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Montgomery County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Where probate begins | The Montgomery County Register of Wills at One Montgomery Plaza in Norristown: this is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) is presented, letters testamentary or of administration are issued, and the Pennsylvania inheritance-tax return (REV-1500) is filed |
| Who supervises administration | The Montgomery County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (38th Judicial District), which handles inventories, accounts, distributions, guardianships, and disputes. In Montgomery County the same elected Register of Wills serves as the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, so both offices are the same counter at One Montgomery Plaza |
| Filing office | Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court, One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street, 4th Floor, Norristown, PA 19401; mailing to P.O. Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404-0311 |
| Phone | (610) 278-3400 |
| [email protected] (the office's general mailbox) | |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.; probate walk-in hours are 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and no appointments or walk-ins are taken after 3:30 p.m. Closed weekends and county holidays |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills probate fees are set by Montgomery County and graduated by the gross value of the estate, starting at $50.00 for an estate not exceeding $5,000 and rising with estate value to $425.00 for an estate of $200,001 to $300,000, then $150 for each additional $100,000 or fraction (Montgomery County Register of Wills Fee Schedule No. 2025-00001, effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026). On top of the graduated base, the county schedule adds Commonwealth and county fees separately: an Automated Computer Project fee of $10.00, a Judicial Computer Project (JCP) surcharge of $41.25 (increased from $40.25 effective December 1, 2025), and a Child Care Fund fee of $5.00 (42 P.S. § 21022.1). A short certificate is $15.00. 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). The small-estate petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) is a county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division; obtain it from the Register of Wills office |
| E-filing | Montgomery County offers online probate filing through its own Register of Wills e-filing portal at webapp.montcopa.org/ROWEFiling, and encourages Orphans' Court filings through the same system; emergency Orphans' Court petitions are accepted over the counter only. Some steps, such as being sworn on a grant of letters, may still be handled in person, so confirm the requirements 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); Montgomery County also posts its own public access case search, the Find a Case link on the Register of Wills page, which runs through the county's e-filing viewer with a guest access option |
| Remote appearance | Formats for Orphans' Court hearings are set by the court; confirm any remote option with the office before a scheduled date |
| Website | https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/departments/register-wills-clerk-orphans-court |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
The first Montgomery County question is which path fits the estate, and then how you deal with the office. 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 Montgomery County the same office handles both. 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 Norristown-area 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 Montgomery 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. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Montgomery County Register of Wills and the Montgomery County Orphans' Court Division serve all of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania's third most populous county. The county takes in Norristown, the county seat, along with Lower Merion, Abington, Cheltenham, Upper Merion (King of Prussia), Upper Dublin, Horsham, Lower Providence, Montgomery Township, Whitpain, Plymouth, Pottstown, Lansdale, Ambler, Jenkintown, and the county's many other 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 Montgomery County has the estate opened here, regardless of which municipality within the county the person lived in.
Montgomery County is the 38th Judicial District, a single-county district. The Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are the same office, on the fourth floor of One Montgomery Plaza at 425 Swede Street in Norristown, and that is where both the grant of letters and the later administration filings are lodged. Contested matters, accounts, and audits are heard before the Orphans' Court Division judges of the 38th Judicial District at the county courthouse in Norristown.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue. Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 with a raised seal, an estimate of the estate's assets and debts, and the names and addresses of the heirs. An administrator who is an out-of-state resident, or an estate with minor heirs, may need to post a surety bond.
- File with the Register of Wills. Present the petition at the office on the fourth floor of One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street, Norristown, or file online through the county's Register of Wills e-filing portal at webapp.montcopa.org/ROWEFiling. Probate walk-in hours are 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and no appointments or walk-ins are taken after 3:30 p.m., so plan any in-person step accordingly.
- Pay the county filing fee. Montgomery's Register of Wills probate fee is graduated by the gross value of the estate, from $50.00 for an estate not exceeding $5,000 up to $425.00 for an estate of $200,001 to $300,000, then $150 for each additional $100,000 or fraction; the county adds an Automated Computer Project fee of $10.00, a Judicial Computer Project surcharge of $41.25, and a Child Care Fund fee of $5.00 separately (42 P.S. § 21022.1; Montgomery County Register of Wills Fee Schedule No. 2025-00001, effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026). For the certified proof of your authority, request short certificates at $15.00 each.
- 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 Montgomery County Law Reporter, the county legal periodical designated for legal notices, 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 acts as the collection agent. 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 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 Montgomery County
Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, and Montgomery 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.
The small-estate petition is different: settlement of a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 uses a county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division, not a numbered statewide RW form. Obtain it from the Register of Wills office. In Montgomery County the completed forms are filed with the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court at One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street, Norristown, or through the county's Register of Wills e-filing portal at webapp.montcopa.org/ROWEFiling, which the county encourages for both probate and Orphans' Court filings.
Fees
Pennsylvania sets probate filing fees per county, and Montgomery County publishes its own Register of Wills fee schedule (No. 2025-00001), effective January 1, 2026, graduated by the gross value of the estate. On top of the graduated base fee, the county schedule adds Commonwealth and county fees separately, rather than folding them into the base amount: an Automated Computer Project fee of $10.00, a Judicial Computer Project (JCP) surcharge of $41.25 (increased from $40.25 effective December 1, 2025), and a Child Care Fund fee of $5.00 (42 P.S. § 21022.1). The initial probate fee is based on an estimated gross value at filing; if the actual value reported on the inventory and inheritance-tax return is higher, an additional probate fee is charged at the same schedule. Confirm the current amounts before you file; each figure below carries its source.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grant of letters, estate not exceeding $5,000 | $50.00 | The minimum graduated grant-of-letters fee (Montgomery County Register of Wills Fee Schedule No. 2025-00001, effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $25,001 to $50,000 | $175.00 | An example mid-range tier; the fee rises in steps with the gross value of the estate (Montgomery County Register of Wills Fee Schedule No. 2025-00001, effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $200,001 to $300,000 | $425.00 | The top published tier, then $150 for each additional $100,000 or fraction of estate value (Montgomery County Register of Wills Fee Schedule No. 2025-00001, effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Commonwealth and county fees (added to every grant of letters) | $56.25 | Automated Computer Project $10.00, Judicial Computer Project surcharge $41.25, and Child Care Fund $5.00, added separately to the graduated base (Montgomery County Register of Wills Fee Schedule No. 2025-00001, effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Short certificate (certified proof of the letters) | $15.00 each | What banks and transfer agents rely on to release estate assets (Montgomery County Register of Wills Fee Schedule No. 2025-00001, effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Petition | $100.00 | General petition filing fee; petitions with citations add $40.00 each (Montgomery County Register of Wills Fee Schedule No. 2025-00001, effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
| Letters reissued, revoked, or to a successor representative | $95.00 | For reissuing letters, a revocation, or letters to a successor personal representative (Montgomery County Register of Wills Fee Schedule No. 2025-00001, effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026) |
Local nuance
Montgomery County-specific considerations
One office is both the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. In Montgomery County the elected Register of Wills also serves as the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, so a single office on the fourth floor of One Montgomery Plaza handles both the grant of letters and the later Orphans' Court filings. You are not dealing with two separate counters. Because officials are elected and change, this page refers to the office rather than the officeholder.
Montgomery runs its own probate e-filing system. The county offers online probate filing through its own Register of Wills e-filing portal at webapp.montcopa.org/ROWEFiling, and it encourages Orphans' Court filings through the same system, with instructions posted on the county site. Emergency Orphans' Court petitions are accepted over the counter only. This county e-filing option is separate from the statewide UJS Portal case search.
Probate walk-in hours close before the office does. The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., but probate walk-in hours are 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and no appointments or walk-ins are taken after 3:30 p.m. If you plan to present a petition or be sworn in person, arrive before the 3:30 p.m. cutoff.
The probate fee is based on an estimate, then trued up. At filing, the initial probate fee is calculated from an estimated gross value of the probate assets. When the inheritance-tax return and inventory are filed and the actual gross value is known, the office charges an additional probate fee if the actual value falls in a higher bracket on the county schedule. Budget for a possible top-up if the early estimate was low.
Send mail to the post office box, not the street address. In-person filings and overnight deliveries go to One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street, 4th Floor, Norristown, PA 19401, but regular mail goes to the office's P.O. Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404-0311. Using the right address avoids a delay in opening the estate.
Recent updates
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | The Montgomery County Register of Wills adopted an amended fee schedule (No. 2025-00001, 55 Pa.B. 7950), graduated by gross estate value, with Commonwealth and county fees added separately (source: Pennsylvania Bulletin and the county fee schedule, verified July 2026). |
| December 1, 2025 | The statewide Judicial Computer Project (JCP) surcharge added to each estate filing increased from $40.25 to $41.25 (source: Montgomery County Register of Wills fee page, verified July 2026). |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Montgomery County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | A Norristown-area 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 with the Montgomery 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 supporting documents. A vetted Montgomery County probate attorney if the estate is contested or complex. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent lived in Montgomery 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. Montgomery's probate e-filing portal can reduce trips to Norristown, though a grant of letters may still involve an in-person step. | 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County probate attorney to run the administration and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Montgomery County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court (montgomerycountypa.gov/departments/register-wills-clerk-orphans-court) | The office pages: address, hours, the probate process, the fee schedule, forms, and the probate e-filing link |
| Montgomery County probate e-filing (webapp.montcopa.org/ROWEFiling) | The county's own online system to file probate and Orphans' Court documents, with posted electronic-filing instructions |
| 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 |
| Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania (lasp.org, helpline (877) 429-5994) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties, including elder-law matters such as wills and powers of attorney; the Norristown office is at 625 Swede Street |
| Montgomery Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (montgomerybar.org, (610) 279-9660) | Referral to a qualified attorney, with an initial assessment of up to 30 minutes for a modest referral fee |
| 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery estates skew larger and more complex than those in the rural counties, counsel is common here. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Montgomery 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, Montgomery County real estate, business interests, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and can pick the right Pennsylvania estate settlement path before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the Montgomery County filing: the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02), the inventory (Form RW-09), and the supporting documents from Pennsylvania's statewide set, or the small-estate petition where the estate qualifies, ready to file through the county's probate e-filing portal or in person.
Find a local probate attorney. When an estate is contested, taxable, or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, Pennsylvania?
Probate begins with the Montgomery County Register of Wills, on the fourth floor of One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street, Norristown, PA 19401, (610) 278-3400. That is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) is presented, and letters are issued. In Montgomery County the Register of Wills is also the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, so the same office handles the later administration filings.
Can I e-file a probate in Montgomery County?
Yes. Montgomery County runs its own Register of Wills e-filing portal at webapp.montcopa.org/ROWEFiling, and it encourages both probate and Orphans' Court filings through that system; emergency Orphans' Court petitions are taken over the counter only. Some steps, such as being sworn on a grant of letters, may still be handled in person, so confirm what your specific matter requires with the office.
How much does it cost to open a probate estate in Montgomery County?
Montgomery's Register of Wills probate fee is set by the county and graduated by the gross value of the estate, from $50.00 for an estate not exceeding $5,000 up to $425.00 for an estate of $200,001 to $300,000, then $150 for each additional $100,000 or fraction. The county adds an Automated Computer Project fee of $10.00, a Judicial Computer Project surcharge of $41.25, and a Child Care Fund fee of $5.00 separately (42 P.S. § 21022.1). A short certificate is $15.00 (Montgomery County Register of Wills Fee Schedule No. 2025-00001, effective January 1, 2026, verified July 2026).
What are the Montgomery County Register of Wills hours?
The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., and is closed on weekends and county holidays. Probate walk-in hours are 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and no appointments or walk-ins are taken after 3:30 p.m., so arrive before that cutoff if you plan to present a petition or be sworn in person.
How do I look up a Montgomery County estate or probate record?
Montgomery County posts its own public access case search, the Find a Case link on the Register of Wills page, which runs through the county's e-filing viewer and offers a guest access option. 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. To confirm a specific estate filing you can also contact the office at (610) 278-3400.
What forms do I use for a Montgomery 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. The small-estate petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) is a county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division; obtain it from the Register of Wills office.
Do I have to appear in person to open probate in Montgomery County?
Not always. Montgomery County offers probate e-filing through its own portal, which reduces the need to travel to Norristown. Some steps, such as being sworn on a grant of letters, may still involve an in-person or scheduled appearance. Confirm what your matter requires with the Register of Wills office before relying on the online route, and note that probate walk-ins are taken only from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Does Montgomery 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 Montgomery County estates. The REV-1500 resident return is filed with the Montgomery County Register of Wills, which acts as the collection agent. 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 Montgomery 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 small-estate petition is a county form obtained from the Register of Wills office; 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.