Doylestown firm, founded in 1992, whose Estates & Trusts Group represents clients in Bucks and Montgomery counties and the Greater Philadelphia area. Administers and probates estates and trusts of all sizes for individual executors, administrators and trustees, keeps fiduciary accountings, and prepares federal and state estate and inheritance tax returns and fiduciary income tax returns. Handles Orphans' Court will, trust and inheritance disputes and guardianship proceedings for adult incapacitated persons.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
How probate works in Montgomery County: the Orphans' Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Montgomery County Orphans' Court
Montgomery County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:15 PM
Office
One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street, 4th Floor, Norristown, PA 19401
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
E-filing
OptionalInitial probates may be filed online through Montgomery County E-Filing, and all Orphans' Court filers are encouraged to e-file. Only emergency Orphans' Court petitions, such as emergency guardianship and end-of-life or medical decision-making petitions, are taken over the counter. Guardians file the inventory and annual reports through the statewide Guardianship Tracking System.
Filing in person
Walk-ins acceptedIn-person probates are taken as walk-ins from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday, and no appointment is needed; no appointments or walk-ins are taken after 3:30 PM. An e-filed probate is completed at a scheduled Webex video meeting after the original will, death certificate and estate information sheet are mailed in.
Self-represented filing
AllowedThe Register's probate page lists the first steps: the original death certificate, the original will (copies are not accepted), the names and addresses of the closest relatives and, without a will, a list of assets with estimated values. Probates may be e-filed or filed in person.
County forms
- Register of Wills E-Filing InstructionsStep-by-step instructions for registering and filing an initial probate online.
- Register of Wills Fee Bill 2026The fees for a petition for grant of letters by estimated value and for other Register of Wills filings.
- Orphans' Court Fee Bill 2026The Clerk of the Orphans' Court's fees.
P.O. Box 311
Norristown, PA 19404-0311
Fax
1-610-278-3240
About the court
- One office serves as Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court. Overnight UPS or FedEx deliveries go to One Montgomery Plaza, 4th Floor.
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, probate runs through the Orphans' Court at One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street, 4th Floor, Norristown. Montgomery County runs probate e-filing through webapp.montcopa.org, the only Pennsylvania county on that system.
The personal representative opens the case, gives notice to heirs and creditors, files an inventory of the estate's assets, settles outstanding debts and taxes, and then distributes the remainder under the will — or under Pennsylvania intestacy law when there is no will.
Most Pennsylvania estates take 9 months to 14 months to move through this process. Creditors have 12 months20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3162, 3381-3392, 3532Verified Oct 19, 2026View source to present a claim, counted from the first publication of the notice to creditors.
What Probate Costs in Montgomery County
What probate costs in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania comes down to a handful of line items — the court filing fee, attorney and executor compensation, publication, and sometimes a bond — scaled by the estate's size and whether the will is contested. The case itself runs through the Orphans' Court at One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street, 4th Floor, Norristown.
Procedures at this court that affect cost: Inheritance tax payments by mail use the postmark date; The probate fee is trued up to the inheritance tax value.
The Orphans' Court charges $50 - $950+ (based on estate value)42 P.S. § 21022.1; 42 Pa.C.S. § 3733; 204 Pa. Code § 29.351(c), (g)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source to open a probate case. Additional filings during administration — inventory, accounting, the final petition — add to the total.
Estimate the costs for this estate:
Attorney fees in Pennsylvania are negotiated, 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 estate value. Flat-fee arrangements are common for straightforward estates.
Pennsylvania allows executors 'reasonable compensation' — around 2.2%–3.8% of a $500,000 estate, judging by what the states with statutory schedules pay20 Pa.C.S. § 3537 (compensation "reasonable and just"; no statutory percentage); In re Estate of Sonovick, 541 A.2d 374, 376 (Pa. Super. 1988); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
Pennsylvania requires publishing notice to creditors in a local newspaper, and the estate pays for it.
A surety bond may be required unless the will waives it or all beneficiaries consent. Premiums run roughly 0.5%Industry surety premium estimate; the bond itself under 20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3171, 3174 (bond before letters except as § 3174 provides; a PA-resident PR named in the will or sole residuary legatee excused); § 3175 (bond may still be required)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value annually.
Probate in Pennsylvania typically runs 9 months to 14 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the Orphans' Court
Probate documents in Montgomery County can be filed in person at the Orphans' Court, by mail, or electronically. Most families handling probate themselves prefer paper filing, though e-filing is available. Montgomery County is one of 15 Pennsylvania counties that accept probate e-filing; most probate courts in the state still take filings on paper.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
In Pennsylvania, informal probate is available20 Pa.C.S. § 901 (register jurisdiction over probate and letters), § 3155 (register grants letters), § 908 (appeal from the register's decree to the Orphans' Court)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.
For a full cost comparison and filing checklist, see the Montgomery County Self-Filing Assessment.
What to Bring
Filed with the opening petition at the Orphans' Court: Original will and any codicils, presented to the Register of Wills of the county of the decedent’s last family or principal residence (20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3131, 3132); Original (raised-seal) death certificate, presented at the county Register of Wills — county intake practice, not a statutory, rule, or statewide-form requirement for a grant of letters; Completed RW-02 Petition for Grant of Letters (rev. 10/11/2011), including the Oath of Personal Representative on page 220 Pa.C.S. §§ 3155-3157 (persons entitled; nonresidents); § 901 (register’s jurisdiction)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Coroner in Montgomery County
In Montgomery County certified copies of the death certificate come from Pennsylvania Department of Health - Division of Vital Records; the Local Registrar files the certificate and issues no copies to the public.
Vital Records Office Record
Pennsylvania Department of Health - Division of Vital Records
Montgomery County · State vital records office
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM (except holidays; Philadelphia by appointment only)
Website
Certified copies
From Pennsylvania Department of Health - Division of Vital Records; the Local Registrar files the certificate and issues no copies to the public
Division of Vital Records
Death Certificate Processing Unit
P.O. Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103
Phone
1-724-656-3100Monday-Friday 7:15 AM-6:00 PM; Saturday-Sunday 8:30 AM-4:00 PM
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $20 |
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Coroner
Montgomery County · Montgomery County Coroner's Office
Phone
Office
56 Eagleville Road, Eagleville, PA 19403
Website
Cremation authorization
Signed by this office
Mail and offices
Fax
1-610-278-3547
Verified November 1, 2026 · Source
Transferring Property in Montgomery County
Clearing title to real estate after a death, whether by a personal representative’s deed, an affidavit of survivorship, or a court order, happens at the Recorder of Deeds.
Deeds and other real property documents for Montgomery County are recorded with the Recorder of Deeds at One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street, 3rd Floor, Norristown, PA 19401. Phone: 1-610-278-3289. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:00 PM.
Documents submitted by mail go to P.O. Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404-0311.
The Recorder of Deeds charges $88 for the first 4 pages plus $4 for each page beyond 4.
Montgomery County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile, ePN and CSC.
Recording Office Record
Recorder of Deeds
Montgomery County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:00 PM
Office
One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street, 3rd Floor, Norristown, PA 19401
Website
E-recording
P.O. Box 311
Norristown, PA 19404-0311
Fax
1-610-278-3869
Recording fees
| Base fee (first 4 pages) | $87.75 |
| Each page beyond 4 | $4 |
County fee schedule adopted under the Recorder of Deeds Fee Law (Act 87 of 1982, 16 P.S. § 11011-1 et seq.), 42 Pa.C.S. § 3733(a.1)(1)(v), and 53 Pa.C.S. § 6011
Verified October 17, 2026 · Source
Forms that put a death on the title
- Free forms: Affidavit of Death Form · Affidavit of Heirship Form
Probate Attorneys Serving Montgomery County
Pennsylvania allows informal probate, so many families settle straightforward estates in Montgomery County without hiring an attorney. A probate attorney earns the fee when the estate is contested, includes a business or out-of-state real estate, has unclear or insolvent debts, or when beneficiaries disagree.
Probate attorney fees in Pennsylvania are based on reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee. Ask a Montgomery County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Orphans' Court, publishes the required creditor notices, prepares the inventory and accounting, handles creditor claims and tax filings, and guides the final distribution. They represent the personal representative — not the beneficiaries — a distinction that matters if a dispute develops.
Philadelphia firm at One Logan Square, with a second Pennsylvania office in Bala Cynwyd, whose Wills, Trusts, Estates and Taxes Practice Group serves clients throughout the greater Philadelphia area. Assists people named trustee or personal representative in administering estates and trusts of all sizes, and prepares wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts and special needs trusts with planning to minimize estate and inheritance taxes.
Media firm, serving Delaware County since 1964 with a second office in West Chester, whose estates department handles estate and trust administration, probate, inheritance tax and fiduciary income tax returns, accountings, and guardianships. Its estate litigators represent clients in will contests and other estate and trust disputes in the Orphans' Courts of Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery counties. Also prepares wills, revocable trusts, and estate tax plans.
Northeast Philadelphia firm on Bustleton Avenue serving Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks counties, with Russian-speaking attorneys. Works with executors on probate, inheritance tax returns, creditor and beneficiary notice and estate real estate, and handles will contests, breach of fiduciary duty, removal of trustees, contested heirship and guardianship appointments.
Heckscher, Teillon, Terrill & Sager, P.C.
1001 Conshohocken State Road, Suite 1-300, West Conshohocken, PA 19428
West Conshohocken trust and estate firm in Montgomery County, founded in 1994, that appears before the Register of Wills and Orphans' Courts throughout Pennsylvania. Represents executors and trustees in probating wills, filing federal estate, state death and fiduciary income tax returns, and discharging the executor by family agreement or formal audit, and litigates will and trust contests, fiduciary accountings, surcharge and removal, and contested guardianships for beneficiaries and fiduciaries alike.
Philadelphia firm on Walnut Street handling estate probate and administration in Philadelphia County and across Southeastern Pennsylvania. Serves executors, administrators, heirs and trustees from appointment and estate advertising through inventory, tax returns, final accounting and distribution, and readies inherited homes for sale for out-of-state fiduciaries who settle the estate remotely.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.
Legal Sources
(9)·
- 20 Pa.C.S. § 3537 (compensation "reasonable and just"; no statutory percentage); In re Estate of Sonovick, 541 A.2d 374, 376 (Pa. Super. 1988); Estate of Andrews, 2026 PA Super 168
- 20 Pa.C.S. § 901 (register jurisdiction over probate and letters), § 3155 (register grants letters), § 908 (appeal from the register's decree to the Orphans' Court)
- 20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3155-3157 (persons entitled; nonresidents); § 901 (register’s jurisdiction)
- 20 Pa.C.S. §§ 3162, 3381-3392, 3532
- 42 P.S. § 21022.1; 42 Pa.C.S. § 3733; 204 Pa. Code § 29.351(c), (g)
- County fee schedule adopted under the Recorder of Deeds Fee Law (Act 87 of 1982, 16 P.S. § 11011-1 et seq.), 42 Pa.C.S. § 3733(a.1)(1)(v), and 53 Pa.C.S. § 6011
- Montgomery County Orphans' Court, official page
- Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds, official page
- Montgomery County vital records and death investigation offices, official page
Data sourced from Pennsylvania statutes and official state code. Fee percentages are modeled estimates; each figure's note says how. How we research.
Tools for Settling an Estate in Pennsylvania
Free tools for settling an estate in Pennsylvania: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines 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.
See the Steps
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.
See the Steps
Can I Self-File Probate?
In Pennsylvania, informal probate is available20 Pa.C.S. § 901 (register jurisdiction over probate and letters), § 3155 (register grants letters), § 908 (appeal from the register's decree to the Orphans' Court)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.
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