When someone dies in Pennsylvania
The state-specific facts a family needs in the first weeks, with links to the official sources behind each one.
Last updated May 11, 2026. Sources are linked at the bottom of the page.
The first few days
You do not have to do everything at once, and most of it can wait a week. In the first days the real tasks are: get the death legally recorded (the funeral home or direct disposer does this), decide on burial or cremation, tell close family, and locate any instructions the person left. Everything else, the accounts, the house, the paperwork, comes after the death certificate is issued.
Pennsylvania at a glance
| Death certificates issued by | Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records (Department of Health) |
|---|---|
| First certified copy costs | approx $20 first certified copy |
| Probate court | Pennsylvania Register of Wills (county) handles probate; Orphans' Court for contested matters |
| Probate filing fee | varies by county/court |
| Small-estate shortcut | Yes: Small estate procedure |
| State estate tax | No |
| State inheritance tax | Yes |
| Wait before cremation | 24 hours |
Guides for Pennsylvania
- Death certificates
- Probate and small estates
- When there is no will
- Cremation rules
- Estate taxes and life insurance
Deadlines
| Death certificate filing by funeral director | Within 4 days of death (Pa. Code §1.39) |
|---|---|
| Probate will admission | No strict statutory deadline in most states, but creditors' periods and beneficiary interests favor prompt filing |
Official agencies in Pennsylvania
| Vital records (death certificates) | health.pa.gov/topics/certificates/Pages/Death-Certificates.aspx |
|---|---|
| Probate court directory | pacourts.us |
| State bar lawyer referral | pabar.org/site/For-the-Public/Find-a-Lawyer |
| Insurance regulator | insurance.pa.gov |
| Attorney General consumer protection | attorneygeneral.gov/protect-consumers |
Want this organized for your situation? The free walkthrough asks a few questions about who died, where, and your relationship to them, and builds a checklist for the first days and weeks in Pennsylvania.