Sullivan County Orphans' Court Records
Probate in Sullivan County is handled through the Orphans' Court and Register of Wills structure. The same combined county office led by Kellie Carpenter serves as Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court. That office is part of the broader Prothonotary structure at Suite 100 in the Sullivan County Courthouse, but probate requests should be identified as Register of Wills or Orphans' Court matters so they are not confused with civil, criminal, marriage, or recording records.
Official county probate links include the Register of Wills 2026 fee schedule, the Orphans' Court 2026 fee schedule, the Petition for Probate and Grant of Letters, the statewide Guardian Tracking System, and additional Orphans' Court forms. Complete probate copy requests, certified letters, and will questions should route to the county office rather than the general county open-records address.
Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court
Office holder: Kellie Carpenter
245 Muncy Street, Suite 100
Laporte, PA 18626
570-946-7351
Fax: 570-946-7105
Sullivan County Probate Terms
Probate records use words that do not always appear in other court records. These terms help distinguish the type of Sullivan County Orphans' Court record being requested and the role of the person named in the file.
- Testator
- A person who made a will before death.
- Executor
- A person named to carry out the will after the court accepts the filing.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will, which may require administration under estate rules.
- Letters
- Letters testamentary or letters of administration showing authority to act for an estate.
- Guardianship
- A court-supervised arrangement for a person or estate that needs a guardian.
- Account
- A filing that reports estate or guardianship money handled by a fiduciary.
Search Sullivan County Probate Records
Older estate files and certified probate documents may require direct office help. The research does not identify a full public Sullivan County probate database with all estate images online. Use the office, the linked probate forms, and any available case-search channel based on the record type. If the request involves a civil docket tied to an estate dispute, a court docket search may help identify the case, but letters and wills remain Register of Wills records.
- Determine whether the matter is a will probate, estate administration, guardianship, account, adoption-related matter, or other Orphans' Court filing.
- Contact or visit the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court at Suite 100 to confirm filing requirements and fee schedule.
- Use the Petition for Probate and Grant of Letters when opening a decedent estate if that form fits the matter.
- Use the Guardian Tracking System where guardianship monitoring is required.
- Request certified copies, letters, or exemplified probate documents from the office, not through county RTK.
The UJS Guardian Tracking System is the statewide source named in the research for guardianship monitoring.
Guardianship records may involve monitoring duties beyond ordinary estate-file lookup.
Sullivan County Orphans' Court Forms
The county links a Petition for Probate and Grant of Letters form and points users to statewide Orphans' Court forms. The petition to open an estate may require decedent information, original will information if there is a will, death information, petitioner details, heirs or beneficiaries, and the type of letters requested.
| Form or tool | Purpose | Research source |
|---|---|---|
| Petition for Probate and Grant of Letters | Opening a decedent estate and asking for authority to administer it | UJS PDF linked by county |
| Guardian Tracking System | Statewide electronic monitoring tool for guardians | UJS Guardianship Overview |
| Additional Orphans' Court Forms | Statewide public forms for Orphans' Court matters | UJS forms page linked by county |
| Register of Wills fee schedule | Probate filing and copy fee reference | County 2026 fee schedule link |
| Orphans' Court fee schedule | Orphans' Court filing and copy fee reference | County 2026 fee schedule link |
The statewide Orphans' Court forms page is assigned in the image manifest for this record type.
Those state forms support Sullivan County filings, but local fee and filing questions still belong with Suite 100.
Sullivan County Probate Fees
The research file confirms that Sullivan County links a Register of Wills 2026 fee schedule and an Orphans' Court 2026 fee schedule. It does not text-extract every line-item amount. Probate filers should therefore confirm the current fee for the exact filing, copy, certification, or letters request with the county office before mailing payment or appearing at the courthouse.
| Item | Amount or route |
|---|---|
| Register of Wills filing fees | Use the county's 2026 Register of Wills fee schedule. |
| Orphans' Court filing fees | Use the county's 2026 Orphans' Court fee schedule. |
| Certified probate copies | Confirm amount with the Register of Wills or Clerk of Orphans' Court. |
| Letters testamentary or administration | Confirm amount and document type with the office. |
| Guardianship filings | Confirm filing requirements and whether tracking-system steps apply. |
Sullivan County Probate Record Contents
Probate and Orphans' Court records can contain wills, petitions for probate and grant of letters, estate files, guardianship tracking references, accounts, inventories, fiduciary filings, and related petitions. A will file may show the decedent, date of death, will information, heirs, beneficiaries, executor, administrator, and letters issued by the Register of Wills. A guardianship matter may involve court orders, reports, accountings, and monitoring records.
| Field | What it may show |
|---|---|
| Decedent name | The person whose estate is being opened or administered. |
| Petitioner | The person asking to probate a will or administer an estate. |
| Will status | Whether an original will is presented or the estate is intestate. |
| Heirs or beneficiaries | People with a legal or will-based interest in the estate. |
| Letters issued | The authority granted to an executor or administrator. |
| Guardian reports | Monitoring filings for guardianship matters when applicable. |
Wills Are Not RTK Requests
Sullivan County's Right-to-Know page expressly says the Open Records address is not for copies of wills. The same county page excludes criminal cases, civil cases, marriage licenses, deeds, and several other records from the open-records route. For probate records, that caveat is direct: wills, letters, estate copies, and Orphans' Court filings should be routed to the Register of Wills or Clerk of Orphans' Court function.
The distinction is practical. RTK requests are for county agency records that the open-records office maintains. Probate files are court or row-office records, and certified copies need the office that can authenticate them. Sending a will request to the RTK address can slow the search and may produce a referral back to the probate office.
Note: Use RTK only for county agency records, not for Sullivan County wills or Orphans' Court files.
Restricted Sullivan County Probate Records
Many probate records are public court or row-office records, but not every document in the Orphans' Court sphere is open for general inspection. Adoption matters, minor guardianship records, medical records, financial source documents, and sealed filings can be restricted. Pennsylvania public-access rules also protect sensitive identifiers and confidential information that should not appear in ordinary public filings.
When a probate record is restricted, the correct response is to ask the office what access rule applies, not to use a third-party search service or assume the file is missing. A public estate docket may exist while a supporting document is limited. Certified copies, letters, and record inspections should be handled through the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court office so the public and restricted parts of the file are treated correctly.