Cambria County Court Docket Records
Cambria County court docket records are maintained by the 43rd Judicial District, with the county seat located in Ebensburg. The Court of Common Pleas handles criminal, civil, family, and orphans' court matters for residents throughout the county. Docket entries from both the Court of Common Pleas and the Magisterial District Courts are accessible through the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System web portal. Searching these records gives you access to case status, filings, scheduled hearings, and other publicly available court information without visiting the courthouse in person.
Cambria County Quick Facts
How to Search Cambria County Court Dockets
The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System operates a free public portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us where anyone can look up court docket information for Cambria County. You can search by docket number, participant name, organization name, or citation number. The system covers both Common Pleas Court cases and Magisterial District Court cases across the county.
To begin, visit ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch and select the court level you need. For Common Pleas cases, choose "Court of Common Pleas" and filter by county. For district court matters like traffic citations and summary offenses, select "Magisterial District Courts." Enter a name or docket number and review the results list before opening a specific docket sheet.
Results display the docket number, case type, filing date, case status, and the names of all parties. Each docket sheet shows a full history of entries, bail information where applicable, attorney appearances, and scheduled court dates. No account or login is needed to view public docket records.
The Pennsylvania UJS portal provides the primary gateway for accessing Cambria County court docket records online.
The UJS portal is updated regularly as clerks enter new filings and case events, making it a reliable source for current docket status.
Cambria County Court of Common Pleas
The Court of Common Pleas for the 43rd Judicial District sits in Ebensburg and serves as the trial court of general jurisdiction for Cambria County. It handles felony and misdemeanor criminal cases, civil disputes, family law matters including custody and support, and orphans' court proceedings covering estates and guardianships.
Criminal cases that begin in the Magisterial District Courts are often bound over to the Court of Common Pleas after a preliminary hearing when the charges are serious enough to require a trial by jury or judge. The court also handles appeals from decisions made at the district court level. Judges in the 43rd Judicial District are elected by voters in Cambria County and serve ten-year terms.
Family court handles divorce proceedings, support orders, protection from abuse matters, and child custody disputes. Orphans' court manages wills, estates, adoptions, and mental health commitments. All of these divisions maintain separate docket series, so the case type prefix on a docket number will tell you which division handled the matter.
Note: Orphans' court records may include sealed filings in adoption cases, which are not accessible through the public UJS portal.
Criminal Dockets in Cambria County Courts
Criminal cases in Cambria County begin at the Magisterial District Court level, where charges are filed and preliminary hearings are held. The Magisterial District Court Management System, known as MDJS, tracks these early-stage cases. Once a defendant is bound over to the Court of Common Pleas, the case is entered into the Common Pleas Case Management System, or CPCMS.
Both systems feed into the UJS portal, so you can find a defendant's full case history by searching their name. The docket sheet for a criminal case will show every charge, bail conditions, hearing dates, attorney information, and the final disposition. Guilty pleas, trial verdicts, and sentencing information all appear on the public docket.
The Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History system at epatch.pa.gov provides certified criminal history reports compiled from statewide court records.
PATCH reports are generated from the same underlying data but represent official certified records rather than raw docket sheets, making them useful for official purposes.
Under 42 Pa.C.S. § 6308, certain juvenile records are protected from public disclosure. Adult criminal records are generally public unless a court has ordered them sealed or expunged.
Cambria County Magisterial District Courts
Magisterial District Courts operate throughout Cambria County, serving different geographic areas and municipalities. These courts handle traffic violations, summary criminal offenses, landlord-tenant disputes, and civil claims under $12,000. They also conduct preliminary arraignments and preliminary hearings in criminal matters before those cases move to the Court of Common Pleas.
Each Magisterial District Judge, or MDJ, maintains a separate docket for their court. You can find a specific MDJ court by using the court search tool on the UJS portal, which allows filtering by county. The docket number prefix for district courts identifies the specific MDJ office that handled the case.
Summary offense cases -- such as minor traffic infractions -- are often resolved at the district court level without ever going to the Common Pleas Court. If a party appeals a summary conviction, the case moves up to Common Pleas for a trial de novo.
Note: Civil claims at the district court level top out at $12,000; claims above that amount must be filed directly in the Court of Common Pleas.
Civil Court Dockets and the Cambria Prothonotary
Civil court records for Cambria County are maintained by the Prothonotary, the elected clerk responsible for Common Pleas civil filings. The Prothonotary's office is located in the Cambria County Courthouse in Ebensburg. You can find contact details and office information at cambriacountypa.gov/courts/prothonotary.
The Cambria County Prothonotary maintains the official index of civil court filings and judgments for Common Pleas civil dockets.
Civil cases include breach of contract actions, personal injury suits, property disputes, and appeals from administrative agencies. The Prothonotary also records judgment liens, which can affect real estate titles in the county. Searching the Prothonotary's index is an important step when researching property ownership or checking for outstanding judgments against an individual.
Many civil dockets for Cambria County are also accessible through the UJS portal, though the Prothonotary's office maintains the authoritative index for official purposes. For certified copies of civil case documents, you must contact the Prothonotary directly.
Cambria County Clerk of Courts Records
The Clerk of Courts for Cambria County maintains criminal case files and records for the Court of Common Pleas. This office stores original court documents including indictments, transcripts, and orders entered in criminal cases. The office is reachable through cambriacountypa.gov/courts/clerk-of-courts.
The Cambria County Clerk of Courts handles criminal record filings, case documents, and certified copy requests for Common Pleas criminal dockets.
If you need a certified copy of a criminal court order or a record of disposition, you would contact the Clerk of Courts rather than the Prothonotary. The two offices work in parallel, one managing civil records and the other managing criminal records, both under the umbrella of the Court of Common Pleas.
Public Access to Cambria County Court Records
Pennsylvania courts follow an open records policy under 65 P.S. § 67.301, which establishes that most government records are presumed open to public inspection. Court records have their own access framework governed by court rules, but the general principle of openness applies to most docket entries and case documents.
Certain records are restricted. These include records in juvenile delinquency cases, adoption proceedings, mental health commitment records, and cases where a judge has entered a specific sealing order. Expunged records are removed from public view entirely.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's public records policy provides guidance on what types of judicial records are accessible and how to request access to records that are not available through the online portal. Requests for bulk data or records not on the portal are handled through the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.
Note: Even when a docket is public, some exhibits or attachments may be restricted if they contain sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers or financial account details.
Court Record Fees in Cambria County
Accessing docket information through the UJS portal is free of charge. There is no fee to view docket sheets, search by name, or review case status online. Fees apply when you need physical copies or certified records from the courthouse.
Photocopies of court documents cost $0.25 per page at the courthouse. Certified copies carry an additional certification fee set by the court or the relevant clerk's office. Fees can vary between the Prothonotary and the Clerk of Courts, so it is worth confirming the current fee schedule before making a records request in person or by mail.
Filing fees for new cases are separate from copy fees and are set by court rule under 204 Pa. Code § 213.81. Statistics on case filings and court activity in Cambria County are available through the Pennsylvania court system's annual report published by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.
Nearby Counties
Cambria County shares borders with several other Pennsylvania counties, each with their own court docket systems.