Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Pennsylvania · South-Central Pennsylvania · Cumberland Valley · #415 Most Populous County in the US
Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's Cumberland Valley anchor county on the Maryland border - from Chambersburg's Civil War history and the Appalachian Trail crossing to Waynesboro's manufacturing heritage, the Greencastle gateway community, and the apple and peach orchards that make Franklin County Pennsylvania's orchard capital. Property tax, courts, public records, and senior services for Franklin County residents.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Franklin County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Office: Franklin County Department of Emergency Services – Chambersburg, PA
Services: Provides comprehensive emergency management program for the county, plus call receipt and processing for all fire, EMS, and law enforcement agencies (except the PA State Police Chambersburg Barracks); maintains a Strategic Plan, Emergency Operations Plan, and Hazard Vulnerability Assessment
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-81, US-11, and US-30 serve Chambersburg, the county seat, in south-central Pennsylvania near the Maryland border
Transit: Franklin County Transit Authority (fcta) provides local bus service – confirm current routes directly.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: No countywide building department – permits are issued at the MUNICIPAL level; most Franklin County municipalities outsource Uniform Construction Code (UCC) enforcement to third-party agencies
Services: Pennsylvania Municipal Code Alliance, Inc. (PMCA) – 1013 Wayne Avenue (also listed at 380 Wayne Ave), Chambersburg, PA 17201, (717) 496-4996, Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–4 PM, serves numerous townships including Antrim, Franklin, and others; Commonwealth Code Inspection Service, Inc. (CCIS) – 1102 Sheller Avenue, Chambersburg, PA 17201, (717) 262-0081, Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–4 PM with 24/7 automated inspection scheduling
Notes: A local Township Land Use Permit is typically required BEFORE a UCC building permit can be issued – confirm the correct sequence and jurisdiction for your specific municipality.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Franklin County Veterans Affairs Office – Chambersburg, PA
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Franklin County Library System (FCLS) – headquartered at Coyle Free Library
Main Branch: Coyle Free Library – 102 N Main St, Chambersburg, PA 17201 | (717) 263-1054 | Hours: Mon–Fri 9 AM–8:30 PM, Sat 9 AM–5 PM (closed Sun)
Services: Founded in 1891 by the Chambersburg Afternoon Club, a women’s civic group that still exists today; now in its third location, a former post office building; holds approximately 70,000 items, offers 20 public computers, free wifi, and a wide movie collection; serves as the resource center for public libraries throughout Franklin AND Fulton Counties, giving it extended hours and a larger collection than other branches
Related: Grove Family Library – 101 Ragged Edge Rd S, Chambersburg, PA 17202, (717) 264-9663; Rhodes Grove/Blue Ridge Summit branch – 13676 Monterey Lane, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214, (717) 794-2240; Lilian S. Besore Memorial Library (Greencastle) – 305 East Baltimore Street, Greencastle, PA 17225, (717) 597-7920. A Bookmobile/Book Buggy also serves outreach visits by request.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Franklin County’s seat, Chambersburg, holds the genuine and sobering distinction of being the ONLY Northern town deliberately and decisively burned by Confederate forces during the entire Civil War; on July 30, 1864, Confederate Brigadier General John A. McCausland arrived at the head of roughly 2,800 cavalrymen under direct orders from General Jubal Early, tasked with extracting a ransom of $100,000 in gold or $500,000 in U.S. currency from the town – retaliation for Union General David Hunter’s earlier burning of homes and buildings in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, including that of Early’s own uncle; the Confederates rang the courthouse bell to summon citizens and read the ransom demand aloud, but Chambersburg’s residents, many of whom had already shipped their valuables out of town during two earlier wartime occupations (1862 and 1863), could not or would not produce the sum; when the town failed to pay, McCausland ordered his troops to set fire to Chambersburg beginning around 8 AM; by the time Confederate forces withdrew a few hours later, more than 500 buildings across roughly ten city blocks lay in ruins, including the Franklin County Courthouse and the Bank of Chambersburg, leaving an estimated 2,000-3,000 residents homeless and inflicting well over $1.5 million in property damage; the destruction was not uniform – some Confederate soldiers openly protested the order and helped residents remove belongings before their homes burned, while Colonel William E. Peters was placed under arrest for refusing to carry out the burning, and one unit deliberately guarded the historic Masonic Temple to keep it from being torched; “Remember Chambersburg!” became a rallying cry for Union troops for the remainder of the war, and Pennsylvania issued a warrant for McCausland’s arrest in 1865, forcing him into years of exile in Canada, Europe, and Mexico before an eventual pardon; the town rebuilt remarkably quickly, with formal reconstruction planning already underway within a month of the fire; today’s largely brick downtown Chambersburg reflects that rapid post-1864 rebuilding, and the town commemorates the event annually with a “1864 Ransoming, Burning & Rebirth of Chambersburg” living history reenactment
Notes: Chambersburg’s genuine, extensively documented status as the only Northern town deliberately burned by Confederate forces in the Civil War – including the human complexity on both sides of that event – is presented here as established historical record.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Franklin County GIS – accessible via franklincountypa.gov
Parcel Search: Franklin County Assessment Office
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Franklin County Department of Emergency Services
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter – 5051 Letterkenny Road West, Chambersburg, PA 17201 | (717) 263-5791 | Hours: Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 11 AM–5 PM, Sat 11 AM–3 PM (closed Wed/Sun)
Services: An independent nonprofit shelter serving northern Franklin County and parts of southern Cumberland County; protects, shelters, and adopts out homeless animals; acts as a contact agency for lost pet returns; promotes responsible pet ownership through humane education; maintains a “Second Chance Fund” for animals requiring special medical care
Related: Antietam Humane Society – 8513 Lyons Road, Waynesboro, PA, a separate private nonprofit serving the southern part of the county.
Notes: Wildlife (non-domesticated animals) is NOT handled by Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter – contact the PA Game Commission instead.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) – dep.pa.gov
Notes: Contact your specific municipality directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Franklin County’s seat, Chambersburg, is genuinely the only Northern town deliberately burned by Confederate forces during the entire Civil War, an event that reshaped the town and remains central to its identity 160+ years later. 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 Franklin County
Franklin County is Pennsylvania’s twenty-second most populous county and the 415th most populous in the United States, covering 772 square miles of the Great Appalachian Valley in south-central Pennsylvania along the Maryland border.
Chambersburg (the county seat, population ~21,000) is Franklin County’s largest borough and one of the most historically significant communities in the Civil War Mid-Atlantic. Chambersburg was burned by Confederate forces on July 30, 1864 – the only Northern community burned by Confederate forces during the war – when cavalry under General McCausland torched the town after citizens refused to pay a $500,000 ransom. The Chambersburg Heritage Center and markers throughout the town commemorate this unique history. The Appalachian Trail crosses within close proximity to Chambersburg, and the Pine Grove Furnace State Park nearby is a significant trail community.
Waynesboro (population ~11,000) is the county’s second borough – a manufacturing community in the southwestern corner with a heritage in precision manufacturing and metalworking.
Greencastle is a small borough near the Maryland border – the southernmost borough in Pennsylvania on the Maryland line.
Franklin County is Pennsylvania’s leading apple and peach producing county – the orchards along South Mountain and throughout the county’s agricultural lowlands supply significant quantities of fruit to Mid-Atlantic markets.
The I-81 corridor through Franklin County has attracted significant distribution, logistics, and manufacturing development – warehouses serving the Mid-Atlantic market have expanded rapidly along the interstate, transforming parts of the county’s employment base.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Franklin County uses a base year assessment system. The CLR published by STEB determines the effective relationship between assessed and market values for appeals.
The appeal process: File with the Franklin County Board of Assessment Appeals at 272 N. Second Street, Chambersburg, PA 17201, phone 717-261-3810. Deadline: August 1 for the following tax year. PA inheritance tax: 0% to surviving spouses, 4.5% to direct descendants, 12% to siblings, 15% to all others.
OWNWELL CTA: Franklin County Board of Assessment Appeals: August 1. I-81 corridor and MD border proximity driving steady appreciation. PA inheritance tax 4.5% to descendants. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Recommended
Franklin County Board of Assessment Appeals: August 1. I-81 corridor and MD border proximity driving steady appreciation. PA inheritance tax 4.5% to descendants. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Orphans’ Court (Probate): The Franklin County Orphans’ Court and Register of Wills at 157 Lincoln Way E., Chambersburg, PA 17201, phone 717-261-3872, handle wills, estate administration, and guardianships.
Court of Common Pleas: Handles civil, criminal, and family matters.
Recorder of Deeds: The Franklin County Recorder of Deeds at 272 N. Second Street maintains real property records. Land records searchable online.
Senior Services
The Franklin County Area Agency on Aging at 425 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg, PA 17202, phone 717-263-2153, serves the county’s senior population with in-home services, caregiver support, nutrition programs, and transportation. Chambersburg Hospital (WellSpan Health) provides significant geriatric care.
Recommended
Assisted living, memory care, and independent living across Franklin County - from Chambersburg and Waynesboro to Greencastle, Mercersburg, and the Cumberland Valley communities.
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Franklin County Register of Wills, Chambersburg (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Franklin 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, Franklin County Franklin County Courthouse, 157 Lincoln Way East, Chambersburg, PA 17201 (717) 261-3872 Franklin County is in south-central Pennsylvania along the Maryland border, seated in Chambersburg.
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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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
157 Lincoln Way East, Chambersburg, PA 17201
(717) 261-3852
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
157 Lincoln Way East, Chambersburg, PA 17201
(717) 261-3826
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Human Services
425 Franklin Farm Ln, Chambersburg, PA 17202
(717) 264-5387
Assistance Office (DHS)
955 Mid Atlantic Pkwy, Greencastle, PA 17225
(717) 264-9101
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Franklin County Public Health / PA Department of Health regional office – Chambersburg, PA
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Recommended for Pennsylvania
Ownwell
Property tax appeal service. Contingency fee - no savings, no charge.
