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 Union 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.
Union County Register of Wills and Orphans' Court Guide
Union 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
| 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: unioncountypa.org OC fee 3/2026 (OCR partial).
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: unioncountypa.org OC fee 3/2026 (OCR partial).
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 Register of Wills page says all estates from 1813 to date have been placed on microfilm for easier access by attorneys and the public. Treat this as official in-office/manual estate-record access, not a no-login online probate index, certified-copy workflow, or legal review.
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 ↗Union County Tax Claim Bureau
The Tax Claim Bureau page says it collects all unpaid county real-estate taxes, sends certified notices, reminder notices to avoid advertising, and upset-sale notices for properties that are two years delinquent plus current taxes. It lists tax lien certification instructions and an online payments link. The Treasurer and tax-collector pages say the Treasurer processes real estate taxes remitted by municipal tax collectors, may collect county taxes for municipalities without a tax collector, and that users should consult the county/municipal and school tax collector schedules to determine where to pay individual taxes. Use this as tax collection, delinquency, payment, lien-certification, upset-sale, and local tax-collector routing context, not certified payoff, sale-status guarantee, or title review.