Sullivan County Prothonotary Office
The official county page states that Sullivan County has five different offices under the Prothonotary. Kellie Carpenter serves as Prothonotary, Recorder of Deeds, Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court. Karen Baumunk is listed as First Deputy, and Ashley Bender is listed as Second Deputy. That combined structure is important for record seekers because the same Suite 100 office may be the right starting point for several records that would be split across separate offices in larger Pennsylvania counties.
Use the Sullivan County Prothonotary page for current office links, fee schedules, public access forms, marriage information, and online record tools. The office is not just a civil filing counter. It links court forms, county civil search, Landex tools, PACFile, UJS ePay and docket resources, probate forms, guardianship resources, and marriage license application information.
Sullivan County Prothonotary
Office holder: Kellie Carpenter
245 Muncy Street, Suite 100
Laporte, PA 18626
570-946-7351
Fax: 570-946-7105
Email: kcarpenter@sullivancountypa.gov
Sullivan County Prothonotary Record Roles
The most accurate way to use the Sullivan County Prothonotary office is to sort the request by function. A custody filing, a criminal sentencing copy, a recorded deed, a will file, and a marriage license may be housed under the same elected office, but each belongs to a different public-record path. The county's Right-to-Know page also says the open-records address is not the route for criminal cases, civil cases, marriage licenses, deeds, or wills.
| Function | Records handled | Access point |
|---|---|---|
| Prothonotary | Civil Court of Common Pleas filings, custody, divorce, continuance forms, civil cover sheets | Office request, county civil search, forms, PACFile where applicable |
| Clerk of Courts | Criminal Court of Common Pleas records and criminal-case fee schedule | Office request, UJS docket links, ePay links, PACFile links |
| Recorder of Deeds | Recorded instruments, recording fees, eRecording, Landex viewing and printing | Landex Online, CSC, Simplifile, office request |
| Register of Wills | Probate petitions, grant of letters, wills, estate records, fee schedule | Office request and statewide probate forms |
| Clerk of Orphans' Court | Orphans' Court filings, guardianship, accounts, related forms | Office request, Guardian Tracking System, Orphans' Court forms |
For criminal-only Clerk of Courts detail, the separate Sullivan County Clerk of Courts page keeps the focus on criminal case records rather than the full five-office structure.
Sullivan County Prothonotary Civil Search
As of April 1, 2026, Sullivan County offers Online Civil Case Search. The research file identifies this as a major local access change because civil Common Pleas records may not display the same way in statewide UJS Case Search. Civil matters can include complaints, answers, judgments, writs, custody, divorce, continuances, civil cover sheets, and orders.
Use the county civil search first when looking for a Sullivan County civil Common Pleas case. If the case is not online, if a certified copy is needed, or if the record involves restricted information, contact the Prothonotary office. The statewide UJS Case Search remains useful for many public dockets, but UJS notices warn that some information may not display, including certain civil cases, juvenile cases, expunged cases, and limited-access cases.
- Identify whether the record is civil, criminal, recording, probate, marriage, or Orphans' Court.
- Use the county civil portal for public civil Common Pleas case lookup when the record type fits.
- Use UJS Case Search for statewide docket checks, especially criminal and Magisterial District Court records.
- Contact Suite 100 for certified copies, older records, records not online, or file-level questions.
Sullivan County Prothonotary Fees
The county page links several fee schedules, but the research file text-extracted only some amounts. Do not assume plain copy or certified copy amounts from another county. Sullivan County fee questions should be tied to the current Prothonotary/Clerk, Register of Wills, Orphans' Court, or District Court schedule.
| Item | Amount or source |
|---|---|
| Marriage license recording fee | $30.50 |
| Credit card transaction under $40 | $1.00 |
| Credit card transaction over $40 | 2.49% |
| JCS fee | $41.25 effective 12/1/2025 |
| Custody modification petition | $15.00 filing fee from county form link text |
| Prothonotary/Clerk 2026 fee schedule | Linked from the county office page |
| Register of Wills and Orphans' Court schedules | Separate 2026 schedules linked by the county |
Request Certified Sullivan County Records
Certified copy requests should go to the office that keeps the record. A certified divorce decree, civil order, criminal disposition, probate letter, or marriage license copy is not the same as a web docket printout. A docket can help identify the case number, parties, filing date, and court, but a certified copy must be issued through the custodian's office when available to the requester.
- Find the case number, docket number, instrument information, or party names before contacting the office.
- State the record type, such as civil order, divorce decree, criminal disposition, letters testamentary, or marriage license.
- Ask which fee schedule applies and whether the office needs payment by cash, check, money order, or card.
- Confirm whether the record can be copied, certified, mailed, or must be reviewed in person because of access limits.
Note: The county Right-to-Know route is not for civil cases, criminal cases, marriage licenses, deeds, or wills.
Sullivan County Prothonotary Request Fields
Research did not identify a single universal request form for every Prothonotary function. A useful office request still needs enough detail for staff to locate the correct file without confusing civil, criminal, recording, probate, marriage, or Orphans' Court records.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Yes | Separate civil, criminal, marriage, probate, recording, and Orphans' Court requests. |
| Case or docket number | Helpful | Use CP or MJ docket formats when known. |
| Party names | Yes | Include former names for marriage, divorce, estate, or deed searches when relevant. |
| Document requested | Yes | Examples include decree, order, disposition, will, letters, or recorded instrument. |
| Copy type | Yes | State whether a plain, certified, or exemplified copy is needed. |
| Requester contact | Yes | Needed for fee, pickup, mail, or access-limit follow-up. |
Sullivan County Prothonotary Forms
The office page links civil cover sheets, custody and divorce forms, continuance forms, public-access compliance forms, UJS divorce resources, probate forms, and guardianship resources. Public-access forms are especially important because Pennsylvania court filings must separate confidential information from public documents when the statewide public access policy requires it.
The county links to Confidential Information Form and Confidential Document Form materials under the public-access policy. These forms help protect Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, minors, abuse-victim data, medical records, psychological records, and similar restricted material. Filing parties should use the county and UJS instructions rather than placing confidential details into a public pleading.
Sullivan County Prothonotary Online Tools
Several online systems sit around the Prothonotary office, but each has a different purpose. The county civil portal is for Sullivan civil Common Pleas lookup. UJS Case Search is a statewide docket search. PACFile supports electronic filing where the court and case type allow it. Landex Online is the county-linked vendor for viewing and printing recorded documents, while Record Alert and Notary Alert serve recording-related notice functions.
Because the office combines so many roles, a search that fails in one system does not prove that no record exists. A civil divorce file may be in the county civil portal or at Suite 100. A criminal docket may appear in UJS but still require the Clerk of Courts for certified copies. A will file belongs with the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court function, not the general county open-records address.