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Erie County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Where probate begins | The Register of Wills, a division of the Erie County Clerk of Records office: this is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Probate and Grant of Letters is presented, letters testamentary or of administration are issued, and the Pennsylvania inheritance-tax return (REV-1500) is filed |
| Who supervises administration | The Erie County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (6th Judicial District), which handles inventories, accounts, distributions, guardianships, adoptions, and disputes; the Clerk of the Orphans' Court is also a division of the Clerk of Records office |
| Filing office | Register of Wills, Room 122, Erie County Courthouse, 140 West Sixth Street, Erie, PA 16501 (the general Clerk of Records counter is Room 120) |
| Phone | Register of Wills (814) 451-6260; general Clerk of Records (814) 451-6250 |
| Fax | (814) 451-7010 (Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court); general Clerk of Records fax (814) 451-7400 |
| [email protected] | |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed weekends and county holidays. Opening an estate is by appointment only |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills fees are set by Erie County and graduated by the gross probate value of the estate, starting at $50.00 for an estate of $0 to $25,000 and rising with estate value up to $300.00 for an estate of $200,001 to $300,000, plus $50.00 for each additional $100,000; the county schedule adds a $41.25 Judicial Computer Project fee and a $5.00 automation fee at probate (42 P.S. § 21022.1; Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026). See the fees section below, and confirm the current schedule with the Register of Wills |
| Local forms | Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set (published on pacourts.us), including Form RW-02 (Petition for Grant of Letters) and Form RW-09 (Inventory). Erie also uses an Estate Information Sheet at opening; the small-estate settlement (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) is presented as a petition to the Orphans' Court division rather than on a numbered statewide form |
| E-filing | The Register of Wills, Orphans' Court, Prothonotary, and Marriage Bureau moved to the CourtPro case-management and document-filing system on March 3, 2025 (courtpro.eriecountypa.gov). Opening an estate is by appointment: the executor or administrator signs the petition and is sworn before a clerk, in person in Room 122 or by videoconference. Confirm the current filing options for your matter with the office |
| Case search | The statewide court case search is the UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch (Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate-record coverage varies by county); Erie's own records for the Register of Wills, Orphans' Court, Prothonotary, and Marriage Bureau are on the county CourtPro portal at courtpro.eriecountypa.gov |
| Remote appearance | Opening-estate appointments are offered by videoconference (a working email address is required); hearing formats before the Orphans' Court Division are set by the court, so confirm any remote option before a scheduled date |
| Website | https://courts.eriecountypa.gov/index.php/departments/clerk-of-records/register-of-wills/ |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
The first Erie County question is which path fits the estate, and then which office you deal with 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 Erie 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 Erie County real estate, along with every debt, and identify each heir by name. Only then can you pick the right path, calculate the correct county filing fee, and decide whether counsel is needed. Because opening an estate in Erie County is by appointment and the fee is graduated by the estate's value, having the asset picture in hand before you contact the office saves a second trip. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Erie County Register of Wills and the Erie County Orphans' Court Division serve all of Erie County, the most populous county in the state's northwest corner. The county takes in the City of Erie, the county seat, along with Millcreek Township, Harborcreek, Fairview, Girard, North East, Corry, Edinboro, Waterford, Union City, Lawrence Park, Wesleyville, and the county's many other boroughs and townships along the Lake Erie shore. 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 Erie County has the estate opened here, regardless of which municipality within the county the person lived in.
Erie County is the 6th Judicial District, and its Court of Common Pleas sits at the Erie County Courthouse, 140 West Sixth Street. The Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are both divisions of the county's elected Clerk of Records office, so the grant of letters, the inventory, and the later administration filings are all handled at the courthouse. If the decedent was not domiciled in Pennsylvania but left property in Erie 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 jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue. Erie 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 Erie 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, the completed Petition for Probate and Grant of Letters and Estate Information Sheet, an estimate of the estate's gross probate value, and the names and addresses of the heirs. For a will without a self-proving acknowledgment, the subscribing witnesses may need to prove the signature.
- Make the appointment and file with the Register of Wills. Opening an estate in Erie County is by appointment only: forward the completed documents and the filing fee to the Register of Wills, Room 122, Erie County Courthouse, and the office will contact you to arrange the appointment. The executor or administrator then signs the petition and is sworn before a clerk, in person in Room 122 or by videoconference (a working email address is required for a video appointment).
- Pay the county filing fee. Erie's Register of Wills grant-of-letters fee is graduated by the gross probate value of the estate, from $50.00 for an estate of $0 to $25,000 up to $300.00 for an estate of $200,001 to $300,000, plus $50.00 for each additional $100,000; the county schedule adds a $41.25 Judicial Computer Project fee and a $5.00 automation fee at probate. The fee is set on the estimated value at filing, and an additional probate fee is charged later if the actual gross probate value is higher (Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026). Request short certificates (certified proof of the letters) at $5.00 each, 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 Erie 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 serves as the Commonwealth's agent for the inheritance tax. The 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 Erie County
Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, and Erie 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.
Erie County adds a couple of local intake items on top of the statewide forms. When you open an estate, the office uses an Estate Information Sheet along with the Petition for Probate and Grant of Letters. The small-estate settlement under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 is presented as a petition to the Orphans' Court division rather than under a numbered statewide RW form; ask the office about the current petition format. In Erie County the completed forms are filed with the Register of Wills, Room 122, Erie County Courthouse, by appointment; the office's records and filings run through the county's CourtPro system at courtpro.eriecountypa.gov.
Fees
Pennsylvania sets probate filing fees per county, and Erie County publishes its own Register of Wills schedule of fees (effective December 1, 2025). The grant-of-letters fee is graduated by the gross probate value of the estate. The fee is charged on the estimated gross probate value at the time you file the Petition for Grant of Letters; when the inventory and inheritance-tax return are later filed, the actual gross probate value is calculated, and an additional probate fee is charged if the actual value is higher (no refund is issued if it is lower). On top of the graduated fee, the county schedule charges a $41.25 Judicial Computer Project fee and a $5.00 automation fee at probate. Confirm the current schedule before you file; each figure below carries its source.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grant of letters, estate $0 to $25,000 | $50.00 | The minimum grant-of-letters fee, graduated by the gross probate value of the estate (Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $50,001 to $100,000 | $150.00 | A mid-range tier; the fee rises in steps with the gross probate value (Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $200,001 to $300,000 | $300.00 | The top published tier, then $50.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction (Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Judicial Computer Project (JCP) fee | $41.25 | A usual fee charged at probate, added to the graduated grant-of-letters fee (Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Automation fee | $5.00 | A usual fee charged at probate, added to the graduated grant-of-letters fee (Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Short certificate | $5.00 each | Certified proof of the letters, relied on by banks and transfer agents (Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Inventory | $15.00 | For filing the verified inventory (Form RW-09) (Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Inheritance-tax return | $15.00 | For filing the Pennsylvania inheritance-tax return (REV-1500) with the Register (Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Small-estate affidavit | $25.00 | The small-estate affidavit line item on the Register of Wills schedule; probate of a will or codicil without letters is also $25.00 (Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026) |
Local nuance
Erie County-specific considerations
The Register of Wills is a division of the Clerk of Records. Unlike most Pennsylvania counties, Erie does not have a stand-alone elected Register of Wills. The Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are two of the six divisions of the county's elected Clerk of Records office (with the Clerk of Courts, Prothonotary, Recorder of Deeds, and Marriage Licenses Bureau). The Register of Wills division still performs every Register of Wills task: admitting the will, granting letters, and taking the REV-1500. Because the office is run by the elected Clerk of Records, this page refers to the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court rather than to an officeholder.
Opening an estate is by appointment only. You cannot simply walk in and open an estate. Forward the completed Petition for Probate and Grant of Letters, the Estate Information Sheet, a certified death certificate, the original will (if any), and the fee to the Register of Wills, Room 122, and the office will contact you about any additional documents and set an appointment. The executor or administrator then signs the petition and is sworn before a clerk, either in person in Room 122 or by videoconference; a working email address is required for a video appointment.
Records and filings run through CourtPro. On March 3, 2025, the Register of Wills, Orphans' Court, Prothonotary, and Marriage Bureau moved to the CourtPro case-management and document-filing system at courtpro.eriecountypa.gov, replacing the older INFOCON system; an existing Erie County Prothonotary CourtPro account carries over. This county portal, not the statewide UJS Portal, is where Erie County estate records are searched and retrieved. Confirm the current filing options for your matter with the office.
The Register of Wills counter is Room 122. The Register of Wills is in Room 122 of the Erie County Courthouse at 140 West Sixth Street; the general Clerk of Records counter is Room 120 and the Marriage Licenses Bureau is Room 123. The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Recent updates
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| March 3, 2025 | The Erie County Register of Wills, Orphans' Court, Prothonotary, and Marriage Bureau moved to the CourtPro case-management and document-filing system (courtpro.eriecountypa.gov), replacing the INFOCON system (source: Erie County courts, Register of Wills page, verified July 2026). |
| December 1, 2025 | A new Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees took effect, raising the Judicial Computer Project fee from $40.25 to $41.25; the graduated grant-of-letters tiers were unchanged (source: Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026). |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Erie County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | An Erie 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 by appointment with the Erie 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 Estate Information Sheet. A vetted Erie County probate attorney if the estate is contested or complex. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent lived in Erie 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 (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101). A larger estate is opened with the Register of Wills on Form RW-02. Because opening an estate is by appointment, the videoconference option can reduce trips to Erie. | Asset discovery to confirm the estate fits the small-estate path and holds no complicating real property. Packet generation for the small-estate petition or the Form RW-02 grant of letters. Attorney referral if the estate turns out to be larger or contested. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | A grant of letters at the Erie 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 Erie 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 Erie County probate attorney to run the administration and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Erie County Register of Wills (courts.eriecountypa.gov, Clerk of Records, Register of Wills) | The office page for opening an estate: Room 122, the appointment-only intake, the required documents, contact information, and the CourtPro link |
| Erie County CourtPro portal (courtpro.eriecountypa.gov) | The county case-management and records portal for the Register of Wills, Orphans' Court, Prothonotary, and Marriage Bureau |
| 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 |
| Northwestern Legal Services (nwls.org, intake (814) 452-6957 or (800) 665-6957) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Erie County and nine other northwestern Pennsylvania counties, including wills and estates and related elder-law matters |
| Erie County Bar Association Lawyer Referral and Information Service (eriebar.com) | Referral to a qualified Erie County attorney, including probate and estates counsel |
| 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 Erie 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 Erie 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. 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 Erie 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, Erie County real estate, business interests, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and can pick the right Pennsylvania path before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the Erie County filing: the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02), the Estate Information Sheet, the inventory (Form RW-09), and the supporting documents from Pennsylvania's statewide set, or the small-estate petition where the estate qualifies, ready for the Register of Wills appointment.
Find a local probate attorney. When an estate is contested, taxable, or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Erie 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 Erie County, Pennsylvania?
Probate begins with the Register of Wills, a division of the Erie County Clerk of Records office, in Room 122 of the Erie County Courthouse, 140 West Sixth Street, Erie, PA 16501, (814) 451-6260. That is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Probate and Grant of Letters is presented, and letters are issued. The Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (6th Judicial District) later supervises the administration through the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, also a division of the Clerk of Records office.
Do I need an appointment to open an estate in Erie County?
Yes. Opening an estate is by appointment only. Forward the completed Petition for Probate and Grant of Letters, the Estate Information Sheet, a certified death certificate, the original will (if any), and the fee to the Register of Wills in Room 122, and the office will contact you about any additional documents and set the appointment. The executor or administrator signs the petition and is sworn before a clerk, in person in Room 122 or by videoconference.
Can I e-file a probate in Erie County?
Erie County moved the Register of Wills, Orphans' Court, Prothonotary, and Marriage Bureau to the CourtPro case-management and document-filing system on March 3, 2025 (courtpro.eriecountypa.gov). Opening an estate itself is handled through an appointment where the petition is signed and sworn before a clerk, in person or by videoconference, so confirm with the office what your specific matter requires before relying on an online filing route.
How much does it cost to open a probate estate in Erie County?
Erie's Register of Wills grant-of-letters fee is set by the county and graduated by the gross probate value of the estate, from $50.00 for an estate of $0 to $25,000 up to $300.00 for an estate of $200,001 to $300,000, plus $50.00 for each additional $100,000; the county schedule adds a $41.25 Judicial Computer Project fee and a $5.00 automation fee at probate. The fee is set on the estimated value at filing, with an additional probate fee later if the actual value is higher. A short certificate is $5.00 each (Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025, verified July 2026).
What are the Erie County Register of Wills hours?
The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and is closed on weekends and county holidays. Because opening an estate is by appointment only, contact the Register of Wills at (814) 451-6260 or [email protected] to arrange the appointment rather than walking in to open an estate.
How do I look up an Erie County estate or probate record?
Erie County's own CourtPro portal at courtpro.eriecountypa.gov is where the Register of Wills, Orphans' Court, Prothonotary, and Marriage Bureau records are searched and retrieved. 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 holds the official file.
What forms do I use for an Erie 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. Erie also uses an Estate Information Sheet at opening; the small-estate settlement (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) is presented as a petition to the Orphans' Court division rather than on a numbered statewide form.
Does Erie 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 Erie County estates. The REV-1500 resident return is filed with the Erie County Register of Wills, which serves as the Commonwealth's agent for the tax. 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 Erie 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. The Register of Wills fee schedule lists a $25.00 small-estate affidavit fee (Erie County Register of Wills schedule of fees, effective December 1, 2025); 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.