Lemoyne firm at 301 Market Street, where its practice opened in 1914, with offices in Wyomissing, Lancaster and Lewistown serving Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Berks and Mifflin Counties. Guides executors and administrators through estate administration, from cataloging assets to paying debts, filing tax returns and distributing to beneficiaries, administers trusts and guardianships, and litigates estate and trust disputes between beneficiaries and trustees.
Probate in Dauphin County
Probate Court Record
Dauphin County Orphans' Court
Dauphin County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
Dauphin County Courthouse, 101 Market Street, Room 103, Harrisburg, PA 17101
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Appointment required
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Dauphin County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Do I need a lawyer for probate in Dauphin County? →Settling an estate in Dauphin County →
Elder Law Firms Serving Dauphin County
West Chester estate and probate firm on West Gay Street, with a second office on North Duke Street in Lancaster, serving Chester and Lancaster County families. Guides executors and personal representatives through probate filing requirements, notices to creditors, creditor claims and distribution, and represents the estate in disputes among beneficiaries and in estate litigation. Also handles guardianships, special needs trusts, and Medicaid and VA planning.
Firm with offices in McConnellsburg, Waynesboro, and Greencastle serving Fulton and Franklin County families. Helps personal representatives understand their obligations and complete the tasks of estate administration, and represents clients in estate litigation, including will contests and challenges to the improper use of powers of attorney. Also prepares wills, trusts, financial and healthcare powers of attorney, and lifetime gift plans.
Bethlehem firm on East Broad Street, practicing in the Lehigh Valley since 1969 and led by Joseph F. Leeson, III. Its estate practice guides executors through probate, paying debts and distributing assets, alongside wills, asset protection trusts, powers of attorney and long-term care planning. The firm's main practice is personal injury.
Downtown Pittsburgh firm at One PPG Place, with a Harrisburg-area office in Camp Hill, whose estates and trusts team lists eleven attorneys. Guides executors, trustees, and beneficiaries through probate filings, the estate inventory and tax returns, asset distribution, and trust administration including compliance and tax filings. Its fiduciary services group defends surcharge actions and handles beneficiary disputes for banks and trust companies.
All 11 Pennsylvania elder law firms serving Dauphin County →
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Pennsylvania
Free Pennsylvania forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Pennsylvania.
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Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
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Healthcare Power of Attorney
Pennsylvania requires 220 Pa.C.S. § 5471 (combined example); § 5465 (HC agent form); § 5447 (living will form)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not required20 Pa.C.S. § 5471 (combined example); § 5465 (HC agent form); § 5447 (living will form)Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.
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Free
Financial Power of Attorney
Pennsylvania treats a power of attorney as durable by default20 Pa.C.S. § 5601Verified Sep 20, 2026View source, and it is signed before 220 Pa.C.S. § 5601Verified Oct 21, 2026View source witnesses and a notary.
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Last Will and Testament
In Pennsylvania, a will needs no witnesses to be valid20 Pa.C.S. § 2502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimony20 Pa.C.S. § 2502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
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Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Pennsylvania
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Pennsylvania: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
An attorney-prepared revocable trust in Pennsylvania runs $3,830Estimate: 10 hours at $383, Clio's Pennsylvania Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,745Estimate: 15 hours at $383, Clio's Pennsylvania Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source and a simple will $1,014Estimate: 3 hours at $338, Clio's Pennsylvania Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,028Estimate: 6 hours at $338, Clio's Pennsylvania Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
Calculate Costs
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
In Pennsylvania, four years at a public university cost about $114,932NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 330.20, public 4-year in-state tuition, fees, room and board, academic year 2022-23Verified Oct 17, 2026View source and the cost of living is near the U.S. averageBEA Regional Price Parities, all items, by state, 2024Verified Oct 17, 2026View source; an inheritance tax falls on beneficiaries72 P.S. § 9116Verified Sep 15, 2026View source by relationship.
Calculate the Amount
What Are the Estate Laws in My State?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Pennsylvania costs an estimated $26,087In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source and takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate, with attorney fees of typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate. Estates under $50,00020 Pa.C.S. § 3102Verified Sep 8, 2026View source can use a small-estate procedure instead.
Check the Rules
Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Probate in Pennsylvania takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%Modeled estimate under In re Trust Estate of LaRocca, 431 Pa. 542, 246 A.2d 337 (1968); In re Estate of Preston, 560 A.2d 160, 165 (Pa. Super. 1989); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168 (no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
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Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?
Pennsylvania automatically revokes an ex-spouse as beneficiary at divorce20 Pa.C.S. § 6111.2; 20 Pa.C.S. § 6111.1Verified Sep 15, 2026View source; employer plans under ERISA follow federal rules either way, so a 401(k) beneficiary changes only by a new designation.
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