Search Clinton County Court Records
Most Clinton County court records searches begin with the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Case Search. The statewide portal gives free public docket-sheet access for Pennsylvania appellate courts, Criminal Courts of Common Pleas, Magisterial District Courts, and several other court levels. For Clinton County, it is the main route for public criminal Common Pleas dockets, MDJ traffic dockets, non-traffic summary cases, landlord-tenant matters, small civil claims, and public calendar events.
County scanned files may require a second channel. Clinton County's online public records access page says fee-based Infocon County Web Access includes Clerk of Court docket information, scanned documents related to a case or arrest, judgments, deeds, surveys, marriage licenses, property records, and more than 200,000 scanned documents. UJS is the free docket path; Infocon and the local office are the practical options when the needed document is a scanned pleading, arrest paper, judgment, or certified copy.
The UJS Case Search interface is the statewide starting point for Clinton County court records lookup.
Use the county and judicial district filters before broadening a search to nearby courts or statewide results.
- Open UJS Case Search and choose the search mode that matches the information in hand, such as participant name, docket number, citation number, OTN, complaint number, incident number, or calendar event.
- Set County to Clinton or Judicial District to Clinton 25 when the portal provides those filters.
- For lower-court matters, select MDJ-25-3-01, MDJ-25-3-02, MDJ-25-3-03, or Clinton Central Court if the issuing office is known.
- Review the docket sheet for court office, filing date, parties, charges or claims, hearings, disposition, sentence, judgment, and financial data if shown.
- When the docket does not provide the scanned file or certified document, use Infocon or contact the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts.
Clinton County Court System
Clinton County is Pennsylvania's 25th Judicial District. The general trial court is the Clinton County Court of Common Pleas, which sits in Lock Haven and handles major criminal cases, larger civil cases, family matters, Orphans' Court matters through the proper office, and appeals from Magisterial District Courts. Pennsylvania's appellate structure sits above it: the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Superior Court, and the Commonwealth Court.
The county also has three Magisterial District Courts. These courts are the first tier for summary traffic and non-traffic cases, ordinance cases, landlord-tenant actions, civil claims of $12,000 or less, preliminary arraignments, bail, preliminary hearings, arrest warrants, search warrants, emergency PFA orders, and weddings. Court users should not assume every low-level case is at the courthouse.
The Pennsylvania courts page for Clinton County identifies the local Court of Common Pleas as part of the statewide judiciary.
That statewide court page is useful for confirming the courthouse address, public hours, and main court phone before an in-person record request.
| Court | Role in Clinton County | Common Record Types |
|---|---|---|
| Court of Common Pleas | General trial court for the 25th Judicial District | Criminal, civil, family, divorce, appeals, judgments, sentencing, orders |
| Magisterial District Courts | Lower courts in Lock Haven, Mill Hall, and Renovo | Traffic, summary, landlord-tenant, small civil, preliminary criminal, warrants |
| Register and Recorder / Orphans' Court | Separate county office for probate and related filings | Estates, wills of deceased people, adoption filings, marriage licenses |
Case flow: MDJ filing or preliminary proceeding › Court of Common Pleas case › Pennsylvania Superior Court or Commonwealth Court › Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Clinton County Court Locations
The main courthouse for Clinton County court records is the Clinton County Courthouse at 230 East Water Street in Lock Haven. It houses the Court of Common Pleas, Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts, Sheriff's Office, District Attorney, and court administration functions. The Register and Recorder is nearby in the Piper Building at 2 Piper Way, Suite 239, and it handles marriage licenses, land records, estate records, and Orphans' Court filings.
County court users may also need one of the Magisterial District Courts. MDJ 25-3-01 serves Lock Haven and nearby municipalities from Frederick Street. MDJ 25-3-02 serves the Mill Hall, Loganton, Porter, Logan, and Beech Creek corridor. MDJ 25-3-03 serves Renovo, South Renovo, and the western and northern townships.
Clinton County Courthouse
230 East Water Street
Lock Haven, PA 17745
570-893-4016
Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Wed 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts
230 East Water Street
Lock Haven, PA 17745
570-893-4007
Prothonotary@ClintonCountyPA.Gov
Register and Recorder
2 Piper Way, Suite 239
Lock Haven, PA 17745
570-893-4010
regrec@clintoncountypa.gov
Clinton County Court Records Types
Clinton County court records are split by court level and by office. Civil Common Pleas records can include complaints, praecipes, writs, judgments, motions, orders, liens, appeals, and civil docket entries. Criminal Common Pleas records can include the criminal information, charges, docket sheet, pleas, motions, bail entries, hearing history, sentencing orders, fines, costs, restitution, warrants, and disposition. MDJ records cover summary traffic, non-traffic, landlord-tenant, small civil, preliminary criminal, warrants, and emergency PFA matters.
Some related records are not held by the same office. Marriage licenses and estate records are handled by the Register and Recorder. Divorce files are civil or family Common Pleas matters filed with the Prothonotary. Jail custody data begins with the Correctional Facility and VINE. Sheriff warrant material starts with the Sheriff's Office, but a warrant tied to a case should also be checked through the issuing court.
- Civil records: Common Pleas filings, judgments, motions, orders, liens, and appeals maintained through the Prothonotary.
- Criminal court records: Common Pleas case files and public docket entries maintained by the Clerk of Courts.
- Traffic records: MDJ traffic dockets and eligible payment records through UJS and PAePay.
- Marriage and divorce records: marriage records through the Register and Recorder, divorce files through the Prothonotary.
- Probate records: estate and Orphans' Court records through the Register and Recorder / Register of Wills.
What Clinton County Records Show
A Clinton County court record can show more than one kind of identifier. UJS search fields include docket number, citation number, participant name, organization name, OTN, SID, complaint number, incident number, date filed, county, judicial district, docket type, case category, attorney, and court office. These fields help separate a Common Pleas criminal case from an MDJ traffic case, a landlord-tenant docket, or a civil judgment.
Public docket sheets can show the court, filing date, parties, attorneys, scheduled events, charges or claim type, disposition, sentence or order, and financial obligations. Secure docket sheets and secure reports can contain additional information that public users cannot access. UJS also warns that recent entries may not appear right away and that docket sheets are not the same as an official Pennsylvania State Police criminal history record.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Docket number | The court case number used by UJS, the clerk, and the court office. |
| OTN | The Offense Tracking Number used in many Pennsylvania criminal matters. |
| Citation number | The number tied to a traffic or summary citation, often useful in PAePay. |
| Disposition | The current or final result for a charge, claim, or case. |
| Financial data | Fines, costs, restitution, judgments, payment status, or payment eligibility if shown. |
Clinton County Public Access Rules
Pennsylvania court access is governed by court policy as well as open-records law. The UJS public records policies include the Electronic Case Record Public Access Policy, effective January 1, 2022, and Rule of Judicial Administration 509 for financial records. The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. Section 67.101 et seq., governs many state and local agency records, but court case records follow judicial access policies and court rules.
The Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts is the local office for verified civil and criminal Common Pleas files. Clinton County's judicial agency Right-to-Know information lists Cynthia A. Love as the open-records officer for that office and President Judge Craig P. Miller as the appeal officer for denials. Jennifer L. Hoy is the open-records officer for Register and Recorder / Clerk of the Orphans' Court records.
Key access rules: UJS docket sheets are free public court records; secure docket sheets, statewide warrants, and some reports require approved login. The Right-to-Know Law covers many agency records, but judicial case access follows Pennsylvania court policy. Criminal-history background checks must come from the Pennsylvania State Police, not a UJS docket sheet.
Restricted Clinton County Records
Not every Clinton County court record is public online. Adoption records handled in the Clinton County court system are filed in the Register and Recorder office, but the county says those records are sealed for the protection of everyone involved. A person seeking information about their own adoption must have an attorney file a petition with the court, and a petition does not guarantee access.
Juvenile records, sealed cases, limited-access cases, expunged matters, and records with protected identifiers may also be restricted. UJS and PAePay note that minors and limited-access matters may not appear in public search or payment results. Pa.R.Crim.P. 790 controls the court process for expungement petitions, but eligibility depends on the case result, offense type, waiting period, age, pardon status, ARD or summary status, and other facts.
Note: When a case is sealed, expunged, or limited access, absence from a public portal does not prove that no record exists.
Clinton County Sheriff and Jail
The Clinton County Sheriff's Office is at the courthouse and is led by Sheriff Kerry W. Stover. The office provides court security, transports prisoners for court appearances, serves bench warrants and civil writs, handles extraditions, serves and enforces PFAs, enforces child custody orders, conducts levies and sales, and processes firearms licensing. The sheriff's warrant page says Common Pleas warrants are verified through the 911 center and Clerk of Courts, and tips may be called anonymously.
The Correctional Facility is in McElhattan and links county custody searches to Pennsylvania VINE. VINE is the free custody status and criminal case notification path. The state DOC locator is separate and is for state-sentenced inmates and parolees, not county facility inmates. The DA page also mentions the Clinton County District Attorney CrimeWatch app for recent cases, news, and announcements, while PAeDocket is the statewide court docket app.
For custody status that does not appear online, the Correctional Facility phone line is the fallback channel. For the full local custody path, the inmate records page separates county facility lookup from state-sentenced inmate and parolee searches.
Clinton County Marriage and Probate
Marriage licenses are handled by the Clinton County Register and Recorder. Both parties must appear in person with a driver's license or state photo ID, call ahead for an appointment, and pay the $40 license fee by cash or check payable to Recorder of Deeds. Pennsylvania marriage applications may be filed in any Pennsylvania county, and the parties may marry in any Pennsylvania county. Clinton County has a three-day waiting period before the license is issued.
Historical marriage searches need care. The county genealogy page says Clinton County marriage records begin in October 1885 and continue to the present, but there is no general marriage index. Approximate date matters. Some old marriage records may be incomplete because the person who performed the ceremony did not return the duplicate record.
Estate and Orphans' Court records route through the Register and Recorder / Register of Wills. The county keeps land and estate records from 1839. Wills of living people are not kept on file by the office; it has wills of deceased people only when the estate was probated.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named or appointed to handle estate duties.
- Intestate
- A death with no valid will on file for the estate.
Clinton County Court Fees
The research sources identify some Clinton County fees and leave others unresolved. Marriage licenses cost $40. Infocon county web access is fee-based, but the exact subscription or copy amount was not captured in the accessible county text. Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts copy fees were not located in the official sources reviewed. The Register and Recorder links fee sheets for Orphans' Court and Recorder of Deeds matters, but the amounts were not captured in accessible text.
| Item | Amount or Status |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $40, cash or check payable to Recorder of Deeds |
| Infocon county web access | Fee-based access; exact amount not captured |
| Prothonotary or Clerk copies | Fee not located in official sources reviewed |
| PAePay service fee | 2.75% non-refundable service fee |
Clinton County Specialty Courts
Clinton County Specialty Courts operate from the courthouse and include Behavioral Health Court, Treatment Court, and Veterans Treatment Court. Behavioral Health Court began in January 2020 for defendants with serious mental illness cycling through the court and prison system. Treatment Court is an alternative to incarceration for substance-abusing individuals in the criminal justice system and includes judicial supervision, drug testing, community supervision, sanctions, and services.
Veterans Treatment Court began in 2016 for veterans involved in criminal cases. The county's program uses judges, court administration, the District Attorney, Public Defender, Adult Probation, Mental Health Program, Domestic Relations, County Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and volunteer mentors. A regional central Pennsylvania Veterans Treatment Court was announced for 2024.
Federal Records Near Clinton County
Clinton County is in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The district court has offices in Scranton, Harrisburg, Williamsport, and Wilkes-Barre, with Williamsport listed as the nearest federal courthouse city for many Clinton County users. Federal matters can include federal civil cases, federal criminal prosecutions, prisoner cases, civil rights actions, and other federal-question litigation. Bankruptcy records are separate from county court records.
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania handles federal trial-court records for the region.
Federal court users should check the Middle District directly because Clinton County offices do not hold federal case files.
The Middle District court locations page lists federal courthouse cities used by residents from Clinton County and nearby counties.
Williamsport is the nearest listed federal courthouse city in the research file, while county court records remain in Clinton County offices.
The Department of Justice Middle District coverage page lists Clinton County among the district's counties.
Federal criminal prosecutions are handled by the U.S. Attorney, not by the Clinton County District Attorney.
The U.S. Attorney Middle District homepage is the source for federal prosecution office information.
County criminal court records and federal prosecution records should be searched in separate systems.
Federal case documents may require PACER, the federal judiciary's paid records system.
Free tools may show some federal docket data, but official federal filings are controlled by the federal courts.
Clinton County Court History
Clinton County was created on June 21, 1839, from parts of Centre and Lycoming Counties. Lock Haven became county seat in 1844. The first official courthouse was built in 1842 on East Church Street on land donated by Jeremiah Church and was later known as the Jerry Church courthouse. It was razed in May 1893. County history also says the present courthouse was completed in 1867 during Lock Haven's lumber-era growth.
The judicial district history is unusually local. Clinton County moved through several district combinations after 1839, including districts shared with Centre, Clearfield, Lycoming, Northumberland, Cameron, and Elk. Since 1952, Clinton County has comprised the entire 25th Judicial District by itself. Older civil, criminal, land, estate, and marriage searches may depend on the office that inherited those long-running records.
Clinton County Court FAQ
Where do Clinton County court records start online?
Start with UJS Case Search for public docket sheets and calendar events. Use Clinton County Infocon or the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts when the needed item is a scanned document, judgment, certified copy, or local file material not shown on UJS.
Are Clinton County criminal dockets official background checks?
No. UJS warns that docket sheets should not replace a Pennsylvania State Police criminal history background check. A docket may help identify a case, charges, court events, and disposition, but it is not the state criminal-history record used for background-check purposes.
Which office handles Clinton County probate records?
The Register and Recorder / Register of Wills handles estate and Orphans' Court records from the Piper Building. The same office also handles marriage licenses, land records, military discharges, adoptions filed through the court system, and public terminals for scanned records.
Can every Clinton County record be viewed online?
No. Adoption records are sealed, juvenile and limited-access cases may be restricted, secure docket sheets require approved access, and some scanned documents or certified copies must be requested from the local office. Online search should be treated as the first channel, not the only channel.