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Lebanon County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Where probate begins | The Lebanon County Register of Wills, Room 105 of the Lebanon Municipal Building, 400 South 8th Street, Lebanon, PA 17042, (717) 228-4415. This is where the original will is filed, the petition for grant of letters is presented, letters testamentary (with a will) or letters of administration (without one) are issued, and the Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (REV-1500) is filed |
| Who supervises administration | The Lebanon County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (52nd Judicial District), whose filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. In Lebanon County the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are the same elected officeholder, working from the same Room 105 office; the Orphans' Court handles the inventory, accounts, distributions, guardianships, adoptions, and disputes, including appeals from the Register of Wills |
| Office | Lebanon Municipal Building, 400 South 8th Street, Room 105, Lebanon, PA 17042. The Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court share this office |
| Phone | (717) 228-4415. This is the county's own line, not a statewide call center |
| Fax | (717) 228-4460, per the county's Register of Wills page, verified July 2026 |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and closed on county holidays. The grant of letters is handled in person, so confirm any filing cutoff before making a trip to Lebanon |
| Payment | The Register of Wills accepts cash or check only, not credit cards |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills fees are set by Lebanon County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $50.00 for an estate not over $5,000 and rising with the estate's value, plus a separate statewide Judicial Computer System (JCS) surcharge and an automation fee, per the county's Register of Wills fee schedule effective February 1, 2019 (42 P.S. § 21022.1). A short certificate is $5.00. See the fees section below, and confirm the current amounts with the office, because the JCS surcharge has risen since 2019 |
| Local probate forms | Pennsylvania uses a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set published on pacourts.us and used in every county; Lebanon County does not publish a separate numbered county form set. The petition to settle a small estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) uses a form obtained from the office |
| E-filing | The grant of letters is handled on paper, in person, with the Register of Wills; no Register of Wills e-filing is offered. Guardianship inventories and reports use the statewide Guardianship Tracking System (GTS). Confirm with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court whether a given Orphans' Court filing can be submitted through the statewide PACFile system or must be filed on paper |
| Online case search | Lebanon County runs its own online probate case search: the Public Case Search Portal linked from the county's Register of Wills page (portal.lebanon.pa.countysuite-azuregov.us). The statewide UJS Portal case search (ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch) also exists, though its coverage of Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate records varies by county; an in-office records search is $10.00 per name (Lebanon County Clerk of Orphans' Court fee schedule effective February 1, 2019, verified July 2026) |
| Remote appearance | Not published for Lebanon County estate matters; ask the office whether a given step can be handled remotely |
| Website | https://www.lebanoncountypa.gov/departments/register-of-wills |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Lebanon County, know exactly what is in the estate, because which Pennsylvania path fits depends on whether there is a will and on the value and type of the assets. The options are 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 filed with the Orphans' Court (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102), or the release of certain assets without any letters at all (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101). 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 before the Register in Lebanon.
Identify every bank and credit-union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life-insurance policy, vehicle, business interest, and parcel of Lebanon County real estate, along with every debt, before you go to the courthouse. How each asset is titled matters, because a jointly owned home with right of survivorship or a beneficiary-designated account passes outside probate while property in the decedent's sole name does not, so the estate that actually goes through probate can be smaller 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 Lebanon County Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, one combined office in Room 105 of the Lebanon Municipal Building, serve all of Lebanon County. That includes the city of Lebanon, the county seat, along with the boroughs of Palmyra, Myerstown, Cleona, Cornwall, Jonestown, Richland, and Mount Gretna, and the county's eighteen townships, among them Annville, North Londonderry, South Londonderry, Swatara, North Lebanon, and South Lebanon. Every Lebanon County estate is filed in the city of Lebanon. Lebanon County is its own single-county judicial district, the 52nd Judicial District, so the Orphans' Court judge is a Court of Common Pleas judge sitting in the Orphans' Court Division of that 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 Lebanon County, file with the Lebanon 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.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue and gather the documents. Lebanon County is the right county when the decedent had a last family or principal residence here at death (20 Pa.C.S. § 3151). 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. A qualifying small estate can instead be settled on a petition to the Orphans' Court division (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102), on a form obtained from the office. Lebanon County does not publish a separate numbered county form set.
- Present the petition to the Register of Wills in person. Take the petition, the original will, and the death certificate to the Register of Wills in Room 105 of the Lebanon Municipal Building, 400 South 8th Street, Lebanon. Pennsylvania practice requires the personal representative to appear before the Register to be sworn, and Lebanon County handles the grant of letters in person on paper rather than by e-filing, so plan a trip to Lebanon and call (717) 228-4415 before you go to confirm what the office needs.
- Pay the Register of Wills filing fee. The fee is set by Lebanon County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $50.00 for an estate not over $5,000 and rising with the estate's value, plus a separate statewide Judicial Computer System (JCS) surcharge and an automation fee, per the county's fee schedule effective February 1, 2019 (Lebanon County Register of Wills fee schedule effective February 1, 2019, verified July 2026). The office accepts cash or check only. Request several short certificates (certified proof of the letters, $5.00 each), which is what banks and transfer agents rely on. 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. The short certificate is the certified proof of the personal representative's authority.
- 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 Lebanon County Legal Journal, the county's designated legal periodical, 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), due no later than the earlier of the account filing or the inheritance-tax-return due date (20 Pa.C.S. § 3301). File the Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (REV-1500) with the Register of Wills; 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.
- Administer and close through the Orphans' Court. Pay valid debts and taxes, then distribute what remains. Many Lebanon County estates close by a family settlement agreement or a receipt, release, and refunding agreement among the beneficiaries. Where a formal account is required, it is filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, advertised, and presented to the Orphans' Court Division on the county's monthly confirmation cycle; see the timeline section below for how that calendar works.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Lebanon County
Pennsylvania has a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, published centrally on pacourts.us and used in every county, and Lebanon County files the same set; there is no separate numbered Lebanon 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), the Rule 10.6 status report (Form RW-10), and the Inventory (Form RW-09), along with the Orphans' Court OC-series account and administration forms. The petition to settle a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 uses a form obtained from the office rather than a numbered statewide RW form.
In Lebanon County these forms are filed on paper, in person, with the combined Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court office at 400 South 8th Street, Room 105, Lebanon; no Register of Wills e-filing is offered, and the office takes cash or check only. For questions about what the office needs on intake, call (717) 228-4415 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 |
| Lebanon County Register of Wills and Orphans' Court (lebanoncountypa.gov) | The county office page, with hours, the Room 105 location, the fee schedule, and contact information for the combined Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court office |
| 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 Lebanon County publishes its own Register of Wills fee schedule, effective February 1, 2019. The figures below were read from the county's published schedule in July 2026; confirm the current amounts with the office, because the schedule dates from 2019 and the statewide surcharge has risen since then.
The Register of Wills fee for a grant of letters is graduated by the value of the estate: $50.00 for an estate not over $5,000, $75.00 for $5,000 to $10,000, $100.00 for $10,000 to $20,000, $125.00 for $20,000 to $30,000, $150.00 for $30,000 to $50,000, $200.00 for $50,000 to $75,000, and $250.00 for $75,000 to $100,000, plus $100.00 for each additional $100,000. On top of the graduated fee, the 2019 schedule adds a separate $40.25 statewide Judicial Computer System (JCS) surcharge and a $19.75 automation fee. The county notes that the JCS surcharge rose by $1.00 to $41.25 under the 2025 Pennsylvania budget, to be incorporated into the next fee schedule, so confirm the current surcharge when you file. The schedule also states that a conservative estimate of the estate's value is required when you apply for letters, and that any additional letters cost is collected when the inheritance tax papers are filed. The same February 1, 2019 document carries the Clerk of Orphans' Court schedule, which sets the account and records fees below. The office accepts cash or check only.
| Lebanon County filing | Fee |
|---|---|
| Grant of letters, estate not over $5,000 | $50.00 base, plus the separate $40.25 JCS surcharge and $19.75 automation fee (Lebanon County Register of Wills fee schedule effective February 1, 2019, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $30,000 to $50,000 | $150.00 base, plus the separate $40.25 JCS surcharge and $19.75 automation fee (Lebanon County Register of Wills fee schedule effective February 1, 2019, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $75,000 to $100,000 | $250.00 base, then $100.00 for each additional $100,000, plus the separate $40.25 JCS surcharge and $19.75 automation fee (Lebanon County Register of Wills fee schedule effective February 1, 2019, verified July 2026) |
| Short certificate (certified proof of the letters) | $5.00 each (Lebanon County Register of Wills fee schedule effective February 1, 2019, verified July 2026) |
| Probate of will only | $40.00 (Lebanon County Register of Wills fee schedule effective February 1, 2019, verified July 2026) |
| Inventory | $20.00 (Lebanon County Register of Wills fee schedule effective February 1, 2019, verified July 2026) |
| Inheritance tax return filing | $20.00 (Lebanon County Register of Wills fee schedule effective February 1, 2019, verified July 2026) |
| Petition to settle a small estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) | $50.00, plus the separate $40.25 JCS surcharge and $19.75 automation fee (Lebanon County Clerk of Orphans' Court fee schedule effective February 1, 2019, verified July 2026) |
| Records search | $10.00 per name (Lebanon County Clerk of Orphans' Court fee schedule effective February 1, 2019, verified July 2026) |
| Orphans' Court account (first page, including advertising) | $400.00, plus $5.00 for each additional page (Lebanon County Clerk of Orphans' Court fee schedule effective February 1, 2019, verified July 2026) |
Timeline
- Understand the monthly confirmation cycle. When a formal account of the estate is required, it is filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, advertised, and then presented to the Orphans' Court Division for confirmation. Lebanon County presents filed accounts for confirmation nisi (a preliminary confirmation) on the first Monday of each month, in every month except July; if the first Monday falls on a holiday, confirmation moves to the following day (Lebanon County Orphans' Court local Rule 2.9, verified July 2026).
- File by the published cutoff. The county publishes the cycle for first and final accounts: the last day to file is the first Friday of the month, and the account is then presented for confirmation nisi on the first Monday of the following month (Lebanon County Register of Wills page, verified July 2026). Confirm the advertising requirement for that month with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court.
- Watch the 20-day objection window. After an account is confirmed nisi, it is confirmed absolutely 20 days later if no objections are filed; the county notes that objections can only be filed after the nisi confirmation. An interested party who wants to object to the account must file the objection within that 20-day window.
- Most small estates never reach this cycle. Many Lebanon County estates close by a family settlement agreement or a receipt, release, and refunding agreement among the beneficiaries instead of a formal account, so the monthly confirmation calendar applies mainly when a formal account is required or a matter is contested.
Local nuance
Lebanon County-specific considerations
One elected officeholder runs both offices. In Lebanon County the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are the same elected officeholder, working from one office in Room 105 of the Lebanon Municipal Building, 400 South 8th Street. That office admits the will and grants letters as the Register of Wills, and it is the filing office for the inventory, accounts, distributions, guardianships, adoptions, and disputes as the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. You deal with the same counter for both the grant of letters and the later administration filings. The county Recorder of Deeds is a separate office under a different elected official.
The published fee schedule dates from 2019, and the surcharge has changed since. Lebanon County's Register of Wills fee schedule is effective February 1, 2019. It shows a $40.25 statewide Judicial Computer System (JCS) surcharge and a $19.75 automation fee added on top of the graduated grant-of-letters fee. The county notes that the JCS surcharge rose by $1.00 to $41.25 under the 2025 Pennsylvania budget, to be incorporated into the next fee schedule, so the amount you pay may be a little higher than the 2019 schedule prints. Confirm the current surcharge with the office, which takes cash or check only.
Opening an estate is a paper, in-person step. The grant of letters is handled on paper, in person, before the Register of Wills; Lebanon County offers no Register of Wills e-filing. The county does run its own online lookup: a Public Case Search Portal for probate case records, linked from the Register of Wills page. Guardianship inventories and reports use the statewide Guardianship Tracking System (GTS). Whether a given Orphans' Court filing can be submitted through the statewide PACFile system was not confirmed, so plan to file on paper unless the Clerk of the Orphans' Court gives you an access code.
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Lebanon County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Lebanon-area home was owned by the spouses as tenants by the entirety, or jointly with right of survivorship, 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 Lebanon County Register of Wills in Room 105 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 requires appearing before the Register in Lebanon and Lebanon is a paper-filing county, an out-of-state child should call ahead to plan the trip. | 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 Lebanon. |
| 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, in the priority order set by 20 Pa.C.S. § 3155; with a will, the parent probates it under Form RW-02. Once the letters issue, the personal representative can sell the Lebanon County home and, when a formal account is required, file it with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court on the monthly confirmation cycle. | 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 |
|---|---|
| Lebanon County Register of Wills and Orphans' Court, (717) 228-4415 (lebanoncountypa.gov/departments/register-of-wills) | The combined office that admits wills, grants letters, and receives Orphans' Court filings: hours, the Room 105 location, the fee schedule, and the mailing address |
| 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 Lebanon 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 Lebanon County Register of Wills |
| MidPenn Legal Services, Lebanon office (717) 274-2834, intake 1-800-326-9177 (midpenn.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Lebanon County and other central Pennsylvania counties, from a local office at 1150 Chestnut Street, Suite 1, Lebanon |
| Lebanon County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service, (717) 273-3113 (lebanoncountybar.org) | Referral to a Lebanon County attorney, including probate and estate practitioners, at 1150 Chestnut Street, Suite 2, Lebanon |
| PALawHELP (palawhelp.org) | Plain-language legal information and statewide routing to legal aid and lawyer referral services |
When to hire an attorney
Pennsylvania does not require an attorney to open a probate estate, and many uncontested Lebanon County estates are handled with the statewide forms and the Register of Wills, 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 an appeal from the Register to the Orphans' Court Division 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 Lebanon 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, Lebanon County real estate, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Pennsylvania path fits for estate settlement 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 Lebanon County Register of Wills in Lebanon, or the small estate petition where the estate qualifies.
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 Lebanon 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 Lebanon County?
With the Lebanon County Register of Wills, in Room 105 of the Lebanon Municipal Building, 400 South 8th Street, Lebanon, PA 17042, (717) 228-4415. The Register of Wills admits the will and grants letters. The administration that follows is supervised by the Orphans' Court, whose filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court; in Lebanon County the same elected officeholder fills both roles from the same Room 105 office.
Do I have to go to Lebanon in person to open an estate?
For the grant of letters, yes. Pennsylvania practice requires the personal representative to appear before the Register of Wills to be sworn, and Lebanon County handles the grant of letters in person on paper rather than by e-filing, so plan a trip to the Register of Wills in Lebanon. Call (717) 228-4415 ahead of time to confirm what the office needs and to plan a single trip.
Can I e-file a probate in Lebanon County?
No Register of Wills e-filing is offered in Lebanon County; the grant of letters is filed on paper, in person, and the office takes cash or check only. Guardianship inventories and reports use the statewide Guardianship Tracking System. Whether a given Orphans' Court filing can go through the statewide PACFile system is not confirmed, so plan to file on paper unless the Clerk of the Orphans' Court gives you an access code.
How much does it cost to file probate in Lebanon County?
The Register of Wills fee for a grant of letters is set by Lebanon County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $50.00 for an estate not over $5,000 and rising with the estate's value, plus a separate $40.25 Judicial Computer System surcharge and a $19.75 automation fee, per the county's fee schedule effective February 1, 2019. A short certificate is $5.00 each. The county notes the JCS surcharge rose to $41.25 under the 2025 Pennsylvania budget, so confirm the current amounts with the office; see the fees section above.
Where do I file if my parent lived in Lebanon but I live out of state?
You still file in Lebanon 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 Lebanon County Register of Wills regardless of where you live. Because the grant of letters requires appearing before the Register, an out-of-state personal representative should call the office at (717) 228-4415 ahead of time to plan a single trip.
What forms do I need for probate in Lebanon County?
The statewide Pennsylvania forms, the same set 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. Lebanon County does not publish a separate numbered county form set, and the petition to settle a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 uses a form obtained from the office.
How do I look up a Lebanon County probate or estate record?
Lebanon County runs its own online probate case search, the Public Case Search Portal linked from the county's Register of Wills page (portal.lebanon.pa.countysuite-azuregov.us). The statewide UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch is the general court case search, though its coverage of Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate records varies by county. To confirm a specific estate filing, you can also call the office or request an in-office records search, which is $10.00 per name.
Who handles inheritance tax in a Lebanon County estate?
The Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (the REV-1500 for a resident decedent) is filed with the Lebanon 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 long does an Orphans' Court account take to be confirmed in Lebanon County?
When a formal account is required, Lebanon County presents filed accounts for confirmation nisi on the first Monday of each month, except July, and confirms the account absolutely 20 days later if no objections are filed. The county publishes the cutoff: the last day to file a first and final account is the first Friday of the month, with confirmation nisi on the first Monday of the following month. Many smaller estates close by a family settlement agreement and never reach this cycle.
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.