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Northampton County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Where probate begins | The Northampton County Register of Wills, at the Northampton County Courthouse, 669 Washington Street, Easton: 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 Northampton County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (Third Judicial District), which handles inventories, accounts, distributions, guardianships, and disputes; the filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, in the same courthouse |
| Combined officeholder | The same elected officer serves as both the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, so one office at 669 Washington Street handles both the grant of letters and the later administration filings |
| Courthouse | Northampton County Courthouse, 669 Washington Street, Easton, PA 18042 |
| Phone | Probate line (610) 829-6487 or (610) 829-6486; the county main line is (610) 829-6500 |
| Fax | (610) 559-3735 |
| [email protected] (the designated probate mailbox) | |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; hours vary during holidays. Closed weekends. Confirm any filing cutoff before making a trip to Easton |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills probate fees are set by Northampton County. The letters component is graduated by the gross value of the estate, starting at $30.00, and the total is built by adding itemized charges: an inheritance-tax return fee, an inventory fee, a county improvement fee, an automation fee, a JCP fee of $40.25 assessed on each petition, and $5.00 per short certificate (Northampton County Register of Wills fee schedule, revised January 13, 2021, verified July 2026). See the fees section below, and confirm the current schedule with the Register of Wills |
| Local forms | Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set (published on pacourts.us), including Form RW-02 (Petition for Grant of Letters) and Form RW-09 (Inventory). 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. Northampton also uses Confidential Document Form (CDF) and Confidential Information Form (CIF) cover forms for filings with sensitive information |
| E-filing | The grant of letters before the Register of Wills is by practice an in-person step, and the initial estate filing is on paper. Pennsylvania is rolling out Orphans' Court e-filing county by county through the statewide UJS Portal, with an access code from the county Clerk of the Orphans' Court where it is offered; Northampton County's own pages do not advertise Orphans' Court e-filing for estate matters, so plan on paper filings and confirm the current options with the office. Guardianship inventories and annual reports are filed through the statewide Guardianship Tracking System |
| 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); Northampton also runs its own online Wills and Orphans' Court records search at wior.northamptoncounty.org, covering estate, orphans' court, and marriage records from 1994 to the present, for a small per-search fee |
| Remote appearance | Not published as a routine option for the grant of letters, which by practice is done in person before the Register; hearing formats before the Orphans' Court Division are set by the court, so confirm any remote option before a scheduled date |
| Website | https://www.norcopa.gov/register-of-wills-and-orphans-court |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
The first Northampton County question is which path fits the estate, and then which office you deal with first. Pennsylvania probate begins at the Register of Wills, where the will is admitted and letters are granted; the Orphans' Court Division then supervises the administration. A qualifying small estate can instead be settled on a petition to the Orphans' Court division (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102), and some assets pass without any grant of letters at all (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101). The statewide thresholds and paths are covered on the Pennsylvania state page. A jointly owned Lehigh Valley 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 Northampton 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 Northampton County Register of Wills and the Northampton County Orphans' Court Division serve all of Northampton County, in the Lehigh Valley of eastern Pennsylvania. The county takes in the cities of Easton (the county seat) and Bethlehem (shared with Lehigh County), along with Nazareth, Bangor, Pen Argyl, Wind Gap, Northampton, Bath, Hellertown, Wilson, Freemansburg, and the surrounding townships such as Bethlehem, Palmer, Forks, Lower Saucon, Bushkill, Plainfield, and Upper Nazareth. 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 Northampton County has the estate opened here, regardless of which municipality within the county the person lived in.
Northampton County is a single-county judicial district, the Third Judicial District, so the Orphans' Court judge is a Northampton County Court of Common Pleas judge sitting in the Orphans' Court Division. The Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are held by the same elected officer, and both offices are in the Northampton County Courthouse at 669 Washington Street in Easton, where the grant of letters, the inventory, and the later administration filings are all lodged. The office keeps the county's original wills and estate records, dating back to 1752.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue. Northampton 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 Northampton 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, 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 appear and identify the decedent's signature under oath.
- File with the Register of Wills. Present the petition at the Register of Wills office in the Northampton County Courthouse, 669 Washington Street, Easton. Pennsylvania practice generally requires the personal representative to appear before the Register to be sworn, so plan to file the grant of letters in person; the probate line is (610) 829-6487 or (610) 829-6486, and probate questions can be emailed to [email protected].
- Pay the county filing fee. Northampton's Register of Wills probate fee is built by adding itemized charges: the letters component graduated by the gross value of the estate (starting at $30.00), plus an inheritance-tax return fee ($15.00), an inventory fee ($10.00), a county improvement fee ($1.00), an automation fund fee ($1.00), and a JCP fee of $40.25 assessed on each petition (Northampton County Register of Wills fee schedule, revised January 13, 2021, verified July 2026). For the certified proof of your authority, short certificates are $5.00 each. See the fees section below.
- 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 county legal periodical (the Northampton County Reporter, the county's designated legal journal), 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 Northampton County
Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, and Northampton 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 and are linked from the county's own Register of Wills and Orphans' Court page.
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. Northampton County also uses a Confidential Document Form (CDF) and a Confidential Information Form (CIF) as cover forms for any filing that contains confidential information under the Public Access Policy. In Northampton County the completed forms are filed with the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court at the Northampton County Courthouse, 669 Washington Street, Easton; the grant of letters is presented in person.
Fees
Pennsylvania sets probate filing fees per county, and Northampton County publishes its own Register of Wills fee schedule. Unlike counties that roll the surcharges into a single graduated figure, Northampton builds the total probate fee by adding itemized charges: the letters (grant of letters) component, which is graduated by the gross value of the estate and excludes jointly held assets and transfers, plus a set of fixed add-ons. Under the authority of 42 P.S. § 21022.1, the county's published schedule itemizes a JCP fee of $40.25 assessed on each petition and a county improvement fee and automation fund fee of $1.00 each, rather than the $41.25 JCS/ATJ/CJEA surcharge and $14.75 automation fee some other counties list. The figures below were read from the county's published schedule (revised January 13, 2021) in July 2026; because the schedule is dated, confirm the current amounts with the Register of Wills before you file.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Letters (grant of letters), graduated by gross estate value | From $30.00 | The letters component starts at $30.00 for a smaller estate and rises in steps with the gross value of the estate (for example, $50.00 for $25,001 to $50,000; $75.00 for $50,001 to $75,000; $100.00 for $75,001 to $100,000; $150.00 for $150,001 to $250,000), reaching $950.00 for $950,001 to $1,000,000, then $400.00 for each additional $1,000,000; jointly held assets and transfers are excluded (Northampton County Register of Wills fee schedule, revised January 13, 2021, verified July 2026) |
| JCP fee (assessed on each petition) | $40.25 | A statewide surcharge the county assesses on each new petition (Northampton County Register of Wills fee schedule, revised January 13, 2021, verified July 2026) |
| Inheritance-tax return | $15.00 | Charged on the estate filing; includes $1.00 automation and $1.00 improvement components (Northampton County Register of Wills fee schedule, revised January 13, 2021, verified July 2026) |
| Inventory (Form RW-09) | $10.00 | For filing the verified inventory (Northampton County Register of Wills fee schedule, revised January 13, 2021, verified July 2026) |
| County improvement fee and automation fund fee | $1.00 each | Two $1.00 county components added to the total probate fee (Northampton County Register of Wills fee schedule, revised January 13, 2021, verified July 2026) |
| Short certificate (certified proof of the letters) | $5.00 each | The certified proof of the personal representative's authority that banks and transfer agents rely on (Northampton County Register of Wills fee schedule, revised January 13, 2021, verified July 2026) |
| Renunciation | $5.00 each | Filed where a person with priority declines to serve; must be notarized and accompanied by a copy of the renouncing person's identification (Northampton County Register of Wills fee schedule, revised January 13, 2021, verified July 2026) |
| Record a will (non-probate) | $40.00 | For recording a will where no grant of letters is sought (Northampton County Register of Wills fee schedule, revised January 13, 2021, verified July 2026) |
| Certification of a will or any document | $10.00 | Plus $0.50 per page for photocopies (Northampton County Register of Wills fee schedule, revised January 13, 2021, verified July 2026) |
Local nuance
Northampton County-specific considerations
One officer holds both offices. In Northampton County the same elected official serves as both the Register of Wills, who admits the will and grants letters, and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, whose office receives the inventory, accounts, and later administration filings. Both functions run out of the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court office in the Northampton County Courthouse at 669 Washington Street, Easton, so a family generally deals with one counter for both the opening of the estate and the filings that follow.
The county has its own online records search. Beyond the statewide UJS Portal, Northampton County runs its own online Wills and Orphans' Court records portal at wior.northamptoncounty.org, where estate, orphans' court, and marriage records from 1994 to the present can be searched and viewed for a small per-search fee. It is a records search tool, not a document e-filing system for the grant of letters.
The probate fee is itemized, not a single figure. Northampton builds the total probate fee by adding a graduated letters component to a set of fixed charges, and its published schedule lists a $40.25 JCP fee on each petition plus $1.00 county improvement and automation fees, rather than the $41.25 and $14.75 figures other counties quote. Because the county's published schedule is dated (revised January 13, 2021), confirm the current amounts with the Register of Wills before relying on a total.
Estate filings are made on paper, not online. The grant of letters before the Register of Wills is by practice an in-person step, and Northampton County's own pages do not advertise Orphans' Court e-filing for estate matters; the electronic filing system the county announced by local rule covers civil filings with the Prothonotary, not the Orphans' Court. Statewide, Orphans' Court e-filing through the UJS Portal is rolling out county by county and requires an access code from the county Clerk of the Orphans' Court where it is offered, and guardianship inventories and annual reports are filed through the statewide Guardianship Tracking System. Confirm the current options for your matter with the office before relying on an online route.
Accounts are confirmed on the Orphans' Court audit calendar. Formal accounts filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are advertised and then called for confirmation on scheduled dates set by the court, at which the court hears exceptions and directs distribution. If your matter will require a formal account, ask the Clerk which filing and confirmation date fits your estate.
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Northampton County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | A Lehigh Valley 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 Northampton 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 Northampton County probate attorney if the estate is contested or complex. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent lived in Northampton County and left a qualifying small estate, the child can settle it on a petition to the Orphans' Court division (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) rather than a full grant of letters; some assets can pass without any letters at all (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101). A larger estate is opened with the Register of Wills on Form RW-02. Because the grant of letters generally requires appearing before the Register in Easton, an out-of-state child should call the probate line ahead to plan a single trip. | 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 Northampton 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 Northampton 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 Northampton County probate attorney to run the administration and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Northampton County Register of Wills and Orphans' Court (norcopa.gov/register-of-wills-and-orphans-court) | The county office page: address, hours, the probate line and [email protected], the published fee schedule, the confidential-filing forms, the Orphans' Court audit list, and the online records link |
| Northampton County online records portal (wior.northamptoncounty.org) | The county's own search of estate, orphans' court, and marriage records from 1994 to the present, for a small per-search fee |
| Northampton County Court of Common Pleas, Orphans' Court (nccpa.org/orphans) | The judicial side of the Orphans' Court Division: decedents' estates, trusts, guardianships, adoptions, and the published Orphans' Court audit dates with the last day to file for each |
| 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 |
| North Penn Legal Services, Bethlehem office, intake (877) 953-4250 (nplspa.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Northampton and Lehigh counties, including advice on estate-related civil matters |
| Northampton County Bar Association Attorney Referral and Information Service, (610) 258-6333 (norcobar.org) | Referral to a qualified Northampton County attorney, with a 30-minute consultation for a set fee paid at scheduling |
| 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 Northampton 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 Northampton 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 Lehigh Valley estates often involve real property and inheritance tax, counsel is common here. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Northampton 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, Northampton 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 Northampton 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 present to the Register of Wills in Easton.
Find a local probate attorney. When an estate is contested, taxable, or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Northampton 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 Northampton County, Pennsylvania?
Probate begins with the Northampton County Register of Wills, in the Northampton County Courthouse at 669 Washington Street, Easton, PA 18042. That is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) is presented, and letters are issued. The same office also serves as the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, which supervises the administration that follows. The probate line is (610) 829-6487 or (610) 829-6486, and probate questions can be emailed to [email protected].
Can I e-file a probate in Northampton County?
No. The grant of letters before the Register of Wills is by practice an in-person step, and the initial estate filing is on paper. Northampton County's own pages do not advertise Orphans' Court e-filing for estate matters; statewide, Orphans' Court e-filing through the UJS Portal is rolling out county by county and requires an access code from the county Clerk of the Orphans' Court where it is offered, and guardianship inventories and annual reports are filed through the statewide Guardianship Tracking System. Confirm the current options for your specific matter with the office before relying on an online route.
How much does it cost to open a probate estate in Northampton County?
Northampton builds the probate fee by adding itemized charges: the letters component is graduated by the gross value of the estate and starts at $30.00, plus a $40.25 JCP fee on each petition, a $15.00 inheritance-tax return fee, a $10.00 inventory fee, $1.00 county improvement and automation fees, and $5.00 per short certificate. The figures come from the county's published schedule (revised January 13, 2021), so confirm the current amounts with the Register of Wills before you file.
What are the Northampton County Register of Wills hours?
The Register of Wills and Orphans' Court office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and is closed on weekends; hours vary during holidays. Because the grant of letters is presented in person, confirm any filing cutoff and, for an appointment, call the probate line at (610) 829-6487 or (610) 829-6486 before making a trip to Easton.
How do I look up a Northampton County estate or probate record?
Northampton County runs its own online Wills and Orphans' Court records search at wior.northamptoncounty.org, covering estate, orphans' court, and marriage records from 1994 to the present, for a small per-search fee. 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 office holds the official file, with estate records dating back to 1752.
What forms do I use for a Northampton 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. Northampton also uses Confidential Document and Confidential Information cover forms for filings with sensitive information.
Do I have to appear in person to open probate in Northampton County?
For the grant of letters, generally yes. Pennsylvania practice requires the personal representative to appear before the Register of Wills to be sworn, so opening probate is not a mail-in step. Call the probate line at (610) 829-6487 or (610) 829-6486 ahead of time to confirm what your matter requires and, if you are coming from out of the area, to plan a single trip to Easton.
Does Northampton 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 Northampton County estates. The REV-1500 resident return is filed with the Northampton 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 Northampton 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 $50,000 threshold and the section 3101 caps 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.