Every Clearfield County estate starts at the Register & Recorder — first floor of the Clearfield County Courthouse, 230 East Market Street, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., (814) 765-2641 with a dedicated probate extension, ext. 2126. It's a fully combined office — Register of Wills, Recorder of Deeds, and the county's inheritance-tax collection point in one — with estate records reaching back to 1832 and a free deed-fraud Record Alert service every county property owner should use.
One Office, Three Jobs
Clearfield County combines the Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds in a single first-floor office that also serves as the county's collection agent for Pennsylvania inheritance tax — so the estate opens, the REV-1500 files, and the eventual deeds record all at the same counter. There you (or your attorney) will:
- File the original will and petition for probate
- Qualify as executor or administrator — producing your Letters and short certificates
- File the inventory and inheritance-tax return as administration proceeds
- Record estate deeds for the camps, timberland, and homes that make up Clearfield County estates
Location, Hours & Contact
First floor, Clearfield County Courthouse, 230 East Market Street, Clearfield, PA 16830 (mail: P.O. Box 361) — (814) 765-2641, ext. 2126 for probate, ext. 5012 for the front office. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. — note the 4:00 close, earlier than some neighboring counties. As of this writing the office is led by Register & Recorder Heather Olson-Desmett. Expect courthouse entrance screening, and confirm parking arrangements when you schedule — downtown Clearfield is small enough that this is the easy part.
Opening an Estate: What to Bring
- The original will (originals, not photocopies)
- An original death certificate
- A completed petition for probate and supporting forms
- Photo ID for each personal representative
- Payment — probate carries the statewide judicial automation fee per estate plus the county's letters fees; confirm current figures at ext. 2126 before you go, and order your short certificates at the same visit
Clearfield County publishes no video or remote qualification procedure, so plan on the executor qualifying in person — we confirm the office's current practice when we schedule through the probate extension, prepare every document in advance, and make it one visit. Everything after that appointment is handled by phone, video, and mail; for our Clearfield County estates, the courthouse trips that do arise are ours, not yours.
Searching Estate Records
Clearfield County's estate records run through Landex — Landex Remote by subscription for regular searchers, or the pay-as-you-go Landex Webstore for a one-time search. Coverage is unusually deep: estates on file from 1832, computer-indexed from 1990, scanned images from December 1998 forward. Older material is researched through the office. And the standing planning note: a probated will eventually becomes a public record exactly like those — families who want the outcome private pair their planning with a properly funded trust.
Sign Up for Record Alert (It's Free)
The Register & Recorder offers a free Record Alert service that notifies you when a document is recorded against your name or property — Clearfield County's answer to the deed-fraud schemes we warn every closing client about. If you own Clearfield County property, or you're administering an estate that does, sign up. It costs nothing, and it catches a fraudulent deed while it's still fixable. (Our buyer and seller welcome packet covers the same protections for other counties.)
What the Office Can't Do
The Register's staff are helpful, but they are court officials — they cannot tell you whether probate is required, what the will means, or what your executor duties are. Those are the questions we answer every day.
Opening an Estate in Clearfield County?
We prepare the paperwork, schedule through the probate extension, and handle the courthouse — one free consultation and you'll know what the estate needs and what it will cost.