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Crawford County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Probate begins at | The Crawford 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 Crawford County the Register of Wills is a combined row office with the Recorder of Deeds |
| Administration supervised by | The Crawford County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (30th Judicial District), whose filing office in Crawford County is the elected Clerk of Courts, serving as clerk of the Orphans' Court; it handles the inventory, accounts, distributions, guardianships, and disputes, including appeals from the Register of Wills |
| Register of Wills office | Crawford County Courthouse, 903 Diamond Park, Meadville, PA 16335 (the combined Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds office). Phone (814) 373-2537, fax (814) 337-5296, email [email protected] |
| Clerk of Orphans' Court office | Crawford County Judicial Center, 359 East Center Street, Meadville, PA 16335, second floor, a separate building from the Register of Wills. In Crawford County the Clerk of Courts serves as clerk of the Orphans' Court. Phone (814) 333-7442, fax (814) 333-7349, per the county Clerk of Courts page |
| Mailing address | Register of Wills: 903 Diamond Park, Crawford County Courthouse, Meadville, PA 16335 |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM at both offices, per the county Register and Recorder and Clerk of Courts pages; no lunch closure or filing cutoff is published. Confirm the counter and any cutoff before making a trip to Meadville |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills fees are set by Crawford County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $24.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rising to $98.00 for an estate of $75,000 to $100,000 (then $36.00 for each additional $100,000) under the county schedule effective November 17, 2025, plus a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and a $5.00 CDR automation fee (42 P.S. § 21022.1). See the fees section below, and confirm the current schedule 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; Crawford County has no separate numbered county form set. A petition to settle a small estate uses a county petition obtained from the office |
| E-filing | None published for estate matters at either office. The grant of letters is handled on paper and in person with the Register of Wills, whose only electronic service is e-recording of deeds (land records), not probate; the Clerk of Courts page publishes no e-filing option for Orphans' Court filings. Ask each office what it currently accepts |
| 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 Register and Recorder's own online Register of Wills search runs through Landex, a paid subscription service rather than a free public docket; the county states estate records from 1991 to the present are online |
| Remote appearance | Not published for Crawford County; ask the Register of Wills or the Clerk of the Orphans' Court whether a given step can be handled remotely |
| Website | https://crawfordcountypa.net/government/register-recorder/ |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Crawford 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 is handled in person at the Register of Wills in Meadville.
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. In a county like Crawford it is common for a decedent to have owned a home, farm, timber land, or a camp or lakefront property near Conneaut Lake, and how that real property 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. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Crawford County Register of Wills at the Crawford County Courthouse in Meadville, and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court at the Crawford County Judicial Center, together serve all of Crawford County. That includes Meadville, the county seat, along with Titusville, Cambridge Springs, Conneaut Lake, Linesville, Cochranton, Saegertown, Springboro, Venango, and the surrounding townships in northwestern Pennsylvania. Every Crawford County estate is opened with the Crawford County Register of Wills. Crawford is the single-county 30th Judicial District, so the Orphans' Court judge is a Court of Common Pleas judge serving only Crawford County; there is no other county in the district.
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 Crawford County, file with the Crawford 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 Register of Wills 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. Crawford County has no separate numbered county form set.
- Present the petition to the Register of Wills. Take the petition, the original will, and the death certificate to the combined Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds office at the Crawford County Courthouse, 903 Diamond Park, Meadville. Pennsylvania practice generally requires the personal representative to appear before the Register to be sworn, and Crawford handles the grant of letters on paper in person, so plan to file at the counter. Call (814) 373-2537 first to confirm what the office needs.
- Pay the filing fee. The Register of Wills fee is set by Crawford County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $24.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rising with the estate's value under the schedule effective November 17, 2025, plus a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and a $5.00 CDR automation fee. See the fees section below.
- 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 short certificates (certified proof of the letters), which is what banks and transfer agents rely on; Crawford charges $4.00 per short certificate under the schedule effective November 17, 2025.
- 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 Crawford County Legal 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 Courts, who serves as clerk of the Orphans' Court, at the Crawford County Judicial Center, 359 East Center Street, second floor, then advertised and confirmed on the court's published monthly account schedule. The Clerk publishes no e-filing option for estate matters, so plan on paper filings and call (814) 333-7442 with questions. Many small estates close by family settlement agreement instead of a formal account.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Crawford County
Pennsylvania has a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, published centrally on pacourts.us and used in every county, and Crawford County uses the same forms as the rest of the state; there is no separate numbered Crawford 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. A petition to settle a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 uses a county petition rather than a numbered statewide RW form; Crawford does not publish a downloadable small-estate form, so obtain the petition from the office.
In Crawford County the Register of Wills forms are filed on paper, in person, at the Crawford County Courthouse, 903 Diamond Park, Meadville; the office's only electronic service is e-recording of deeds, which is land records rather than probate. Orphans' Court filings go to the Clerk of Courts, who serves as clerk of the Orphans' Court, at the Judicial Center; the county publishes no e-filing option for estate matters, so ask the Clerk at (814) 333-7442 what the office accepts. For questions about what the Register needs on intake, call (814) 373-2537 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 |
| Crawford County Register and Recorder (crawfordcountypa.net) | The county Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds page, with hours, contact information, the records search link, and the fee schedule |
| 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 Crawford County publishes its own Register of Wills fee schedule, effective November 17, 2025. The figures below were read from the county's published schedule 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 $24.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rises with the estate's value ($32.00 over $1,000 to $5,000, $45.00 over $5,000 to $10,000, $53.00 over $10,000 to $20,000, $62.00 over $20,000 to $30,000, $71.00 over $30,000 to $40,000, $80.00 over $40,000 to $50,000, $89.00 over $50,000 to $75,000, and $98.00 over $75,000 to $100,000, then $36.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction). The county lists a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and a $5.00 CDR automation fee as separate charges added to the graduated grant-of-letters fee.
| Crawford County filing | Fee (effective November 17, 2025) |
|---|---|
| Grant of letters (graduated by estate value) | From $24.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 up to $98.00 for an estate of $75,000 to $100,000, then $36.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction |
| JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge (per estate opened) | $41.25 |
| CDR automation fee (per estate opened) | $5.00 |
| Short certificate (certified proof of the letters) | $4.00 each |
| Probate of will only | $15.00 first page, $4.00 each additional page |
| Certified copy of will | $10.00 |
| Inventory (Form RW-09) | $10.00 |
| Inheritance tax return (REV-1500), original or supplemental | $10.00 |
| Proof of death or death certificate | $7.00 |
| Petition to settle a small estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) | $7.00 |
Local nuance
Crawford County-specific considerations
Two offices sit in two different Meadville buildings. Crawford follows the standard Pennsylvania two-office structure, but the offices are not under one roof. The Register of Wills is a combined row office with the Recorder of Deeds at the Crawford County Courthouse, 903 Diamond Park, where the will is admitted and letters are granted. The clerk's office that receives the inventory, accounts, and any contested Orphans' Court matter is at the Crawford County Judicial Center, 359 East Center Street, second floor, a separate building. Plan the grant of letters at the Courthouse and the later Orphans' Court filings at the Judicial Center.
At the Judicial Center, look for the Clerk of Courts. In Crawford County the elected Clerk of Courts serves as clerk of the Orphans' Court, so estate matters, guardianships, and adoptions are filed with the Clerk of Courts office, reached at (814) 333-7442. Filing is on paper: the county publishes no e-filing option for Orphans' Court estate matters, and the Register of Wills likewise handles the grant of letters on paper and in person (its only electronic service is e-recording of deeds, which is land records, not probate). Confirm the current requirements with each office before you file.
Final accounts run on a published monthly schedule. The Clerk of Courts publishes filing dates for final accounts, roughly the first Friday of each month, with confirmation about one month later; on the 2025 schedule, for example, an account filed by December 5, 2025 is confirmed January 5, 2026. Check the current dates with the Clerk of Courts before filing an account.
Recent updates
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| November 17, 2025 | The Crawford County Register of Wills fee schedule took effect, with graduated grant-of-letters fees from $24.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 up to $98.00 for an estate of $75,000 to $100,000, plus a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge (raised from $40.25 when the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account component increased) and a $5.00 CDR automation fee (source: county Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026). |
| July 2026 | The county's Register and Recorder and court pages now live on a redesigned county website; the current Register and Recorder page is at crawfordcountypa.net/government/register-recorder/, and older /RegisterRecorder links no longer resolve (verified July 2026). |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Crawford County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Meadville-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 Crawford 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 is handled in person at the Courthouse in Meadville, an out-of-state child should call ahead to plan the 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 Meadville. |
| 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 Crawford County home and, when a formal account is required, file it with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court at the Judicial Center. | 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 |
|---|---|
| Crawford County Register and Recorder, (814) 373-2537 (crawfordcountypa.net) | The county Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds page: hours, directions, the mailing address, the records search link, and the fee schedule |
| Crawford County Clerk of Courts, (814) 333-7442, and local Orphans' Court rules (crawfordcountypa.net) | The county Clerk of Courts page (the office serving as clerk of the Orphans' Court at the Judicial Center) and the local Orphans' Court rules for administration, accounts, and guardianship matters, including the published filing dates for final accounts |
| 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 Crawford 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 Crawford County Register of Wills |
| Northwestern Legal Services, central intake (814) 452-6957 or (800) 665-6957 (nwls.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Crawford County and nine other northwestern Pennsylvania counties, with a Meadville office at 260 Chestnut Street |
| 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 Crawford County region |
When to hire an attorney
Many Crawford 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 Crawford 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, Crawford 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 Crawford County Register of Wills in Meadville.
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 Crawford 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 Crawford County?
With the Crawford County Register of Wills, a combined row office with the Recorder of Deeds at the Crawford County Courthouse, 903 Diamond Park, Meadville, PA 16335. The Register of Wills admits the will and grants letters. The filing office for the Orphans' Court, which supervises the administration that follows, is a separate office in a different building: the Clerk of Courts, who serves as clerk of the Orphans' Court, on the second floor of the Crawford County Judicial Center at 359 East Center Street.
Do I have to travel to Meadville to settle an estate in Crawford 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 Crawford County handles the grant of letters on paper in person at the Courthouse, so plan on a trip to Meadville. Call (814) 373-2537 first to confirm what the office needs and to plan the visit.
Where do I file if my parent lived in Crawford County but I live out of state?
You still file in Crawford 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 Crawford County Register of Wills in Meadville regardless of where you live. Because the grant of letters is handled in person, an out-of-state personal representative should call the office ahead of time to plan a single trip.
Can I file probate electronically in Crawford County?
No. The grant of letters is handled on paper and in person with the Register of Wills; the office's only electronic service is e-recording of deeds, which is land records rather than probate. The county also publishes no e-filing option for Orphans' Court estate filings with the Clerk of Courts, so plan on paper there as well and ask the office at (814) 333-7442 whether anything has changed. The statewide UJS Portal serves Crawford County as a case search, not as an estate e-filing system.
How much does it cost to file probate in Crawford County?
The Register of Wills fee for a Petition for Grant of Letters is set by Crawford County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $24.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rising to $98.00 for an estate of $75,000 to $100,000 under the schedule effective November 17, 2025, then $36.00 for each additional $100,000. The county adds a $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and a $5.00 CDR automation fee. A short certificate is $4.00 each. Confirm the current schedule with the office.
What forms do I need for probate in Crawford 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 Inventory is Form RW-09. There is no separate numbered Crawford County form set, and the petition to settle a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 uses a county petition obtained from the office.
Who handles inheritance tax in a Crawford County estate?
The Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (the REV-1500 for a resident decedent) is filed with the Crawford 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 Crawford 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. The Crawford County Register and Recorder's own online Register of Wills search runs through Landex, a paid subscription service; the county states estate records from 1991 to the present are online, with probated estates on file back to 1800. To confirm a specific estate filing you can also call the Register of Wills at (814) 373-2537.
What are the phone number and office hours for probate in Crawford County?
The Register of Wills is reached at (814) 373-2537, with a fax at (814) 337-5296 and email [email protected], at the Crawford County Courthouse, 903 Diamond Park, Meadville. The Clerk of Courts, who serves as clerk of the Orphans' Court at the Judicial Center, is reached at (814) 333-7442, fax (814) 333-7349. Both offices are open Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Confirm the counter and any cutoff before making a trip to Meadville.
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.