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Allegheny County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Where probate begins | The Register of Wills, run by the Allegheny County Department of Court Records in the Wills and Orphans' Court Division: this is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Grant of Letters is presented, letters testamentary or of administration are issued, and the Pennsylvania inheritance-tax return (REV-1500) is filed |
| Who supervises administration | The Allegheny County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (Fifth Judicial District), which handles inventories, accounts, distributions, guardianships, and disputes; the filing and records office is the same Department of Court Records, Wills and Orphans' Court Division |
| Filing office | Department of Court Records, Wills and Orphans' Court Division, City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, First Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 |
| Orphans' Court judges | The Orphans' Court Division judges sit at 1700 Frick Building, 437 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, (412) 350-5550; hearings, audits, and contested matters are heard there |
| Phone | Wills and Orphans' Court Division (412) 350-4180; Orphans' Court Division (judges) (412) 350-5550 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; applications cannot be processed after 4:00 p.m. Closed weekends and county holidays |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills probate fees are set by Allegheny County and graduated by the gross value of the estate, starting at $194.75 for an estate under $5,000 and rising with estate value up to $444.75 for an estate of $200,001 to $400,000, plus $150 for each additional $100,000; Pennsylvania counties also collect a statewide $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and a $14.75 automation fee on the initial estate filing (42 P.S. § 21022.1); Allegheny's published schedule does not itemize them separately, so confirm with the Department of Court Records whether they are included in the listed amounts. The county schedule lists certificate and seal (short) at $10.00 for guardian and testamentary-trust certificates and $25.00 for a certified copy of letters testamentary or of administration; confirm the short-certificate charge for an estate with the Department of Court Records (Allegheny County Department of Court Records probate fee schedule, verified July 2026). Confirm the current schedule with the Department of Court Records |
| Local forms | Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set (published on pacourts.us), including Form RW-02 (Petition for Grant of Letters) and Form RW-09 (Inventory). The small-estate petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) is a county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division; obtain it from the Wills and Orphans' Court Division. Allegheny also publishes a few local forms, including a Claims form and a Will Search Request form |
| E-filing | Allegheny County offers online filing and retrieval for Wills and Orphans' Court documents through the Department of Court Records at dcr.alleghenycounty.us, with ACH and draw-down account options. Opening probate (the grant of letters) by practice involves being sworn by the Register, and the office offers video conferencing for administration of oaths. Confirm the current e-filing requirements for your matter with the division |
| Case search | The statewide court case search is the UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch (Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate-record coverage varies by county); Allegheny's own online filing and retrieval system at dcr.alleghenycounty.us is where county estate and marriage records are searched and retrieved |
| Remote appearance | The Register offers video conferencing for the administration of oaths; hearing formats before the Orphans' Court Division are set by the court, so confirm any remote option before a scheduled date |
| Website | https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Government/Court-Related/Wills-and-Orphans |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
The first Allegheny County question is which path fits the estate, and then which office you deal with first. Pennsylvania probate begins at the Register of Wills, where the will is admitted and letters are granted; the Orphans' Court Division then supervises the administration. A qualifying small estate can instead be settled on a petition to the Orphans' Court division (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102), and some assets pass without any grant of letters at all (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101). The statewide thresholds and paths are covered on the Pennsylvania state page. A jointly owned Pittsburgh home or a beneficiary-designated account often passes outside the estate, so the estate that actually goes through probate can be smaller than the family expects.
Before you file, identify every bank, credit-union, brokerage, and retirement account, life-insurance policy, business interest, and parcel of Allegheny County real estate, along with every debt, and identify each heir by name. Only then can you pick the right path, calculate the correct county filing fee, and decide whether counsel is needed. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Allegheny County Register of Wills and the Allegheny County Orphans' Court Division serve all of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania's second most populous county. The county takes in the City of Pittsburgh and roughly 130 municipalities, including Mount Lebanon, Bethel Park, Penn Hills, Monroeville, McKeesport, Ross Township, Shaler Township, Plum, West Mifflin, Baldwin, McCandless, Moon Township, Robinson Township, and the county's many boroughs and townships. Under Pennsylvania's venue rule in Title 20 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (20 Pa.C.S.), letters are granted only by the register of the county where the decedent had a last family or principal residence (20 Pa.C.S. § 3151). A decedent who lived anywhere in Allegheny County has the estate opened here, regardless of which municipality within the county the person lived in.
Allegheny County is part of the Fifth Judicial District. The Register of Wills function is run by the county Department of Court Records in the Wills and Orphans' Court Division at the City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, and the Orphans' Court Division judges sit at the Frick Building, 437 Grant Street. The filing and records office for both the grant of letters and the later administration filings is the Department of Court Records, so most paperwork is lodged at 414 Grant Street even though contested matters and audits are heard before the judges a block away.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue. Allegheny County is the right county when the decedent had a last family or principal residence here at death (20 Pa.C.S. § 3151). The estate is opened with the Allegheny County Register of Wills regardless of which municipality within the county the person lived in.
- Choose the path and the form. With a will, the named executor presents the original will and Form RW-02 (Petition for Grant of Letters) and the Register issues letters testamentary; with no will, an eligible person petitions on Form RW-02 and the Register issues letters of administration in the priority order set by 20 Pa.C.S. § 3155. A qualifying small estate can instead be settled on a petition to the Orphans' Court division (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102). The statewide paths and thresholds are on the Pennsylvania state page.
- Gather what the Register needs: the original will (if any), a certified death certificate, an estimate of the estate's assets and debts, and the names and addresses of the heirs. For a will without a self-proving acknowledgment, two witnesses must appear and identify the decedent's signature under oath.
- File with the Register of Wills. Present the petition to the Department of Court Records, Wills and Orphans' Court Division, at the City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, First Floor, or use the county's online filing and retrieval system at dcr.alleghenycounty.us. Opening probate by practice involves being sworn by the Register; the office offers video conferencing for the administration of oaths. Applications cannot be processed after 4:00 p.m.
- Pay the county filing fee. Allegheny's Register of Wills probate fee is graduated by the gross value of the estate, starting at $194.75 for an estate under $5,000 and rising with estate value, up to $444.75 for an estate of $200,001 to $400,000 plus $150 for each additional $100,000; Pennsylvania counties also collect a statewide $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and a $14.75 automation fee on the initial estate filing (42 P.S. § 21022.1); Allegheny's published schedule does not itemize them separately, so confirm with the Department of Court Records whether they are included in the listed amounts. For the certified proof of your authority, the county schedule lists certificate and seal (short) at $10.00 for guardian and testamentary-trust certificates and a certified copy of letters testamentary or of administration at $25.00; confirm the short-certificate charge for an estate with the Department of Court Records (Allegheny County Department of Court Records probate fee schedule, verified July 2026).
- 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 Pittsburgh Legal Journal, the county legal periodical, requesting that creditors present claims (20 Pa.C.S. § 3162). Creditors generally have one year from the first complete advertisement to present claims (20 Pa.C.S. § 3532).
- File the Pennsylvania inheritance-tax return. File the REV-1500 (resident decedent) with the Register of Wills; the county's inheritance-tax office is in Room 216 of the City-County Building. Pennsylvania inheritance tax is keyed to the beneficiary's relationship to the decedent, becomes delinquent nine months after death, and a 5% discount is allowed on tax paid within three months of death. The rate detail is on the Pennsylvania state page.
- File the inventory. File a verified inventory of the estate's real and personal property with the Register on 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); an interested party may demand it sooner.
- Administer and close. Collect the assets, pay valid claims and taxes, and account to the interested parties. Accounts, petitions for distribution, and any contested matter are filed with the Department of Court Records and heard by the Orphans' Court Division; a personal representative who distributes is protected from a claim not made known within one year after the first complete advertisement of the grant of letters (20 Pa.C.S. § 3532).
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Allegheny County
Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, and Allegheny County files the same set as every other county. The load-bearing filings are Form RW-02, the Petition for Grant of Letters, used with or without a will; Form RW-06, the Renunciation, where a person with priority declines to serve; and Form RW-09, the Inventory. The Orphans' Court account and distribution filings use the statewide OC-series forms. These are published centrally on the Unified Judicial System forms hub at pacourts.us/forms/for-the-public/orphans-court-forms and are also linked from the Fifth Judicial District Orphans' Court forms page.
The small-estate petition is different: settlement of a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 uses a county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division, not a numbered statewide RW form. Obtain it from the Wills and Orphans' Court Division. Allegheny also publishes a handful of its own local forms, including a Claims form for presenting a claim against an estate and a Will Search Request form. In Allegheny County the completed forms are filed with the Department of Court Records, Wills and Orphans' Court Division, at 414 Grant Street, or through the county's online filing and retrieval system at dcr.alleghenycounty.us.
Fees
Pennsylvania sets probate filing fees per county, and Allegheny County publishes its own Register of Wills probate fee schedule, graduated by the gross value of the estate. Pennsylvania counties also collect a statewide $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and a $14.75 automation fee on the initial estate filing (42 P.S. § 21022.1); Allegheny's published schedule does not itemize them separately, so confirm with the Department of Court Records whether they are included in the listed amounts. Confirm the current schedule before you file; each figure below carries its source.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grant of letters, estate under $5,000 | $194.75 | The minimum grant-of-letters fee; the letters of administration fee includes a $20 inheritance-tax filing charge (Allegheny County Department of Court Records probate fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $50,001 to $75,000 | $294.75 | An example mid-range tier; the fee rises in steps with the gross value of the estate (Allegheny County Department of Court Records probate fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $200,001 to $400,000 | $444.75 | The top published tier, then $150 for each additional $100,000 of estate value (Allegheny County Department of Court Records probate fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Certificate and seal (short) | $10.00 (guardian or testamentary-trust certificate) | The published schedule lists $10.00 short certificates for guardian and testamentary-trust matters and $25.00 for a certified copy of letters testamentary or of administration; confirm the short-certificate charge for an estate with the Department of Court Records (Allegheny County Department of Court Records probate fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Probating a will without letters | $72.00 | For filing and probating a will where no grant of letters is sought (Allegheny County Department of Court Records probate fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Records retention fee | $7.00 | Increased from $3.50 effective June 1, 2026, on all new filings, per Administrative Order AD-26-000097-PJ (Allegheny County Department of Court Records probate fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
Local nuance
Allegheny County-specific considerations
The Register of Wills is run inside the Department of Court Records. Unlike most Pennsylvania counties, Allegheny does not have a stand-alone elected Register of Wills. The Register of Wills function is run by the county Department of Court Records in the Wills and Orphans' Court Division, at the City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, First Floor. It still performs every Register of Wills task: admitting the will, granting letters, and taking the REV-1500. Because the office is administered by an appointed Director of Court Records rather than an elected Register, this page refers to the office rather than the officeholder.
Filing and hearings sit in two buildings. The filing and records office for both the grant of letters and the later administration filings is the Department of Court Records at 414 Grant Street. The Orphans' Court Division judges of the Fifth Judicial District sit a block away at 1700 Frick Building, 437 Grant Street, (412) 350-5550, where audits, accounts, and contested matters are heard. Most paperwork is lodged at the City-County Building even when a matter will be decided before a judge at the Frick Building.
Allegheny runs its own online filing and retrieval system. The county offers online filing and retrieval for Wills and Orphans' Court documents through the Department of Court Records at dcr.alleghenycounty.us, with ACH and draw-down account options, and the same system is where county estate and marriage records are searched and retrieved. This is separate from the statewide UJS Portal case search. Opening probate by practice involves being sworn by the Register, and the office offers video conferencing for the administration of oaths.
Applications close before the office does. The Wills and Orphans' Court Division is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but applications cannot be processed after 4:00 p.m. If you plan to present a petition or be sworn in person, arrive before the 4:00 p.m. cutoff.
The records retention fee rose in June 2026. Effective June 1, 2026, the county's records retention fee increased from $3.50 to $7.00 on all new filings, under Administrative Order AD-26-000097-PJ. It is a small per-filing charge separate from the graduated grant-of-letters fee.
Recent updates
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| June 1, 2026 | The Allegheny County records retention fee on all new Wills and Orphans' Court filings increased from $3.50 to $7.00, per Administrative Order AD-26-000097-PJ (source: county probate fee schedule, verified July 2026). |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Allegheny County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | A Pittsburgh home held by the spouses as tenants by the entirety, or jointly with right of survivorship, generally passes to the surviving spouse outside the estate; the survivor clears title with the county. Accounts and property in the decedent's sole name may still need a grant of letters, opened with the Allegheny County Register of Wills on Form RW-02, with letters testamentary if there is a will or letters of administration if there is not. | Asset discovery to separate survivorship property from sole-name assets. Packet generation for the Form RW-02 petition and the supporting documents. A vetted Allegheny County probate attorney if the estate is contested or complex. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent lived in Allegheny County and left a qualifying small estate, the child can settle it on a petition to the Orphans' Court division (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) rather than a full grant of letters; some assets can pass without any letters at all (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101). A larger estate is opened with the Register of Wills on Form RW-02. The county's online filing and retrieval system can reduce trips to Pittsburgh, though opening probate may still require being sworn by the Register. | Asset discovery to confirm the estate fits the small-estate path and holds no complicating real property. Packet generation for the small-estate petition or the Form RW-02 grant of letters. Attorney referral if the estate turns out to be larger or contested. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A grant of letters at the Allegheny County Register of Wills. Because there is no will, the parent petitions for letters of administration (Form RW-02), with priority set by 20 Pa.C.S. § 3155, then advertises the grant (20 Pa.C.S. § 3162), files the inventory (Form RW-09), and settles the Pennsylvania inheritance tax. The administrator obtains the authority to sell the child's Allegheny County real estate; a contested step is heard by the Orphans' Court Division at the Frick Building. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts and property. Packet generation for the administration petition, the inventory, and the sale papers. A vetted Allegheny County probate attorney to run the administration and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Allegheny County Wills and Orphans' Court (alleghenycounty.us/Government/Court-Related/Wills-and-Orphans) | The Department of Court Records pages for the Register of Wills function: address, hours, the probate fee schedule, local forms, and the online filing and retrieval link |
| Allegheny County Department of Court Records e-filing (dcr.alleghenycounty.us) | The county's online system to file Wills and Orphans' Court documents and to search and retrieve county estate and marriage records |
| Fifth Judicial District Orphans' Court (alleghenycourts.us/orphans-court) | The Orphans' Court Division's own page: departments (audits, estates and trusts, guardianship, adoptions), local rules, court calendars, and forms |
| Unified Judicial System forms and self-help (pacourts.us/forms/for-the-public/orphans-court-forms and pacourts.us/learn) | The statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court forms, including Form RW-02 and Form RW-09, and plain-language help with representing yourself |
| 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 inheritance-tax rates, the REV-1500 return, the nine-month deadline, and the three-month early-payment discount |
| Neighborhood Legal Services (nlsa.us, intake (866) 761-6572) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, and Lawrence counties, including living wills, powers of attorney, and related elder-law matters |
| Allegheny County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (getapittsburghlawyer.com, (412) 261-5555) | Referral to a qualified attorney with a free initial consultation of up to 30 minutes |
| PALawHELP (palawhelp.org) | Plain-language legal information and legal-aid routing statewide |
When to hire an attorney
Pennsylvania does not require an attorney to open a probate estate, and many uncontested Allegheny County estates are handled with the statewide forms and the Register of Wills. Counsel makes sense when a will is contested or an appeal is taken from the Register to the Orphans' Court Division; when the estate is large, taxable, or holds a business interest or out-of-state property; when Allegheny County real estate must be sold and the terms are disputed; when the heirs are unknown or in conflict; or when a formal accounting or a dispute over the personal representative is filed. Because Allegheny estates skew larger and more contested than those in the rural counties, counsel is common here. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Allegheny County probate attorney when the situation calls for counsel.
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, Allegheny County real estate, business interests, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and can pick the right Pennsylvania estate settlement path before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the Allegheny County filing: the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02), the inventory (Form RW-09), and the supporting documents from Pennsylvania's statewide set, or the small-estate petition where the estate qualifies, ready to file with the Department of Court Records in person or through the county's online system.
Find a local probate attorney. When an estate is contested, taxable, or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Allegheny County probate attorney to file and appear.
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 probate in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania?
Probate begins with the Register of Wills, run by the Allegheny County Department of Court Records in the Wills and Orphans' Court Division at the City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, First Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, (412) 350-4180. That is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) is presented, and letters are issued. The Orphans' Court Division that later supervises the administration sits at the Frick Building, 437 Grant Street.
Can I e-file a probate in Allegheny County?
Allegheny County offers online filing and retrieval for Wills and Orphans' Court documents through the Department of Court Records at dcr.alleghenycounty.us, with ACH and draw-down account options. Opening probate (the grant of letters) by practice involves being sworn by the Register, and the office offers video conferencing for the administration of oaths. Confirm the current e-filing requirements for your specific matter with the division before relying on the online route.
How much does it cost to open a probate estate in Allegheny County?
Allegheny's Register of Wills probate fee is set by the county and graduated by the gross value of the estate, starting at $194.75 for an estate under $5,000 and rising with estate value, up to $444.75 for an estate of $200,001 to $400,000 plus $150 for each additional $100,000; Pennsylvania counties also collect a statewide $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and a $14.75 automation fee on the initial estate filing (42 P.S. § 21022.1); Allegheny's published schedule does not itemize them separately, so confirm with the Department of Court Records whether they are included in the listed amounts. Probating a will without letters is $72.00, and a certified copy of letters testamentary or of administration is $25.00 (Allegheny County Department of Court Records probate fee schedule, verified July 2026).
What are the Allegheny County Wills and Orphans' Court hours?
The Wills and Orphans' Court Division is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and is closed on weekends and county holidays. Note that applications cannot be processed after 4:00 p.m., so arrive before that cutoff if you plan to present a petition or be sworn in person.
How do I look up an Allegheny County estate or probate record?
Allegheny County's own online filing and retrieval system at dcr.alleghenycounty.us is where county estate and marriage records are searched and retrieved. The statewide UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch is the general court case search, though its Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate-record coverage varies by county. The Department of Court Records holds the official file.
What forms do I use for an Allegheny County estate?
Pennsylvania's statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court forms, the same set used in every county. The core filings are Form RW-02 (Petition for Grant of Letters) and Form RW-09 (Inventory), published on pacourts.us/forms/for-the-public/orphans-court-forms. The small-estate petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) is a county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division; obtain it from the Wills and Orphans' Court Division.
Do I have to appear in person to open probate in Allegheny County?
Opening probate by practice involves being sworn by the Register, which is why the grant of letters is not simply a mail-in step. Allegheny reduces the travel burden by offering video conferencing for the administration of oaths and an online filing and retrieval system for documents. Confirm what your matter requires with the Wills and Orphans' Court Division.
Does Allegheny County charge inheritance tax, and where do I file the return?
Pennsylvania has a state inheritance tax keyed to the beneficiary's relationship to the decedent, and it applies to Allegheny County estates. The REV-1500 resident return is filed with the Register of Wills; the county's inheritance-tax office is in Room 216 of the City-County Building. The tax becomes delinquent nine months after death, with a 5% discount for tax paid within three months. The rate detail is on the Pennsylvania state page.
How do I handle a small estate in Allegheny County?
A qualifying small estate can be settled on a petition to the Orphans' Court division under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 rather than a full grant of letters, and some assets can be released without any letters at all under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101. The small-estate petition is a county form obtained from the Wills and Orphans' Court Division; the statewide thresholds are covered on the Pennsylvania state page.
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.