Estate Planning & Probate in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
There are two reasons people look up Lehigh County probate: to keep a family out of it, or to get a loved one's estate through it. Start with your situation below; both paths use Lehigh County's actual court and recording details.
The Probate Process in Lehigh County
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling someone's estate after they die — validating the will, paying debts and taxes, and transferring what's left to the heirs. In Lehigh County, probate runs through the Orphans' Court at Lehigh County Courthouse, 455 West Hamilton Street, Room 122, Allentown. Lehigh County runs probate e-filing through efilepa.tylertech.cloud, the only Pennsylvania county on that system.
Full Lehigh County probate guide: cost, how to file & attorneys →Probate Court Record
Lehigh County Orphans' Court
Lehigh County
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Self-represented filing
Self-help forms
How to file probate in Lehigh County →
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Recording Office Record
Recorder of Deeds
Lehigh County · Clerk of Judicial Records, Recorder of Deeds Division
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Recording fee
E-recording
Verified October 17, 2026 · Source
Vital Records Office Record
Pennsylvania Department of Health - Division of Vital Records
Lehigh County · State vital records office
Phone
Hours
Website
Certified copies
Certified copy fee
Full death certificate details →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Coroner
Lehigh County · Lehigh County Coroner's Office & Forensic Center
Full coroner or medical examiner details →
Verified November 3, 2026 · Source
Local Procedures at the Orphans' Court
An estimate of the estate's gross probate value is given with the petition for letters. Additional probate fees are charged if the inheritance tax assessment is higher, and nothing is refunded if it is lower.
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.
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.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Pour-Over Will
In Pennsylvania, a pour-over will needs no witnesses to be valid20 Pa.C.S. § 2502Verified Oct 19, 2026View source and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
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.
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.
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.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Pennsylvania: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 270 days20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3301-3303Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 12 months20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3162, 3381-3392, 3532Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Pennsylvania happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust Code20 Pa.C.S. § 7701 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 30 days20 Pa.C.S. § 7780.3Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
Do I Need Probate?
In Pennsylvania, estates with personal property of $50,00020 Pa.C.S. § 3102Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less qualify for the Settlement of Small Estates on Petition20 Pa.C.S. § 3102Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, a court procedure short of full probate.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Pennsylvania, a surviving spouse takes the first $30,000 plus half of the rest20 Pa.C.S. § 2102Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita with representation20 Pa.C.S. § 2104(1)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
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. Attorney fees run 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 under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Pennsylvania Estate Planning Articles
Articles about estate planning, probate, and trusts relevant to families in Lehigh County.
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