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Sullivan County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Probate begins at | The Sullivan 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). In Sullivan County the Register of Wills is held by the consolidated county row officer who is also the Prothonotary, Recorder of Deeds, Clerk of Courts, and Clerk of the Orphans' Court |
| Administration supervised by | The Sullivan County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (44th Judicial District), whose filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court in the same consolidated office; it handles the inventory, accounts, distributions, guardianships, and disputes, including appeals from the Register of Wills |
| Consolidated office | One elected official serves as Prothonotary, Recorder of Deeds, Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills, and Clerk of the Orphans' Court, all at the same courthouse counter in Laporte |
| Courthouse | Sullivan County Courthouse, 245 Muncy Street, Suite 100, Laporte, PA 18626 |
| Mailing address | 245 Muncy Street, Suite 100, Laporte, PA 18626; the county also lists a mailing P.O. Box 157, Laporte, PA 18626 |
| Phone | (570) 946-7351 (the consolidated office). This is the county's own line, not a statewide call center |
| Fax | (570) 946-7105 |
| [email protected] (the office's published address) | |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, closed weekends, per the county's own contact page. Confirm the counter and any filing cutoff before making a trip to Laporte |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills fees are set by Sullivan County and graduated by the value of the estate, from $20.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 up to $90.00 for an estate of $75,000.01 to $100,000, then $45.00 for each additional $100,000, plus a $41.25 JCS surcharge (effective December 1, 2025) added to the grant of letters, under the county's Register of Wills 2026 fee schedule (42 P.S. § 21022.1). 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; Sullivan County has no separate numbered county form set. The petition to settle a small estate uses a county form obtained from the office |
| E-filing | The grant of letters is handled on paper and in person or by mail with the Register of Wills; no Register of Wills or Orphans' Court estate e-filing was found for Sullivan County. The PACFile e-filing noted on the county site applies to the Court of Common Pleas criminal division under the 44th Judicial District's local rule, not to estates. The grant of letters by practice requires the personal representative to appear before the Register. The Guardianship Tracking System is available for guardianship filings. 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. Sullivan County also runs its own online civil case search (civilsuite.sullivancountypa.gov, launched April 1, 2026) for the Prothonotary's civil division, which is not an estate-records search |
| Remote appearance | Not published for Sullivan County; ask the Register of Wills or the Clerk of the Orphans' Court whether a given step can be handled remotely |
| Website | https://www.sullivancountypa.gov/offices/prothonotary |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Sullivan 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 Laporte.
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 rural county like Sullivan it is common for a decedent to have owned a home, camp, or timber or hunting 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 Sullivan County Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, both part of the consolidated office at the Sullivan County Courthouse in Laporte, serve all of Sullivan County. That includes Laporte, the county seat, along with Dushore, Eagles Mere, and Forksville, and the surrounding townships (Cherry, Colley, Davidson, Elkland, Forks, Fox, Hillsgrove, and Shrewsbury) in the Endless Mountains region of northeastern Pennsylvania. Every Sullivan County estate is filed at 245 Muncy Street in Laporte. Sullivan shares the 44th Judicial District with Wyoming County, so the Orphans' Court judge is a Court of Common Pleas judge of that two-county district, but Sullivan keeps its own Register of Wills and its own Clerk of the Orphans' Court; you do not file in Wyoming County or in the district at large.
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 Sullivan County, file with the Sullivan 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
- 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 Sullivan County form set.
- Present the petition to the Register of Wills. Take the petition, the original will, and the death certificate to the consolidated office at 245 Muncy Street, Suite 100, Laporte. Pennsylvania practice generally requires the personal representative to appear before the Register to be sworn, so plan to file in person; the office also accepts filings by mail, so confirm what the Register needs before you travel.
- Pay the filing fee. The Register of Wills fee is set by Sullivan County and graduated by the value of the estate, from $20.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 up to $90.00 for an estate of $75,000.01 to $100,000, then $45.00 for each additional $100,000, under the county's Register of Wills 2026 fee schedule, plus a $41.25 JCS surcharge (Act 113 and 126 of 2014) added to the grant of letters. 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. Request several short certificates (certified proof of the letters), which is what banks and transfer agents rely on; the county charges $5.00 per short certificate under its Register of Wills 2026 fee schedule.
- 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 (the statewide legal-notice search at palegalads.org can help locate the current journal), 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, advertised, and confirmed; the county's Orphans' Court 2026 fee schedule lists the account-filing, adjudication, and distribution charges. Many small estates close by family settlement agreement instead of a formal account.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Sullivan County
Pennsylvania has a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, published centrally on pacourts.us and used in every county, and Sullivan County uses the same forms as the rest of the state; there is no separate numbered Sullivan 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), 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 county form obtained from the office rather than a numbered statewide RW form.
In Sullivan County these forms are filed on paper, in person or by mail, with the Register of Wills at 245 Muncy Street, Suite 100, Laporte; no Register of Wills or Orphans' Court estate e-filing was found for the county. For questions about what the office needs on intake, call (570) 946-7351 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 |
| Sullivan County consolidated office (sullivancountypa.gov) | The county Register of Wills, Recorder of Deeds, and Clerk of the Orphans' Court page, with the current Register of Wills and Orphans' Court fee schedules, forms links, 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 Sullivan County publishes its own Register of Wills and Orphans' Court fee schedules, both for 2026. The figures below were read from the county's published 2026 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 $20.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rises with the estate's value ($30.00 for $1,000.01 to $5,000, $40.00 for $5,000.01 to $10,000, $45.00 for $10,000.01 to $20,000, $55.00 for $20,000.01 to $30,000, $60.00 for $30,000.01 to $40,000, $65.00 for $40,000.01 to $50,000, $75.00 for $50,000.01 to $75,000, and $90.00 for $75,000.01 to $100,000), then $45.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction. A $41.25 JCS fee (Act 113 and 126 of 2014) is added to the grant of letters on top of the graduated base; per the notice posted on the county's office page, the JCS fee rose from $40.25 to $41.25 effective December 1, 2025. The county's schedule lists no separate automation fee. The county's Orphans' Court 2026 schedule sets the petition to settle a small estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) at $35.00 plus a $41.25 JCP fee, plus a $10.00 final court order.
| Sullivan County filing | Fee (county 2026 fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
|---|---|
| Petition for Grant of Letters (graduated by estate value) | From $20.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 up to $90.00 for an estate of $75,000.01 to $100,000, then $45.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction, plus a $41.25 JCS fee added to the grant of letters |
| Short certificate (certified proof of the letters) | $5.00 each |
| Probate of will only | $20.00 for the first page, plus $3.00 per additional page |
| Issuing certified copies | $25.00, plus $3.00 per page |
| Debts, deductions, and inventory (Form RW-09) | $25.00 |
| Filing certification of inheritance tax payment | $15.00 |
| Petition to settle a small estate (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) | $35.00 plus a $41.25 JCP fee (Orphans' Court 2026 schedule), plus a $10.00 final court order |
Recent updates
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| December 1, 2025 | The JCS fee added to the Register of Wills grant-of-letters filing increased from $40.25 to $41.25, per the notice posted on the county's consolidated office page (verified July 2026). |
| 2026 | The county published a Register of Wills 2026 fee schedule and an Orphans' Court 2026 fee schedule, the graduated grant-of-letters and estate-filing fees cited on this page (county office page, verified July 2026). |
| April 1, 2026 | The county launched an online civil case search for the Prothonotary's civil division (civilsuite.sullivancountypa.gov). It does not cover Register of Wills or Orphans' Court estate records (county office page, verified July 2026). |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Sullivan County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Laporte-area home was owned 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 Sullivan 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 (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 generally requires appearing before the Register in Laporte and Sullivan is a paper-filing county, an out-of-state child should call ahead to arrange the appointment or a mail filing. | 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 Laporte. |
| 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 Sullivan 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 |
|---|---|
| Sullivan County consolidated office, (570) 946-7351 (sullivancountypa.gov) | The county Register of Wills, Recorder of Deeds, and Clerk of the Orphans' Court page: contact information, forms links, 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan County Register of Wills |
| North Penn Legal Services, (877) 953-4250 (nplspa.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Sullivan County and 19 other northeastern Pennsylvania counties; the Tunkhannock office, (877) 515-7738, serves Sullivan County, and the statewide application line is (877) 953-4250 |
| 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 Sullivan County region |
When to hire an attorney
Many Sullivan 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 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 Sullivan 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, Sullivan County real estate, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Pennsylvania path fits before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the Pennsylvania probate forms for your estate settlement path, including the Petition for Grant of Letters and the inventory, ready to present to the Sullivan County Register of Wills in Laporte.
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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan County?
With the Sullivan County Register of Wills, part of the consolidated county office at the Sullivan County Courthouse, 245 Muncy Street, Suite 100, Laporte, PA 18626. The Register of Wills admits the will and grants letters; the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, in the same office, supervises the administration that follows.
Do I have to travel to Laporte to settle an estate in Sullivan County?
For the grant of letters, usually yes. Pennsylvania practice generally requires the personal representative to appear before the Register of Wills to be sworn, and Sullivan County handles the grant of letters on paper rather than by e-filing, so plan on a trip to Laporte. The office also accepts filings by mail, so call (570) 946-7351 first to confirm whether your matter can be handled by mail and to arrange the appointment.
Where do I file if my parent lived in Sullivan County but I live out of state?
You still file in Sullivan 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 Sullivan County Register of Wills in Laporte 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 or a mail filing.
Can I file probate electronically in Sullivan County?
No. No Register of Wills or Orphans' Court estate e-filing was found for Sullivan County; the grant of letters and the estate filings are handled on paper, in person or by mail. The PACFile e-filing mentioned on the county's site covers the Court of Common Pleas criminal division under the 44th Judicial District's local rule, not estate filings. The Guardianship Tracking System is available for guardianship filings, and the county runs an online civil case search for its Prothonotary civil division, but that is not an estate-filing or estate-records system.
How much does it cost to file probate in Sullivan County?
The Register of Wills fee for a Petition for Grant of Letters is set by Sullivan County and graduated by the value of the estate, from $20.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 up to $90.00 for an estate of $75,000.01 to $100,000, then $45.00 for each additional $100,000, under the county's Register of Wills 2026 fee schedule. A $41.25 JCS fee is added to the grant of letters on top of that base. A short certificate is $5.00 each. Confirm the current schedule with the office.
What forms do I need for probate in Sullivan 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. There is no separate numbered Sullivan County form set, and the petition to settle a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 uses a county form obtained from the office.
Who handles inheritance tax in a Sullivan County estate?
The Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (the REV-1500 for a resident decedent) is filed with the Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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, and the county's own online case search covers the Prothonotary's civil division rather than estates, so to confirm a specific estate filing you can call the consolidated office at (570) 946-7351.
What are the phone number and office hours for probate in Sullivan County?
The consolidated office is reached at (570) 946-7351, with a fax at (570) 946-7105 and email [email protected]. Per the county's own contact page it is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, and closed on weekends. Confirm the counter and any filing cutoff before making a trip to Laporte.
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.