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Westmoreland County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Where probate begins | The Westmoreland County Register of Wills, in Suite 301 of the Courthouse Annex, 2 North Main Street, Greensburg: this is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Grant of Letters is presented, letters testamentary or of administration are issued, and the Pennsylvania inheritance-tax return (REV-1500) is filed |
| Who supervises administration | The Westmoreland County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (Tenth Judicial District), which handles inventories, accounts, audits, distributions, guardianships, and disputes; the same Register of Wills office is ex officio the Clerk of the Orphans' Court and is the filing and docketing office for the division |
| Filing office | Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court, Suite 301, Westmoreland County Courthouse Annex, 2 North Main Street, Greensburg, PA 15601 |
| Orphans' Court judges and audits | Common Pleas judges sitting in the Orphans' Court Division hear estate audits, guardianships, and contested matters; audit dates are published in the Westmoreland Law Journal, and the court's estates and audit administration office is at 2 North Main Street, Mezzanine Room 3, (724) 830-3826 |
| Phone | Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court (724) 830-3177 (marriage-license inquiries (724) 830-3196); Orphans' Court estates and audit administration (724) 830-3826 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; closed weekends and county holidays. The extended evening hours the office advertises are for marriage-license services, not estate filing |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills probate fees are set by Westmoreland County (42 P.S. § 21022.1) and graduated by the gross value of the estate, starting at $50.00 for an estate under $5,000 and rising with estate value to $350.00 for an estate of $100,001 to $200,000, plus $125.00 for each additional $100,000; a settlement of a small estate petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) is $60.00 and an estate short certificate is $5.00. The schedule also itemizes the statewide charges on each new estate number: a $41.25 JCP (Judicial Computer Project) surcharge and a $10.00 automation fee (Westmoreland County Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026). Confirm the current schedule with the Register of Wills before you file |
| 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; obtain it from the Register of Wills office. Westmoreland also publishes a few local Orphans' Court forms, including a Petition for Distribution and a Decree and Certificate of Award of Real Estate |
| E-filing | Opening probate (the grant of letters) involves appearing before the Register; Westmoreland offers virtual sworn-in appointments for estate representatives by appointment, Monday to Friday, for a $100 fee, as an alternative to appearing in person. Orphans' Court e-filing through the statewide UJS portal is rolling out county by county and generally requires an access code from the office, so confirm the current e-filing options for your matter with the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court |
| 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); the Register of Wills office holds the official estate file, county estate records run from 1773 to the present, and most records from 1988 forward are available online through the county's public record search, with older records viewed in the office |
| Remote appearance | The Register offers virtual sworn-in appointments for estate representatives; hearing and audit formats before the Orphans' Court Division are set by the court, so confirm any remote option before a scheduled date |
| Website | https://www.westmorelandcountypa.gov/333/Register-of-Wills |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
The first Westmoreland County question is which path fits the estate, and then which step comes 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, and in Westmoreland the same office is the filing point for 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 Greensburg or Murrysville 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 Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County Register of Wills and the Westmoreland County Orphans' Court Division serve all of Westmoreland County, in the Laurel Highlands east of Pittsburgh. The county takes in Greensburg, the county seat, along with Murrysville, New Kensington, Jeannette, Latrobe, Lower Burrell, Monessen, Arnold, and the many boroughs and townships of the region, including Hempfield, Unity, North Huntingdon, Penn, and Ligonier 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 Westmoreland County has the estate opened here, regardless of which municipality within the county the person lived in.
Westmoreland County is the Tenth Judicial District, and its Orphans' Court Division is part of the Court of Common Pleas. The Register of Wills, who is ex officio the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, runs a single office in Suite 301 of the Courthouse Annex at 2 North Main Street in Greensburg; that office is where the grant of letters is issued and where the later administration filings are docketed. Estate audits and contested matters are heard by the Common Pleas judges sitting in the Orphans' Court Division, with audit dates published in the Westmoreland Law Journal.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue. Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland 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 identify the decedent's signature under oath.
- File with the Register of Wills. Present the petition to the Register of Wills in Suite 301 of the Courthouse Annex, 2 North Main Street, Greensburg. Opening probate involves being sworn by the Register; if travel is a burden, ask about the county's virtual sworn-in appointment for estate representatives ($100 fee, by appointment, Monday to Friday). The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Pay the county filing fee. Westmoreland's Register of Wills probate fee is graduated by the gross value of the estate, starting at $50.00 for an estate under $5,000 and rising with estate value to $350.00 for an estate of $100,001 to $200,000, plus $125.00 for each additional $100,000; a small-estate petition is $60.00 and an estate short certificate is $5.00, and each new estate number carries a $41.25 JCP (Judicial Computer Project) surcharge and a $10.00 automation fee, all itemized on the county schedule (42 P.S. § 21022.1; Westmoreland County Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026). Confirm the current schedule with the office before you file.
- 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 Westmoreland Law Journal, the county legal periodical, 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. 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 Register of Wills as 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 Westmoreland County
Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, and Westmoreland 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. Westmoreland also publishes a handful of its own local Orphans' Court forms, including a Petition for Distribution and a Decree and Certificate of Award of Real Estate. In Westmoreland County the completed forms are filed with the Register of Wills, who is ex officio the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, in Suite 301 of the Courthouse Annex at 2 North Main Street, Greensburg.
Fees
Pennsylvania sets probate filing fees per county (42 P.S. § 21022.1), and Westmoreland County publishes its own Register of Wills fee schedule, graduated by the gross value of the estate. The statewide charges that ride on the initial filing are itemized on the county's own schedule: a $41.25 JCP (Judicial Computer Project) surcharge and a $10.00 automation fee on each new estate number. Confirm the current schedule with the Register of Wills before you file. Each figure below carries its source.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grant of letters, estate under $5,000 | $50.00 | The minimum grant-of-letters fee (Westmoreland County Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $25,001 to $50,000 | $150.00 | An example mid-range tier; the fee rises in steps with the gross value of the estate (Westmoreland County Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, estate $100,001 to $200,000 | $350.00 | The top published tier, then $125.00 for each additional $100,000 of estate value (Westmoreland County Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Small-estate petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) | $60.00 | For a settlement of a small estate on petition to the Orphans' Court division (Westmoreland County Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Estate short certificate | $5.00 | Each certified proof of the personal representative's authority that banks and transfer agents rely on (Westmoreland County Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Estate inventory (Form RW-09) | $25.00 | Covers the original, amended, or supplemental inventory (Westmoreland County Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Inheritance-tax return (REV-1500) filing | $20.00 | For filing the original or supplemental REV-1500 with the Register (Westmoreland County Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| JCP surcharge, new estate number | $41.25 | The statewide Judicial Computer Project surcharge, itemized on the county schedule as JCP on new numbers (Westmoreland County Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
| Automation fee, new estate number | $10.00 | Itemized on the county schedule as the automation fee on new numbers (Westmoreland County Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026) |
Local nuance
Westmoreland County-specific considerations
One office handles both the grant of letters and Orphans' Court filings. In Westmoreland County the elected Register of Wills is ex officio the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, so the office in Suite 301 of the Courthouse Annex at 2 North Main Street is both where letters are granted and the filing and docketing office for the Orphans' Court Division. You lodge the grant-of-letters petition and the later inventory, accounts, and distribution papers at the same counter.
Opening probate can be done by a virtual sworn-in appointment. Opening probate involves being sworn by the Register. Westmoreland offers virtual sworn-in appointments for estate representatives by appointment, Monday to Friday, for a $100 fee, so an out-of-town executor can avoid a trip to Greensburg to be sworn. Confirm the current process and cost with the office.
The filing office closes at 4:00 p.m. The Register of Wills office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., not 4:30 p.m. If you plan to present a petition or be sworn in person, arrive before the 4:00 p.m. close. The extended evening hours the office advertises are for marriage-license services, not estate filing.
Audits are heard on a published calendar in the county legal journal. Estate audits and contested Orphans' Court matters are heard by the Common Pleas judges sitting in the Orphans' Court Division, with audit dates published in the Westmoreland Law Journal. Petitions for distribution and proposed decrees are presented to the Orphans' Court administrator (2 North Main Street, Mezzanine Room 3, (724) 830-3826) for review before the audit date; attendance at the audit is generally optional unless there are objections.
Fees are graduated by estate value and set by the county. Westmoreland publishes its own Register of Wills fee schedule, graduated from $50.00 for an estate under $5,000 up to $350.00 for an estate of $100,001 to $200,000, plus $125.00 for each additional $100,000, with a $60.00 small-estate petition and a $5.00 estate short certificate. The statewide charges are itemized on the same schedule: a $41.25 JCP (Judicial Computer Project) surcharge and a $10.00 automation fee on each new estate number (42 P.S. § 21022.1). Confirm the current schedule with the office before you file.
Recent updates
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Westmoreland County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | A Greensburg or Murrysville 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 Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County probate attorney if the estate is contested or complex. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent lived in Westmoreland 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. The county's virtual sworn-in appointment can spare a trip to Greensburg to be sworn. | 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 Westmoreland 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. Selling the child's Westmoreland County real estate typically runs through a petition for distribution and a decree and certificate of award of real estate before 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 Westmoreland County probate attorney to run the administration and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Westmoreland County Register of Wills (westmorelandcountypa.gov/333/Register-of-Wills) | The office that grants letters and is ex officio the Clerk of the Orphans' Court: address, hours, the probate fee schedule, forms, virtual sworn-in appointments, and estate-record access |
| Westmoreland County Orphans' Court and Estates (westmorelandcountypa.gov/562/Orphans-Court and /568/Estates) | The Orphans' Court Division's pages: audits and the audit calendar, guardianships, local forms including the Petition for Distribution and Decree and Certificate of Award of Real Estate, and the estates administration contact |
| 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 |
| Summit Legal Aid (summitlegal.org, central intake 1-800-846-0871; Greensburg office 16 East Otterman Street, (724) 836-2211) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of Westmoreland County and nine nearby counties; formerly Laurel Legal Services |
| Westmoreland Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service (westbar.org, (724) 834-8490) | Referral to a local attorney; a $35 administrative fee covers an initial consultation of up to 30 minutes |
| 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 Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland 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 audit draws objections. Because accounts and distributions in Westmoreland run on an audit calendar with petitions reviewed before the audit date, counsel is common for estates that reach that stage. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Westmoreland 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, Westmoreland County real estate, business interests, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value for estate settlement and can pick the right Pennsylvania path before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the Westmoreland 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 with the Register of Wills in person or by the county's virtual sworn-in appointment.
Find a local probate attorney. When an estate is contested, taxable, or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania?
Probate begins with the Westmoreland County Register of Wills, in Suite 301 of the Courthouse Annex, 2 North Main Street, Greensburg, PA 15601, (724) 830-3177. That is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) is presented, and letters are issued. Because the Register of Wills is also the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, the same office is where the later inventory, accounts, and distribution papers are filed.
Can I e-file a probate in Westmoreland County?
Opening probate (the grant of letters) involves being sworn by the Register, so it is not a simple mail-in step. Westmoreland offers virtual sworn-in appointments for estate representatives by appointment, Monday to Friday, for a $100 fee, as an alternative to appearing in person. Orphans' Court e-filing through the statewide UJS portal is rolling out county by county and generally needs an access code from the office, so confirm the current e-filing options for your matter with the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court.
How much does it cost to open a probate estate in Westmoreland County?
Westmoreland's Register of Wills probate fee is set by the county and graduated by the gross value of the estate, starting at $50.00 for an estate under $5,000 and rising with estate value to $350.00 for an estate of $100,001 to $200,000, plus $125.00 for each additional $100,000. A small-estate petition is $60.00 and an estate short certificate is $5.00, and each new estate number carries a $41.25 JCP (Judicial Computer Project) surcharge and a $10.00 automation fee, all itemized on the county schedule (Westmoreland County Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026; 42 P.S. § 21022.1). Confirm the current schedule with the office before you file.
What are the Westmoreland County Register of Wills hours?
The Register of Wills office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and is closed on weekends and county holidays. Note that the office closes at 4:00 p.m., so arrive before that if you plan to present a petition or be sworn in person. The extended evening hours the office advertises are for marriage-license services, not estate filing.
How do I look up a Westmoreland County estate or probate record?
The Register of Wills office holds the official estate file, with county estate records running from 1773 to the present; most records from 1988 forward are available online through the county's public record search, and older records are viewed in the office. 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.
What forms do I use for a Westmoreland 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; obtain it from the Register of Wills office. Westmoreland also publishes a few local Orphans' Court forms, including a Petition for Distribution and a Decree and Certificate of Award of Real Estate.
Do I have to appear in person to open probate in Westmoreland County?
Opening probate involves being sworn by the Register, which is why the grant of letters is not simply a mail-in step. Westmoreland reduces the travel burden by offering virtual sworn-in appointments for estate representatives by appointment, Monday to Friday, for a $100 fee. Confirm what your matter requires with the Register of Wills office.
Does Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County estates. The REV-1500 resident return is filed with the Register of Wills. The tax becomes delinquent nine months after death, with a 5% discount for tax paid within three months of death. The rate detail is on the Pennsylvania state page.
How do I handle a small estate in Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland small-estate petition is a county form obtained from the Register of Wills office, and the petition fee is $60.00; 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.