Back to Pennsylvania
Somerset County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Probate begins at | The Somerset County Register of Wills, which admits the will to probate, grants letters testamentary (with a will) or letters of administration (without one), and receives the Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (REV-1500). The Register is a quasi-judicial officer who appoints the personal representative and can hold hearings on disputed probate matters |
| Administration supervised by | The Somerset County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (Sixteenth Judicial District), whose filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court; it handles the inventory, accounts, distributions, guardianships, small estate petitions, and disputes, including appeals from the Register of Wills |
| Combined office | One elected official serves as both the Somerset County Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, so both functions are handled from the same office at Suite 145 of the courthouse |
| Courthouse | Somerset County Courthouse, 111 East Union Street, Suite 145, Somerset, PA 15501 |
| Mailing address | Same as the courthouse address: 111 East Union Street, Suite 145, Somerset, PA 15501 |
| Phone | (814) 445-1548 (the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court office). This is the county's own line, not a statewide call center |
| Fax | (814) 445-1542 |
| [email protected] | |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, except legal holidays. Confirm the counter and any filing cutoff before making a trip to Somerset |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills fees are set by Somerset County and graduated by the value of the estate, from $137.25 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 up to $217.25 for an estate of $75,001 to $100,000, then $50.00 for each additional $100,000, under the county schedule effective November 17, 2025 (42 P.S. § 21022.1). The county states those amounts already include the $41.25 JCS surcharge, a $20 Register of Wills automation fee, a $20 inheritance-tax-return fee, and two short certificates. See the fees section below, and confirm the current schedule with the Register of Wills |
| Local probate forms | Pennsylvania uses a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set published on pacourts.us and used in every county. Somerset County posts a downloadable Small Estate Affidavit on the county site, but it is a narrow surviving-spouse deposit-account affidavit; the petition to settle a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 is a county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division |
| E-filing | None for estate matters. The Register of Wills handles the grant of letters in person (the county's posted probate requirements include the personal appearance of the executor), and Orphans' Court estate filings are made on paper with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. The only electronic filing in use is the statewide Guardianship Tracking System, through which court-appointed guardians file inventories and annual reports after obtaining an access code from the Clerk. Confirm the current options with the office |
| Online case search | The statewide UJS Portal case search (ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch); its coverage of Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate records varies by county |
| Remote appearance | Not published for Somerset County; ask the Register of Wills or the Clerk of the Orphans' Court whether a given step can be handled remotely |
| Website | http://www.co.somerset.pa.us/department.asp?deptnum=71 |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Somerset County, know exactly what is in the estate. Which Pennsylvania path fits depends on whether there is a will and on the value and type of the assets: a full grant of letters testamentary or of administration through the Register of Wills, a petition to settle a small estate of $50,000 or less through the Orphans' Court (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102), or the release of certain assets without any letters at all. Those paths and their dollar thresholds are statewide and are explained on the Pennsylvania state page; identify the estate first so you present the right petition once, because the grant of letters generally requires appearing before the Register in Somerset.
Identify every bank and credit-union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life-insurance policy, vehicle, and parcel of real property, along with every debt, before you go to the courthouse. In a Laurel Highlands county like Somerset it is common for a decedent to have owned a home, farm, camp, or mountain or timber land, and how that real property is titled matters, because a jointly owned home with right of survivorship or a beneficiary-designated account passes outside probate while real property in the decedent's sole name does not. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Somerset County Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, one combined office at the Somerset County Courthouse in Somerset, serve all of Somerset County. That includes Somerset, the county seat, along with Windber, Meyersdale, Berlin, Boswell, Central City, Confluence, Rockwood, Salisbury, Stoystown, Jennerstown, Hooversville, Shanksville (home of the Flight 93 National Memorial), and the many surrounding boroughs and townships of the Laurel Highlands. Every Somerset County estate is filed at 111 East Union Street, Suite 145, in Somerset. Somerset is its own single-county Sixteenth Judicial District, so the Orphans' Court judge is a Somerset County Court of Common Pleas judge.
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 Somerset County, file with the Somerset 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, some dating to 1795.
The jurisdiction process
- Gather the documents. Collect the original signed will (if there is one), a certified copy of the death certificate, the names and addresses of the heirs and beneficiaries, the proposed personal representative's information and identification, and a list of the assets and debts with values. A person named in a will to settle the estate is an executor; a person appointed where there is no will is an administrator. Pennsylvania's umbrella term for either is personal representative.
- 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. There is no separate numbered Somerset County form set; the county does post a downloadable Small Estate Affidavit (a narrow surviving-spouse form) on its site.
- Present the petition to the Register of Wills. Take the petition, the original will, and the death certificate to the office at 111 East Union Street, Suite 145, Somerset. The county's posted probate requirements include the personal appearance of the executor, and the Register is a quasi-judicial officer, so plan to file the grant of letters in person; confirm what the Register needs before you travel.
- Pay the filing fee. The Register of Wills fee is set by Somerset County and graduated by the value of the estate, from $137.25 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 up to $217.25 for an estate of $75,001 to $100,000, then $50.00 for each additional $100,000, under the schedule effective November 17, 2025. The county states that amount already includes the $41.25 JCS surcharge, a $20 Register of Wills automation fee, a $20 inheritance-tax-return fee, and two short certificates. 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. Short certificates (certified proof of the letters) are what banks and transfer agents rely on; the county schedule includes two with the grant of letters and charges $5.00 for each additional short certificate.
- Advertise the grant of letters. Immediately after letters are granted, advertise the grant once a week for three successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation near the decedent's residence and in the 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, 20 Pa.C.S. § 3301), and file the Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (REV-1500) with the Register of Wills. The inheritance tax becomes delinquent nine months after the date of death, and a 5% discount is allowed on tax paid within three months of death.
- Administer and close through the Orphans' Court. Pay valid debts and taxes, then distribute what remains. When a formal account is required, it is filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court and presented to the judge for confirmation on one of the presentation dates in the county's published annual schedule; Somerset County does not require a formal audit with a personal appearance before the judge. The Somerset County Orphans' Court schedule lists an account (pages 1 to 10) at $125.00 effective November 17, 2025. Many small estates close by family settlement agreement instead of a formal account.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Somerset County
Pennsylvania has a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, published centrally on pacourts.us and used in every county, and Somerset County uses the same forms as the rest of the state. The load-bearing form to open an estate is the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02), filed with the original will and a certified death certificate. Other statewide forms in common use include the Renunciation (Form RW-06), the estate notice and certification under Rule 10.5 (Forms RW-07 and RW-08), and the Inventory (Form RW-09), along with the Orphans' Court OC-series account and administration forms.
Be careful with the county's Small Estate Affidavit. Somerset County posts a downloadable Small Estate Affidavit, but that form is narrow: it is an affidavit for a surviving spouse to collect a deposit account where no estate will be raised and no letters are necessary, not the petition to settle a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102. The § 3102 petition to settle a small estate of $50,000 or less is a separate county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division (the Somerset County Orphans' Court schedule lists the Small Estate Petition at $111.25, effective November 17, 2025, and the Register of Wills schedule charges $25.00 for the Small Estate Affidavit itself). In Somerset County the grant of letters is filed on paper and in person with the Register of Wills, whose posted probate requirements include the personal appearance of the executor, and Orphans' Court estate filings are likewise made on paper with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court; the county does not offer e-filing for estate matters.
| 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 |
| Somerset County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court (co.somerset.pa.us) | The combined office page, with the downloadable Small Estate Affidavit, the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court fee schedules, the annual schedule for presentation of accounts, hours, and contact information |
| 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 Somerset County publishes its own Register of Wills and Orphans' Court fee schedules, both effective November 17, 2025. The figures below were read from the county's published schedules in July 2026; confirm the current amounts with the office, because a county can revise its schedule.
The Register of Wills fee for a Petition for Grant of Letters is graduated by the value of the estate. It starts at $137.25 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rises with the estate's value ($147.25 over $1,000 to $5,000, $157.25 over $5,000 to $10,000, $167.25 over $10,000 to $20,000, $177.25 over $20,000 to $30,000, $187.25 over $30,000 to $40,000, $197.25 over $40,000 to $50,000, $207.25 over $50,000 to $75,000, and $217.25 over $75,000 to $100,000), then $50.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction. Somerset states that those amounts already include the $41.25 JCS surcharge, a $20 Register of Wills automation fee, a $20 inheritance-tax-return fee, a $3 public-welfare letter, $3 for proofs of publication, and two short certificates; note the automation fee here is the county's own $20, not the $14.75 automation fee some other counties list.
| Somerset County filing | Fee (effective November 17, 2025) |
|---|---|
| Petition for Grant of Letters (graduated by estate value) | From $137.25 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 up to $217.25 for an estate of $75,001 to $100,000, then $50.00 for each additional $100,000; the $41.25 JCS surcharge, a $20 automation fee, a $20 inheritance-tax-return fee, and two short certificates are included |
| Additional short certificate (certified proof of the letters) | $5.00 each |
| Probate of will only | $50.00 per name |
| Inventory (additional pages $3 each) | $10.00 |
| Small Estate Affidavit (the county's narrow surviving-spouse affidavit, Register of Wills) | $25.00 |
| Appeal from the Register of Wills (filed in Orphans' Court) | $60.00, plus a separate $91.25 check payable to the appropriate court; the Orphans' Court schedule requires two separate checks |
| Petition to settle a small estate, filed in Orphans' Court (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) | $111.25 |
| Account, Orphans' Court (pages 1 to 10; $3 each additional page) | $125.00 |
| Photocopies | $0.25 per page |
Local nuance
Somerset County-specific considerations
One elected official runs both offices. In Somerset County the same elected official serves as both the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court (and Clerk of Juvenile Dependency Court), so the grant of letters and the later administration filings are handled from one office in Suite 145 of the courthouse. The Register of Wills is a quasi-judicial officer who admits the will, appoints the personal representative, and can hold hearings on disputed probate matters; the Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas supervises the administration and hears appeals from the Register.
The county Small Estate Affidavit is not the small estate petition. Somerset posts a downloadable Small Estate Affidavit, but it is a narrow surviving-spouse affidavit for collecting a deposit account where no estate will be raised and no letters are needed. It is not the petition to settle a small estate of $50,000 or less under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102, which is a separate county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division and listed on the county Orphans' Court schedule as the Small Estate Petition. Match the form to the situation before you file.
Filing is paper based, and accounts are presented on a published schedule. Somerset County does not offer electronic filing for estate matters. The grant of letters is handled in person before the Register of Wills, whose posted probate requirements include the personal appearance of the executor, and Orphans' Court estate filings are made on paper with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court; the only electronic filing in use is the statewide Guardianship Tracking System, through which court-appointed guardians file inventories and annual reports after obtaining an access code from the Clerk. Somerset County also does not require a formal audit with a personal appearance before the President Judge: a formal account is filed with the Clerk, which presents it to the judge for confirmation on one of the presentation dates in the county's published annual schedule, and accounts for a given date are due by 4:00 PM roughly three weeks earlier. Plan on a trip to Somerset to open the estate.
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Somerset County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Somerset-area home was owned jointly with right of survivorship, or by the spouses as tenants by the entirety, it passes to the surviving spouse outside probate on proof of death, so no estate proceeding is needed for the house itself. If other assets stood in the decedent's sole name and there is a will, the spouse presents the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) to the Somerset County Register of Wills 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 division (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 Somerset, an out-of-state child should call ahead to arrange the appointment and ask which later steps can be handled by mail. | 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 Somerset. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because the estate holds real property that must be sold, it proceeds through a full grant of letters rather than a small estate petition: with no will, the parent is granted letters of administration by the Register of Wills; with a will, the parent probates it under Form RW-02. Once the letters issue, the personal representative can sell the Somerset County home and, when a formal account is required, file it with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts and property. Packet generation for the grant of letters and the inventory. Attorney referral, and help if the sale or an heir dispute turns contested. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Somerset County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court, (814) 445-1548 (co.somerset.pa.us) | The combined office page: hours, directions, the mailing address, the downloadable Small Estate Affidavit, the annual schedule for presentation of accounts, and the current Register of Wills and Orphans' Court fee schedules |
| 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 Somerset 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 Somerset County Register of Wills |
| Summit Legal Aid, Somerset office, 203 West Union Street, intake (800) 846-0871 (summitlegal.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Somerset County and nine other western Pennsylvania counties |
| PALawHELP (palawhelp.org) | Plain-language legal information and statewide routing to legal aid and lawyer referral services |
| Pennsylvania Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (pabar.org) | Referrals to Pennsylvania probate attorneys statewide, including those serving the Somerset County region |
When to hire an attorney
Many Somerset County estates are uncontested and can be handled without an attorney, especially a small estate that qualifies for the 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 petition or an ordinary grant of letters where the will is clear. Consider counsel when the estate holds real property that must be sold, when a will contest or a dispute among heirs is likely, when an appeal is taken from the Register of Wills to the Orphans' Court Division, 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 farm, 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 Somerset 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, Somerset County real estate, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Pennsylvania estate settlement path fits before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the Pennsylvania probate forms for your path, including the Petition for Grant of Letters and the inventory, ready to present to the Somerset County Register of Wills.
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 Somerset 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 Somerset County?
With the Somerset County Register of Wills, part of the combined Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court office at the Somerset County Courthouse, 111 East Union Street, Suite 145, Somerset, PA 15501. The Register of Wills admits the will and grants letters; the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, the same office, supervises the administration that follows.
Do I have to travel to Somerset to settle an estate in Somerset County?
For the grant of letters, usually yes. The Register of Wills is a quasi-judicial officer, and the county's posted probate requirements include the personal appearance of the executor, so plan on a trip to Somerset to open the estate. Somerset County does not offer electronic filing for estate matters, so ask the office which later filings can be handled by mail. Call (814) 445-1548 first to confirm what your matter needs.
Where do I file if my parent lived in Somerset County but I live out of state?
You still file in Somerset 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 Somerset County Register of Wills regardless of where you live. Because the grant of letters generally requires appearing before the Register, an out-of-state personal representative should call the office ahead of time to plan a single trip.
Can I file probate electronically in Somerset County?
For estate matters, no. The Register of Wills handles the grant of letters in person, because the Register is a quasi-judicial officer and the county's posted probate requirements include the personal appearance of the executor, and Orphans' Court estate filings are made on paper with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. The only electronic filing in use is the statewide Guardianship Tracking System, through which court-appointed guardians file inventories and annual reports after obtaining an access code from the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. The statewide UJS Portal is the public case search, not an estate e-filing system.
How much does it cost to file probate in Somerset County?
The Register of Wills fee for a Petition for Grant of Letters is set by Somerset County and graduated by the value of the estate, from $137.25 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 up to $217.25 for an estate of $75,001 to $100,000, then $50.00 for each additional $100,000, under the schedule effective November 17, 2025. The county states that amount already includes the $41.25 JCS surcharge, a $20 Register of Wills automation fee, a $20 inheritance-tax-return fee, and two short certificates. Additional short certificates are $5.00 each. Confirm the current schedule with the office.
What forms do I need for probate in Somerset County?
The statewide Pennsylvania forms, the same ones used in every county. The core form is the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02), filed with the original will and a certified death certificate; the Inventory is Form RW-09. Somerset also posts a Small Estate Affidavit, but that is a narrow surviving-spouse deposit-account affidavit, not the petition to settle a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102, which is a separate county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division.
What is the difference between the Somerset County Small Estate Affidavit and a small estate petition?
The county's Small Estate Affidavit is a short surviving-spouse form for collecting a deposit account where no estate will be raised and no letters are needed. The petition to settle a small estate of $50,000 or less under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 is a different, county petition filed with the Orphans' Court division (listed on the county Orphans' Court schedule as the Small Estate Petition at $111.25, effective November 17, 2025). Which one fits depends on the assets, so identify the estate before you choose a form.
Who handles inheritance tax in a Somerset County estate?
The Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (the REV-1500 for a resident decedent) is filed with the Somerset County Register of Wills, which acts as the collection agent. Pennsylvania has no state estate tax, but it does have an inheritance tax whose rate depends on the beneficiary's relationship to the decedent. The tax becomes delinquent nine months after the date of death, and a 5% discount is allowed on tax paid within three months of death; the rates and details are on the Pennsylvania state page and the Department of Revenue site.
How do I look up a Somerset County probate case online?
Use the statewide UJS Portal case search at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch. Its coverage of Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate records varies by county, so to confirm a specific estate filing you can also call the combined office at (814) 445-1548 or review records in person during business hours.
What are the phone number and office hours for probate in Somerset County?
The combined Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court office is reached at (814) 445-1548, with a fax at (814) 445-1542 and email [email protected]. It is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, except legal holidays. Confirm the counter and any filing cutoff before making a trip to Somerset.
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.