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Wyoming County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Probate begins at | The Wyoming 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 Wyoming County the Register of Wills is a combined office with the Recorder of Deeds, run by one elected Register and Recorder |
| Administration supervised by | The Wyoming County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (44th Judicial District), whose filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, held by the county's Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts; it handles the inventory, accounts, distributions, guardianships, and disputes, including appeals from the Register of Wills |
| Courthouse | Wyoming County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Tunkhannock, PA 18657 |
| Mailing address | Same as the courthouse address: 1 Courthouse Square, Tunkhannock, PA 18657 |
| Register of Wills phone | (570) 996-2361 (the Register of Wills and Recorder office). This is the county's own line, not a statewide call center |
| Clerk of Orphans' Court phone | (570) 996-2232 (the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts office, which is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court) |
| Office hours | Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. The Register of Wills accepts no filings after 3:45 PM. Confirm the counter and any cutoff before making a trip to Tunkhannock |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills fees are set by Wyoming County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $30.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rising to $125.00 for an estate of $75,000 to $100,000, then $50.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction, plus a $41.25 JCS charge on all estates opened, under the county schedule effective December 1, 2025 (42 P.S. § 21022.1). The Clerk of the Orphans' Court publishes its own 2026 Orphans' Court fee schedule (42 P.S. § 21032.1). See the fees section below, and confirm the current schedules with each office |
| Payment | The Register of Wills accepts cash or check only |
| Local probate forms | Pennsylvania uses a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set published on pacourts.us and used in every county; Wyoming County posts a Petition for Grant of Letters and related probate forms on its Register and Recorder resources page. The small estate petition uses no numbered county form |
| E-filing | None for either office. The Register of Wills takes paper filings in person or by mail, and the grant of letters by practice requires the personal representative to appear before the Register to be sworn. The Clerk of the Orphans' Court states that forms cannot be submitted electronically. Confirm the current options with each office |
| Online case search | The statewide UJS Portal case search (ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch), whose coverage of Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate records varies by county, plus Wyoming County's own CountyFusion online wills and estate-records search; Register of Wills estate record images from 1980 to present became available as of June 24, 2026 |
| Remote appearance | Not published for Wyoming County; ask the Register of Wills or the Clerk of the Orphans' Court whether a given step can be handled remotely |
| Website | https://wyomingcountypa.gov/register-recorder/ |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Wyoming 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 Tunkhannock.
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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming County Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, both at the Wyoming County Courthouse in Tunkhannock, serve all of Wyoming County. That includes Tunkhannock, the county seat, along with the boroughs of Nicholson, Factoryville, Laceyville, and Meshoppen and the surrounding townships, including Mehoopany, Eaton, Falls, Lemon, Monroe, Northmoreland, Noxen, and Overfield, across the Endless Mountains. Every Wyoming County estate is filed at 1 Courthouse Square in Tunkhannock. Wyoming shares the 44th Judicial District with Sullivan County, so the Orphans' Court judge is a Court of Common Pleas judge of that two-county district, but Wyoming keeps its own Register of Wills and its own Clerk of the Orphans' Court; you do not file in Sullivan 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 Wyoming County, file with the Wyoming 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, and its online wills index reaches back to estate record images from 1980.
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. Wyoming County also posts a Petition for Grant of Letters and related probate forms (renunciation, waiver of bond, oaths of witnesses) on its Register and Recorder resources page.
- Present the petition to the Register of Wills. Take the petition, the original will, and the death certificate to the Register of Wills and Recorder office at the Wyoming County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Tunkhannock. Pennsylvania practice generally requires the personal representative to appear before the Register to be sworn, so plan to file in person; the office accepts paper filings in person or by mail and takes payment by cash or check only. The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, and accepts no filings after 3:45 PM.
- Pay the filing fee. The Register of Wills fee is set by Wyoming County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $30.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rising to $125.00 for an estate of $75,000 to $100,000, then $50.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction, plus a $41.25 JCS charge on all estates opened, under the schedule effective December 1, 2025. A separate $30.00 charge applies for filing the debts, deductions, inventory, and inheritance tax return. 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 the schedule effective December 1, 2025.
- 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. Within three months of the grant, also give the Rule 10.5 notice to the heirs and beneficiaries, then file the certification of notice; the county posts the Rule 10.5 certification form on its Register and Recorder resources page. 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, or for a small estate petition under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102, the filing goes to the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, which in Wyoming County is the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts office at (570) 996-2232; that office takes filings on paper only (single sided, not printed double sided), so plan to file in person or by mail. Under the county's 2026 Orphans' Court fee schedule, a petition to settle a small estate with the final court order is $101.00 and a first and final account is $75.00 for the first page plus $5.00 for each additional page. Many small estates close by family settlement agreement instead of a formal account.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Wyoming County
Pennsylvania has a statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, published centrally on pacourts.us and used in every county, and Wyoming 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 oaths of subscribing and non-subscribing witnesses (Forms RW-03 and RW-04), 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 small estate petition under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 is a petition to the Orphans' Court division rather than a numbered statewide RW form, and Wyoming County does not publish a separate numbered county small estate form.
Wyoming County posts its own copies of the Petition for Grant of Letters and related probate forms (including the renunciation, the waiver of bond, and the witness oaths) on its Register and Recorder resources page. In Wyoming County these forms are filed on paper, in person or by mail: the Register of Wills filings go to the Register and Recorder office and the Orphans' Court filings go to the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, and neither office accepts forms submitted electronically. The Clerk of the Orphans' Court also will not accept filings printed double sided, so print single sided. For questions about what the office needs on intake, call the Register of Wills at (570) 996-2361 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 |
| Wyoming County Register and Recorder resources and forms (wyomingcountypa.gov) | The county's own copies of the Petition for Grant of Letters and related probate forms, plus the Register of Wills fee schedule, hours, and short-certificate guidance |
| 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 Wyoming County publishes two schedules: a Register of Wills fee schedule, effective December 1, 2025, on the Register and Recorder fee schedules page (42 P.S. § 21022.1), and a 2026 Orphans' Court fee schedule, published by the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts on the county's Orphans' Court forms page (42 P.S. § 21032.1). The figures below were read from the county's published schedules in July 2026; confirm the current amounts with each office, because the county can revise them.
The Register of Wills fee for a Petition for Grant of Letters is graduated by the value of the estate. It starts at $30.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rises with the estate's value ($40.00 to $5,000, $50.00 to $10,000, $60.00 to $20,000, $70.00 to $30,000, $80.00 to $40,000, $90.00 to $50,000, $100.00 to $75,000, and $125.00 to $100,000), then $50.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction. The schedule warns that an underestimated estate value is re-billed for additional fees. On top of the graduated fee, the county adds a $41.25 JCS charge on all estates opened. Unlike some counties, Wyoming's Register of Wills schedule lists no separate automation fee. Payment is by cash or check only.
| Wyoming County Register of Wills filing | Fee (effective December 1, 2025) |
|---|---|
| Petition for Grant of Letters (graduated by estate value) | From $30.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 up to $125.00 for an estate of $75,000 to $100,000, then $50.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction |
| JCS charge (on all estates opened) | $41.25 |
| Debts, deductions, inventory, and inheritance tax return filing | $30.00 |
| Short certificate (certified proof of the letters) | $5.00 each |
| Probate of will only (first page, then $5.00 each additional page) | $20.00 |
| Small estate affidavit | $25.00 |
| Certified copy of an estate record (first page, filing) | $25.00 |
| Renunciation | $10.00 |
Orphans' Court filings carry their own fees under the county's 2026 Orphans' Court fee schedule, which adds a $5.00 automation fee on all initial Orphans' Court filings and applies the $41.25 JCS/ATJ charge to filings that commence an action.
| Wyoming County Orphans' Court filing | Fee (2026 schedule) |
|---|---|
| Petition to settle a small estate, with the final court order (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) | $101.00 |
| First and final account (first page, then $5.00 each additional page) | $75.00 |
| Petition for distribution or schedule of distribution | $50.00 |
| Automation fee (on all initial Orphans' Court filings) | $5.00 |
Recent updates
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| December 1, 2025 | The Wyoming County Register of Wills fee schedule took effect, with the grant of letters graduated by estate value from $30.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 to $125.00 for an estate of $75,000 to $100,000, then $50.00 for each additional $100,000, plus a $41.25 JCS charge on all estates opened (source: county Register of Wills fee schedule, verified July 2026). |
| June 24, 2026 | Wyoming County Register of Wills estate record images from 1980 to present became available through the county's online wills search (source: county Register of Wills and Recorder page, verified July 2026). |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Wyoming County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Tunkhannock-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 Wyoming 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 Tunkhannock and Wyoming 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 Tunkhannock. |
| 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 Wyoming 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 |
|---|---|
| Wyoming County Register of Wills and Recorder, (570) 996-2361 (wyomingcountypa.gov/register-recorder) | The county Register of Wills page: hours, directions, the mailing address, the Petition for Grant of Letters and related forms, the fee schedule, and the online wills search |
| Wyoming County Prothonotary and Clerk of Orphans' Court, (570) 996-2232 (wyomingcountypa.gov/prothonotary) | The Orphans' Court filing office for the inventory, accounts, distributions, and the small estate petition; forms cannot be submitted electronically |
| 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming County Register of Wills |
| North Penn Legal Services, apply at (877) 953-4250 (nplspa.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of northeastern Pennsylvania, including Wyoming County; the NPLS locations page lists a Tunkhannock office line for Wyoming County, (570) 299-4100 |
| 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 Wyoming County region |
When to hire an attorney
Many Wyoming 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 Wyoming 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, Wyoming 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 Wyoming County Register of Wills in Tunkhannock.
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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming County?
With the Wyoming County Register of Wills, a combined office with the Recorder of Deeds, at the Wyoming County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Tunkhannock, PA 18657, (570) 996-2361. The Register of Wills admits the will and grants letters; the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, which in Wyoming County is the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts office at (570) 996-2232, supervises the administration that follows.
Do I have to travel to Tunkhannock to settle an estate in Wyoming 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 Wyoming County handles the grant of letters on paper rather than by e-filing, so plan on a trip to Tunkhannock. The office also accepts filings by mail, so call (570) 996-2361 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 Tunkhannock but I live out of state?
You still file in Wyoming 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 Wyoming County Register of Wills in Tunkhannock 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 Wyoming County?
No. Neither Wyoming County office offers e-filing for estates. The Register of Wills takes paper filings in person or by mail and accepts cash or check only, and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court states that forms cannot be submitted electronically. The county posts the Petition for Grant of Letters and related forms on its site to help you assemble a paper filing, and the statewide UJS Portal is a case search, not an estate e-filing system for this county.
How much does it cost to file probate in Wyoming County?
The Register of Wills fee for a Petition for Grant of Letters is set by Wyoming County and graduated by the value of the estate, starting at $30.00 for an estate not exceeding $1,000 and rising to $125.00 for an estate of $75,000 to $100,000, then $50.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction, under the schedule effective December 1, 2025. A $41.25 JCS charge applies to all estates opened, and a short certificate is $5.00 each. A petition to settle a small estate, filed with the Orphans' Court, is $101.00 with the final court order under the county's 2026 Orphans' Court fee schedule. Payment is by cash or check. Confirm the current schedules with each office.
What forms do I need for probate in Wyoming 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. Wyoming County posts its own copies of the Petition for Grant of Letters and related forms on its Register and Recorder resources page, and the small estate petition under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 is a petition to the Orphans' Court rather than a numbered county form.
Who handles inheritance tax in a Wyoming County estate?
The Pennsylvania inheritance tax return (the REV-1500 for a resident decedent) is filed with the Wyoming 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 Wyoming County probate case online?
Wyoming County publishes its own CountyFusion online wills and estate-records search, with Register of Wills estate record images from 1980 to present available as of June 24, 2026, in addition to the statewide UJS Portal case search at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch. The UJS portal's 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 Register of Wills at (570) 996-2361.
What are the phone numbers and office hours for probate in Wyoming County?
The Register of Wills and Recorder office is reached at (570) 996-2361, and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, which is the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts office, at (570) 996-2232. Both are at the Wyoming County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Tunkhannock, and are open Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. The Register of Wills accepts no filings after 3:45 PM, so plan any in-person filing before that cutoff.
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.