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Use This County Probate Reference Before You File

This page is built for the detailed county-level checks that generic probate guides usually miss: local filing fees, Register of Wills and Orphans' Court contact details, administrative orders, e-filing rules, and hearing logistics for Lehigh County.

Local Fee Schedule

Review county-specific probate filing charges before you estimate total case cost.

Court Rules and Orders

Check the local rules, judge procedures, and administrative orders that can change how a case moves.

Clerk and Filing Logistics

Confirm where to file, whether e-filing is allowed, and how hearings or notices are handled locally.

Lehigh County Register of Wills and Orphans' Court Guide

Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas · Register of Wills and Orphans' Court information · Updated May 2026

610-782-3170County Clerk

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Filing & Fees

Fee Schedule Signals

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Probate Filing Fees

Filing TypeFee
Petition for Probate
Standard probate filing fee
$50

Note: Pennsylvania Register of Wills grant-of-letters fees are a sliding scale on the gross probate estate value. petition_probate ($50.00) is the lowest (smallest-estate) bracket; the fee rises with estate value. A separate statewide JCS/JCP surcharge of $40.25 (42 Pa.C.S.; Act 45 of 2025, eff. 11/17/2025) applies to every petition for grant of letters. Short certificate: $10.00 each. Source: lehighcounty.org ROW fee schedule (52 Pa.B. 1563). Confirm the current graduated fee and surcharges with the county Register of Wills before quoting an estate total.

Pennsylvania Register of Wills grant-of-letters fees are a sliding scale on the gross probate estate value. petition_probate ($50.00) is the lowest (smallest-estate) bracket; the fee rises with estate value. A separate statewide JCS/JCP surcharge of $40.25 (42 Pa.C.S.; Act 45 of 2025, eff. 11/17/2025) applies to every petition for grant of letters. Short certificate: $10.00 each. Source: lehighcounty.org ROW fee schedule (52 Pa.B. 1563). Confirm the current graduated fee and surcharges with the county Register of Wills before quoting an estate total.

Required Documents

  • County Register of Wills probate or administration petition packet(County ROW packet)

    Opening forms are county-specific. Use the current Register of Wills packet for the county where probate or administration is being opened.

  • Certified death certificate

    Registers of Wills commonly require a certified death certificate for opening letters; confirm copy count and accepted format with the county office.

  • Original will and codicils

    If a will exists, Pennsylvania probate proof is governed by 20 Pa.C.S. Section 3132 and county Register practice.

  • Petition details for letters

    Section 3153 describes petition contents for letters, including decedent, petitioner, interested-party, estate, and requested-letter details.

  • Renunciations, consents, or bond papers

    Whether these are needed depends on the will, priority to serve, bond requirements, and county packet instructions.

  • Short certificate or certified-copy request

    Request after appointment when banks, title companies, agencies, or other holders need certified proof of authority.

  • Inventory materials

    20 Pa.C.S. Section 3301 governs inventory timing after appointment; this is not always an opening-day filing.

  • Small-estate petition and proposed distribution papers(20 Pa.C.S. 3102 petition)

    Use only when the estate may qualify for Pennsylvania small-estate settlement of personal property and the county Orphans' Court accepts the petition.

E-Filing & Filing Methods

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E-filing is mandatory
Pennsylvania File & ServeCase SearchProbate Forms

Records portal

Use this county-linked source to check live court-record information when available. Search results may not include every probate record.

Open portal
Source foundSearchable, completeness not guaranteedMay require account or payment

Official Lehigh County ORA/Odyssey materials list Register of Wills records and Orphans' Court cases, with exceptions for adoption and parental termination/relinquishment records. Access is account/subscription based and should not be treated as a complete public probate index or certified record response.

Filing Methods: in person, mail, email pre review, electronic filing

Timelines & Proceedings

Deadlines & Creditor Claims

Key Deadlines

Will Deposit
Verify locally
Creditor Claims
12 months
Known Creditor Notice
60 days

Creditor Claims

Period Starts
first complete advertisement of grant of letters
Statute
20 Pa.C.S. Section 3532

Publication Requirements

Related Proceedings

Property Recording

Source ↗
Records Search Property Search

Lehigh County Tax Claim Bureau

Lehigh County Government Center, 17 South 7th Street, Room 120, Allentown, PA 18101

610-782-3119

Tax Collector Tax Search

Official Tax Claim Bureau/Elite Revenue site provides property search, payment options, tax collectors, and certified tax search instructions. Certified tax searches require prepayment and the map number; current county real estate taxes are handled by the county Fiscal Office.