Probate process in Pennsylvania for real estate: a general timeline

General information for Pennsylvania, last reviewed November 9, 2026. Not legal advice. Practice varies by county Orphans' Court and Register of Wills.

Families often ask, “How long will this take?” The honest answer is that it varies. It depends on the estate, the family, the house, the county, and the market. Below is the general order of events, with the few dates that are actually fixed by law or by the Department of Revenue. Everything else is approximate. Please treat it as general information, not legal advice.

County variation: Each county's Register of Wills and Orphans' Court sets its own appointment practices, forms, filing methods, and local rules. Check your county's office (links below) and follow your attorney's guidance.

Stage 1: Opening the estate

The executor named in the will (or a family member seeking appointment as administrator) applies to the Register of Wills in the county where the person lived. The Register grants letters testamentary or letters of administration. Some offices take appointments; Delaware County, for instance, offers in-person and virtual probate appointments (Delaware County Register of Wills). How long this takes depends on the office and on whether the paperwork is complete.

Stage 2: Notices, inventory, and securing the house

Advertising the grant of letters: once a week for three successive weeks after letters are granted (20 Pa.C.S. § 3162).
Notice to beneficiaries and heirs and other filings required by Orphans' Court rules. Your attorney handles the timing.
Securing, insuring, and maintaining the house while decisions are made.

Stage 3: Inheritance tax dates (fixed by the Department of Revenue)

Within 3 months of death: paying the tax earns a 5 percent discount.
9 months after death: the tax becomes delinquent.

Source: PA Department of Revenue: Inheritance Tax.

Stage 4: Selling the house

Once the personal representative has authority, and a court order if one is needed (see how to sell a house in probate in Pennsylvania), the sale itself goes much like any other sale. There is preparation, listing, offers, a buyer's inspection and financing period, any municipal resale inspection, and settlement. How long it takes depends on the house's condition and the local market. Some agents' pages give typical ranges, but those are their estimates, not rules.

Stage 5: Accounting and distribution

After debts, expenses, and taxes are handled, the personal representative accounts to the beneficiaries (formally or informally) and distributes what remains. Your attorney will advise on when distributions are safe to make.

County Register of Wills offices

Philadelphia Register of Wills and the Orphans' Court Division, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Bucks County Register of Wills (Doylestown)
Montgomery County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court (Norristown)
Delaware County Register of Wills and Orphans' Court (Media)
Chester County Register of Wills / Orphans' Court (West Chester)
Statewide list: Registers of Wills, Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania