Wills
Not all wills have been entered into public record and are only registered after death. Those that have been registered can be found in the Butler County Register of Wills office in the Butler County Government Center, 124 W. Diamond St., Butler.
If the office must research the will, there is a $4 fee. Copies of the will are 25 cents a page or $1 a page if an office employee makes the copy.
Fees can be paid in cash if in person, or with a certified check or money order.
The register of wills office can be reached at 724-284-5349.

Passport
You can apply for a passport at the Butler County Prothonotary’s office in the Butler County Courthouse. Access is through the Butler County Government Center, 124 W. Diamond St., Butler. You can also apply at some U.S. post offices, but by appointment only.
Applications take four to 12 weeks to process.
If you have never had a passport, you will need two passport photographs which can be taken at the post office;  a copy of a state-certified birth certificate with a raised seal and photograph identification such as a driver’s license. Children’s birth certificates must list the parents’ names. You must also supply your Social Security number.
People 16 and older must pay a total of $97 for a passport. A check for $67 must be made out to the U.S. State Department and a separate check of $30 is made to the prothonotary’s office. The passport is good for 10 years.
People 15 and younger must pay $82 ($52 to the U.S. State Department, $30 to the office) for a passport. It is good for five years.
Applicants must apply in person. Both parents or a legal guardians must apply for a passport for someone younger than 14.
Expedited service costs $60 and guarantees the passport will arrive in two to three weeks.
Expired passports can be renewed for $67 if the applicants were older than 16 when they acquired the passports.
For more information, call the prothonotary’s office at 724-284-5214. 

Birth/Death Certificates
Birth and death certificates for Butler County residents between 1893 and 1905 are in the Butler County Register of Wills office in the Butler County Government Center, 124 W. Diamond St., Butler.
Birth and death certificates for 1906 until now are in the state office building, 101 S. Mercer St., New Castle, Division of Vital Records.
To obtain a birth or death certificate through the register of wills, you must know the person’s full name and date of birth or death. Place of birth or death and parents’ names are also helpful.
If the office must research the certificate, there is a $4 retrieval fee per name. A certified copy of each certificate costs $5.
Fees can be paid to the register of wills in cash if in person, or with a certified check or money order if mailed.
The register of wills office can be reached at 724-284-5354.
To obtain a death or birth certificate through the office of vital records, you must know the person’s name and date and place of death or birth.
You must also state your relationship to the deceased and reason for your request.
There is a $7 service fee as well as a $10 fee for a birth certificate and $9 for a death certificate.
The division of vital records can be reached at 724-656-3100.
The division has a Web site: www.health.state.pa.us.

Deeds
Deed copies can be obtained by visiting the Butler County Recorder of Deeds office in the Butler County Government Center, 124 W. Diamond St., Butler.
Deed copies can also be obtained by visitng the office’s Web site at www.co.butler.pa.us, or by submitting a written request. Other public land records are also available through the recorder of deeds.
The recorder of deeds office can be reached at 724-284-5340.