Search Sullivan County Court Records
The main statewide starting point is Pennsylvania UJS Case Search. It is a free public docket search for appellate courts, Courts of Common Pleas, Magisterial District Courts, citations, participants, docket numbers, events, incident numbers, organizations, OTN, parcels, and related search types. For Sullivan County court records, that means UJS is most useful for public criminal Common Pleas dockets, Magisterial District Court matters, traffic citations, scheduled events, bail clues, and payment-plan history.
Sullivan County also links to its own Online Civil Case Search, which the Prothonotary page says became available April 1, 2026. Use that county civil portal when a civil Court of Common Pleas matter does not appear in the statewide UJS system. UJS warns that some civil Common Pleas information may not display there, and recent docket entries may lag the local office.
- Open UJS Case Search and choose the search type that matches what you know, such as participant name, docket number, citation number, OTN, or calendar event.
- Select Sullivan County when the portal offers a county filter, then add the case category, date range, or court type if those filters fit the search.
- Read the docket sheet for filing date, case status, court, judge, parties, docket entries, hearing dates, and disposition.
- For civil Common Pleas matters, check the Sullivan County Online Civil Case Search if the statewide portal does not show the case.
- For copies, certified documents, probate records, marriage files, or records that are not online, contact the Prothonotary, Recorder, Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court office.
The official UJS Case Search page is shown in the county image set from Pennsylvania's case-search portal.
That portal is a docket lookup tool, not a full case-file counter, so certified or complete records still route through the local custodian.
Sullivan County Court Records Fields
UJS Case Search is strongest when the search terms match Pennsylvania docket formats. Magisterial District Court docket numbers commonly begin with MJ, while Common Pleas docket numbers commonly begin with CP. Citation searches should use the dash in the citation number. If the search is for a hearing, the calendar-event mode can narrow by date and event type instead of party name.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search By | Dropdown | Yes | Options include appellate, attorney, calendar event, citation number, complaint number, date filed, docket number, incident number, organization, OTN, parcel, participant name, and SID. |
| Docket Number | Text | When selected | Common Pleas examples begin with CP; MDJ examples begin with MJ. |
| Citation Number | Text | When selected | UJS help says to include the dash, such as A5368532-1. |
| Date Filed Start / End | Date | Conditional | Uses mm/dd/yyyy and may be limited by portal range rules. |
| County | Dropdown | Conditional | Choose Sullivan when narrowing a statewide search. |
| Scheduled Events Only | Checkbox | No | Limits calendar searches to future scheduled events. |
Sullivan County's separate civil search appears in the image set from the county Online Civil Case Search.
Because the civil portal is county-linked and newly noted for 2026, it is the better route for local civil files when UJS does not return a Common Pleas civil docket.
Sullivan County Court Record Types
Sullivan County court records come from several parts of the same courthouse system. The Court of Common Pleas handles criminal, civil, family, divorce, custody, estate, and Orphans' Court matters. Magisterial District Court 44-3-03 handles traffic, summary criminal, ordinance cases, landlord-tenant actions, small civil claims up to $12,000, preliminary arraignments, bail, preliminary hearings, warrants, and emergency protection-from-abuse work.
The combined office led by Kellie Carpenter is central because it includes Prothonotary, Recorder of Deeds, Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills, and Clerk of Orphans' Court functions. That office keeps many complete files that online docket sheets only summarize.
- Criminal Common Pleas records: charges, criminal informations, pleas, motions, orders, sentencing, fines, bail, restitution, and disposition.
- Civil Common Pleas records: complaints, answers, judgments, writs, custody, divorce, continuances, civil cover sheets, and orders.
- Magisterial District Court records: traffic citations, summary cases, landlord-tenant filings, small claims, preliminary criminal proceedings, and warrant events.
- Orphans' Court records: wills, petitions for probate and grant of letters, estate files, guardianship tracking, accounts, and related petitions.
- Family records: divorce and custody filings, with public access limits for confidential information and protected parties.
The county's official Prothonotary page is shown in the manifest from Sullivan County's combined office page.
That combined structure matters because a user may need one counter for civil, criminal, probate, marriage, and recording questions that are separate in larger Pennsylvania counties.
What Sullivan County Court Records Show
A public docket usually gives the outline of the case. It may show the case number, filing date, court, judge or Magisterial District Judge, case type, status, parties, attorneys, docket events, hearing dates, disposition, sentence, fines, costs, restitution, bail, payment-plan entries, and public-access limits. Full case files can include pleadings, motions, orders, confidential forms, and certified copies that are not always downloadable from the web docket.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | CP, MJ, appellate, citation, or other Pennsylvania docket format used to identify the case. |
| Filing Date | The date a case, citation, complaint, petition, or event was opened or filed. |
| Court | Whether the matter is in Common Pleas, Magisterial District Court, appellate court, or another court level. |
| Parties | Names or roles such as plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, Commonwealth, officer, or agency. |
| Docket Entries | Chronological events such as complaint filed, summons, arraignment, hearing, continuance, order, plea, sentence, or warrant event. |
| Disposition | The outcome of a charge, claim, petition, citation, or case. |
| Redactions | Protected data such as Social Security numbers, financial accounts, minor names, medical records, and sealed documents. |
Sullivan County Court Records Access
Pennsylvania court access is governed by the Case Records Public Access Policy at 204 Pa. Code 213.81. The policy treats court case records as open unless a rule, statute, court order, or confidentiality category restricts access. It also identifies custodians such as prothonotaries, clerks of courts, clerks of Orphans' Court, and Magisterial District Judges.
The Sullivan County Right-to-Know page is important but limited. It says the Open Records address is not the route for criminal cases, civil cases, marriage licenses, deeds, or wills. Those requests should go to the court or row office that keeps the record. County agency records may be requested under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, Act 3 of 2008, but court files have their own public-access process.
Note: Use Right-to-Know for county agency records, not for Sullivan County criminal, civil, marriage, deed, or will copies.
The manifest includes the county Right-to-Know source from Sullivan County's open-records instructions.
That page helps route non-court county records, but it also prevents misdirected court-record requests by listing records the Open Records address does not handle.
Restricted Sullivan County Court Records
Not every Sullivan County court record is public. UJS warns that juvenile cases, expunged cases, limited-access cases, and some civil Common Pleas information may not display even when the search terms are correct. Pennsylvania law also limits juvenile court-file inspection under 42 Pa.C.S. 6307 and juvenile law-enforcement records under 42 Pa.C.S. 6308. Criminal-history dissemination is governed by 18 Pa.C.S. Chapter 91, with expungement rules in 18 Pa.C.S. 9122.
Public-access forms matter when protected information is filed. Sullivan County links statewide confidential information and confidential document forms for items such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, minor names, abuse-victim data, medical or psychological records, tax records, wage stubs, bank statements, and credit-card statements. A sealed or limited-access record may require a court order or a proper petition before it can be viewed.
The Pennsylvania public-access policy source appears in the image set from 204 Pa. Code 213.81.
The policy is the core reason public docket access can exist while specific filings or data elements remain outside public view.
Sullivan County Court Record Requests
For complete Sullivan County court records, certified copies, civil filings, criminal files, probate files, marriage licenses, and older records, contact the combined Prothonotary, Recorder, Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court office. The office is in Suite 100 at the Sullivan County Courthouse. For Magisterial District Court traffic, summary, landlord-tenant, small civil, preliminary criminal, and warrant matters, contact MDJ 44-3-03 in Suite 150.
Sullivan County Prothonotary
245 Muncy Street, Suite 100
Laporte, PA 18626
570-946-7351
Fax: 570-946-7105
Magisterial District Court 44-3-03
245 Muncy Street, Suite 150
P.O. Box 259, Laporte, PA 18626
570-946-4413
Fax: 570-946-4436
The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records overview is included in the manifest from the state Right-to-Know Law resource.
Use that state resource for agency-record context, then route actual Sullivan County court files to the court custodian named for the case type.