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Butler County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Where probate begins | The Butler County Register of Wills: 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 Butler County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (50th Judicial District), which handles inventories, accounts, distributions, guardianships, adoptions, and disputes, including appeals from the Register of Wills; the filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court |
| Combined office | One elected official serves as both the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, so both functions are handled at the same counter |
| Filing office | Butler County Government Center, 124 West Diamond Street, Lower Level (Level LL), Butler, PA 16001; mailing address PO Box 1208, Butler, PA 16003 |
| Phone | Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court (724) 284-1409, the county's published line for probate, research, and Orphans' Court questions |
| Fax | (724) 284-5278 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed weekends and county holidays. A petition for letters is signed before the Register, so allow time at the counter |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills probate fees are set by Butler County and graduated by the gross value of the estate, starting at $40.00 for an estate not exceeding $5,000 and rising with estate value up to $250.00 for an estate of $100,001 to $200,000, then $100.00 for each additional $100,000; a first filing also carries a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and a $15.50 automation fee, listed separately on the county schedule (42 P.S. § 21022.1). A short certificate is $5.00 each. See the fees section below and confirm the current schedule with the Register of Wills (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| 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); since September 1, 2016 Butler accepts only the standardized statewide forms, typed or electronically printed. The county also posts a Small Estates Affidavit ($25.00), used only to collect insurance proceeds of up to $11,000 without letters (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101) |
| E-filing | No county Register of Wills or Orphans' Court e-filing was found for Butler County; filings are on paper, and a petition for letters must be signed in the Register's presence. County filing fees are paid by attorney or bank certified check, U.S. money order, cash, or credit card (no personal or estate checks). Confirm the current options with the office |
| Case search | Butler County provides an online public records search through the County Fusion website, covering Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court records, with estate records back to 1992; coverage is limited, some records are available only in the office, and fuller access is by paid subscription. 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 | The Register of Wills offers virtual probate appointments by Zoom, but only for estates represented by a Pennsylvania attorney; the attorney emails the documents in advance, the Register administers the oath and watches the petitioner sign on camera, and the originals and payment are mailed in. Self-represented filers must open the estate in person |
| Website | https://www.butlercountypa.gov/291/Register-of-Wills-Orphans-Court |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
The first Butler County question is which path fits the estate. 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 home in Cranberry Township or elsewhere in the county, 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 Butler 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 from the graduated schedule, 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 Butler County Register of Wills and the Butler County Orphans' Court Division serve all of Butler County, a growing county in the northern Pittsburgh suburbs. The county takes in the City of Butler, the county seat, along with Cranberry Township, Adams Township and Mars, Butler Township, Center Township, Zelienople, Harmony, Saxonburg, Slippery Rock, Evans City, Prospect, Chicora, Karns City, West Sunbury, 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 Butler County has the estate opened here, regardless of which municipality within the county the person lived in.
Butler County is its own 50th Judicial District, so the Orphans' Court Division judge is a Butler County Court of Common Pleas judge; you do not file in another county's court. Both the grant of letters and the later administration filings are handled at the Butler County Government Center, 124 West Diamond Street, because one elected official serves as both the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. The office keeps the county's original wills and estate records.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue. Butler 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 Butler 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 that is not self-proving, a subscribing witness must confirm the signing, and a non-subscribing witness must appear in person to sign; a renunciation by a person with priority who declines to serve must be notarized if it is signed outside the office.
- File with the Register of Wills. Present the petition at the Butler County Government Center, 124 West Diamond Street, Lower Level, Butler, PA 16001. A petition for letters must be signed by the personal representative in the Register's presence: self-represented filers appear in person at the counter, while an estate represented by a Pennsylvania attorney can use the office's virtual probate appointment by Zoom, with the documents emailed in advance and the originals and payment mailed in afterward.
- Pay the county filing fee. Butler's Register of Wills probate fee is graduated by the gross value of the estate, starting at $40.00 for an estate not exceeding $5,000 and rising with estate value up to $250.00 for an estate of $100,001 to $200,000, then $100.00 for each additional $100,000; a first filing also carries a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and a $15.50 automation fee, listed separately on the county schedule (42 P.S. § 21022.1). County fees are paid by attorney or bank certified check, U.S. money order, cash, or credit card (no personal or estate checks). Request short certificates, the certified proof of your authority that banks rely on, at $5.00 each (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills 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 Butler County 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, which acts as the collection agent. 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. Butler charges $30.00 for the inventory of a solvent estate and $10.00 for an insolvent estate (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026).
- 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 Butler County
Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, and Butler 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. Effective September 1, 2016 Butler accepts only the standardized statewide forms and has adopted no local Orphans' Court rules, so statewide rules and forms govern. These are published centrally on the Unified Judicial System forms hub.
The office does not accept handwritten petitions; every petition must be typed or electronically printed. One county form deserves a caution: Butler's Small Estates Affidavit ($25.00) is used only to collect insurance proceeds of up to $11,000 where no estate will be raised (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101), and the form itself states it is not for the settlement of a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102; that settlement is sought by petition to the Orphans' Court division. In Butler County the completed forms are filed on paper with the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court at the Butler County Government Center, 124 West Diamond Street, Lower Level. No county e-filing was found, and a petition for letters must be signed in the Register's presence, in person or through the attorney-only virtual probate process.
| 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 |
| Butler County Small Estates Affidavit (butlercountypa.gov) | The county form for collecting insurance proceeds of up to $11,000 without a grant of letters (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101); filing fee $25.00. It is not used for the small-estate settlement petition under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 |
| Butler County public records search (County Fusion) | The county's online Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court records search, with estate records back to 1992; some records are available only in the office |
Fees
Pennsylvania sets probate filing fees per county, and Butler County publishes its own Register of Wills probate fee schedule, graduated by the gross value of the estate. On a first filing the county schedule adds a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge (fixed by the Legislature) and a $15.50 automation fee as separate line items on top of the graduated grant-of-letters fee (42 P.S. § 21022.1). County fees are paid by attorney or bank certified check, U.S. money order, cash, or credit card; personal and estate checks are not accepted for county fees. The figures below were read in July 2026 from the 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule posted on the county's fee schedules page; confirm the current amounts with the office, because a county can revise its schedule.
| Butler County filing | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grant of letters, estate not exceeding $5,000 | $40.00 | The minimum graduated grant-of-letters fee (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $50,001 to $75,000 | $150.00 | An example mid-range tier; the base fee rises in steps with the gross value of the estate (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $100,001 to $200,000 | $250.00 | The top listed tier before the per-increment charge, then $100.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge (first filing) | $41.25 | Fixed by the Legislature and added to the grant of letters (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Automation fee (first filing) | $15.50 | Charged on all first filings requiring the JCS fee (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Short certificate (certified proof of the letters) | $5.00 each | The certified proof of authority that banks and transfer agents rely on (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Small Estates Affidavit | $25.00 | The county affidavit for collecting insurance proceeds of up to $11,000 without letters, including the certification fee (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Probate of will without letters (lodge will only) | $50.00 | For filing and probating a will where no grant of letters is sought (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Inventory (Form RW-09) | $30.00 solvent / $10.00 insolvent | Charged when the inventory is filed (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Appeal from the Register (filed in Orphans' Court) | $75.00 | Includes certification of the record to the Orphans' Court (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
Local nuance
Butler County-specific considerations
One elected official holds both offices. In Butler County a single elected official serves as both the Register of Wills, who admits the will and grants letters, and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, who takes the inventory, accounts, and distributions. Both functions are handled at the same counter on the lower level of the Butler County Government Center, 124 West Diamond Street, so families deal with one office for the whole estate. Because the officeholder is elected and changes, this page refers to the office rather than the individual.
Opening probate is signed before the Register, in person or by virtual probate. A petition for letters must be signed by the personal representative in the Register's presence, so you cannot open a Butler County estate by mail. A self-represented filer appears in person at the counter with the original will and a certified death certificate. For an estate represented by a Pennsylvania attorney, the office offers virtual probate appointments: the attorney emails the unsigned petition, the will and death certificate copies, and photo IDs in advance, the Register administers the oath and watches the petitioner sign over Zoom, and the original documents and payment are then mailed to the office, which mails the letters and short certificates back to the attorney. A non-subscribing witness to a will that is not self-proving must appear in person to sign, and a renunciation executed outside the office must be notarized.
Butler runs its own online records search. The county provides an online Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court public records search through the County Fusion website, with estate records back to 1992 and marriage records back to 2002. Online coverage is limited, some records can be accessed only in the office, and fuller access is offered by paid subscription. This is a records search, not an estate e-filing system, and it is separate from the statewide UJS Portal case search.
Statewide Orphans' Court rules govern, with no local rules. Effective September 1, 2016, Butler County adopted no local Orphans' Court rules and accepts only the standardized statewide forms, so the Pennsylvania Rules of Orphans' Court Procedure and the statewide RW and OC forms control practice here. Check the Butler County Legal Journal, the county legal periodical, for the advertising that the grant of letters requires under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3162.
County fees are paid without personal checks. Butler accepts attorney or bank certified checks, U.S. money orders, cash, or credit card for county filing fees; personal and estate checks are not accepted for county fees, though they may be used for the Butler County Legal Journal advertising and for inheritance tax. Where the estate's value is underestimated on the petition, the office adjusts the probate fee and invoices the balance, due within 30 days.
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Butler County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | A Butler 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 Butler County Register of Wills on Form RW-02, with letters testamentary if there is a will or letters of administration if there is not. The petition must be signed in the Register's presence. | Asset discovery to separate survivorship property from sole-name assets. Packet generation for the Form RW-02 petition and the supporting documents. A vetted Butler County probate attorney if the estate is contested or complex. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent lived in Butler 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, and insurance proceeds of up to $11,000 can be collected on the county Small Estates Affidavit (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101). A larger estate is opened with the Register of Wills on Form RW-02. Because a petition for letters is signed in the Register's presence, an out-of-state child should call the office ahead to plan a single trip to Butler, or retain a Pennsylvania attorney and use the office's virtual probate appointment by Zoom; an out-of-state administrator or executor must also post a bond unless the will excuses it. | 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, organized so an out-of-state filer can plan one trip. Attorney referral if the estate turns out to be larger or contested, or to open the estate through the virtual probate process. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A grant of letters at the Butler 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 in the Butler County Legal Journal (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 Butler 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 Butler County probate attorney to run the administration and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Butler County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court (butlercountypa.gov/291) | The office pages for probate: address, hours, contact lines, the estates guide, the fee schedule, and the county forms |
| Butler County Estates guide (butlercountypa.gov/312) | The county's own step-by-step estate-opening instructions, including the in-person signing requirement and accepted payment methods |
| Butler County public records search (County Fusion, linked from butlercountypa.gov/291) | The county Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court records search, with estate records back to 1992; some records are available only in the office |
| 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 Butler, Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties, including wills, powers of attorney, and related elder-law matters |
| Butler County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (butlercountypabar.org, (724) 841-0130) | Referral to a Butler County attorney for probate and estate matters |
| 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 Butler 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 Butler County real estate must be sold and the terms are disputed; when the heirs are unknown or in conflict; or when a formal accounting is required. 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 Butler 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, Butler 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 Butler 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 present to the Register of Wills at the Government Center.
Find a local probate attorney. When an estate is contested, taxable, or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Butler 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 Butler County, Pennsylvania?
With the Butler County Register of Wills, on the lower level (Level LL) of the Butler County Government Center, 124 West Diamond Street, Butler, PA 16001, phone (724) 284-1409. That is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) is presented, and letters are issued. The same elected official is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, which later supervises the administration, so both functions are handled at the same office.
Do I have to appear in person to open probate in Butler County?
If you are self-represented, yes. A petition for letters must be signed by the personal representative in the Register's presence, so opening a Butler County estate is not a mail-in step. The one alternative is the office's virtual probate process, available only when the estate is represented by a Pennsylvania attorney: the oath is given and the petition signed over Zoom, and the originals are mailed in. A non-subscribing witness to a will that is not self-proving must also appear in person to sign. Bring the original will and a certified death certificate, and call ahead if you are coming from out of state to plan a single trip.
Can I e-file a probate in Butler County?
No county Register of Wills or Orphans' Court e-filing was found for Butler County; filings are on paper, and a petition for letters must be signed in the Register's presence. The county does run an online public records search through the County Fusion website for viewing estate records, but that is a search tool, not an estate e-filing system. Confirm the current options with the office.
Does Butler County offer virtual or remote probate?
Yes, for attorney-represented estates only. The Butler County Register of Wills offers virtual probate appointments by Zoom: the attorney emails the unsigned Petition for Grant of Letters, copies of the will and death certificate, and photo IDs in advance; the office schedules the meeting; the Register administers the oath and watches the petitioner sign on camera; and the original documents and payment are then mailed in, with the letters and short certificates mailed back to the attorney. No self-represented (pro se) probate is handled by video, so a filer without an attorney appears in person (Butler County virtual probate process, butlercountypa.gov, verified July 2026).
How much does it cost to open a probate estate in Butler County?
Butler's Register of Wills probate fee is set by the county and graduated by the gross value of the estate, starting at $40.00 for an estate not exceeding $5,000 and rising with estate value up to $250.00 for an estate of $100,001 to $200,000, then $100.00 for each additional $100,000; a first filing also carries a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and a $15.50 automation fee, listed separately on the county schedule. A short certificate is $5.00 each (Butler County 2025 Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026). County fees are paid by certified check, money order, cash, or credit card, not personal check.
What are the Butler County Register of Wills hours?
The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and is closed on weekends and county holidays. Because a petition for letters must be signed in person before the Register, allow time at the counter and confirm the office is open before making a trip.
How do I look up a Butler County estate or probate record?
Butler County provides an online public records search through the County Fusion website, linked from the Register of Wills page at butlercountypa.gov, covering Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court records with estate records back to 1992. Online coverage is limited and some records must be accessed in the office; creating a user account is required, and fuller access is offered by paid subscription. 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 Butler 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. Effective September 1, 2016 Butler accepts only the standardized statewide forms and has no local Orphans' Court rules; petitions must be typed or electronically printed, not handwritten.
Does Butler 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 Butler County estates. The REV-1500 resident return is filed with the Butler County Register of Wills, which acts as the collection agent; the office line is (724) 284-1409. 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 Butler County?
A qualifying small estate is 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. Butler's county Small Estates Affidavit ($25.00) is narrower than its name suggests: it is used only to collect insurance proceeds of up to $11,000 where no estate will be raised, and the form states it is not for a § 3102 settlement. 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.