Access Philadelphia County Probate Records

Philadelphia County Orphans' Court

Philadelphia probate records are handled by the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court. The office probates wills, issues letters of administration, keeps wills, estate inventories, and related documents, acts as inheritance tax filing and payment agent, and maintains Orphans' Court dockets and records. This office is separate from the Office of Judicial Records - Civil and the criminal Clerk of Courts.

City Hall is the key location. Probate service counters are in Room 180. The same building contains other Register of Wills units, including marriage license and marriage record rooms, but probate users should not assume that marriage copy rules or divorce record rules apply to estate files. Divorce decrees are Common Pleas Family Court records, while wills, letters, estate inventories, and Orphans' Court dockets belong to the Register and Orphans' Court record path.

Philadelphia Probate Terms

Probate records use terms that can be confusing if a person is only trying to find a will or estate file. The definitions below match common Philadelphia County Orphans' Court and Register of Wills records.

Testator

A person who died leaving a will.

Executor

The person named in a will to administer the estate.

Administrator

The person appointed when there is no valid will or no executor can serve.

Intestate

A death without a will.

Letters testamentary

Proof that an executor has authority to act for the estate.

Letters of administration

Proof that an administrator has authority to act for an intestate estate.

Guardianship

A court-supervised arrangement for a minor or incapacitated person.

Request Philadelphia Probate Records

The Philadelphia probate records request page states that a requester needs the decedent's complete name at death, date of death, and the types of probate records requested. Mail requests may use the probate record request form or a letter with those details, a money order for the research fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. The mailing address is Register of Wills, Room 180, City Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

The request channel is useful when a person knows the decedent but does not yet know the file contents.

Typical mail response time is 7-10 business days. If a record is found, a representative contacts the requester and describes contents before copy ordering. If no record is found, the office still issues a confirmation letter. In-person requests go to Room 180 during weekday public hours. Attorney users may have a separate online system, but public users rely on service pages, mail, and in-person service.

1. Write the decedent's complete name at death and date of death.
2. List the record types requested, such as will, letters, inventory, estate file, or Orphans' Court docket.
3. Include the probate record request form or a letter with the required details.
4. Add the research fee by money order payable to Register of Wills and include a self-addressed stamped envelope.
5. Wait for the office to confirm whether a record was found and what copy options are available.

Probate With a Will

When a Philadelphia resident dies leaving a will and assets in that person's name only, the will must be probated to prove validity. The probate-with-will service page says the Register can help start the process when the named executor is available. If no executor is named, the wording of the will may affect who can administer the estate.

The with-will process focuses on proving the will and issuing letters testamentary.

The service page lists the core requirements: the decedent was a Philadelphia resident at death or held real property in Philadelphia without personal property in another state, an original will, an original death certificate, an estate value estimate, valid current identification, and payment. Accepted payment is Visa, Mastercard, certified check, or money order. The petition for probate and grant of letters testamentary is completed at the appointment. The Register can help with paperwork but cannot provide legal advice.

Probate Without a Will

When a person dies without a will, the estate is intestate. The probate-without-a-will service page explains that the Register appoints an administrator, often a spouse or child. The person seeking authority files a petition for grant of letters of administration and pays estate administration fees.

Intestate records often show who requested authority and how heirs handled consent or disagreement.

Required items include the original death certificate, estimated estate value, valid current identification, and payment. Sole beneficiaries often qualify to serve. When there are multiple heirs, they may need to agree to renounce to one administrator or act as co-administrators. If there is no agreement, one or more heirs may petition for a hearing, and the Register may select an independent administrator.

Philadelphia Probate Fee Schedule

The Register of Wills fee schedule page is the current public fee source identified in the research. The full estate fee can depend on estate value and filing type, so the table below lists the located copy and research amounts most relevant to public record requests.

The fee schedule should be checked before payment because estate-size filing fees can change the total due.

Orphans' Court Access Limits

Public probate copy access is broad for many estate files, but it is not unlimited. The research flags guardianship, adoption, minor, and incapacitated-person details as categories that may be restricted by court order or privacy rules. Older historical files may require archive channels rather than the modern Register service counter. Marriage record history also has a service-scope nuance: modern Register functions and older archival material do not always use the same request path.

Philadelphia City Hall is a multi-room records complex. Probate Department, Short Room, and Estate Services are in Room 180. The Legal Department and Inheritance Tax Department use Room 177. The Title Clearance Unit is in Room 189. Marriage license and marriage record service use Rooms 413 and 415. That room-level detail matters because walking into the wrong counter can delay a same-day request.

For a mailed probate search, the request should identify the decedent by the complete name used at death, provide the date of death, and state which record types are needed. The researched service path calls for the probate request form or a letter, the research fee by money order, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. If staff locate a file, they contact the requester about contents before copy ordering.

Note: Orphans' Court records are court records, but many estate copy requests start with the Register of Wills rather than UJS Case Search.