Clearfield County Court Docket Records

Clearfield County is part of the 46th Judicial District, with the county seat in Clearfield in central Pennsylvania. The Court of Common Pleas serves the county for criminal, civil, family, and orphans' court matters, while Magisterial District Courts handle local proceedings throughout the county's municipalities and townships. Public court docket records for Clearfield County are available through the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System web portal, allowing anyone to search by name or case number to find case status, filings, hearings, and dispositions without a trip to the courthouse.

Clearfield County Criminal Court Dockets

Criminal cases in Clearfield County begin at the Magisterial District Court level. When a person is arrested, the MDJ handles the preliminary arraignment and sets bail. The case enters the Magisterial District Court Management System at this stage. A preliminary hearing follows, and if the MDJ determines there is sufficient evidence, the case is bound over to the Court of Common Pleas.

At the Common Pleas level, the case enters CPCMS. The Court then schedules arraignment, pretrial proceedings, and either a trial or a plea hearing. Every step is recorded in the docket: charges, bail modifications, continuances, plea agreements, trial verdicts, and sentences. All of this information is publicly accessible on the UJS portal.

The Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History system at epatch.pa.gov generates certified criminal history reports from the same underlying court data for individuals who need an official record for legal or administrative purposes.

Note: Under 42 Pa.C.S. § 6308, juvenile court records are not open to the public. Adult criminal records remain accessible unless a court has ordered them sealed or expunged.

How to Search Clearfield County Court Dockets

Start at ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch and enter the name of a party or a docket number. To limit results to Clearfield County, use the county filter on the search form. Choosing between Common Pleas and Magisterial District Courts further refines your results based on what you are looking for.

The results list shows case captions, docket numbers, filing dates, and current status. Clicking a docket number opens the full docket sheet. That sheet contains the complete history of the case, including every entry clerks have made since the case was opened. No registration or fee is required.

The portal is updated on a rolling basis as court clerks enter new filings and events, making it a reliable source for current case status information.

Clearfield County Court of Common Pleas

The Court of Common Pleas for the 46th Judicial District sits in Clearfield and is the trial court of general jurisdiction for the county. It exercises jurisdiction over serious criminal matters, civil disputes exceeding the district court's $12,000 limit, family law proceedings, and orphans' court cases.

Family court in Clearfield County processes custody disputes, support orders, divorce proceedings, and protection from abuse petitions. Judges issue orders that become part of the public docket unless sealed. Orphans' court handles wills, estate administration, adoptions, and guardianship matters for residents throughout the county.

Civil cases in Common Pleas include personal injury, property disputes, breach of contract, and appeals from state agencies. The Common Pleas Court also hears appeals from Magisterial District Court decisions, giving parties a second chance at the trial court level. Judges of the 46th Judicial District are elected by Clearfield County voters to ten-year terms.

Clearfield County Magisterial District Courts

Magisterial District Courts serve Clearfield County's boroughs and townships. These courts are the entry point for traffic violations, summary offenses, and minor civil disputes. They also conduct the preliminary arraignments and hearings that determine whether criminal cases go forward to Common Pleas.

Clearfield County's large geographic size means district courts are spread across the county to serve local communities without requiring long travel to the county seat. Each MDJ operates independently, maintaining its own docket while feeding data into the statewide MDJS database accessible through the UJS portal.

Appeals from MDJ civil decisions and summary criminal convictions go to Common Pleas, where a new hearing is held. These appeals open new dockets at the Common Pleas level.

Note: Small claims resolved at the district court level rarely appear on Common Pleas dockets unless appealed, so both court levels should be checked when researching a person's court history.

Civil Dockets and the Clearfield County Prothonotary

The Prothonotary for Clearfield County is the official record keeper for civil matters in the Court of Common Pleas. This elected office maintains the civil docket index, processes new civil filings, and records judgment liens. The Prothonotary's office is located in the courthouse in Clearfield.

Judgment liens recorded with the Prothonotary attach to real property owned by a judgment debtor in Clearfield County. Attorneys and title companies check the Prothonotary's records during real estate transactions to identify any outstanding civil judgments that could affect title. The Prothonotary also maintains records of civil appeals from district courts.

For certified copies of civil court documents, the Prothonotary is the authoritative source. Photocopies are available for $0.25 per page with an additional charge for certification. Many civil docket records are also visible on the UJS portal, though the Prothonotary's files contain the original documents.

Public Access to Clearfield County Records

Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law under 65 P.S. § 67.301 establishes a presumption of openness for government records, and most court records in Clearfield County follow this principle. Docket information, case documents, and court orders are generally public unless a specific exception applies.

Restricted categories include juvenile delinquency records, sealed adoption files, mental health commitment records, and cases where a judge has issued a sealing order. Expunged records are removed from the system entirely. Information on what is accessible and how to request court records not available online is provided by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's public records policy.

Annual case filing and disposition statistics for Clearfield County appear in the Pennsylvania court system's statistical reports, which cover all court levels statewide. Court filing fees are governed by 204 Pa. Code § 213.81 and are separate from fees for obtaining copies of records.

Nearby Counties

Clearfield County borders several central Pennsylvania counties, all with court docket records available through the UJS portal.

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