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 Montour 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.
Montour County Register of Wills and Orphans' Court Guide
Montour County Court of Common Pleas · Register of Wills and Orphans' Court information · Updated May 2026
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Filing & Fees
Fee Schedule Signals
Source ↗Probate Filing Fees
Specific fee amounts are not available for this county. Montour County grant-of-letters (probate) fees are graduated on the estate value: $28 (not over $1,000), $36 ($1,001 to $5,000), $49 ($5,001 to $10,000), $57 ($10,001 to $20,000), $66 ($20,001 to $30,000), $75 ($30,001 to $40,000), $83 ($40,001 to $50,000), $92 ($50,001 to $75,000), $101 ($75,001 to $100,000), plus $40 for each additional $100,000. A $41.25 Judicial Computer Project fee is added to each grant of letters. A small estate affidavit is $35, and a short certificate is $5. Confirm current amounts on the county fee schedule. Source: Montour County Register of Wills fee schedule, effective November 17, 2025.
Montour County grant-of-letters (probate) fees are graduated on the estate value: $28 (not over $1,000), $36 ($1,001 to $5,000), $49 ($5,001 to $10,000), $57 ($10,001 to $20,000), $66 ($20,001 to $30,000), $75 ($30,001 to $40,000), $83 ($40,001 to $50,000), $92 ($50,001 to $75,000), $101 ($75,001 to $100,000), plus $40 for each additional $100,000. A $41.25 Judicial Computer Project fee is added to each grant of letters. A small estate affidavit is $35, and a short certificate is $5. Confirm current amounts on the county fee schedule. Source: Montour County Register of Wills fee schedule, effective November 17, 2025.
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.
- 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.
E-Filing & Filing Methods
Records portal
Check live court-record information when available. Search results may not include every probate record. An account may be required.
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 ↗Montour County Office of Tax Claims
435 East Front Street, Danville, PA 17821
Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; closed weekends and holidays.
The Tax Claims page says the Tax Claim Bureau collects delinquent real estate taxes turned over by all tax collectors and school districts in Montour County and operates under Pennsylvania's Real Estate Tax Sale Law. It says county and municipal real estate tax bills are mailed by each municipality's tax collector on or before March 1, school real estate tax bills are mailed on or before July 1, unpaid taxes after December 31 are returned to Tax Claim, tax claims become absolute if not paid by December 31 of the year turned over, and tax sale processes include upset, judicial, and repository sale handling. The Tax Assessment page says tax payments should be made to the tax collector for the property municipality. Use this as delinquency and collector-routing context, not certified payoff or title reporting.
Sources (7)
- https://www.montourcounty.gov/departments/register-of-wills
- https://www.montourcounty.gov/departments/register-of-wills/register-of-wills-forms
- https://www.montourcounty.gov/departments/register-of-wills/checklist-of-grant-of-letters-and-estate-filings
- https://www.montourcounty.gov/Departments/Register-of-Wills/Montour-County-Register-of-Wills-Fee-Schedule
- https://www.montourcounty.gov/departments/register-of-wills/index-of-wills-1850-present
- https://www.infoconcountyaccess.com/countiesandoffices.html
- https://www.pacourts.us/forms/for-the-public/orphans-court-forms