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Bucks County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Where probate begins | The Bucks County Register of Wills, at the Administration Building in Doylestown: this is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) is presented, letters testamentary or of administration are issued, and the Pennsylvania inheritance-tax return (REV-1500) is filed |
| Who supervises administration | The Bucks County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (Seventh Judicial District), which handles inventories, accounts, distributions, guardianships, and disputes; in Bucks the filing office, the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, is held by the same elected Register of Wills |
| Filing office | Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court, 55 East Court Street, 6th Floor, Bucks County Administration Building, Doylestown, PA 18901. Satellite offices: Lower Bucks, 7321 New Falls Road, Levittown, PA 19055; Upper Bucks, 261 California Road, Quakertown, PA 18951 |
| Phone | (215) 348-6265 |
| Hours | Doylestown office Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with both virtual and in-person appointments; the Levittown satellite is open Tuesday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the Quakertown satellite on Thursdays only, 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with appointments recommended and given priority. Closed weekends and county holidays. Confirm current hours before you travel |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills grant-of-letters fees are set by Bucks County and graduated by the gross value of the probate estate, from $50.00 for an estate to $5,000 up to $425.00 for an estate of $200,001 to $300,000, plus $150 for each additional $100,000; the county also adds itemized Commonwealth and County fees of $10.00 (Automated Computer Project), $41.25 (Judicial Computer Project), and $20.00 (Public Law Library) on the initial filing (42 P.S. § 21022.1). A short certificate is $15.00 (Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective October 1, 2025, verified July 2026). Confirm the current schedule with the Register of Wills |
| 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). Bucks County publishes its own Petition for Settlement of Small Estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102), along with the statewide G series guardianship report forms, on its county forms page |
| E-filing | Bucks County runs its own Register of Wills e-filing system at propublic.buckscountyonline.org/ROWefiling and processes probates through online submissions and video conference; you create an account and start the petition for probate and grant of letters online. Certifications of notice under O.C. Rule 10.5 and status reports under O.C. Rule 10.6 can be e-filed at no charge; the same filings on paper carry a $25.00 fee (Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective October 1, 2025, verified July 2026). Confirm the current requirements for your matter with the office |
| Case search | The county Web Viewer at propublic.buckscountyonline.org/psi3 is where Bucks County Register of Wills and Orphans' Court cases and documents are searched (documents purchased are available to download for 24 hours). The statewide UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch is the general court case search, with estate-record coverage that varies by county |
| Remote appearance | Bucks conducts virtual appointments and processes probates by video conference; hearing formats before the Orphans' Court Division are set by the court, so confirm any remote option before a scheduled date |
| Website | https://www.buckscounty.gov/615/Register-of-Wills |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
The first Bucks County question is which path fits the estate, and then which office step comes 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 Bucks County 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 Bucks 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 Bucks County Register of Wills and the Bucks County Orphans' Court Division serve all of Bucks County, in southeastern Pennsylvania. The county takes in Doylestown, the county seat, along with Levittown, Bensalem, Bristol, Newtown, Quakertown, Perkasie, Warminster, Warrington, Middletown, Falls, Lower Makefield, Northampton, New Hope, Yardley, Langhorne, Morrisville, Chalfont, Sellersville, and the county's many other 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 Bucks County has the estate opened here, regardless of which municipality within the county the person lived in.
Bucks County is the Seventh Judicial District, a single-county district. The Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court is at 55 East Court Street, 6th Floor, in the Administration Building in Doylestown, with satellite offices in Levittown and Quakertown for parts of Lower and Upper Bucks. The grant of letters and the later administration filings are lodged with that office, while contested matters, audits, and accounts are heard by the Orphans' Court Division judges of the Seventh Judicial District.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue. Bucks 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 Bucks 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. Bucks bases the initial probate fee on your estimate of gross probate value, so have that figure ready. For a will without a self-proving acknowledgment, two witnesses must identify the decedent's signature under oath.
- File with the Register of Wills. Start the petition online through the county's Register of Wills e-filing system at propublic.buckscountyonline.org/ROWefiling, or present it in person at 55 East Court Street, 6th Floor, in Doylestown, or at the Lower Bucks satellite office in Levittown. After an e-filed petition is accepted, the office schedules a video conference to complete the probate and the original documents are then delivered to the Doylestown office.
- Pay the county filing fee. Bucks's grant-of-letters fee is graduated by the gross value of the probate estate, from $50.00 for an estate to $5,000 up to $425.00 for an estate of $200,001 to $300,000, plus $150 for each additional $100,000; the county adds itemized Commonwealth and County fees of $10.00 (Automated Computer Project), $41.25 (Judicial Computer Project), and $20.00 (Public Law Library) on the initial filing (42 P.S. § 21022.1). A short certificate, the certified proof of your authority, is $15.00 (Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective October 1, 2025, 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 Bucks County Law Reporter, 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 Bucks County Register of Wills, which collects the inheritance tax. 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 Clerk of the Orphans' Court 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 Bucks County
Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, and Bucks 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.
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. Bucks County publishes its own Petition for Settlement of Small Estate, along with the statewide G series guardianship report forms, on the county forms page at buckscounty.gov. In Bucks County the completed forms are filed with the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court at 55 East Court Street, 6th Floor, in Doylestown, or through the county's Register of Wills e-filing system at propublic.buckscountyonline.org/ROWefiling.
Fees
Pennsylvania sets probate filing fees per county, and Bucks County publishes its own Register of Wills Bill of Costs, with the grant-of-letters fee graduated by the gross value of the probate estate. Bucks bases the initial probate fee on the petitioner's estimate of gross probate value; when the inheritance-tax return and inventory are later filed and the actual gross value is higher, an additional probate fee is charged to match the schedule. The county adds itemized Commonwealth and County fees on the initial filing rather than the generic statewide automation fee, so confirm the current figures before you file. Each figure below carries its source.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grant of letters, estate to $5,000 | $50.00 | The minimum grant-of-letters fee, graduated by gross probate value (Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective October 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $50,001 to $100,000 | $225.00 | An example mid-range tier; the fee rises in steps with the gross value of the probate estate (Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective October 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $200,001 to $300,000 | $425.00 | The top published tier, then $150 for each additional $100,000 or fraction thereof (Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective October 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Commonwealth and County fees | $71.25 | Added to the initial filing: Automated Computer Project $10.00, Judicial Computer Project $41.25, and Public Law Library $20.00 (42 P.S. § 21022.1; Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective October 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Short certificate | $15.00 | The certified proof of the personal representative's authority that banks and transfer agents rely on (Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective October 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Renunciation | $25.00 | Filing a renunciation, rejection, or designation (Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective October 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Inventory, original filing | $25.00 | For filing the Form RW-09 inventory; supplemental filings are $25.00 each (Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective October 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Inheritance-tax return with probate (REV-1500) | No charge | The REV-1500 filed with a probate estate carries no separate filing charge; a non-probate REV-1500 is $25.00 (Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective October 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
Local nuance
Bucks County-specific considerations
One elected officer runs both front offices. In Bucks County the elected Register of Wills is also the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. That means the grant of letters, the will filing, the REV-1500, and the later Orphans' Court filings (inventory, accounts, distributions) all go to the same office at 55 East Court Street, 6th Floor, in the Administration Building, even though contested matters and audits are decided by the Orphans' Court Division judges of the Seventh Judicial District.
One main office and two satellite offices. The Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court is on the 6th floor of the Bucks County Administration Building in Doylestown, open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Two satellite offices serve the ends of the county, Lower Bucks in Levittown (Tuesday to Thursday) and Upper Bucks in Quakertown (Thursdays only), with appointments recommended and given priority. The county's probate page lists Doylestown and Levittown for in-person probate petitions, and all mail goes to the Doylestown office.
Bucks runs its own e-filing and records system. Probate is filed through the county's Register of Wills e-filing system at propublic.buckscountyonline.org/ROWefiling, and the county Web Viewer at propublic.buckscountyonline.org/psi3 is where Bucks estate cases and documents are searched. Bucks processes probates through online submissions and video conference. This is separate from the statewide UJS Portal case search, whose estate-record coverage varies by county.
The initial fee is an estimate that can be trued up. Bucks bases the initial grant-of-letters fee on the petitioner's estimate of gross probate value. When the inheritance-tax return and inventory are filed and the actual gross value is calculated, if it is higher the office charges an additional probate fee to match the graduated schedule, so build the true-up into your planning.
Recent updates
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| October 1, 2025 | The Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs took effect, with the grant-of-letters fee graduated by gross probate value and itemized Commonwealth and County fees (Automated Computer Project $10.00, Judicial Computer Project $41.25, Public Law Library $20.00) added to the initial filing (source: Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, verified July 2026). |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Bucks County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | A Bucks County 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 Bucks 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 Bucks County probate attorney if the estate is contested or complex. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent lived in Bucks County and left a qualifying small estate, the child can settle it on the county's Petition for Settlement of Small Estate 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. Bucks's online filing and video-conference options can reduce trips to Doylestown. | 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 Bucks 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 authority to sell the child's Bucks County real estate; a contested step is heard by the Orphans' Court Division. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts and property. Packet generation for the administration petition, the inventory, and the sale papers. A vetted Bucks County probate attorney to run the administration and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Bucks County Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court (buckscounty.gov/615/Register-of-Wills) | The office pages for both functions: address, hours, the satellite offices, the Bill of Costs, forms, and the e-filing link |
| Bucks County Register of Wills e-filing and Web Viewer (propublic.buckscountyonline.org/ROWefiling and propublic.buckscountyonline.org/psi3) | The county's own systems to e-file a probate petition and to search and retrieve Bucks estate cases and documents |
| Bucks County Orphans' Court (buckscounty.gov/669/Orphans-Court) | The Orphans' Court page: estate proceedings before the Court of Common Pleas, guardianship and adoption cases, local rules, and forms for the Seventh Judicial District |
| 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 |
| Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania (lasp.org, intake helpline (877) 429-5994; Bucks office 1290 Veterans Highway, Bristol, (215) 781-1111) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties |
| Bucks County Bar Association Lawyer Referral and Information Service (bucksbar.org, (888) 991-9922 or (215) 348-9413) | Referral to a qualified Bucks County attorney, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. |
| 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 Bucks 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 Bucks 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 Bucks estates skew larger and more complex than those in the rural counties, counsel is common here. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Bucks 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, Bucks County real estate, business interests, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value for estate settlement and can pick the right Pennsylvania path before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the Bucks 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 through the county's e-filing system or in person.
Find a local probate attorney. When an estate is contested, taxable, or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Bucks 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 Bucks County, Pennsylvania?
Probate begins with the Bucks County Register of Wills, who is also the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, at 55 East Court Street, 6th Floor, Bucks County Administration Building, Doylestown, PA 18901, (215) 348-6265. That is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) is presented, and letters are issued. Satellite offices in Levittown and Quakertown serve Lower and Upper Bucks.
Can I e-file a probate in Bucks County?
Yes. Bucks County runs its own Register of Wills e-filing system at propublic.buckscountyonline.org/ROWefiling and processes probates through online submissions and video conference. You create an account, start the petition online, and after the filing is accepted the office schedules a video call to complete the probate; the original documents are then delivered to the Doylestown office. Certifications of notice under O.C. Rule 10.5 and status reports under O.C. Rule 10.6 can be e-filed at no charge, while paper filings carry a $25.00 fee. Confirm the current requirements for your matter with the office.
How much does it cost to open a probate estate in Bucks County?
Bucks County's Register of Wills grant-of-letters fee is graduated by the gross value of the probate estate, from $50.00 for an estate to $5,000 up to $425.00 for an estate of $200,001 to $300,000, plus $150 for each additional $100,000; the county adds itemized Commonwealth and County fees of $10.00 (Automated Computer Project), $41.25 (Judicial Computer Project), and $20.00 (Public Law Library) on the initial filing (42 P.S. § 21022.1). A short certificate is $15.00 (Bucks County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective October 1, 2025, verified July 2026).
What are the Bucks County Register of Wills hours?
The Doylestown office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with both virtual and in-person appointments, and is closed on weekends and county holidays. The Lower Bucks satellite in Levittown is open Tuesday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the Upper Bucks satellite in Quakertown on Thursdays only, 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with appointments recommended and given priority. Confirm current hours before you travel.
How do I look up a Bucks County estate or probate record?
The county Web Viewer at propublic.buckscountyonline.org/psi3 is where Bucks County Register of Wills and Orphans' Court cases and documents are searched; documents you purchase are available to download for 24 hours. The statewide UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch is the general court case search, though its estate-record coverage varies by county.
What forms do I use for a Bucks 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. Bucks County publishes its own Petition for Settlement of Small Estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) and local guardianship forms on the county forms page.
Do I have to appear in person to open probate in Bucks County?
Not necessarily. Bucks processes probates through online submissions and by video conference and conducts virtual appointments, so much of the grant-of-letters process can be handled remotely. Confirm what your specific matter requires with the Register of Wills before relying on the remote route.
Does Bucks 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 Bucks County estates. The REV-1500 resident return is filed with the Bucks County Register of Wills, which collects the tax. It 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 Bucks County?
A qualifying small estate can be settled on the county's Petition for Settlement of Small Estate 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. Bucks publishes the small-estate petition on its county forms page; 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.