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Fayette County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Probate begins at | The Fayette 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). An appointment is required to open an estate |
| Administration supervised by | The Fayette County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (14th Judicial District), whose filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court; it handles the inventory, accounts, distributions, guardianships, and disputes, including appeals from the Register of Wills |
| One combined office | A single elected officer serves as both the Fayette County Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, so the two functions share one office, phone, and fax at the courthouse |
| Courthouse | Fayette County Courthouse, 61 East Main Street, Uniontown, PA 15401 |
| Mailing address | Same as the courthouse address: 61 East Main Street, Fayette County Courthouse, Uniontown, PA 15401 |
| Phone | (724) 430-1206 (the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court office). This is the county's own line, and it is also the number to call for an appointment |
| Fax | (724) 430-1275 |
| [email protected] (the Register of Wills office email) | |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the office is closed for lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m. Opening an estate is by appointment only (call (724) 430-1206), with the latest appointment at 2:00 p.m. The latest to file and leave with a receipt the same day is 3:00 p.m.; a filing made after 3:30 p.m. receives a mailed receipt the next business day |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills fees are set by Fayette County and graduated by the value of the estate, from $15.00 for an estate of $1,000 or less up to $180.00 for an estate over $100,000 (plus $1.00 for each $1,000 over $100,000), plus the statewide $41.25 JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge, which the county's schedule notes rose to $41.25 effective December 1, 2025 (42 P.S. § 21022.1). See the fees section below, and confirm the current total with the Register of Wills |
| Payments | Effective January 13, 2026, the office accepts no cash payment over $1,000; an amount over $1,000 must be a certified or cashier's check |
| Local probate forms | Pennsylvania uses a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set published on pacourts.us and used in every county; the Fayette County office also provides the working estate forms (petition for grant of letters, witness oath, certification of notice, inventory, status report, and account) on request. The small estate petition uses a county form obtained from the office |
| E-filing | The grant of letters is handled on paper, in person, and by appointment with the Register of Wills; no Register of Wills e-filing was found for Fayette County. Orphans' Court and guardianship e-filing is available through the statewide UJS portal only after you obtain an access code from the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. Confirm the current options with the office |
| Online case search | Fayette County estate records from 1993 to the present can be searched online through the Landex records service linked from the county's estate information page (the office says remote Landex searches back to 1949 are coming). The statewide UJS Portal case search (ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch) also exists, but its coverage of Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate records varies by county, so call the office to confirm a specific estate filing |
| Remote appearance | Not published for Fayette County; ask the Register of Wills or the Clerk of the Orphans' Court whether a given step can be handled remotely |
| Website | https://www.fayettecountypa.org/511/Register-of-Wills |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Fayette 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, because opening an estate in Fayette County is by appointment, and you want to present the right petition on the one visit.
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 call for an appointment. How real property is titled matters, because a jointly owned home with right of survivorship or a beneficiary-designated account generally passes outside probate, while property in the decedent's sole name does not; the assets that actually go through probate can be fewer 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 Fayette County Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, both housed at the Fayette County Courthouse in Uniontown, serve all of Fayette County. That includes Uniontown, the county seat, along with Connellsville, Brownsville, Masontown, Belle Vernon, Fairchance, Point Marion, Perryopolis, Everson, and the surrounding townships across the Laurel Highlands and the Monongahela River valley. Every Fayette County estate is filed at 61 East Main Street in Uniontown. Fayette County is its own 14th Judicial District, so the Orphans' Court judge is a Fayette County Court of Common Pleas judge sitting in the Orphans' Court Division.
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 Fayette County, file with the Fayette 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, on file from 1794 to the present.
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.
- Call the Register of Wills for an appointment. Fayette County requires an appointment to open an estate. Call (724) 430-1206 to schedule; the latest appointment of the day is 2:00 p.m. The intake takes roughly half an hour, and if the paperwork is in order you leave with your short certificates the same day.
- 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; if the will is not self-proving, a witness oath is also needed. The Fayette County office provides these working forms on request; there is no separate numbered Fayette County form set.
- Attend the appointment and present the petition. Bring the original will, the certified death certificate, and the petition to the Register of Wills at 61 East Main Street, Uniontown. Pennsylvania practice requires the personal representative to appear before the Register to be sworn, which is why opening probate is an in-person, by-appointment step rather than a mail-in filing.
- Pay the filing fee. The Register of Wills fee is set by Fayette County and graduated by the value of the estate, from $15.00 for an estate of $1,000 or less up to $180.00 for an estate over $100,000 (plus $1.00 for each $1,000 over $100,000), plus the statewide $41.25 JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge (effective December 1, 2025). Effective January 13, 2026, the office accepts no cash payment over $1,000, so an amount over $1,000 must be a certified or cashier's check. See the fees section below.
- Receive the letters and short certificates. 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; the county charges $5.00 per short certificate.
- 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 Fayette Legal Journal, the county's designated legal periodical published by the Fayette County Bar Association, 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; the rate detail is on the Pennsylvania state page.
- 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; many smaller estates close instead by a family settlement agreement. 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 Fayette County
Pennsylvania has a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, published centrally on pacourts.us and used in every county, and Fayette County uses the same forms as the rest of the state; there is no separate numbered Fayette 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 small estate petition under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 uses a county form rather than a numbered statewide RW form; obtain it from the Fayette County office.
The Fayette County office provides the working estate forms it uses on intake, including the petition for grant of letters, the witness oath, the certification of notice, the inventory, the status report, and the first and final account. In Fayette County these forms are filed on paper, in person and by appointment, with the Register of Wills at 61 East Main Street, Uniontown; no Register of Wills e-filing was found for the county. For questions about what the office needs on intake, call (724) 430-1206.
| 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 |
| Fayette County estate information (fayettecountypa.org) | The county Register of Wills page on opening an estate: the appointment requirement, the documents needed for a testate or intestate estate, and the forms the office provides |
| 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 Fayette County publishes its own Register of Wills Bill of Costs. 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, from $15.00 for an estate of $1,000 or less up to $180.00 for an estate over $100,000, plus $1.00 for each $1,000 over $100,000. On top of the county fee, the initial estate filing carries the statewide JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge, which the county's schedule notes rose from $40.25 to $41.25 effective December 1, 2025 (Act 45 of 2025). The county's published Bill of Costs itemizes that $41.25 surcharge but does not list a separate automation fee, so confirm the full total with the office. Effective January 13, 2026, the office accepts no cash payment over $1,000; an amount over $1,000 must be a certified or cashier's check.
| Fayette County filing | Fee (Register of Wills Bill of Costs, verified July 2026) |
|---|---|
| Grant of letters, estate of $1,000 or less | $15.00 base, plus the $41.25 JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge |
| Grant of letters, estate of $15,000 to $30,000 | $60.00 base, plus the $41.25 surcharge (an example mid-range tier) |
| Grant of letters, estate of $75,000 to $100,000 | $150.00 base, plus the $41.25 surcharge |
| Grant of letters, estate over $100,000 | $180.00 base plus $1.00 for each $1,000 over $100,000, plus the $41.25 surcharge |
| Short certificate (certified proof of the letters) | $5.00 each |
| Filing of inventory (Form RW-09) | $25.00 |
| Certified copy of a will | $20.00 |
| Certified copy of letters of administration | $30.00 |
| Petition to settle a small estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) | $96.25 (no existing file number) or $50.00 (existing file number) |
| Probate record search | $5.00, non-refundable (published on the county's estate information page, verified July 2026) |
Local nuance
Fayette County-specific considerations
Opening an estate is by appointment. The Fayette County Register of Wills office requires an appointment to open an estate. Call (724) 430-1206 to schedule; the latest appointment of the day is 2:00 p.m., and the intake takes about half an hour. Plan the visit for a day you have the original will, the certified death certificate, and the completed petition in hand, because the personal representative must appear in person to be sworn.
One officer holds both offices. A single elected officer serves as both the Fayette County Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, so the office that grants the letters is the same office that later receives the inventory, accounts, and other Orphans' Court filings, at 61 East Main Street. The two functions share one phone and fax; name the function you need when you call so the office can route the question.
Watch the same-day filing cutoff and the lunch closure. The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed for lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m. The latest you can file and leave with a receipt the same day is 3:00 p.m.; a filing made after 3:30 p.m. receives a mailed receipt the next business day. If you need same-day proof of a filing, arrive well before 3:00 p.m.
Large payments cannot be made in cash. Effective January 13, 2026, the office accepts no cash payment over $1,000. Any amount over $1,000, including the fee on a larger estate, must be a certified or cashier's check, so arrange payment before your appointment.
Advertise in the Fayette Legal Journal. After the letters are granted, the county's designated legal periodical for the required creditor advertisement is the Fayette Legal Journal, published by the Fayette County Bar Association in Uniontown, alongside a newspaper of general circulation (20 Pa.C.S. § 3162). The bar association handles estate-notice submissions for the journal.
Recent updates
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| January 13, 2026 | The Fayette County Register of Wills office stopped accepting cash payments over $1,000; an amount over $1,000 must now be a certified or cashier's check (source: Fayette County Register of Wills, verified July 2026). |
| December 1, 2025 | The statewide JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge on the initial estate filing rose from $40.25 to $41.25, reflected on the Fayette County Register of Wills Bill of Costs (source: Fayette County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, verified July 2026). |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Fayette County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Uniontown-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 calls the Register of Wills for an appointment and presents the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) to receive 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; the county requires a fiduciary bond for an executor or administrator who lives out of state or is not related to the decedent, unless a will waives the bond. Because opening an estate in Fayette County is by appointment and in person, an out-of-state child should call (724) 430-1206 ahead of time to schedule the appointment and plan a single trip to Uniontown. | 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 complete the appointment in one visit. |
| 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 Fayette 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 |
|---|---|
| Fayette County Register of Wills, (724) 430-1206 (fayettecountypa.org/511/Register-of-Wills) | The county Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court page: hours, the appointment requirement, directions, the mailing address, the estate-information guide, and the published fee schedule |
| 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 Fayette 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 Fayette County Register of Wills |
| Summit Legal Aid, (724) 439-3591 (summitlegal.org) | Free civil legal help in family, housing, and economic matters for income-eligible residents of Fayette County and nine nearby counties, from the Uniontown office at 45 East Main Street, Suite 200 |
| Fayette County Bar Association, (724) 437-7994 (fcbar.org) | The county bar association, which publishes the Fayette Legal Journal for estate notices and can refer families to a local probate attorney |
| PALawHELP (palawhelp.org) | Plain-language legal information and statewide routing to legal aid and lawyer referral services |
When to hire an attorney
Many Fayette 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 Fayette 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, Fayette 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 at your appointment with the Fayette County Register of Wills in Uniontown.
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 Fayette 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 Fayette County, Pennsylvania?
With the Fayette County Register of Wills at the Fayette County Courthouse, 61 East Main Street, Uniontown, PA 15401, (724) 430-1206. The Register of Wills admits the will and grants letters; the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, which in Fayette County is the same office, supervises the administration that follows. Opening an estate is by appointment, so call before you go.
Do I need an appointment to open an estate in Fayette County?
Yes. The Fayette County Register of Wills office requires an appointment to open an estate. Call (724) 430-1206 to schedule; the latest appointment of the day is 2:00 p.m., and the intake takes about half an hour. Bring the original will, a certified death certificate, and the completed Petition for Grant of Letters, because the personal representative must appear in person to be sworn.
Can I file probate electronically in Fayette County?
No. The grant of letters is handled on paper, in person, and by appointment with the Register of Wills; no Register of Wills e-filing was found for Fayette County. Orphans' Court and guardianship e-filing is available through the statewide UJS portal only after you obtain an access code from the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. The UJS Portal case search is a lookup tool, not an estate e-filing system for this county.
How much does it cost to open a probate estate in Fayette County?
The Register of Wills fee is set by Fayette County and graduated by the value of the estate, from $15.00 for an estate of $1,000 or less up to $180.00 for an estate over $100,000 (plus $1.00 for each $1,000 over $100,000), plus the statewide $41.25 JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge, which the county's schedule notes rose to $41.25 effective December 1, 2025. A short certificate is $5.00 each. Confirm the current total with the office (Fayette County Register of Wills Bill of Costs, verified July 2026).
What are the Fayette County Register of Wills office hours?
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed for lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m. and closed on weekends and county holidays. The latest you can file and leave with a receipt the same day is 3:00 p.m.; a filing made after 3:30 p.m. receives a mailed receipt the next business day.
What forms do I need for probate in Fayette 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 Fayette County form set, though the office provides the working forms on intake, and the small estate petition under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 uses a county form obtained from the office.
Who handles inheritance tax in a Fayette County estate?
The Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (the REV-1500 for a resident decedent) is filed with the Fayette 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 Fayette County probate case online?
For Fayette County estate searches from 1993 to the present, use the Landex online records service linked from the county's estate information page; the office says remote Landex searches dating back to 1949 are coming. The statewide UJS Portal case search at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch also exists, but 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 office at (724) 430-1206. The office holds the county's probate records on file from 1794 to the present; an in-office record search costs $5.00, non-refundable.
Where do I file if my parent lived in Fayette County but I live out of state?
You still file in Fayette 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 Fayette County Register of Wills in Uniontown regardless of where you live. Because opening an estate is by appointment and in person, call (724) 430-1206 ahead of time to schedule the appointment and plan a single trip. One county rule to plan for: a named executor who lives out of state or is not related to the decedent must post a fiduciary bond unless the will states that no bond is required, and an administrator who lives outside Pennsylvania or is not related to the decedent must also be bonded.
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.