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Lancaster County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Where probate begins | The Lancaster County Register of Wills, at the Lancaster County Courthouse: this is where the original will is filed, the Petition for 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 Lancaster County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (Second Judicial District), which handles inventories, accounts, distributions, guardianships, and disputes; in Lancaster the filing office is the same combined office, because the Register of Wills is also the Clerk of the Orphans' Court |
| Filing office | Register of Wills / Clerk of the Orphans' Court, Lancaster County Courthouse, 50 North Duke Street, second floor, Lancaster, PA 17602; mailing address PO Box 83480, Lancaster, PA 17608 |
| Phone | (717) 295-5994 (the general Court of Common Pleas line is (717) 299-8041) |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the Marriage Department is open 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Closed weekends and county holidays; confirm the current same-day filing cutoff with the office |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills probate fees are set by Lancaster County and graduated by the value of the estate (42 P.S. § 21022.1): under the county's 2026 Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective January 1, 2026, the probate fee is $100 for an estate up to $25,000, $175 from $25,000.01 to $50,000, and $250 from $50,000.01 to $100,000, then $150 for each additional $100,000 or fraction, plus a $41.25 JCS/ATJ surcharge and a $15.75 automation fee on the initial filing; short certificates are $10.00 each. Confirm the current total with the Register of Wills before you file |
| 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). Lancaster County also uses its own Estate Information Sheet as an intake form and publishes a county Small Estate Petition for the settlement of a small estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) |
| E-filing | Petitions for the grant of letters are filed in person at the counter; the office follows videoconference procedures only by special exception. Lancaster does not offer general online filing for opening a probate estate. Confirm the current requirements for Orphans' Court accounts and petitions 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); Lancaster County also runs its own paperless probate and marriage records search at paperless.lancastercountypa.gov |
| Remote appearance | The Register follows videoconference procedures by special exception only; hearing formats before the Orphans' Court Division are set by the court, so confirm any remote option before a scheduled date |
| Website | https://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/159/Register-of-Wills |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
The first Lancaster County question is which path fits the estate, and then how the county's combined office handles it. 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, and in Lancaster the same combined office serves both roles. 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 Lancaster County 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 Lancaster County real estate, along with every debt, and identify each heir by name. Only then can you pick the right path, estimate the correct 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 Lancaster County Register of Wills and the Lancaster County Orphans' Court Division serve all of Lancaster County. The county takes in the City of Lancaster and communities including Lititz, Ephrata, Elizabethtown, Columbia, Manheim, Mount Joy, Millersville, Strasburg, New Holland, Willow Street, and the surrounding 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 Lancaster County has the estate opened here, regardless of which municipality within the county the person lived in.
Lancaster County is the Second Judicial District, a single-county district. The Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are the same combined office at the Lancaster County Courthouse, 50 North Duke Street, second floor, so the grant of letters and the later administration filings are lodged in one place; the Orphans' Court Division judges hear audits, accounts, and contested matters at the courthouse.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue. Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 county's Estate Information Sheet, 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, two witnesses must be available to identify the decedent's signature under oath.
- File with the Register of Wills. Present the petition in person at the counter at the Lancaster County Courthouse, 50 North Duke Street, second floor. Opening a probate estate in Lancaster is an in-person step; the office follows videoconference procedures only by special exception, so contact the office in advance if you cannot appear.
- Pay the county filing fee. Register of Wills probate fees in Lancaster are set by the county and graduated by the value of the estate (42 P.S. § 21022.1). Under the 2026 Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective January 1, 2026, the probate fee starts at $100 for an estate up to $25,000 and rises with estate value, plus a $41.25 JCS/ATJ surcharge and a $15.75 automation fee on the initial filing; short certificates are $10.00 each. The full schedule is on the county's Bill of Costs page; confirm the total with the Register of Wills before you file.
- 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 Lancaster Law Review, 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; inheritance-tax returns and payments may be filed at the counter or mailed. 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 combined Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court office 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 Lancaster County
Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, and Lancaster 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.
Lancaster County adds two of its own documents. The county's Estate Information Sheet is an intake form the Register uses alongside the statewide RW-02 when you open an estate. For a small estate, Lancaster publishes its own Small Estate Petition, filed with the Orphans' Court division under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 rather than a numbered statewide RW form. Both are available from the Register of Wills office and on the county website. In Lancaster County the completed petitions are filed in person at the Register of Wills counter at 50 North Duke Street, second floor.
Fees
Pennsylvania sets probate filing fees per county, and Lancaster County publishes a current Bill of Costs for each side of its combined office: a 2026 Register of Wills Bill of Costs and a 2026 Orphans' Court Division Bill of Costs, both effective January 1, 2026, on the county website's Bill of Costs page (co.lancaster.pa.us/924/Bill-of-Costs). The Register of Wills probate fee is graduated by the value of the estate (42 P.S. § 21022.1), and the initial filing also carries the JCS/ATJ surcharge and the county's automation fee, itemized separately on the schedule. The figures below are from the county's published 2026 schedules; confirm the total for your filing with the office.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Probate fee, estate up to $25,000 | $100.00 | Letters testamentary, C.T.A., or administration; 2026 Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective January 1, 2026 |
| Probate fee, estate $25,000.01 to $50,000 | $175.00 | 2026 Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective January 1, 2026 |
| Probate fee, estate $50,000.01 to $100,000 | $250.00 | Over $100,000, add $150.00 for each additional $100,000 of estate value or fraction thereof; 2026 Register of Wills Bill of Costs |
| JCS/ATJ surcharge | $41.25 | The statewide judicial surcharge under 42 Pa.C.S. § 3733(a.1), itemized on the county schedule; 2026 Register of Wills Bill of Costs |
| Automation fee | $15.75 | Lancaster's published automation fee on both the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court schedules, effective January 1, 2026 |
| Short certificate | $10.00 | Per certificate of letters; 2026 Register of Wills Bill of Costs |
| Inventory filing | $25.00 | Filing and recording, no page limit; 2026 Register of Wills Bill of Costs |
| Inheritance tax return filing | $25.00 | Filing of an original or supplemental REV-1500; 2026 Register of Wills Bill of Costs |
| Small estate petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) | $157.00 | Includes the JCS/ATJ and automation fees but not the inheritance-tax-return filing fee; 2026 Orphans' Court Division Bill of Costs, effective January 1, 2026 |
| Orphans' Court account filing | $100.00 to $250.00 by estate value | $100.00 up to $10,000, rising to $250.00 for $50,000.01 to $100,000, then $150.00 per additional $100,000 or fraction; 2026 Orphans' Court Division Bill of Costs |
Local nuance
Lancaster County-specific considerations
The Register of Wills is also the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. Lancaster runs both functions through one combined elected office. The Register of Wills admits wills, grants letters, and takes the REV-1500, and the same office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court for the inventory, accounts, and petitions that follow. That means the grant of letters and the later administration filings are lodged in the same place at the Lancaster County Courthouse, 50 North Duke Street, second floor. Because officeholders change, this page refers to the office rather than the officeholder.
Opening probate is an in-person step. Petitions for the grant of letters are presented in person at the counter, and the office follows videoconference procedures only by special exception. Lancaster does not offer general online filing for opening a probate estate, so plan to appear or to arrange a special-exception videoconference in advance. Inheritance-tax returns and payments, by contrast, may be filed at the counter or mailed.
Lancaster runs its own online probate records search. The county maintains a paperless probate and marriage records system at paperless.lancastercountypa.gov, which is where Lancaster estate records are searched online. This is separate from the statewide UJS Portal case search at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch, whose Register of Wills and Orphans' Court coverage varies by county.
The county publishes a current Bill of Costs for both functions. Pennsylvania sets probate fees per county (42 P.S. § 21022.1), and Lancaster publishes a 2026 Register of Wills Bill of Costs and a 2026 Orphans' Court Division Bill of Costs, both effective January 1, 2026, on the county website's Bill of Costs page. The Register's probate fee is graduated by estate value, starting at $100 for an estate up to $25,000, and the initial filing adds the $41.25 JCS/ATJ surcharge and the county's $15.75 automation fee; short certificates are $10.00 each. Older copies of the Lancaster Bill of Costs still circulate online, so use the current schedule and confirm the total with the office.
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Lancaster County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | A Lancaster County 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 in person with the Lancaster 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 county Estate Information Sheet. A vetted Lancaster County probate attorney if the estate is contested or complex. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent lived in Lancaster County and left a qualifying small estate, the child can settle it on the county's Small Estate 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 a full estate is an in-person step, plan a trip to Lancaster or arrange a special-exception videoconference. | Asset discovery to confirm the estate fits the small-estate path and holds no complicating real property. Packet generation for the county 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster County real estate; a contested step is 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 Lancaster County probate attorney to run the administration and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Lancaster County Register of Wills (co.lancaster.pa.us/159/Register-of-Wills) | The combined Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court page: address, hours, filing practice, the Estate Information Sheet and Small Estate Petition, and the online probate records link |
| Lancaster County paperless probate records (paperless.lancastercountypa.gov) | The county's own online system to search Lancaster probate and marriage records |
| Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas self-help (court.lancastercountypa.gov) | The Second Judicial District court pages: the audit and court calendar, self-help center, and local court information |
| 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 |
| MidPenn Legal Services, Lancaster office (midpenn.org, 38 North Christian Street, Suite 200, (717) 299-0971; central intake 1-800-326-9177) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible Lancaster County residents, including elder-law matters |
| Lancaster Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (lancasterbar.org, (717) 393-0737) | Referral to a qualified Lancaster County attorney, including for estate and probate matters |
| 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 opening a full estate in Lancaster is an in-person step and administration runs through the Orphans' Court Division, counsel is common for larger or contested estates. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Lancaster 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, Lancaster County real estate, business interests, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value for estate settlement and can pick the right Pennsylvania path before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the Lancaster County filing: the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02), the county Estate Information Sheet, the inventory (Form RW-09), and the supporting documents from Pennsylvania's statewide set, or the county Small Estate Petition where the estate qualifies, ready to file in person with the Register of Wills.
Find a local probate attorney. When an estate is contested, taxable, or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Lancaster 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 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania?
Probate begins with the Lancaster County Register of Wills, which is also the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, at the Lancaster County Courthouse, 50 North Duke Street, second floor, Lancaster, PA 17602, (717) 295-5994. That is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) is presented in person, and letters are issued. The same combined office handles the inventory, accounts, and petitions that the Orphans' Court Division supervises.
Can I e-file a probate in Lancaster County?
No. Petitions for the grant of letters are filed in person at the Register of Wills counter, and the office follows videoconference procedures only by special exception. Lancaster does not offer general online filing for opening a probate estate. Inheritance-tax returns and payments may be filed at the counter or mailed. Confirm the current requirements for Orphans' Court accounts and petitions with the office before relying on any remote route.
How much does it cost to open a probate estate in Lancaster County?
Lancaster County sets its own Register of Wills probate fees, graduated by the value of the estate (42 P.S. § 21022.1). Under the county's 2026 Register of Wills Bill of Costs, effective January 1, 2026, the probate fee is $100 for an estate up to $25,000, $175 from $25,000.01 to $50,000, and $250 from $50,000.01 to $100,000, then $150 for each additional $100,000 or fraction, plus a $41.25 JCS/ATJ surcharge and a $15.75 automation fee on the initial filing. Short certificates are $10.00 each. Confirm the current total with the Lancaster County Register of Wills before you file.
What are the Lancaster County Register of Wills hours?
The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and is closed on weekends and county holidays; the Marriage Department is open 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Because opening an estate is an in-person step, confirm the current same-day filing cutoff with the office before you go.
How do I look up a Lancaster County estate or probate record?
Lancaster County runs its own paperless probate and marriage records system at paperless.lancastercountypa.gov, which is where Lancaster estate records are searched 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 holds the official file.
What forms do I use for a Lancaster 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. Lancaster also uses its own Estate Information Sheet as an intake form and publishes a county Small Estate Petition for the settlement of a small estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102).
Do I have to appear in person to open probate in Lancaster County?
Yes, in most cases. Opening a probate estate in Lancaster is an in-person step at the Register of Wills counter, and the office follows videoconference procedures only by special exception. If you cannot appear, contact the office in advance to ask about the special-exception videoconference procedure.
Does Lancaster 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 Lancaster County estates. The REV-1500 resident return is filed with the Lancaster County Register of Wills, at the counter or by mail. 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 Lancaster County?
A qualifying small estate can be settled on the county's Small Estate 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 Small Estate Petition is a Lancaster County form available from the Register of Wills office and the county website; the filing fee is $157, which includes the JCS/ATJ and automation fees, under the 2026 Orphans' Court Division Bill of Costs effective January 1, 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.