Yes, wills are public record in Pennsylvania once they go through probate. During the writer’s lifetime the document stays entirely private, but after death, when someone files it with the county Register of Wills, it becomes a court record that anyone can inspect. You don’t have to be an heir, a creditor, or explain why you want to see it.
When a Will Becomes Public
A will is private property until two things happen: the person who wrote it dies, and someone presents the document to the local Register of Wills for probate. The filing is what flips the switch. Once the Register accepts the will and issues a probate decree, it joins the public record alongside the rest of the estate’s court filings.
Pennsylvania’s court system operates under a presumption that case records are open to the public, grounded in common law and the state’s judicial policies.1Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Case Records Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania Open access lets heirs confirm what they’re entitled to, lets creditors evaluate claims, and lets the court supervise distribution.
Before probate, no one has a right to see the will — not family, not business partners, not government agencies. If a person is still alive, or has died but no one has filed the will, the document remains private.
Which County Holds the File
Every Pennsylvania county has its own elected Register of Wills, and probate jurisdiction is strictly local. The office handles filings, grants authority to executors, and keeps the estate records for that county.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 20 – Register’s Jurisdiction
The county where the deceased lived at the time of death is where the will was filed. A Philadelphia resident’s will is in Philadelphia; a Lancaster County resident’s is in Lancaster. Even if the person owned real estate elsewhere, the home county handles probate when all personal property was there.
How to Search for a Probated Will
Before you contact anyone, gather:
- The deceased’s full legal name, with any maiden names or aliases, since indexing follows the name on the probate petition.
- The county of residence at death.
- An approximate date of death, which helps when the name is common.
Many counties let you check their index online. Philadelphia offers docket access through the Orphans’ Court Division portal.3First Judicial District, Pennsylvania. Orphans’ Court Division – Docket Access Bucks County publishes its own online search for Register of Wills records.4Bucks County, PA. E-Filing and Online Records Searches The statewide Pennsylvania Judiciary Web Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us also offers some search capability, though how much is available depends on the county.
If an online tool doesn’t turn up what you need, call the Register of Wills in the county directly. Staff can confirm whether a will has been filed and tell you what the office requires for a copy request.
How to View or Get a Copy
Finding the case online is one thing. Reading the will itself is another. Pennsylvania’s Public Access Policy, at Section 10.0, limits remote access to probate case records: dockets, court orders, and opinions can go online, but the contents of the file, including the will, are excluded from remote public access.5Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Case Records Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania – Section 10.0
In practice, that leaves two reliable options: visit the Register of Wills office in person during business hours, or send a written request by mail. Some counties have digitized older files and put them on their own portals, but coverage is uneven, particularly for estates predating the mid-2010s.
Fees vary by county. Dauphin County, for example, charges $1.00 per uncertified photocopy and $10.00 for a certified copy of up to five pages, with $1.00 for each additional page. A certified copy of the will itself is $50.00.6Dauphin County, PA. Register of Wills and Orphans’ Court Fee Schedule Other counties set their own schedules, and amounts change, so confirm with the specific office before sending payment. In person, you can usually walk out with the documents the same day.
What Stays Private Even After Probate
Public access to the will doesn’t mean public access to everything in the estate file. Federal estate tax returns, including IRS Form 706, are protected by Internal Revenue Code Section 6103 and cannot be disclosed without authorization.7Internal Revenue Service. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Guidelines The detailed financial accounting that accompanies many estates generally is not open to inspection.
Certain personal identifiers also have to be kept out of or redacted from public filings under the state’s Case Records Public Access Policy: Social Security numbers, financial account numbers (other than the last four digits when the account is itself the subject of the case), driver’s license numbers, and state identification numbers.8Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Case Records Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania – Section 7.0
Sealing an entire probated will is rare. A court order requires a strong showing of harm, such as a credible threat of identity theft or physical danger. A general preference for privacy is not enough, and most sealing requests are denied.
Deadline to Challenge What You Find
If reading a probated will leads you to think something is wrong — undue influence, lack of capacity, improper execution — Pennsylvania gives any interested party one year from the date of the probate decree to appeal to the Orphans’ Court.9Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 20 – Appeals
That year is not fixed. A party in interest can petition the court to shorten the window to as little as three months. After the appeal period runs, the decree is effectively permanent. If you suspect a problem, pulling the file sooner rather than later matters.
If No Will Turns Up
A blank search result has three possible explanations: the person never made a will, someone has the will but hasn’t filed it, or the estate was small enough to be handled outside formal probate.
When there’s no valid will, Pennsylvania’s intestate succession rules decide who inherits, based on which relatives survived. A surviving spouse with no children or parents takes everything; a spouse with children who are also the spouse’s children takes the first $30,000 plus half of what’s left, with the children splitting the rest; different shares apply when children are from another relationship, or when parents but no children survive. Children alone split equally, as do siblings when they are the closest relatives.
If you believe a will exists but hasn’t been filed, start with the family or the deceased’s attorney. Anyone holding a will is legally obligated to turn it over to the Register of Wills, and intentional concealment is a felony of the third degree under 18 Pa.C.S. § 4103, carrying up to seven years in prison.10New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Pennsylvania Code Title 18 – Fraudulent Destruction, Removal or Concealment of Recordable Instruments A beneficiary harmed by the delay can also sue for civil damages. The absence of a filed will doesn’t always mean no will was written.