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Cambria County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Probate begins at | The Cambria County Register of Wills, which admits the will to probate, grants letters testamentary (with a will) or letters of administration (without one), and receives the Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (REV-1500). In Cambria County the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are one combined office under a single elected official |
| Administration supervised by | The Cambria County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (47th Judicial District), whose filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court in the same combined office; it handles the inventory, accounts, distributions, guardianships, and disputes, including appeals from the Register of Wills |
| Courthouse | Cambria County Courthouse, 200 South Center Street, Ebensburg, PA 15931 |
| Mailing address | Same as the courthouse address: 200 South Center Street, Ebensburg, PA 15931 |
| Phone | (814) 472-1440, the Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court office's own line, confirmed on the county office page in July 2026 |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. Confirm the counter and any filing cutoff before making a trip to Ebensburg |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills fees are set by Cambria County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $50.00 for an estate of $5,000 or less and rising with the estate's value under the county fee bill, plus a statewide JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and an automation fee on the first filing (42 P.S. § 21022.1). See the fees section below, and confirm the current schedule and surcharge amounts with the Register of Wills |
| Local probate forms | Pennsylvania uses a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set published on pacourts.us and used in every county; Cambria County posts estate, guardianship, and inheritance-tax forms on its office page but has no separate numbered county form set. The petition to settle a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 is a county-level petition governed by Pa. O.C. Rule 5.50, not a numbered statewide form; ask the office about its requirements |
| E-filing | The grant of letters is handled on paper, in person, with the Register of Wills; no Register of Wills e-filing was found for Cambria County. Orphans' Court e-filing through the statewide UJS portal is rolling out county by county and requires an access code from the Cambria County Clerk of the Orphans' Court, so ask the office whether it is available for your filing |
| Online case search | The statewide UJS Portal case search (ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch); its coverage of Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate records varies by county. The county office page also links the INFOCON County Access System, a subscription service for county records |
| Remote appearance | Not published for Cambria County; ask the Register of Wills or the Clerk of the Orphans' Court whether a given step can be handled remotely |
| Website | https://www.cambriacountypa.gov/register-of-wills-clerk-of-orphans-court-office |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Cambria County, know exactly what is in the estate. Which Pennsylvania path fits depends on whether there is a will and on the value and type of the assets: 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 through the Orphans' Court (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102), or the release of certain assets without any letters at all. 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 generally requires appearing before the Register in Ebensburg.
Identify every bank and credit-union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life-insurance policy, vehicle, and parcel of real property, along with every debt, before you go to the courthouse. How the decedent's home is titled matters, because a jointly owned home with right of survivorship or a beneficiary-designated account passes outside probate, while real 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 Cambria County Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, one combined office at the Cambria County Courthouse in Ebensburg, serve all of Cambria County. That includes Johnstown, the county's largest city, along with Ebensburg (the county seat), Portage, Northern Cambria, Nanty Glo, Patton, Cresson, Carrolltown, Loretto, South Fork, and the surrounding boroughs and townships. Every Cambria County estate is filed at 200 South Center Street in Ebensburg. Cambria is its own single-county judicial district, the 47th Judicial District, so the Orphans' Court judge is a Court of Common Pleas judge for Cambria County alone.
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 Cambria County, file with the Cambria 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 office keeps the county's original wills and estate records.
The jurisdiction process
- Gather the documents. 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. The core filing is the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02), presented with the original will and the certified death certificate. The Cambria County fee bill states that all applications for letters also require an Estate Information Sheet (Form REV-346). Cambria County posts estate, guardianship, and inheritance-tax forms on its office page; there is no separate numbered Cambria County form set.
- Present the petition to the Register of Wills. Take the petition, the original will, and the death certificate to the combined office at 200 South Center Street, Ebensburg. Pennsylvania practice generally requires the personal representative to appear before the Register to be sworn, so plan to file in person; confirm what the office needs before you travel.
- Pay the filing fee. The Register of Wills fee is set by Cambria County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $50.00 for an estate of $5,000 or less and rising with the estate's value under the county fee bill (File No. 1256, effective January 2, 2013, read July 2026), plus a statewide JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and an automation fee on the first filing (42 P.S. § 21022.1). See the fees section below, and confirm the current total with the office because the statewide surcharge amounts may have risen since the county bill was adopted.
- 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. Request several certified copies of the letters (the short certificate is the certified proof of your authority), which is what banks and transfer agents rely on.
- 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 county's designated legal periodical (the statewide legal-notice search at palegalads.org can help locate the current journal), 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, 20 Pa.C.S. § 3301), and file the Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (REV-1500) with the Register of Wills. The inheritance 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. When a formal account is required, it is filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, advertised, and confirmed on the court's published confirmation schedule; the office posts the schedule of last-day-to-file and confirmation dates, which fall roughly every other month, on its web page. Ask the Clerk which filing and confirmation date fits your matter. Many small estates close by family settlement agreement instead of a formal account.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Cambria County
Pennsylvania has a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, published centrally on pacourts.us and used in every county, and Cambria County uses the same forms as the rest of the state; there is no separate numbered Cambria County form set. The load-bearing form to open an estate is the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02), filed with the original will and a certified death certificate. Other statewide forms in common use include the Renunciation (Form RW-06), the estate notice and certification under Rule 10.5 (Forms RW-07 and RW-08), and the Inventory (Form RW-09), along with the Orphans' Court OC-series account and administration forms. The county fee bill states that all applications for letters also require an Estate Information Sheet (Form REV-346). The petition to settle a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 is a county-level petition governed by Pa. O.C. Rule 5.50 rather than a numbered statewide RW form; ask the Cambria County office about its requirements. Note that the small estate affidavit posted on the county office page is a different document: an affidavit used to collect certain assets, such as insurance proceeds payable to an heir, without a grant of letters, not the § 3102 petition.
Cambria County posts estate, guardianship, and inheritance-tax forms on the Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court office page. In Cambria County these forms are filed on paper, in person, with the Register of Wills at 200 South Center Street, Ebensburg; no Register of Wills e-filing was found for the county. For questions about what the office needs on intake, call (814) 472-1440 during business hours.
| 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 |
| Cambria County small estate affidavit (cambriacountypa.gov) | The county's posted affidavit for collecting certain assets, such as insurance proceeds payable to an heir, without a grant of letters. It is not the petition to settle a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102, which is filed with the Orphans' Court; ask the office about that petition |
| Cambria County Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court (cambriacountypa.gov) | The county office page, with the estate, guardianship, and inheritance-tax forms, the fee bill, hours, and contact information |
| 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 Cambria County publishes its own Register of Wills and Orphans' Court fee bill (File No. 1256, effective January 2, 2013), posted as the county's current fee bill. The figures below were read from that published fee bill in July 2026; confirm the current amounts with the office, because a county can revise its schedule.
The Register of Wills fee for a Petition for Grant of Letters is graduated by the value of the estate. It starts at $50.00 for an estate of $5,000 or less and rises with the estate's value ($110.00 over $5,000 to $10,000, $150.00 over $10,000 to $20,000, and up through $700.00 for an estate of $150,001 to $200,000), then adds $1.00 per $1,000 of value above $200,000. On top of the graduated fee, the county collects a statewide JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and an automation fee on the first filing (42 P.S. § 21022.1). The county fee bill and the office page (in a notice dated November 30, 2017) list these as $40.25 and $10.00, but newer fee schedules in other Pennsylvania counties, from 2025, list a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and a $14.75 automation fee, so the statewide surcharge amounts may have risen since Cambria's bill was adopted; confirm the current total with the Register of Wills before you pay.
| Cambria County filing | Fee (per the county fee bill, read July 2026) |
|---|---|
| Grant of letters, estate of $5,000 or less | $50.00 (the minimum grant-of-letters fee) |
| Grant of letters, estate $10,001 to $20,000 | $150.00 (an example mid-range tier) |
| Grant of letters, estate $150,001 to $200,000 | $700.00, then $1.00 per $1,000 of estate value above $200,000 |
| JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge on the first filing | Listed at $40.25 on the county bill (county notice dated November 30, 2017); newer schedules in other counties list $41.25, so confirm with the office |
| Automation fee on the first filing | Listed at $10.00 on the county bill; newer schedules in other counties list $14.75, so confirm with the office |
| Probate of will only, without letters | $30.00 plus the surcharge and automation fee |
| Petition to settle a small estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) | $60.00; an amended petition is $30.00 |
| Small estate affidavit (release of certain assets without letters) | $25.00 plus the surcharge and automation fee (includes a certified copy) |
| Account, first and final or partial (Clerk of the Orphans' Court) | $100.00, which includes filing, advertising, confirmation, and decree |
| Short certificate | $5.00 each |
| Certified copy of a document | $5.00 each |
| Copies | $0.50 per page |
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Cambria County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Johnstown or Ebensburg-area home was owned jointly with right of survivorship, or by the spouses as tenants by the entirety, 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 Cambria County Register of Wills 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 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 generally requires appearing before the Register in Ebensburg, an out-of-state child should call ahead to plan a single trip and confirm what the office needs. | 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 Ebensburg. |
| 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; with a will, the parent probates it under Form RW-02. Once the letters issue, the personal representative can sell the Cambria 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 |
|---|---|
| Cambria County Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court, (814) 472-1440 (cambriacountypa.gov) | The county office page: hours, directions, the mailing address, the estate, guardianship, and inheritance-tax forms, and the fee bill |
| 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 Cambria 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 Cambria County Register of Wills |
| Summit Legal Aid, Johnstown office at 227 Franklin Street, Suite 400, (814) 536-8917, central intake (800) 846-0871 (summitlegal.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents; its published service area covers Cambria County and nine other southwestern and west-central Pennsylvania counties |
| 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 Cambria County region |
When to hire an attorney
Many Cambria County estates are uncontested and can be handled without an attorney, 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 a dispute among heirs 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 Cambria 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, Cambria County real estate, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Pennsylvania estate settlement path fits 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 Cambria County Register of Wills in Ebensburg.
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 Cambria 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 Cambria County?
With the Cambria County Register of Wills, part of the combined Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court office at the Cambria County Courthouse, 200 South Center Street, Ebensburg, PA 15931. The Register of Wills admits the will and grants letters; the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, in the same office, supervises the administration that follows.
Do I have to travel to Ebensburg to settle an estate in Cambria County?
For the grant of letters, usually yes. Pennsylvania practice generally requires the personal representative to appear before the Register of Wills to be sworn, and Cambria County handles the grant of letters on paper rather than by e-filing, so plan on a trip to the courthouse in Ebensburg. Call (814) 472-1440 first to confirm what the office needs and to plan a single trip.
Where do I file if my parent lived in Johnstown but I live out of state?
You still file in Cambria 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 Cambria County Register of Wills in Ebensburg regardless of where you live. Because the grant of letters generally requires appearing before the Register, an out-of-state personal representative should call the office ahead of time to plan the appointment.
Can I file probate electronically in Cambria County?
For the grant of letters, no. No Register of Wills e-filing was found for Cambria County; that step is handled on paper, in person. Orphans' Court e-filing through the statewide UJS portal is rolling out county by county and requires an access code from the Cambria County Clerk of the Orphans' Court, so ask the office whether it is available for your filing. The statewide UJS Portal is otherwise a case search, not an estate e-filing system for the grant of letters.
How much does it cost to file probate in Cambria County?
The Register of Wills fee for a Petition for Grant of Letters is set by Cambria County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $50.00 for an estate of $5,000 or less and rising with the estate's value under the county fee bill (read July 2026). On top of that, the county collects a statewide JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and an automation fee on the first filing (42 P.S. § 21022.1); the county bill lists these as $40.25 and $10.00, but newer schedules in other Pennsylvania counties list $41.25 and $14.75, so confirm the total with the office. See the fees section above for more.
What forms do I need for probate in Cambria County?
The statewide Pennsylvania forms, the same ones used in every county. The core form is the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02), filed with the original will and a certified death certificate; the county fee bill also requires an Estate Information Sheet (Form REV-346) with every application for letters, and the Inventory is Form RW-09. There is no separate numbered Cambria County form set, though the county posts estate, guardianship, and inheritance-tax forms on its office page. The petition to settle a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 is a county-level petition governed by Pa. O.C. Rule 5.50; ask the office about its requirements.
Who handles inheritance tax in a Cambria County estate?
The Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (the REV-1500 for a resident decedent) is filed with the Cambria 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.
How do I look up a Cambria County probate case online?
Use the statewide UJS Portal case search at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch. Its coverage of Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate records varies by county, so to confirm a specific estate filing you can also call the combined office at (814) 472-1440. The county office page also links the INFOCON County Access System, a subscription service for searching county records.
What are the phone number and office hours for probate in Cambria County?
The Cambria County Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court office is reached at (814) 472-1440 and is open Monday to Friday, 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. Confirm the counter and any filing cutoff before making a trip to Ebensburg.
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.