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
Viewing the professional reference · Switch to the family guide
Filing & Fees
Fee Schedule Signals
Source ↗Probate Filing Fees
| Filing Type | Fee |
|---|---|
Petition for Probate Standard probate filing fee | $41 |
Note: Pennsylvania Register of Wills grant-of-letters fees are a per-county sliding scale on the gross probate estate value. petition_probate ($41.25) records the statewide JCS/JCP surcharge (42 Pa.C.S.; Act 45 of 2025, eff. 11/17/2025) imposed on every petition for grant of letters; this county's graduated grant-of-letters fee was not machine-readable from its published schedule at audit time and must be confirmed from the linked fee schedule before quoting an estate total. Source: county Register of Wills fee schedule.
Pennsylvania Register of Wills grant-of-letters fees are a per-county sliding scale on the gross probate estate value. petition_probate ($41.25) records the statewide JCS/JCP surcharge (42 Pa.C.S.; Act 45 of 2025, eff. 11/17/2025) imposed on every petition for grant of letters; this county's graduated grant-of-letters fee was not machine-readable from its published schedule at audit time and must be confirmed from the linked fee schedule before quoting an estate total. Source: county Register of Wills fee schedule.
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
Use this county-linked source to check live court-record information when available. Search results may not include every probate record.
The county Register of Wills page says records from January 1, 1997 to present are available outside the office through INFOCON County Access, which requires a user account and charges a fee. The county also posts an Index of Wills from 1850 to present, but states that it is only an index and does not include images or documents. A complete no-login estate index, probate image access, certified-copy workflow, and INFOCON subscription scope were not verified.
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