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Pennsylvania County
Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
Kittanning's French and Indian War heritage and Ford City's Pittsburgh Plate Glass legacy - from the 1756 Battle of Kittanning (Colonel John Armstrong's British colonial raid destroyed the Delaware village serving as a French-allied raiding base, one of the pivotal engagements of the French and Indian War) to Ford City's Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company heritage (PPG Industries' predecessor established one of the world's largest plate glass manufacturing facilities in Ford City in 1887, employing thousands for a century) and a western Pennsylvania Allegheny River valley county of coal, natural gas, and industrial heritage.
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Office: Armstrong County Department of Public Safety – 131 Armsdale Road, Kittanning, PA 16201
Services: Countywide emergency management; hosts the county’s Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), which meets quarterly (2nd Thursday of Feb/May/Aug/Nov) to prepare, review, and update emergency response plans for SARA Title III facilities per PA Act 1990-165
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: PA-28 and US-422 serve Kittanning, the county seat, along the Allegheny River about 36 miles northeast of Pittsburgh
Transit: Limited; primarily auto-dependent – confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Armstrong County Planning & Development – 402 Market Street, Kittanning, PA 16201 | (724) 548-3288
Services: 35 municipalities participate in the Armstrong County UCC Group, jointly administering Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code through a contract with third-party inspector Bureau Veritas – (724) 548-1414 or (866) 378-7717; participating municipalities get competitive inspection fees and access to a shared appeals board
Notes: Individual municipalities may handle smaller-footprint construction (e.g., under 1,000 sq ft) with their own permit officers before referring larger projects to Bureau Veritas – confirm the correct process for your specific municipality, as not all 100+ municipalities participate in the county group.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Armstrong County Veterans Affairs Office – Kittanning, PA
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Armstrong County has multiple independent public libraries rather than a single unified county system, coordinated informally as “Armstrong Libraries”
Main Branch: Kittanning Public Library – Kittanning, PA 16201 | (724) 543-1383 | Fax: (724) 543-1621 | Hours: Mon–Wed 11 AM–7 PM, Thu–Fri 10 AM–5 PM, Sat 9 AM–4 PM
Services: Free WiFi, standard public library services
Related: Other libraries serving the county include Ford City Public Library, Apollo Memorial Library, Freeport Public Library, and Oakmont Carnegie Library – confirm which serves your specific community.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Armstrong County is genuinely named for Lieutenant Colonel John Armstrong Sr., commander of the historically significant KITTANNING EXPEDITION of September 8, 1756, one of the pivotal events of the French and Indian War on the Pennsylvania frontier; the county seat itself, Kittanning, sits on the site of a substantial Delaware (Lenape) and Shawnee village that had served as a staging point for raids on colonial settlements led by war leaders Shingas and Captain Jacobs, following the French and Indian alliance’s earlier capture of Fort Granville in July 1756 (where Armstrong’s own brother had commanded); in response, Armstrong led roughly 300 Pennsylvania provincial militiamen on a rapid, days-long march deep into contested territory, launching a surprise dawn attack that destroyed the village, killed Captain Jacobs, and – according to historical accounts – recovered colonial captives being held there; Armstrong himself was wounded in the fighting but survived, earning public commendation from the City of Philadelphia and the enduring nickname “Hero of Kittanning”; the raid, later commemorated as the only major expedition undertaken by Pennsylvania’s own provincial forces during the frontier war, remains a historically significant and actively debated event – while 18th and 19th century accounts often portrayed it as a resounding colonial victory securing the western frontier, modern historians have offered more critical assessments, with some arguing the raid escalated rather than calmed frontier violence during the conflict; Armstrong later went on to serve as a Continental Army general during the American Revolution and as a member of the Continental Congress; the county, established in 1800, was named in recognition of his military service, and the Armstrong County Courthouse (1858-60), a Greek Revival structure in downtown Kittanning, is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Notes: The Kittanning Expedition’s genuine, extensively documented and still historically debated role in the French and Indian War is presented here with balanced attention to both the traditional narrative and its modern reassessment.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Armstrong County GIS – accessible via co.armstrong.pa.us
Parcel Search: Armstrong County Assessment Office
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Armstrong County Department of Public Safety
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Orphans of the Storm – 11878 Route 85 (also listed as State Route 83), Kittanning, PA 16201 | (724) 548-4520 | Hours: Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri 1–5 PM, Tue 1–7 PM, Sat 12–3 PM (closed Sun)
Services: A no-kill animal shelter serving Armstrong County since 1969, running entirely on donations and adoptions; offers a low-cost spay/neuter program for low-income individuals, humane education programming, and a weekly pet therapy program at local hospitals; currently working on Phase II construction to complete the interior build-out of a newer facility
Notes: Consider donating toward the ongoing shelter expansion (memorial bricks/benches available) if relevant for community outreach content.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) – dep.pa.gov
Notes: Contact Armstrong County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Armstrong County is genuinely named for Colonel John Armstrong, commander of the historically significant and still-debated 1756 Kittanning Expedition during the French and Indian War. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Armstrong County
Armstrong County is western Pennsylvania’s Allegheny River valley county – a community of coal mines, natural gas wells, and glass manufacturing heritage in the hills northeast of Pittsburgh.
Kittanning (the county seat, population ~3,700) on the Allegheny River was a significant Delaware Nation village before European settlement and the site of one of the French and Indian War’s notable British colonial raids in 1756.
Ford City (population ~2,800) was transformed by Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company’s 1887 decision to locate one of the world’s largest plate glass manufacturing operations here. PPG Industries grew from this facility into a global coatings corporation.
Armstrong County’s natural gas production from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations has brought modern energy development to a county with deep fossil fuel roots.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Armstrong County Assessment Office at 450 E. Market Street, Suite 40, Kittanning, PA 16201, phone 724-548-3289. Appeal to Board of Assessment Appeals.
Courts & Legal
Armstrong County Register of Wills at 450 E. Market Street, Kittanning, PA 16201, phone 724-548-3251, handles probate.
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Armstrong County Register of Wills, Kittanning (probate records including Orphans’ Court dockets from 1817 and will books from 1805 – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Armstrong County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Register of Wills, Armstrong County Armstrong County Courthouse, 500 East Market Street, Kittanning, PA 16201 (724) 548-3220 Armstrong County is in western Pennsylvania, seated in Kittanning.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Pennsylvania has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code. Probate runs through its own statute, the Probate, Estates and Fiduciaries (PEF) Code, Title 20 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. Probate begins at the Register of Wills – an elected county official – in the county where the decedent lived. Routine, uncontested probate happens entirely at the Register of Wills; only disputes escalate to the Orphans’ Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas.
Small Estate Petition (20 Pa.C.S. § 3102) – available when the estate’s personal property (excluding real estate) totals $50,000 or less. This lets an interested party petition the Orphans’ Court directly for approval of a proposed distribution, skipping the need to formally open a full probate estate. Real property is never covered by this simplified process.
Formal Probate – required for estates exceeding $50,000 in personal property, or for any estate involving real property that needs to pass through probate. The Register of Wills validates the will (if any) and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative files with the Register of Wills in Armstrong County, along with the original will if one exists.
The Register of Wills reviews and, if in order, issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative gathers assets, notifies heirs and known creditors, and begins settling the estate.
Pennsylvania has a one-year creditor period running from the date of death, not from any published notice.
A Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Return (REV-1500) must be filed with the Register of Wills, regardless of estate size.
Once debts, taxes, and expenses are settled, remaining assets are distributed according to the will or Pennsylvania’s intestacy laws, and the estate is closed.
What it costs
Filing fees vary; check with Armstrong County directly for current fees.
Pennsylvania has NO separate state estate tax, but its INHERITANCE TAX applies to virtually every estate: 0% to a surviving spouse (and to a parent inheriting from a child 21 or younger), 4.5% to children and other lineal descendants, 12% to siblings, and 15% to everyone else. No dollar exemption.
A 5% early-payment discount applies if paid within 3 months of death; the return and payment are otherwise due within 9 months.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
REGISTER OF WILLS
450 East Market St, Kittanning, PA 16201
(724) 548-3221
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
450 East Market St, Kittanning, PA 16201
(724) 548-3220
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
450 East Market St, Kittanning, PA 16201
(724) 548-3220
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Human Services
125 Poplar St, Kittanning, PA 16201
(724) 548-3232
Assistance Office (DHS)
200 South Jefferson St, Kittanning, PA 16201
(724) 545-1300
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Armstrong County Public Health / PA Department of Health regional office – Kittanning, PA
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Kittanning
Population: 65,000
Established: 1800
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
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