Allegheny County is the one Western Pennsylvania county with no Register of Wills. Probate runs through the Wills/Orphans' Court Division of the Department of Court Records — first floor of the City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., (412) 350-4180. Same function, different name: wills are filed here, executors are sworn in here, short certificates are issued here. The office also conducts video-conference probate — but only when an attorney arranges it. Here's the practical guide.
Why There's No "Register of Wills" in Allegheny County
Everywhere else in Pennsylvania, an elected Register of Wills opens estates. Allegheny County's home rule government consolidated its elected row offices — Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, and Register of Wills — into a single appointed Department of Court Records in January 2008. The department's Wills/Orphans' Court Division now performs the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court functions. Nothing about probate law changes at the county line — the paperwork, the qualification, and the short certificates all work the same — but knowing the right office name saves you a confused phone call, and searching "Allegheny County Register of Wills" online leads plenty of families in circles first.
Location, Hours & Contact
The Wills/Orphans' Court Division sits on the first floor of the City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 — the building with the columned Grant Street facade shared by the city and county, a block down from the county courthouse at 436 Grant. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The division's published contacts are (412) 350-4180 and wo@alleghenycounty.us.
Parking and getting in
- Nearest garages: the Grant Street Transportation Center garages (two blocks north) and the First Avenue Garage at 600 First Avenue, a short walk down Grant Street — downtown Pittsburgh parking, so budget accordingly and check current rates before you go.
- Accessibility: the building's ADA entrance is on Ross Street.
- Security: expect courthouse-style screening at the entrance — travel light and allow a few extra minutes.
Opening an Estate: What to Bring
Qualification is a single appointment when the paperwork is complete. Typically you'll need:
- The original will (originals, not photocopies)
- An original death certificate
- A completed petition for probate and supporting forms
- Photo ID for each personal representative
- An estimate of the estate's value — the probate fee is graduated by estate size under the division's published fee schedule
- Payment for filing fees and the short certificates you'll want to order while you're there (why you'll want several)
Fee amounts are set by the county and change periodically — confirm current figures with the division or its published fee schedule before you go. When we handle an estate, we prepare the petition in advance and tell you exactly what to bring, so qualification takes one trip — or, more often, none at all.
Video Probate: Real, But Attorney-Only
The division conducts video-conference probate by Microsoft Teams under an official written procedure — and it comes with a requirement worth knowing before you plan around it: only an attorney or an attorney's staff may request the video conference. Self-represented executors must appear in person. The clerk reviews the submitted paperwork before scheduling, watches the petitioner sign the original Petition for Probate on camera, and the signed original with the filing fees must be delivered to the division within five business days afterward.
In practice that means the courthouse trip is optional in Allegheny County if you have counsel — we submit the paperwork, schedule the conference, sit on the call with you, and hand-deliver the originals. It's how most Allegheny County estates we administer begin, whether the executor is in Fox Chapel or Phoenix.
Searching Estate Records
Wills/Orphans' Court records are available through the Department of Court Records' online search system — with one difference from other county records: because probate files are considered sensitive, you must register for a free account and log in before searching (deeds and civil records don't require this). Searches run on the case ID or the party's name. Older records and certified copies go through the division directly. And a planning note while you're thinking about it: a probated will eventually becomes a public record exactly like the ones in that system — families who want the outcome private pair their planning with a properly funded trust that passes assets without a public probate file.
What the Division Can't Do
The clerks are professional and the office runs efficiently — but they are court officials, not your counsel. They cannot tell you whether probate is required, whether the will controls a joint account, or what your duties as executor are. Those questions decide how the estate goes, and they're the ones we answer every day.
Opening an Estate in Allegheny County?
We file at the Wills/Orphans' Court Division regularly and handle the video-probate procedure start to finish. One free consultation and you'll know what the estate needs, what it costs, and whether anyone has to go downtown at all.