Probates and Estates

Probate Appointments

We offer 30-minute in-person and virtual appointments to probate an estate. For an in-person appointment, you should review the first page of the Delco ROW Probate Appointment Information Guide and call our probate front desk at 610-891-4410 to schedule your appointment (no advance submission of materials is necessary.) For a virtual appointment, you should review the second page of the Delco ROW Probate Appointment Information Guide concerning virtual probate, and email your materials to probate@co.delaware.pa.us so a team member may review and schedule your appointment. Many individuals seek legal advice during this process. If you would like a recommendation please contact the Delaware County Bar Association.

What You Will Need
Death Certificate
Complete the Online Pre-Entry for Probate
Need extra help? See our video walkthrough on YouTube narrated by Rachel Ezzell Berry: Online Pre-Entry for Probate Walkthrough
Original Documents to Probate the Estate
See our Delco ROW Probate Appointment Information Guide (includes a generic checklist)
See our Forms: includes Oath of Subscribing Witness, Oath of Non—Subscribing Witness, Renunciation, and more
Need extra help? See our video walkthroughs on YouTube narrated by Rachel Ezzell Berry:
Yes Will? What Documents Are Needed to Probate an Estate if there is a Will?
No Will? What Documents Are Needed to Probate an Estate if there is No Will?
Payment by Check/Money Order or Credit Card (convenience fee applies) per the ROW Fee Schedule
Email your materials as PDF attachments in one single message to probate@co.delaware.pa.us to schedule your 30-minute, virtual appointment

AFTER THE PROBATE APPOINTMENT

Do you have questions about reporting requirements after the probate appointment, or about a letter you received from our office?

See our After-Probate Checklist
See our Forms: includes Notice of Estate Administration pursuant to Pa. O.C. Rule 10.5, Certification of Notice under Pa. O.C. Rule 10.5, Inventory, Pa. O.C. Rule 10.6 Status Report, and more
See our Inheritance Tax page (includes FAQ)

Letters and/or Short Certificates

If you need Letters or Short Certificates, please know that you have to first probate the estate.

If you have not yet probated the estate, please proceed with the steps for scheduling Probate Appointments.
If you have already probated an estate and need reissued Short Certificates, please proceed to our E-Commerce Store.

Ordering Estate Records and Documents

Want to purchase a document or record such as a copy of a probated Will? Please proceed to our E-Commerce Store.

Online Records Search: Probated Estates

The Register of Wills office now offers all members of the public the ability to search probated estates and data fields of our records anytime for free by navigating our online portal, clicking the LOGIN AS GUEST button (no username/password is required), selecting Search Public Records option, selecting Case Names, and searching for your record.

Want to purchase a document or record? Please proceed to our E-Commerce Store.
Need extra help? For a video walkthrough of how to use this service, please view Searching for Probated Estates Online.

General Probate & Wills Information

Do you have questions about the estate administration process? See our pamphlet titled Introduction to Estate Administration.
Do you have questions about wills? See our pamphlet titled Seven Common Problems with Wills Submitted for Probate.

PA OC Rules DELCO Local OC Rules ROW Fee Schedule ROW Forms