Every Fayette County estate starts at the Register of Wills in the Fayette County Courthouse, 61 East Main Street, Uniontown — and the office runs on rules worth knowing before you go: probate is by appointment only (call (724) 430-1206 first — the office will also verify your documents over the phone), the office closes for lunch from noon to 1:00, and same-day receipts require filing by 3:00 p.m. The payoff for playing by the rules: a well-prepared appointment takes about thirty minutes, and you walk out with short certificates in hand.
What the Register of Wills Does
Fayette County's Register of Wills is a standalone elected office (separate from the Recorder of Deeds, unlike some neighboring counties) that also serves as Clerk of Orphans' Court. It's where 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, inheritance-tax return, and estate filings as administration proceeds
- Search estate records — the office's files reach back to the 1780s
Location, Hours & Contact
Fayette County Courthouse, 61 East Main Street, Uniontown, PA 15401 — (724) 430-1206. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. — note the lunch closure from noon to 1:00, which catches out-of-towners regularly. Same-day filing receipts require submission by 3:00 p.m. (later filings have the receipt mailed the next day). Two payment notes: the probate fee slides with the value of the estate under the county's published fee schedule, and effective January 2026 the office does not accept cash payments over $1,000. As of this writing the office is led by Register of Wills Jeffrey L. Redman.
Parking and getting in
- Garages: at Gallatin Avenue and Peter Street (across from City Hall) and on Church Street at Beeson Avenue — modest daily rates; there's also a small lot on Main Street across from the courthouse.
- Security: the courthouse has a strict no-weapons policy and everyone passes through a metal detector — travel light.
Opening an Estate: The Appointment System
Fayette County requires everyone wishing to probate to call ahead — and the call does double duty, because the office verifies you have the correct documents before you make the drive. For the appointment you'll typically 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
- Payment under the sliding fee schedule (remember the cash limit) — and order your short certificates while you're at the counter
One wrinkle worth knowing: if the will isn't self-proved — signed with the notarized self-proving affidavit under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3132.1 — the witnesses must sign an oath, either at the Register's office or before a notary. It's a vivid example of why the ten-minute self-proving ceremony at signing saves your executor real friction later. No video qualification procedure is published for executors, so plan on the in-person appointment; when we administer a Fayette County estate, we prepare every document, make the scheduling call, and prepare you for the counter — thirty minutes, short certificates in hand, done. Everything after that is handled by phone, video, and mail.
Searching Estate Records
Estate searches from 1993 to the present run through the Landex system linked from the county's website — index searching with pay-per-access images. The office's probate records reach back to the 1780s, but the older material isn't online; those searches go through the office or the county's record archivist. And the standing planning note: 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.
What the Office Can't Do
The Register's staff run an efficient counter, 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 Fayette County?
We prepare the paperwork, make the scheduling call, and get you through the Uniontown counter in one visit — or handle the trip ourselves. One free consultation and you'll know what the estate needs and what it will cost.