Clinton County Common Pleas
Clinton County is Pennsylvania's 25th Judicial District. The county's primary trial court is the Clinton County Court of Common Pleas, located at the county courthouse in Lock Haven. The Court of Common Pleas handles major criminal cases, larger civil cases, family matters, Orphans' Court matters through the appropriate division or office, appeals from Magisterial District Courts, and other matters assigned by law.
The courthouse houses the Court of Common Pleas, the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts, the Sheriff's Office, District Attorney, court administration functions, and other court-related services. Civil and criminal Common Pleas files are maintained by the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts. Probate and adoption-related Orphans' Court records are handled by the Register & Recorder and Clerk of the Orphans' Court at the Piper Building, not by the Prothonotary side.
Clinton County Courthouse
230 East Water Street
Lock Haven, PA 17745
570-893-4016
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Pennsylvania Court Hierarchy
Pennsylvania's judiciary places the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania at the top. The Superior Court and Commonwealth Court serve as statewide intermediate appellate courts. Courts of Common Pleas are the general trial courts. Magisterial District Courts are minor courts and the first tier for many local matters. Clinton County users will most often deal with the Court of Common Pleas or one of the three Magisterial District Courts.
| Level | Role for Clinton County Cases | Access Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Supreme Court of Pennsylvania | Highest appellate court with discretionary review in many matters. | State appellate docket access routes through UJS. |
| Superior Court and Commonwealth Court | Intermediate appellate courts for appeals from trial-court decisions depending on case type. | Public docket sheets are available through UJS when public. |
| Court of Common Pleas | General trial court for Clinton County major criminal, larger civil, family, and appeal matters. | Criminal docket sheets appear in UJS; local documents may require Infocon or clerk contact. |
| Magisterial District Courts | Minor courts for summary, traffic, landlord-tenant, small civil, preliminary criminal, warrants, emergency PFAs, and weddings. | MDJ docket information routes through UJS and the specific MDJ office. |
Clinton County MDJ Courts
Clinton County has three Magisterial District Courts. These courts conduct non-jury trials in summary traffic, non-traffic, ordinance cases, landlord-tenant actions, and civil cases of $12,000 or less. They also conduct preliminary arraignments, set bail, preside over preliminary hearings, issue arrest warrants and search warrants, issue emergency PFA orders, and perform weddings. Court users should pick the MDJ office by service area, not by assuming all matters are handled at the courthouse.
| Court | Judicial Officer | Address | Phone / Fax | Service Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDJ 25-3-01 Lock Haven | Keith G. Kibler | 301 Frederick St., Suite 100, Lock Haven, PA 17745 | 570-893-4086 / 570-893-4060 fax | City of Lock Haven; Allison, Castanea, Colebrook, Crawford, Dunnstable, Gallagher, Pine Creek, Wayne, Woodward Townships; Avis and Flemington Boroughs. |
| MDJ 25-3-02 Mill Hall | Heidi M. Wright | 385 Beech Creek Ave., P.O. Box 174, Mill Hall, PA 17751 | 570-726-4064 / 570-726-7920 fax | Bald Eagle, Beech Creek, Greene, Lamar, Logan, Porter Townships; Beech Creek, Loganton, Mill Hall Boroughs. |
| MDJ 25-3-03 Renovo | Frank P. Mills | 112 Ninth Street, Renovo, PA 17764 | 570-923-9931 / 570-923-1218 fax | Chapman, East Keating, Grugan, Leidy, Noyes, West Keating Townships; Renovo and South Renovo Boroughs. |
Heidi M. Wright was sworn in as MDJ 25-3-02 on December 29, 2023, according to the researched county materials. That matters for users reviewing newer Mill Hall docket entries or court notices that identify the judicial officer.
Common Pleas vs MDJ
The phrase district court can point users in the wrong direction in Pennsylvania. Clinton County's primary trial court is the Court of Common Pleas. The lower local courts are Magisterial District Courts. The distinction affects where a case begins, which office holds the docket, where hearings occur, and which office can answer a records question.
| Court of Common Pleas | Magisterial District Court | |
|---|---|---|
| Civil role | Larger civil cases, judgments, appeals, family and divorce matters, and other trial-court filings. | Landlord-tenant cases and civil claims of $12,000 or less. |
| Criminal role | Major criminal cases, pleas, motions, trial, sentencing, costs, restitution, and Common Pleas warrants. | Preliminary arraignments, bail, preliminary hearings, summary criminal matters, and some warrant functions. |
| Traffic role | Appeals and related proceedings when assigned by law. | Summary traffic and non-traffic matters, including non-jury trials. |
| Record custodian | Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts for civil and criminal files. | UJS docket access and the specific MDJ office for court-office questions. |
Clinton County Case Flow
Criminal matters can begin at the MDJ level with preliminary arraignment, bail, and preliminary hearing steps, then move to the Court of Common Pleas for the criminal case file, pleas, motions, trial, disposition, and sentencing. Summary traffic and non-traffic matters may remain in MDJ court unless appealed. Civil claims of $12,000 or less can be handled by the MDJ, while larger civil matters and many family matters belong in Common Pleas.
Criminal flow: Arrest or complaint › MDJ preliminary arraignment and bail › preliminary hearing › Court of Common Pleas criminal case file › plea or trial › disposition and sentencing › appeal if filed.
Civil flow: Claim or complaint filed in the proper court › service and response › hearing or trial path › judgment or order › post-judgment steps or appeal.
For records, the flow matters because a lower-court docket may show the early steps while the Common Pleas docket shows later criminal proceedings. Users searching only one level can miss the next stage of the case.
Clinton County Judicial District
Clinton County was created on June 21, 1839, from parts of Centre and Lycoming Counties. County history says Lock Haven was founded by Jeremiah Church in 1833 and became the county seat in 1844. The first official courthouse was built in 1842 on East Church Street on land donated by Jeremiah Church. It was known as the Jerry Church courthouse and was razed in May 1893. The present courthouse at the Water Street courthouse area was completed in 1867.
The county's judicial district history changed several times before the current structure. When Clinton County formed in 1839, it was part of the fourth judicial district with Centre, Clearfield, Bedford, Mifflin, and Huntingdon Counties. It later shared districts with Centre, Clearfield, Lycoming, Northumberland, Cameron, and Elk in different periods. Since 1952, Clinton County has comprised the entire 25th Judicial District by itself.
Find Court System Records
Statewide docket access is through UJS Case Search. Public docket sheets can be searched by docket number, participant name, citation number, complaint number, incident number, OTN, attorney, organization, date filed, or calendar event. Clinton County users should set county to Clinton or judicial district to 25 when filtering. MDJ searches can be narrowed to MDJ-25-3-01, MDJ-25-3-02, MDJ-25-3-03, or Clinton Central Court if the office is known.
When a docket is not enough, Clinton County Infocon is the local fee-based path for scanned documents, case or arrest documents, Clerk of Court docket information, and judgments. The Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts is the local office for Common Pleas civil and criminal records. The Register & Recorder and Clerk of the Orphans' Court is the separate office for probate, estate, marriage, land, and sealed adoption records.
Note: Court users may deal with the courthouse, an MDJ office, or the Piper Building depending on the record type.