How-to guides

What the Berks County Prothonotary does: how to search civil court records, judgments, and liens, what it costs to file, and how to get a copy.

Small estates in Pennsylvania can skip full probate. Here is how Berks County families collect wages, bank funds, and insurance, and when to petition the court.

Wills and estate files in Berks County are public records. Here is how to find and copy one online, by mail, or in person, and what it costs.

Pennsylvania inheritance tax runs 0% to 15% depending on who inherits. Here is what a Berks County estate owes, when it is due, and where to file the return.

Look up Berks County court cases: the free statewide UJS portal for criminal cases and the county Prothonotary's new CourtPro Viewer for civil dockets.

Find your Berks County polling place for November 3, 2026: the official lookup tool, poll hours, and the rule that anyone in line at 8 p.m. still votes.

When you need ID to vote in Pennsylvania: only first-time voters at a polling place must show it, and it does not have to be a photo ID. The accepted list.

Every date that matters for the November 3, 2026 election in Berks County: registration, mail ballots, Election Day, and when results are certified.

Pennsylvania has no traditional early voting, but you can vote before Election Day in Berks County by casting a mail ballot in person at the county office through October 27.

How to vote by mail in Berks County for November 3, 2026: apply by 5 p.m. October 27, return by 8 p.m. Election Day, plus how to track your ballot.

The offices Berks County votes on November 3, 2026: governor, U.S. House, and the state legislature. No county races this year. How to see your sample ballot.

What Berks County voters are entitled to on Election Day: poll hours, the right to bring help, provisional ballots, and freedom from intimidation.

Register to vote in Berks County by the October 19, 2026 deadline: who qualifies, the three ways to register, and what you need for each.

The mistakes that get a Pennsylvania mail ballot thrown out, how to avoid them in Berks County, and what you can do if there is a problem.

When a Berks County resident dies without a will, Pennsylvania law decides who inherits and who settles the estate. Here is who gets what and how it works.

Opening an estate in Berks County: the probate appointment, short certificates, what letters cost, and the executor's first legal duties after being sworn in.

A door-to-door pitch says Met-Ed chose a solar company and will pay for your panels. Here is what is true, what is not, and how to check.

The Berks County Register of Wills handles probate, estate letters, short certificates, and inheritance tax. What the office does and how to start.

How to clear a Berks County criminal record: what Clean Slate seals for free, what expungement erases, and how to petition the court.

The steps in a Berks County criminal case after an arrest: booking, preliminary arraignment and bail, the preliminary hearing, and formal arraignment in court.