Luzerne County Orphans' Court Records
In Pennsylvania, probate work is filed under Orphans' Court terminology. In Luzerne County, the Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court handles the probate side of the county court system. The Register of Wills probates wills, appoints estate representatives, issues short certificates, accepts inheritance tax payments, and maintains decedent-estate documents. The Clerk of Orphans' Court accepts petitions for Orphans' Court matters, including guardianships, adoptions, and marriage-license work.
This division is separate from the civil records kept by the Luzerne County Prothonotary and the criminal records kept by the Clerk of Courts. That split matters for requests. A will, estate number, short certificate, adoption petition, guardianship petition, or historical estate index belongs with the Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court. A divorce decree belongs with the Prothonotary, and a criminal expungement belongs with the Clerk of Courts.
Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court
Physical address: 153 North River Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
Mailing address: 200 N River Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
570-825-1668
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; filing deadline 4:20 p.m.
Hazleton Office: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Luzerne County Probate Terms
Estate and Orphans' Court records use terms that do not always appear in ordinary civil case files. These definitions help identify the right record before contacting the office or searching an index.
- Testator
- The person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to carry out estate duties after probate.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will, which may require administration rather than probate of a will.
- Short certificate
- A certificate issued by the Register of Wills showing authority to act for an estate.
- Guardianship
- An Orphans' Court matter involving authority over a minor or incapacitated person's affairs.
- Adoption
- An Orphans' Court case type that is confidential and not searched like an estate file.
Search Luzerne County Estate Records
Public access depends on the filing period. The office provides public terminals for Register of Wills and most Clerk of Orphans' Court records filed from 2004 to the present. All estates from mid-1998 to the present are available through Landex. Older estate index work is more exacting because the 1875-2004 indexes are searched through IQS Infodex by volume, year range, and the first letter of the decedent's last name.
For online estate document access, Luzerne County points users to Landex Remote, Landex Webstore, and IQS Infodex/E-Film Reader. Landex Remote is an account and draw-down model for complete access and copies. Landex Webstore allows free index searching, with a fee to download, view, or print documents. IQS Infodex/E-Film Reader is used for historical marriage and estate index access.
The county's Register of Wills fee schedule page is the source for current fee notices and fee schedule access.
The fee page supports probate searches because estate copies, certificates, claims, and Orphans' Court filings can carry separate charges.
- Decide whether the estate is 2004-present, mid-1998-present, or an older 1875-2004 index search.
- For 2004-present records, start with office public terminals or the Landex access path.
- For 1875-2004 estate indexes, use IQS Infodex "Select Volume," choose the years and surname letter, then search by decedent name.
- Record the estate number and whether the index says a will exists.
- For file documents, call Records Center at 570-825-1863 to request a pull and scan into Landex, or review the file at 57 Young Street in Hanover Township.
- For certified copies or short certificates, contact the Register of Wills at 570-825-1668.
Landex Remote is part of the county's estate-record workflow.
Landex is most useful when the estate file is recent enough to be available there or when Records Center staff scan older file documents into the system.
Luzerne County Probate Fees
Probate fees vary by filing, certificate, and copy type. The research file notes a source-date conflict for older certified birth, death, and marriage-license fee text, so marriage certificates should follow the current marriage page. For estate and Orphans' Court work, check the current county fee schedule before filing.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Caveat, informal or formal with bond | $10 |
| Certificate testamentary, administration, guardian, trustee, or testamentary guardian | $5 |
| Certified copy by office staff only | $2 |
| Claims | $10 |
| Commissions fee | $50 |
| In-office copy by customer | $0.50 per page |
| Discharge of executor or administrator petition and order | $10 |
| Exceptions to adjudication | $10 |
What Orphans' Court Records Show
Luzerne County estate records may show the decedent's name, estate number, whether a will exists, the representative appointed, petitions, decrees, certificates, claims, inheritance tax payment records, and later estate filings. A short certificate shows authority for an estate representative. The exact document set depends on whether the matter was a probate estate, administration without a will, guardianship, adoption, or another Orphans' Court petition.
| Record Type | Common Use | Access Path |
|---|---|---|
| Will and estate file | Probate, representative appointment, estate administration | Register of Wills, Landex, office terminal, or Records Center |
| Estate index | Find estate number and will indicator | IQS Infodex for 1875-2004 indexes |
| Short certificate | Proof of authority for estate handling | Register of Wills office |
| Guardianship petition | Authority over protected personal or financial interests | Clerk of Orphans' Court, with sensitivity limits |
| Adoption filing | Adoption proceeding | Restricted and confidential |
Restricted Luzerne County Orphans' Records
Not every Orphans' Court file is a public estate record. Adoption filings are confidential and should not be handled like ordinary probate files. Guardianship files may contain personal, medical, or financial material. Mental-health matters and sealed filings also require care under Pennsylvania court-access rules. When a record is not visible online, that does not prove it does not exist.
The county's practical records guidance says many records should be requested directly from the department that holds them before using a formal Right-to-Know request. For Orphans' Court matters, that means starting with the Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court for estates, wills, short certificates, guardianships, adoptions, and marriage-license records. Note: Divorce decrees are not Register of Wills records in Luzerne County.