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Chester County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Where probate begins | The Chester County Register of Wills, at Suite 2200 of the Chester County Justice Center, 201 West Market Street, West Chester: 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 Chester County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (15th Judicial District), which handles inventories, accounts, distributions, guardianships, and disputes; the filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, and in Chester County that office is held by the same elected official as the Register of Wills, in the same Suite 2200 office |
| Filing office | Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court, Chester County Justice Center, 201 West Market Street, Suite 2200, West Chester, PA 19380 |
| Phone | (610) 344-6335 (the combined Register of Wills / Orphans' Court office). This is the county's own line, not a statewide call center |
| Fax | (610) 344-6218 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday. Estate probates and filings of accounts for audit are taken 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; all other filings until 4:15 p.m. Closed weekends and county holidays. Plan an estate filing before the 4:00 p.m. cutoff |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills grant-of-letters fees are set by Chester County and graduated by the gross value of the estate, from $125.00 for an estate of $0 to $10,000 up to $675.00 for an estate of $900,001 to $1,000,000, then $75.00 for each succeeding $100,000; on the initial petition the county adds a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA state fee and a $15.00 automation fee, itemized separately (42 P.S. § 21022.1) (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026). A short certificate is $10.00 each. See the fees section below, and confirm the current schedule with the office |
| 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). Chester County publishes its own small-estate affidavit form; the settlement of a small estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) is a county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division. Obtain the county small-estate form from the office or the county site |
| E-filing | Chester County accepts a defined set of documents electronically by fax or email, including estate status reports, inventories, affidavits of proof of deposit, and motions for continuance. Opening probate (the grant of letters) by practice requires appearing in person before the Register. Confirm the current electronic-filing list for your matter with the office |
| Case search | Chester County runs its own free public portal for Register of Wills and marriage-license record searches at https://portal.chester.pa.countysuite-azuregov.us/courts.probate.eservices/CaseSearch; Orphans' Court dockets are not searchable online. The statewide UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch is the general court case search, with Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate-record coverage that varies by county |
| Remote appearance | Not published as a general option; hearing formats before the Orphans' Court Division are set by the court, so confirm any remote option before a scheduled date |
| Website | https://www.chesco.org/168/Register-of-Wills-Orphans-Court |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
The first Chester County question is which path fits the estate, and then which step you take 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 West Chester 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 Chester County real estate, along with every debt, and identify each heir by name. Only then can you pick the right path, estimate the correct graduated 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 Chester County Register of Wills and the Chester County Orphans' Court Division serve all of Chester County, from the county seat at West Chester across communities including Coatesville, Phoenixville, Downingtown, Kennett Square, Malvern, Exton, Oxford, Parkesburg, 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 Chester County has the estate opened here, regardless of which municipality within the county the person lived in.
Chester County is part of the 15th Judicial District, which covers Chester County alone. The Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are one combined office at Suite 2200 of the Chester County Justice Center, 201 West Market Street, West Chester, and the Orphans' Court Division judges of the 15th Judicial District sit at the same Justice Center. The filing office for both the grant of letters and the later administration filings is that Suite 2200 office, so most estate paperwork is lodged there.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue. Chester 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 Chester 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), and Chester County publishes its own small-estate affidavit form. 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, the proof-of-will requirements must be met before letters issue.
- File with the Register of Wills. Present the petition at the combined Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court office, Suite 2200, Chester County Justice Center, 201 West Market Street, West Chester. Opening probate by practice requires appearing in person before the Register; estate probates are taken Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., so plan the filing before the 4:00 p.m. cutoff.
- Pay the county filing fee. The Chester County grant-of-letters fee is graduated by the gross value of the estate, from $125.00 for an estate of $0 to $10,000 up to $675.00 for an estate of $900,001 to $1,000,000, then $75.00 for each succeeding $100,000; on the initial petition the county adds a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA state fee and a $15.00 automation fee, itemized separately (42 P.S. § 21022.1). Request several short certificates, the certified proof of your authority that banks rely on, at $10.00 each (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, 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 Chester 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 Register of Wills. 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 Chester County
Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, and Chester 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 route 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, and Chester County publishes its own small-estate affidavit form on the county site. Obtain it from the Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court office. In Chester County the completed forms are filed at the combined office in Suite 2200 of the Chester County Justice Center, 201 West Market Street, West Chester; the county also accepts a defined set of documents, such as estate status reports, inventories, and affidavits of proof of deposit, electronically by fax or email.
Fees
Pennsylvania sets probate filing fees per county, and Chester County publishes its own Register of Wills fee schedule, graduated by the gross value of the estate. The schedule below took effect January 1, 2026. On the initial petition the county adds a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA state fee and a $15.00 automation fee, itemized separately from the graduated fee (42 P.S. § 21022.1). Confirm the current schedule before you file; each figure below carries its source.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grant of letters, estate $0 to $10,000 | $125.00 | The minimum grant-of-letters fee; the fee is based on the estimated gross probate value on the Petition for Grant of Letters (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $50,001 to $100,000 | $225.00 | An example mid-range tier; the fee rises in $50.00 steps with the gross value of the estate (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $900,001 to $1,000,000 | $675.00 | The top published tier, then $75.00 for each succeeding $100,000 or fraction of estate value (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| JCS/ATJ/CJEA state fee | $41.25 | A Pennsylvania state fee imposed on the initial/first petition (including the Petition for Grant of Letters), itemized separately (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Automation fee | $15.00 | Charged on the initial/first filing, itemized separately (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Affidavit for small estate | $50.00 base ($106.25 with the state fee and automation fee) | The Register of Wills small-estate affidavit is $50.00 plus the $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA state fee and the $15.00 automation fee on a first filing, for $106.25 (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Small estate petition (Orphans' Court) | $90.00 base ($146.25 with the state fee and automation fee) | The Orphans' Court petition for settlement of a small estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) is $90.00 plus the $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA state fee and the $15.00 automation fee on a first filing, for $146.25 (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Short certificate | $10.00 each | The certified proof of the letters that banks and transfer agents rely on (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Inheritance-tax return and inventory (at probate) | $25.00 and $15.00 | The inheritance-tax return is $25.00 and the estate inventory is $15.00, charged at probate (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Tax-only estate (no letters) | $50.00 | For a tax-only estate where no grant of letters is sought; no state fee is charged (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
Local nuance
Chester County-specific considerations
One elected official holds both offices. In Chester County the elected Register of Wills also serves as the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, so a single combined office at Suite 2200 of the Chester County Justice Center, 201 West Market Street, West Chester, handles both the grant of letters and the later Orphans' Court filings. The Register of Wills admits the will and grants letters; the same office, acting as the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, takes the inventory, the accounts, and contested filings. This page refers to the office rather than the officeholder, who is elected and changes.
Estate filings close before the office does. The office is open Monday to Friday, but estate probates and filings of accounts for audit are taken only until 4:00 p.m., while all other filings are taken until 4:15 p.m. If you plan to present a Petition for Grant of Letters or be sworn in person, arrive before the 4:00 p.m. estate cutoff.
Chester County runs its own record-search portal. The county publishes a free public portal for Register of Wills and marriage-license record searches at https://portal.chester.pa.countysuite-azuregov.us/courts.probate.eservices/CaseSearch. Orphans' Court dockets are not searchable online. This county portal is separate from the statewide UJS Portal case search, whose Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate-record coverage varies by county.
Electronic filing is limited to a defined document list. The office accepts certain documents electronically by fax or email, including estate status reports, inventories, affidavits of proof of deposit, and motions for continuance. Opening probate (the grant of letters) is not on that list and by practice requires appearing in person before the Register. Confirm the current electronic-filing list for your matter before relying on it.
A new fee schedule took effect in January 2026. Chester County's current Register of Wills fee schedule took effect January 1, 2026. The grant-of-letters fee is graduated by gross estate value, and the $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA state fee and the $15.00 automation fee are itemized separately on the initial petition rather than folded into the graduated fee. Confirm the current amounts with the office before you file.
Recent updates
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Chester County's current Register of Wills fee schedule took effect, with grant-of-letters fees graduated by gross estate value and the $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA state fee and $15.00 automation fee itemized separately on the initial petition (source: Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026). |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Chester County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | A West Chester-area 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 Chester 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 Chester County probate attorney if the estate is contested or complex. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent lived in Chester 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), and Chester County publishes its own small-estate affidavit form; 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. Because opening probate requires appearing in person before the Register, an out-of-state child should call the office ahead to plan the trip to West Chester. | Asset discovery to confirm the estate fits the small-estate path and holds no complicating real property. Packet generation for the small-estate affidavit 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 Chester 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 Chester County real estate; a contested step is filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court and 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 Chester County probate attorney to run the administration and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Chester County Register of Wills / Orphans' Court (chesco.org/168/Register-of-Wills-Orphans-Court) | The combined office pages: address, hours, the probate fee schedule, forms including the county small-estate affidavit, and the electronic-filing document list |
| Chester County public record-search portal (https://portal.chester.pa.countysuite-azuregov.us/courts.probate.eservices/CaseSearch) | The county's free public search for Register of Wills and marriage-license records; Orphans' Court dockets are not online |
| 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 (877) 429-5994; West Chester office (610) 436-4510) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Chester, Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery counties, including advance-planning and related matters |
| Chester County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (chescobar.org, (610) 429-1500) | Referral to a Chester County attorney, including probate and estate practitioners |
| 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 Chester 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 Chester 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 Chester County estates skew larger than those in the rural counties, counsel is common here. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Chester 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, Chester County real estate, business interests, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and can choose the right Pennsylvania estate settlement path before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the Chester 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 county small-estate affidavit where the estate qualifies, ready to present to the Register of Wills in West Chester.
Find a local probate attorney. When an estate is contested, taxable, or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Chester 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 Chester County, Pennsylvania?
Probate begins with the Chester County Register of Wills, in the combined Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court office at Suite 2200 of the Chester County Justice Center, 201 West Market Street, West Chester, PA 19380, (610) 344-6335. 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 office, acting as the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, handles the inventory, accounts, and disputes that follow.
Can I e-file a probate in Chester County?
Chester County accepts a defined set of documents electronically by fax or email, including estate status reports, inventories, affidavits of proof of deposit, and motions for continuance. Opening probate (the grant of letters) is not on that list and by practice requires appearing in person before the Register. Confirm the current electronic-filing list for your specific matter with the office before relying on the electronic route.
How much does it cost to open a probate estate in Chester County?
The Chester County grant-of-letters fee is set by the county and graduated by the gross value of the estate, from $125.00 for an estate of $0 to $10,000 up to $675.00 for an estate of $900,001 to $1,000,000, then $75.00 for each succeeding $100,000; on the initial petition the county adds a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA state fee and a $15.00 automation fee, itemized separately. A short certificate is $10.00 each, and the Register of Wills small-estate affidavit is $106.25 with the state fee and automation fee (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026).
What are the Chester County Register of Wills hours?
The office is open Monday to Friday and is closed on weekends and county holidays. Estate probates and filings of accounts for audit are taken from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., while all other filings are taken until 4:15 p.m. If you plan to present a Petition for Grant of Letters or be sworn in person, arrive before the 4:00 p.m. estate cutoff.
How do I look up a Chester County estate or probate record?
Chester County runs its own free public portal for Register of Wills and marriage-license record searches at https://portal.chester.pa.countysuite-azuregov.us/courts.probate.eservices/CaseSearch; Orphans' Court dockets are not searchable online. 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 Register of Wills office holds the official file.
What forms do I use for a Chester 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 route (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) uses a county petition or affidavit; Chester County publishes its own small-estate affidavit form, available from the office.
Do I have to appear in person to open probate in Chester County?
Yes, generally. Opening probate (the grant of letters) by practice requires the personal representative to appear in person before the Register, which is why it is not one of the documents the county accepts by fax or email. Estate probates are taken Monday to Friday until 4:00 p.m., so plan the trip to West Chester before that cutoff and confirm what your matter needs with the office.
Does Chester 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 Chester County estates. The REV-1500 resident return is filed with the Chester County Register of Wills, which acts as the collection agent. 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 Chester 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. Chester County publishes its own small-estate affidavit form, obtained from the Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court office; the Register of Wills affidavit is $50.00 base and the Orphans' Court small-estate petition is $90.00 base, each plus the $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA state fee and the $15.00 automation fee on a first filing (Chester County Register of Wills fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026). 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.