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York County, PA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Where probate begins | The York County Register of Wills, on the second floor of the York County Judicial Center: this is where the original will is filed, the Petition for Probate and 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 York County Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas (19th Judicial District), which handles inventories, accounts, distributions, guardianships, adoptions, and disputes; the filing office is the Clerk of the Orphans' Court |
| Combined office | One elected York County row officer holds both the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court offices, at the same counter on the second floor of the York County Judicial Center |
| Filing office | York County Judicial Center, 45 North George Street, Second Floor, York, PA 17401 |
| Phone | Register of Wills (717) 771-9607; Clerk of Orphans' Court (717) 771-9288 |
| [email protected] (Register of Wills); [email protected] (Clerk of Orphans' Court) | |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Closed weekends and county holidays. Note that cell phones, cameras, and weapons are not permitted in the York County Judicial Center |
| Filing fee | Register of Wills grant-of-letters fees are set by York County and graduated by total assets, starting at $40.00 for an estate not over $2,000 and rising to $150.00 for an estate over $50,000 but not over $100,000, plus $100.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction; on top of those amounts the schedule adds a $41.25 JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge and a $14.75 Register of Wills automation fee, itemized separately (42 P.S. § 21022.1). A short certificate is $10.00. See the fees section below (York County Register of Wills fee bill, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025, verified July 2026). Confirm the current schedule with the Register of Wills |
| Local forms | Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set (published on pacourts.us), including Form RW-02 (Petition for Probate and Grant of Letters) and Form RW-09 (Estate Inventory). York also posts a few local Register of Wills forms and a county Petition for Settlement of Small Estate on the Orphans' Court forms page |
| E-filing | Required. York County requires e-filing for every Petition for Probate/Grant of Letters: new probate petitions are filed through publicforms.us and documents in existing estate cases through the county's online records system. The grant-of-letters meeting is held virtually by Zoom after the documents are e-filed, so an in-person appearance before the Register is not required. Inheritance-tax returns are not accepted by e-filing and are filed separately with the Register of Wills |
| 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); York County also runs its own online estate and records search through the county records system |
| Remote appearance | The grant-of-letters meeting with the Register is held by Zoom after e-filing; hearing formats before the Orphans' Court Division are set by the court, so confirm any remote option before a scheduled date |
| Website | https://www.yorkcountypa.gov/385/Register-of-Wills |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
The first York County question is which path fits the estate, and then how the county wants it filed. Pennsylvania probate begins at the Register of Wills, where the will is admitted and letters are granted; the Orphans' Court Division then supervises the administration. A qualifying small estate can instead be settled on a petition to the Orphans' Court division (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102), and some assets pass without any grant of letters at all (20 Pa.C.S. § 3101). The statewide thresholds and paths are covered on the Pennsylvania state page. A jointly owned York County 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 York 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. York requires the opening petition to be e-filed, so having the assets, debts, and heirs organized first makes that a single clean filing. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The York County Register of Wills and the York County Orphans' Court Division serve all of York County, in south-central Pennsylvania along the Maryland line. The county takes in the City of York, its county seat, along with Hanover, Red Lion, Dallastown, Dover, Spring Grove, Jacobus, Glen Rock, Stewartstown, Shrewsbury, Wrightsville, Hallam, Windsor, New Freedom, and the county's many boroughs and townships, including Springettsbury, Spring Garden, West Manchester, York, Manchester, and Windsor 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 York County has the estate opened here, regardless of which municipality within the county the person lived in.
York County is the 19th Judicial District, a single-county district, so its Orphans' Court Division judges are Court of Common Pleas judges sitting in York. Both the Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are held by one elected York County row officer, and both offices are on the second floor of the York County Judicial Center at 45 North George Street. The grant of letters and the later administration filings are handled by the same office in the same building. If the decedent was not domiciled in Pennsylvania but left property in York County, the register of the county where the property is located may grant letters (20 Pa.C.S. § 3151), the basis for an ancillary administration.
The jurisdiction process
- Confirm venue. York 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 York 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 Probate and 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 total assets and debts, and the names and addresses of the heirs. For a will without a self-proving acknowledgment, the oath of a subscribing or non-subscribing witness is used to prove the decedent's signature.
- E-file the petition with the Register of Wills. York County requires e-filing for every Petition for Probate/Grant of Letters. File a new probate petition through publicforms.us; documents in an existing estate case go through the county's online records system. Files must be PDF or TIFF. After the documents are e-filed, the grant-of-letters meeting with the Register is held virtually by Zoom, so no in-person trip to the Judicial Center is required to open the estate.
- Pay the county filing fee. York's Register of Wills grant-of-letters fee is graduated by total assets, starting at $40.00 for an estate not over $2,000 and rising to $150.00 for an estate over $50,000 but not over $100,000, plus $100.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction. On top of that amount the schedule adds a $41.25 JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge and a $14.75 Register of Wills automation fee, itemized separately (42 P.S. § 21022.1). Request several short certificates, the certified proof of the letters that banks and transfer agents rely on, at $10.00 each (York County Register of Wills fee bill, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025, verified July 2026).
- 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 York Legal Record, the county legal journal published by the York County Bar Association, 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 York County Register of Wills; inheritance-tax returns are filed separately and are not accepted by e-filing. Pennsylvania inheritance tax is keyed to the beneficiary's relationship to the decedent, becomes delinquent nine months after death, and a 5% discount is allowed on tax paid within three months of death. The rate detail is on the Pennsylvania state page.
- File the inventory. File a verified inventory of the estate's real and personal property with the Register on Form RW-09, due no later than the earlier of the account filing or the inheritance-tax return due date (20 Pa.C.S. § 3301); an interested party may demand it sooner.
- Administer and close. Collect the assets, pay valid claims and taxes, and account to the interested parties. Accounts, petitions for distribution, and any contested matter are filed with the Clerk of the Orphans' Court and heard by the Orphans' Court Division; a personal representative who distributes is protected from a claim not made known within one year after the first complete advertisement of the grant of letters (20 Pa.C.S. § 3532).
Forms and documents
Probate forms in York County
Pennsylvania uses one statewide Register of Wills and Orphans' Court form set, and York County files the same set as every other county. The load-bearing filings are Form RW-02, the Petition for Probate and Grant of Letters, used with or without a will; Form RW-06, the Renunciation, where a person with priority declines to serve; Form RW-09, the Estate Inventory; and Form RW-07 and Form RW-08, the notice of estate administration and the certification of that notice. 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.
York County also posts a handful of its own local Register of Wills forms, including an Affidavit and Release of Beneficiary, an Affidavit of Foreign Fiduciary, an Informal Caveat, and oaths of witnesses, on the county Register of Wills forms page. The small-estate petition is different: settlement of a small estate under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3102 uses a county Petition for Settlement of Small Estate, filed with the Orphans' Court division rather than a numbered statewide RW form, and York publishes that form on its Orphans' Court forms page. In York County the opening petition and the estate documents are e-filed: a new Petition for Probate/Grant of Letters through publicforms.us, and documents in an existing case through the county's online records system.
Fees
Pennsylvania sets probate filing fees per county, and York County publishes its own Register of Wills fee bill, established by Order of Court dated December 19, 2024, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025 under 42 P.S. § 21022.1. The grant-of-letters fee is graduated by the total assets of the estate. York's schedule marks the graduated grant-of-letters amounts and the probate-of-will fee with a double asterisk and states that the $41.25 JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge and the $14.75 Register of Wills automation fee apply on top of those amounts, so they are itemized separately rather than folded into the base fee. Confirm the current schedule before you file; each figure below carries its source.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grant of letters, total assets not over $2,000 | $40.00 plus $41.25 surcharge plus $14.75 automation fee | The minimum grant-of-letters fee; the $41.25 JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge and $14.75 automation fee are added on top (York County Register of Wills fee bill, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, total assets over $2,000 but not over $5,000 | $50.00 plus $41.25 surcharge plus $14.75 automation fee | The base fee rises in steps with the total assets of the estate (York County Register of Wills fee bill, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, total assets over $5,000 but not over $25,000 | $75.00 plus $41.25 surcharge plus $14.75 automation fee | The same surcharge and automation fee apply at every tier (York County Register of Wills fee bill, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, total assets over $25,000 but not over $50,000 | $100.00 plus $41.25 surcharge plus $14.75 automation fee | The same surcharge and automation fee apply at every tier (York County Register of Wills fee bill, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Grant of letters, total assets over $50,000 but not over $100,000 | $150.00 plus $41.25 surcharge plus $14.75 automation fee | The top listed base tier, then $100.00 for each additional $100,000 of assets or fraction, plus the same surcharge and automation fee (York County Register of Wills fee bill, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Short certificate | $10.00 each | The certified proof of the letters that banks and transfer agents rely on (York County Register of Wills fee bill, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Probate of will and codicil without issuance of letters | $50.00 plus $41.25 surcharge plus $14.75 automation fee | For filing and probating a will where no grant of letters is sought; a death certificate is required (York County Register of Wills fee bill, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Inheritance-tax return (REV-1500) filing | $10.00 | For filing the Pennsylvania inheritance-tax return with the Register of Wills; the certificate of tax payment is $25.00 (York County Register of Wills fee bill, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025, verified July 2026) |
| Estate inventory (Form RW-09) | $10.00 | For filing the verified inventory; copies are $1.00 per page (York County Register of Wills fee bill, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025, verified July 2026) |
Local nuance
York County-specific considerations
One officer holds both offices. In York County a single elected county row officer holds both the Register of Wills office, which admits the will and grants letters, and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court office, which supervises the administration that follows. Both offices are on the second floor of the York County Judicial Center at 45 North George Street, so the grant of letters and the later filings are handled by the same office in the same building. Because officials are elected and change, this page refers to the offices rather than the officeholder.
York requires e-filing to open an estate. Unlike many Pennsylvania counties that take the opening petition on paper at the counter, York County requires e-filing for every Petition for Probate/Grant of Letters. A new probate petition is filed through publicforms.us, and documents in an existing estate case go through the county's online records system. Files must be in PDF or TIFF format. Inheritance-tax returns are the exception: they are filed separately with the Register of Wills and are not accepted by e-filing.
The grant-of-letters meeting is virtual. After the opening documents are e-filed, York holds the grant-of-letters meeting with the Register virtually by Zoom rather than in person. That means a personal representative, including one who lives out of state, does not have to travel to the Judicial Center to open the estate. Self-represented (pro se) petitioners can use the e-filing system; confirm the current steps and any scheduling with the Register of Wills.
Surcharges are added on top of the base fee. York's Register of Wills fee bill lists the graduated grant-of-letters amounts and then adds the $41.25 JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge and the $14.75 Register of Wills automation fee on top, itemized separately. So the smallest grant-of-letters filing, for an estate not over $2,000, totals $40.00 plus those two fees, and the surcharge and automation fee apply the same way at every tier (York County Register of Wills fee bill, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025).
Office hours end at 4:15. The Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., and closed on weekends and county holidays. If you visit the York County Judicial Center, note that cell phones, cameras, and weapons are not permitted in the building.
Recent updates
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2025 | A new York County Register of Wills fee bill took effect, established by Order of Court dated December 19, 2024 under 42 P.S. § 21022.1, setting the graduated grant-of-letters schedule; the published schedule carries a November 2025 revision (source: the county fee schedule at yorkcountypa.gov/426, verified July 2026). |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in York County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | A York County 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 by e-filing Form RW-02 with the York County Register of Wills, with letters testamentary if there is a will or letters of administration if there is not, followed by the virtual grant-of-letters meeting. | Asset discovery to separate survivorship property from sole-name assets. Packet generation for the Form RW-02 petition and the supporting documents, ready to e-file. A vetted York County probate attorney if the estate is contested or complex. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | If the parent lived in York 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 by e-filing Form RW-02 with the Register of Wills. Because York e-files the opening petition and holds the grant-of-letters meeting by Zoom, an out-of-state child usually does not need to travel to York to open the estate. | 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 York County Register of Wills. Because there is no will, the parent e-files Form RW-02 for letters of administration, with priority set by 20 Pa.C.S. § 3155, then advertises the grant in the York Legal Record (20 Pa.C.S. § 3162), files the inventory (Form RW-09), and settles the Pennsylvania inheritance tax. The administrator obtains the authority to sell the child's York County real estate; a contested step is heard by the Orphans' Court Division. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts and property. Packet generation for the administration petition, the inventory, and the sale papers. A vetted York County probate attorney to run the administration and any contested step. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| York County Register of Wills (yorkcountypa.gov/385/Register-of-Wills) | The Register of Wills page: address, hours, the fee schedule, local forms, the e-filing links, and the online estate records search |
| York County Clerk of Orphans' Court (yorkcountypa.gov/232/Clerk-of-Orphans-Court) | The Orphans' Court filing office page: guardianship, adoption, account and distribution matters, and the Orphans' Court forms, including the county Petition for Settlement of Small Estate |
| York County e-filing for wills and estates (yorkcountypa.gov/1140/E-File-for-Wills-Estates) | The county's required e-filing for a new Petition for Probate/Grant of Letters (publicforms.us) and for documents in existing estate cases, with the format and file-size rules |
| 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 |
| MidPenn Legal Services, York office, (717) 848-3605 or 1-800-326-9177 (midpenn.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible residents of York County and 17 other central Pennsylvania counties, including advance directives, powers of attorney, and related matters |
| York County Bar Association Attorney Connection, (717) 854-8755 (yorkbar.com) | The county bar's lawyer referral service, connecting families to a local attorney for an initial consultation |
| 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 York County estates are handled with the statewide forms, the county's e-filing system, 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 York County real estate must be sold and the terms are disputed; when the heirs are unknown or in conflict; or when a formal accounting or a dispute over the personal representative is filed. 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 York 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, York County real estate, business interests, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and can pick the right Pennsylvania estate settlement path before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the York County filing: the Petition for Probate and 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 e-file through the county's system.
Find a local probate attorney. When an estate is contested, taxable, or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted York 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 York County, Pennsylvania?
Probate begins with the York County Register of Wills, on the second floor of the York County Judicial Center, 45 North George Street, York, PA 17401, (717) 771-9607. That is where the will is admitted, the Petition for Probate and Grant of Letters (Form RW-02) is presented, and letters are issued. The same elected officer also serves as Clerk of the Orphans' Court, whose office at the same location handles the administration that follows, (717) 771-9288.
Do I have to e-file probate in York County?
Yes. York County requires e-filing for every Petition for Probate/Grant of Letters. A new probate petition is filed through publicforms.us, and documents in an existing estate case go through the county's online records system; files must be PDF or TIFF. Self-represented (pro se) petitioners can use the system. Inheritance-tax returns are the exception and are filed separately with the Register of Wills.
Do I have to appear in person to open probate in York County?
No. After you e-file the opening documents, York holds the grant-of-letters meeting with the Register virtually by Zoom, so a personal representative, including one who lives out of state, does not have to travel to the York County Judicial Center to open the estate. Confirm the current steps and scheduling with the Register of Wills.
How much does it cost to open a probate estate in York County?
York's Register of Wills grant-of-letters fee is set by the county and graduated by total assets, starting at $40.00 for an estate not over $2,000 and rising to $150.00 for an estate over $50,000 but not over $100,000, plus $100.00 for each additional $100,000 or fraction. On top of that, the schedule adds a $41.25 JCP/ATJ/CJEA/OAG surcharge and a $14.75 Register of Wills automation fee, itemized separately. A short certificate is $10.00 (York County Register of Wills fee bill, effective January 1, 2025 and revised November 2025).
What are the York County Register of Wills hours?
The Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., and closed on weekends and county holidays. Cell phones, cameras, and weapons are not permitted in the York County Judicial Center, so plan accordingly if you visit in person.
How do I look up a York County estate or probate record?
York County runs its own online estate and records search through the county records system, which is also where documents in existing estate cases are e-filed. The statewide UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch is the general court case search, though its Register of Wills and Orphans' Court estate-record coverage varies by county. The Register of Wills office holds the official file.
What forms do I use for a York 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 Probate and Grant of Letters) and Form RW-09 (Estate Inventory), published on pacourts.us/forms/for-the-public/orphans-court-forms. The small-estate petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) uses a county Petition for Settlement of Small Estate, filed with the Orphans' Court division and posted on York's Orphans' Court forms page.
Where do I advertise the grant of letters in York County?
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 York Legal Record, the county legal journal published by the York County Bar Association, so that creditors can present claims (20 Pa.C.S. § 3162). Creditors generally have one year from the first complete advertisement to present a claim (20 Pa.C.S. § 3532).
Does York 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 York County estates. The REV-1500 resident return is filed with the York County Register of Wills; it is filed separately and is not accepted by e-filing. The tax becomes delinquent nine months after death, with a 5% discount for tax paid within three months. The rate detail is on the Pennsylvania state page.
How do I handle a small estate in York 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. York publishes a county Petition for Settlement of Small Estate on its Orphans' Court forms page; 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.