Sullivan County Court of Common Pleas
Pennsylvania's Court of Common Pleas is the trial court of general jurisdiction. Sullivan County is part of the 44th Judicial District, a two-county district shared with Wyoming County. Local court records route through the Sullivan County Courthouse in Laporte, while judge chambers for the 44th Judicial District are listed at 1 Courthouse Square in Tunkhannock.
Common Pleas handles felony and misdemeanor criminal cases after lower-court proceedings, larger civil actions, divorce, custody, support actions before Common Pleas, estate disputes, Orphans' Court matters, and appeals from Magisterial District Court judgments. For record access, this means the court level matters as much as the topic. A traffic citation may be a Magisterial District Court record, while a divorce decree is a Common Pleas civil or family record filed through the Prothonotary.
Sullivan County Court Locations
The research identifies one Sullivan County Court of Common Pleas branch, one Judge's Chambers listing for the 44th Judicial District, one Sullivan County Magisterial District Court, and the combined Prothonotary office that supports court records. These are the core locations for trial-court routing in Sullivan County.
| Court or office | Role | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County Court of Common Pleas, 44th Judicial District | General trial court for criminal, civil, family, Orphans' Court, and MDJ appeals | 245 Muncy Street, Laporte, PA 18626 | 570-946-5201 |
| Judge's Chambers, 44th Judicial District | Judicial administration, local rules, forms, language access, schedules | 1 Courthouse Square, Tunkhannock, PA 18657 | 570-836-3151 |
| Magisterial District Court 44-3-03 | Traffic, summary criminal, landlord-tenant, small civil, preliminary arraignment, bail, warrants | 245 Muncy Street, Suite 150, P.O. Box 259, Laporte, PA 18626 | 570-946-4413 |
| Prothonotary and Clerk offices | Civil, criminal, probate, marriage, recording, and court records | 245 Muncy Street, Suite 100, Laporte, PA 18626 | 570-946-7351 |
Sullivan County Common Pleas Judges
The Sullivan County Judge's Chambers page lists President Judge Russell D. Shurtleff and Judge Nina M. Sordoni for the 44th Judicial District. The same county page links local rules, language access materials, a 2026 court schedule, Americans with Disabilities Act materials, and a YouTube route for viewing or listening to Sullivan County court proceedings.
Judge assignment is not the same as record custody. Judicial chambers may provide local rules, schedules, language access, and courtroom administration, but docket searches and certified file requests usually route through the proper court office. For civil Common Pleas records, use the county civil search and Prothonotary. For criminal Common Pleas records, use UJS docket search and the Clerk of Courts function.
Judge's Chambers
44th Judicial District
1 Courthouse Square
Tunkhannock, PA 18657
570-836-3151
Sullivan County Common Pleas vs MDJ
Common Pleas and Magisterial District Court are both part of the Pennsylvania court system, but they answer different record questions. Sullivan County has one identified local Magisterial District Court, District Court 44-3-03. Its official page identifies traffic citations, summary criminal, ordinance, landlord-tenant, small civil, preliminary arraignment, bail, preliminary hearings, warrants, emergency PFA authority, and weddings among Magisterial District Judge functions.
| Issue | Court of Common Pleas | Magisterial District Court 44-3-03 |
|---|---|---|
| Civil jurisdiction | Larger civil actions, family matters, divorce, custody, appeals from MDJ | Landlord-tenant and civil claims up to $12,000 |
| Criminal jurisdiction | Common Pleas criminal cases after lower-court proceedings | Preliminary arraignment, bail, preliminary hearing, summary matters |
| Traffic cases | Appeals or related higher-court proceedings | Primary local traffic citation venue |
| Probate and guardianship | Orphans' Court division and related filings | Not the probate filing office |
| Record office | Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, Register, Clerk of Orphans' Court | District Court 44-3-03 office |
Sullivan County Case Flow
Case movement depends on the type of case. Summary traffic and non-traffic matters can begin and end in Magisterial District Court. Misdemeanor and felony criminal cases commonly begin at the MDJ level for preliminary arraignment, bail, and preliminary hearing, then move to Common Pleas if held for court. Appeals from MDJ judgments go to the Court of Common Pleas.
Civil disputes also split by size and subject. MDJ 44-3-03 handles landlord-tenant actions and civil claims up to $12,000, while larger civil actions, custody, divorce, support matters before Common Pleas, estate disputes, and Orphans' Court issues belong in the Common Pleas system or its associated row offices.
Criminal flow: complaint or arrest › MDJ preliminary arraignment › bail › preliminary hearing › Common Pleas criminal information › plea or trial › disposition › sentence › appeal.
Civil flow: complaint or petition › answer or response › motions and conferences › order, judgment, or decree › post-trial action or appeal when available.
Orphans' Court and estate matters follow their own filing route through the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court function. Divorce and custody records use the Prothonotary side of the Common Pleas system.
Search Sullivan County Common Pleas Records
Sullivan County Common Pleas record access uses several systems. The UJS Case Search portal is the statewide public docket search for many Pennsylvania court records. Sullivan County also offers Online Civil Case Search for civil Common Pleas records as of April 1, 2026. Complete files and certified copies route to the proper local office.
- Use UJS Case Search for public docket sheets and statewide court-event searches.
- Use the Sullivan County civil portal for local civil Common Pleas records when available.
- Contact the Prothonotary for civil, divorce, custody, and certified civil file questions.
- Contact the Clerk of Courts function for criminal Common Pleas file copies and dispositions.
- Contact District Court 44-3-03 for traffic, summary, landlord-tenant, small civil, preliminary criminal, and warrant questions.
Note: UJS warns that recent docket entries may lag office records and that some case types do not display publicly.
Sullivan County Courthouse Access
The Sullivan County Courthouse is located at 245 Muncy Street, P.O. Box 157, Laporte, PA 18626. The UJS profile lists the main phone as 570-946-5201 and hours as Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The courthouse is the practical address for many court-related offices, including the Prothonotary, District Attorney, Sheriff, Public Defender, Jury Services, Magisterial District Court, and county offices.
Laporte is the county seat, and the county describes it as sitting at 2,060 feet on the Appalachian Plateau. That local setting matters for courthouse trips because winter weather and rural travel time can affect arrival planning.
Official sources do not publish detailed parking rates, garage names, courthouse security rules, or local transit stop names. Jury Services does tell jurors to arrive early to allow time to enter through security. Visitors traveling to Laporte should allow extra time for rural roads, mountain weather, and courthouse entry screening when attending hearings or visiting an office.
Sullivan County Appeals Route
Appeals from Magisterial District Court judgments go to the Sullivan County Court of Common Pleas. Appeals from Common Pleas generally go to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania for most criminal and civil matters or to the Commonwealth Court for government-agency and public-law matters. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the court of last resort in the state unified judicial system.
Appeal deadlines and filing rules are case-specific. The research file confirms the court route, not a universal filing deadline for every appeal type. Record seekers should use the docket, local rules, and the proper filing office to confirm the next step before relying on a deadline from a different court level.