on. See the fees section below.
- Receive the letters. On a valid will, the Register grants letters testamentary to the executor; with no will, letters of administration to the administrator, in the priority order set by 20 Pa.C.S. § 3155. The short certificate is the certified proof of the personal representative's authority.
- Advertise the grant of letters. Immediately after letters are granted, advertise the grant once a week for three successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation near the decedent's residence and in the Adams County Legal Journal, the county's designated legal periodical, so that creditors can present claims (20 Pa.C.S. § 3162). A creditor's practical deadline runs one year from the first complete advertisement (20 Pa.C.S. § 3532).
- File the inventory and handle inheritance tax. File a verified inventory of the estate's real and personal property with the Register of Wills (Form RW-09), due no later than the earlier of the account filing or the inheritance-tax-return due date (20 Pa.C.S. § 3301). File the Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (REV-1500) with the Register of Wills; the tax becomes delinquent nine months after the date of death, and a 5% discount is allowed on tax paid within three months of death.
- Administer and close through the Orphans' Court. Pay valid debts and taxes, then distribute what remains. Accounts, petitions for distribution, family settlement agreements, and any contested matter are filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court in Room 103, which accepts e-filing through the county's online e-filing portal; a formal account is advertised and confirmed by the Orphans' Court Division. Many smaller estates close by a family settlement agreement or a receipt, release, and indemnification agreement instead of a formal account.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Adams County
Pennsylvania has a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, published centrally on pacourts.us and used in every county, and Adams County files the same set. The load-bearing form to open an estate is the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02), which the county posts as its Petition for Letters, filed with the original will and a certified death certificate. Other Register of Wills forms in common use, and posted on the county site, include the Renunciation (Form RW-06), the estate notice and certification under Rule 10.5 (Forms RW-07 and RW-08), the Rule 10.6 status report, and the Inventory (Form RW-09). The Orphans' Court account and administration filings use the statewide OC-series forms (OC-01 and following).
The small estate petition is different: settlement of a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 is filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, not the Register of Wills, and it is a court petition rather than a numbered statewide RW form. In Adams County the Register of Wills forms are filed on paper in person in Room 102, while the Orphans' Court forms can be filed electronically through the county's online e-filing portal or on paper in Room 103. For questions about what each office needs on intake, call the Register of Wills at (717) 337-9826 or the Clerk of the Orphans' Court at (717) 337-9806.
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania Register of Wills and Orphans' Court forms (pacourts.us) | The statewide form set used in every county, including the Petition for Grant of Letters (RW-02), the Renunciation (RW-06), the Inventory (RW-09), and the Orphans' Court OC-series forms |
| Adams County Register of Wills forms (adamscountypa.gov) | The county's own copies of the Register of Wills forms and the current fee schedule, including the Petition for Letters, the Inventory, and the Renunciation |
| Adams County Clerk of Orphans' Court forms and e-filing (adamscountypa.gov) | The Orphans' Court forms, the fee schedule, and the e-filing instructions for known and new cases through the county's online e-filing portal |
| UJS Portal case search (ujsportal.pacourts.us) | The statewide court case search; its coverage of Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate records varies by county |
Fees
Pennsylvania sets probate filing fees county by county, not statewide, and Adams County publishes two schedules: a Register of Wills fee bill (effective December 1, 2025) for the grant of letters and related filings, and an Orphans' Court Fees and Charges schedule (effective November 14, 2025) for accounts, petitions, and the small estate petition. The figures below were read from the county's published schedules in July 2026; confirm the current amounts with the offices, because a county can revise its schedule.
The Register of Wills fee for a grant of letters is graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $28.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rising with the estate's value ($34.00 for $1,000 to $5,000, $44.00 for $5,001 to $10,000, $50.00 for $10,001 to $20,000, $60.00 for $20,001 to $30,000, on up to $100.00 for $75,001 to $100,000, then $50.00 for each additional $100,000). On top of the graduated fee, the estate filing carries a $41.25 statewide Judicial Computer Project (JCP) surcharge and a $10.00 county automation fee. The Orphans' Court schedule notes that Act 45 of 2025 raised the JCP fee to $42.15 effective November 14, 2025, though its fee columns still show $41.25, so confirm the current surcharge when you file. The Register of Wills accepts cash or check only; the Clerk of the Orphans' Court accepts card payments through a third-party processor and adds a $3.00 convenience fee for each Orphans' Court e-filing.
| Adams County filing | Fee |
|---|---|
| Grant of letters, estate not exceeding $1,000 | $28.00 base, plus the $41.25 JCP surcharge and the $10.00 automation fee (Adams County Register of Wills fee bill effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $20,001 to $30,000 | $60.00 base, plus the $41.25 JCP surcharge and the $10.00 automation fee (Adams County Register of Wills fee bill effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $75,001 to $100,000 | $100.00 base, then $50.00 for each additional $100,000, plus the $41.25 JCP surcharge and the $10.00 automation fee (Adams County Register of Wills fee bill effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Short certificate (certified proof of the letters) | $5.00 each (Adams County Register of Wills fee bill effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Probate of will only | $17.00 (Adams County Register of Wills fee bill effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Inventory (Form RW-09) | $13.00 for up to three pages, $5.00 for each page over three (Adams County Register of Wills fee bill effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Petition for settlement of a small estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102), filed with the Orphans' Court | $106.25 ($55.00 basic plus $41.25 JCP plus $10.00 automation), or $65.00 if a grant of letters was already filed (JCP omitted) (Adams County Orphans' Court Fees & Charges effective November 14, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Orphans' Court account, estate up to $50,000 | $435.00 total ($125.00 basic, $300.00 advertising costs, $10.00 automation) (Adams County Orphans' Court Fees & Charges effective November 14, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Family settlement agreement | $75.00 ($65.00 basic plus $10.00 automation) (Adams County Orphans' Court Fees & Charges effective November 14, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Orphans' Court e-filing convenience fee | $3.00 per filing (Adams County Orphans' Court Fees & Charges effective November 14, 2025, verified July 2026) |
Local nuance
Adams County-specific considerations
The two offices are genuinely separate. Unlike many small Pennsylvania counties where one combined row office staffs both functions at a single counter, Adams County keeps the two offices distinct within the courthouse at 117 Baltimore Street. The Register of Wills is in Room 102, (717) 337-9826, and admits the will, grants letters, and takes the REV-1500. The Clerk of the Orphans' Court is a separate office in Room 103, (717) 337-9806, and is the filing office for the inventory, accounts, distributions, guardianships, adoptions, and disputes. Send a filing to the office that handles that step.
The Orphans' Court e-files, the Register of Wills does not. The Clerk of the Orphans' Court accepts electronic filings through the county's online e-filing portal, with instructions for both known cases and new cases and a $3.00 per-filing e-filing convenience fee, and it runs its own online records search through CountyFusion (Search Online Records, plus an Adams County PA Clerk of Courts mobile app). The Register of Wills grant of letters, by contrast, is handled in person: the petitioner appears before the Register to be sworn, and the office takes cash or check only, not credit cards. Plan on a Gettysburg trip to open the estate even though later Orphans' Court filings can be electronic.
The Register sets a 4:00 p.m. probate cut-off. Both offices are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but the Register of Wills will not begin an estate probate after 4:00 p.m. If you are opening an estate in person, arrive well before the 4:00 p.m. cut-off; the office encourages scheduling a probate appointment, and the county closes on county holidays, so check the posted holiday schedule and call before you travel.
The county automation fee is $10.00. Under the county's fee bill effective December 1, 2025, Adams County adds a $10.00 automation fee to an estate filing, alongside the $41.25 statewide Judicial Computer Project surcharge, rather than the higher automation fee some other Pennsylvania counties charge. The Orphans' Court schedule notes that Act 45 of 2025 raised the JCP fee to $42.15 effective November 14, 2025 even though its columns still print $41.25, so confirm the current surcharge amounts with the office when you file.
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Adams County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Gettysburg-area home was owned by the spouses as tenants by the entirety, or jointly with right of survivorship, it passes to the surviving spouse outside probate on proof of death, so no estate proceeding is needed for the house itself. If other assets stood in the decedent's sole name and there is a will, the spouse presents the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) to the Adams County Register of Wills in Room 102 and, once the will is admitted, receives letters testamentary as executor; with no will, the spouse is granted letters of administration. | Asset discovery to confirm how the home and accounts are titled and what must go through the Register of Wills. Packet generation for the RW-02 filing. A vetted attorney referral if a dispute arises. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | A smaller estate may qualify for the petition to settle a small estate of $50,000 or less, filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102), or certain assets may be released without letters. Otherwise the child opens a full estate with the Register of Wills. Because the grant of letters requires appearing before the Register in Gettysburg before the 4:00 p.m. cut-off, an out-of-state child should call ahead to plan the trip, though the later Orphans' Court steps can be e-filed. | Asset discovery to confirm the estate qualifies and to locate accounts from out of state. Packet generation for the small estate petition or the grant of letters, organized so an out-of-state filer can plan a single trip to Gettysburg. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because the estate holds real property that must be sold, it proceeds through a full grant of letters rather than a small estate petition: with no will, the parent is granted letters of administration by the Register of Wills, in the priority order set by 20 Pa.C.S. § 3155; with a will, the parent probates it under Form RW-02. Once the letters issue, the personal representative can sell the Adams County home and, when a formal account is required, file it with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts and property. Packet generation for the grant of letters and the inventory. Attorney referral, and help if the sale or an heir dispute turns contested. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Adams County Register of Wills, (717) 337-9826 (adamscountypa.gov/departments/registerofwills) | The office that admits wills and grants letters: hours, the Room 102 location, the Register of Wills forms, and the current fee schedule |
| Adams County Clerk of the Orphans' Court, (717) 337-9806 (adamscountypa.gov/departments/clerkoforphanscourt) | The Orphans' Court filing office in Room 103: forms, the fee schedule, the e-filing instructions, and the online records search through CountyFusion |
| Pennsylvania courts, orphans' court forms (pacourts.us/forms/for-the-public/orphans-court-forms) | The statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set used in Adams County, including the Petition for Grant of Letters and the Inventory |
| Pennsylvania courts, representing yourself (pacourts.us/learn) | Plain-language statewide guidance on the courts, self-representation, and estate procedure |
| UJS Portal case search (ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch) | The statewide court case search; Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate-record coverage varies by county |
| Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, inheritance tax (pa.gov/agencies/revenue) | The Pennsylvania inheritance tax rules and the REV-1500 return, which is filed with the Adams County Register of Wills |
| MidPenn Legal Services, Gettysburg office (717) 334-7624, intake 1-800-326-9177 (midpenn.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Adams County and 17 other central Pennsylvania counties, from a local office at 123 Baltimore Street, Suite 301, Gettysburg |
| PALawHELP (palawhelp.org) | Plain-language legal information and statewide routing to legal aid and lawyer referral services |
| Pennsylvania Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (pabar.org) | Referrals to Pennsylvania probate attorneys statewide, including those serving the Adams County region |
When to hire an attorney
Pennsylvania does not require an attorney to open a probate estate, and many uncontested Adams County estates are handled with the statewide forms and the Register of Wills, especially a small estate that qualifies for the 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 petition or an ordinary grant of letters where the will is clear. Consider counsel when the estate holds real property that must be sold, when a will contest or an appeal from the Register to the Orphans' Court Division is likely, when a formal Orphans' Court account will be required, when the estate is insolvent or creditors are pressing, when inheritance tax planning is involved, or when the estate includes a business interest or out-of-state property. The Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court can explain procedure but cannot give legal advice. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Pennsylvania probate attorney serving Adams County.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and public records to surface bank and credit-union accounts, retirement plans, brokerage holdings, life insurance, Adams County real estate, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Pennsylvania path fits for estate settlement before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the Pennsylvania probate forms for your path, including the Petition for Grant of Letters and the inventory, ready to present to the Adams County Register of Wills in Gettysburg, or the small estate petition where the estate qualifies.
Find a local probate attorney. When a matter is contested or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Pennsylvania probate attorney serving Adams County.
Sunset is free for families. Revenue comes from bank partners that pay Sunset while estate funds sit in an FDIC-insured estate account ($3M coverage).
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file for probate in Adams County?
With the Adams County Register of Wills, in Room 102 of the Adams County Courthouse, 117 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA 17325, (717) 337-9826. The Register of Wills admits the will and grants letters. The administration that follows is supervised by the Orphans' Court, whose filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court in Room 103 of the same courthouse, (717) 337-9806.
Do I have to go to Gettysburg to open an estate in Adams County?
For the grant of letters, yes. Pennsylvania practice requires the personal representative to appear before the Register of Wills to be sworn, and Adams County handles the grant of letters in person rather than by e-filing, so plan a trip to the Register of Wills in Gettysburg. The Register will not begin an estate probate after 4:00 p.m., so arrive before that cut-off. Later Orphans' Court filings can be submitted electronically through the county's online e-filing portal.
Can I e-file a probate in Adams County?
It depends on the office. The Clerk of the Orphans' Court accepts electronic filing through the county's online e-filing portal, with a $3.00 per-filing convenience fee, for the accounts, petitions, and other administration filings it handles. The Register of Wills grant of letters is not e-filed: the petitioner appears in person, and the office takes cash or check only. Confirm the current options with each office.
How much does it cost to file probate in Adams County?
The Register of Wills fee for a grant of letters is set by Adams County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $28.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rising with the estate's value, plus a $41.25 Judicial Computer Project surcharge and a $10.00 county automation fee, per the county's fee bill effective December 1, 2025. A short certificate is $5.00 each. The Orphans' Court publishes its own schedule (effective November 14, 2025), including a $106.25 fee for a petition to settle a small estate. Confirm the current amounts with the offices; see the fees section above.
Where do I file if my parent lived in Gettysburg but I live out of state?
You still file in Adams County, because Pennsylvania venue is the county where the decedent had a last family or principal residence (20 Pa.C.S. § 3151). File with the Adams County Register of Wills in Gettysburg regardless of where you live. Because the grant of letters requires appearing before the Register, an out-of-state personal representative should call the office at (717) 337-9826 ahead of time to plan a single trip.
What forms do I need for probate in Adams County?
The statewide Pennsylvania forms, the same set used in every county. The core form is the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02, posted by the county as its Petition for Letters), filed with the original will and a certified death certificate; the Inventory is Form RW-09. Adams County posts its own copies of the Register of Wills forms and the Orphans' Court OC-series forms, and the small estate petition under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 is filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court.
How do I look up an Adams County probate or estate record online?
The Clerk of the Orphans' Court runs its own online records search (Search Online Records, through CountyFusion, with an Adams County PA Clerk of Courts mobile app). The statewide UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch is the general court case search, though its coverage of Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate records varies by county. To confirm a specific estate filing you can also call the offices.
Who handles inheritance tax in an Adams County estate?
The Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (the REV-1500 for a resident decedent) is filed with the Adams County Register of Wills, which acts as the collection agent. Pennsylvania has no state estate tax, but it does have an inheritance tax whose rate depends on the beneficiary's relationship to the decedent. The tax becomes delinquent nine months after the date of death, and a 5% discount is allowed on tax paid within three months of death; the rates and details are on the Pennsylvania state page and the Department of Revenue site.
What are the office hours and phone numbers for probate in Adams County?
The Register of Wills (Room 102) is reached at (717) 337-9826 and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court (Room 103) at (717) 337-9806. Both offices are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and close on county holidays. The Register of Wills sets a 4:00 p.m. cut-off to begin an estate probate and encourages scheduling a probate appointment, so call ahead and arrive before the cut-off if you are opening an estate.
Shaped by the families we've helped
Thank you to the thousands of families who have trusted Sunset to help settle their loved ones' estates. This page is shaped by the questions they actually asked and the obstacles they actually hit — and that hard-won experience is what keeps it accurate, current, and genuinely useful to the families who come next.