How to Search Luzerne County Court Records
Most Luzerne County court records can be found online for free. The main tool is the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System (UJS) Web Portal, a statewide site that holds dockets from the Court of Common Pleas, the Magisterial District Courts, and the appellate courts. You search it by name, docket number, or citation number. Civil case images for Luzerne County sit on a separate county viewer run through SearchIQS, and estate and marriage indexes live on the Register of Wills system. Knowing which record type you want tells you which tool to open first.
Before you start, gather what you know. A full name helps, and a date of birth or a case number narrows things fast. Criminal and traffic dockets are the easiest to find on the state portal. Civil and family filings show limited docket data online, and full documents often come from the office that holds the file.
- Open the UJS Web Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us and choose a search type, such as Participant Name or Docket Number.
- Type the party name or the docket number you have.
- Set the County to Luzerne, or pick Judicial District 11, to cut down the results.
- Pick the docket type, such as Criminal, Traffic, or Civil, then open the matching case.
- Read the docket sheet, and ask the row office for a certified copy if you need one for court or another agency.
The county also keeps a plain-language hub of online tasks and links for residents. The Luzerne County "How Do I" resource page points to forms, payments, and office contacts.
That hub is a quick way to reach the right office when a record is not online or when you need to file something in person.
The Luzerne County Judicial System
Pennsylvania uses a four-level court structure, and Luzerne County is the 11th Judicial District within it. At the local level sit the Magisterial District Courts, the minor courts that handle traffic tickets, small claims, and the first steps of criminal cases. Above them is the Court of Common Pleas, the county's general trial court for serious crimes, lawsuits, divorce and custody, and estates. Appeals go up to the Superior Court or the Commonwealth Court, and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has the final word.
The Court of Common Pleas is led by a President Judge, currently the Honorable Stefanie J. Salavantis, with a bench of elected judges who serve ten-year terms. The court oversees Adult Probation and Parole, Juvenile Probation, Domestic Relations, and the county's network of district courts. Court calendars and event dates are published through the same state systems that hold the dockets.
Case flow: Magisterial District Court › Court of Common Pleas › Superior Court or Commonwealth Court › Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Magisterial District Courts | Local minor courts | Traffic, summary offenses, landlord-tenant, civil claims up to $12,000, preliminary hearings |
| Court of Common Pleas (11th District) | General trial court | Criminal, civil, family, Orphans' Court |
| Superior & Commonwealth Courts | Intermediate appeals | Most appeals from Common Pleas |
| Supreme Court of Pennsylvania | Court of last resort | Discretionary review |
The county posts hearing dates and public events on the Luzerne County calendar, which is useful when you are tracking a court date.
The calendar covers meetings and county business, while case-specific court dates appear on the docket sheet for each case.
Luzerne County Courthouses
The historic Luzerne County Courthouse on North River Street in Wilkes-Barre is the seat of the Court of Common Pleas. Most court-facing offices sit there, including the Prothonotary, the Clerk of Courts, the Sheriff, and Court Administration. The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court keeps a public office a short walk away on the same street, and Central Court on Water Street handles preliminary arraignments for the minor courts.
Luzerne County Courthouse
200 North River Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
570-825-1500
Register of Wills / Orphans' Court
153 North River Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
570-825-1668
Central Court (District 11-0-01)
77 Water Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
272-808-2400
The county keeps a full list of offices and contacts in its online directory. The Luzerne County department directory shows phone numbers and locations for each office.
Use the directory to confirm an office address and hours before you make a trip downtown.
Types of Court Records Available in Luzerne County
Luzerne County court records cover a wide range of cases, and each type sits with a specific office. Criminal and traffic dockets are searchable on the state portal. Civil and family records are kept by the Prothonotary, while the Clerk of Courts holds the criminal files. Probate and marriage records are handled by the Register of Wills. The mix means there is no single search box for everything, so it helps to know the record type first.
Here are the main categories and who keeps them:
- Criminal records - charges, dispositions, and sentences held by the Clerk of Courts and searchable on the state portal.
- Civil records - lawsuits, judgments, liens, and name changes kept by the Prothonotary.
- Family and divorce records - divorce, custody, and support filings handled through the Prothonotary; see marriage and divorce records.
- Probate records - wills, estates, and guardianships kept by the Register of Wills; see probate records.
- Traffic records - citations and summary offenses handled by the Magisterial District Courts.
What Luzerne County Court Records Show
A Luzerne County docket sheet is the official record of a case. It lists the parties, the charges or claims, every filing, and the outcome. Criminal dockets add an offense tracking number, the arresting agency, and sentencing entries. Civil dockets show the type of action and any judgment. The table below breaks down the fields you will see most often.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The unique docket number; Luzerne Common Pleas cases use a CP-40 prefix and district court cases use MJ. |
| Filing Date | The date the complaint, citation, or petition was filed. |
| Parties | The people or entities in the case, with roles such as plaintiff, defendant, or Commonwealth. |
| Charges / Cause | The criminal charges or the type of civil claim. |
| Disposition | The result of each charge or claim, such as guilty, dismissed, or settled. |
| Sentence / Judgment | The penalty, money award, or other order entered by the court. |
Public Access Laws for Luzerne County Court Records
Court records in Pennsylvania are presumed open, but the rules differ from those for ordinary government files. Most agency records fall under the Right-to-Know Law, which the Office of Open Records oversees. Court case records follow a separate rule set by the judiciary, the Case Records Public Access Policy. That policy is why you get dockets through the courts and the row offices rather than through a Right-to-Know request. Criminal history data has its own law on top of that.
Key Statutes:
204 Pa. Code § 213.81 - sets how the public may view court case records and what is kept confidential.
65 P.S. § 67.101 - the Right-to-Know Law, which governs access to county and other agency records.
18 Pa.C.S. § 9122 - the expungement statute that lets eligible criminal records be removed.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Not every case is open to the public. Juvenile records, expunged cases, and records sealed under the Clean Slate law are hidden from the public docket search. Family court documents are limited online, and probate files show only docket data for remote users. Personal details such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and the contact information of abuse victims are confidential under state policy and must be filed on separate forms.
To view a sealed or restricted record, you usually need to be a party, an attorney of record, or someone the court authorizes by order. The Clerk of Courts processes expungement and limited-access petitions, and a judge decides them. Even when a record is sealed from the public, courts and law enforcement keep their access. If you think a record is wrong, contact the office that holds the file rather than relying only on what shows online.
Specialty Courts in Luzerne County
Luzerne County runs several problem-solving courts that offer treatment and supervision instead of a straight jail sentence. The county Treatment Court was the fifth in Pennsylvania to earn accreditation from the State Supreme Court, back in 2013. Inside it, a Veterans Track pairs each veteran with a volunteer mentor and links care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The county also operates a Mental Health Court for defendants with serious mental illness and a juvenile-focused Wellness Court.
A DUI program runs through Probation Services and handles evaluations and the Alcohol Highway Safety School. These courts matter for records too, because a case that moves into treatment court still has a docket, and a successful graduation can change the final disposition. People often plead guilty up front, have sentencing held back, and then see charges reduced or dismissed after they finish the program.
Luzerne County Sheriff and Jail
The Luzerne County Sheriff's Department and the county Division of Corrections are separate offices with different jobs. The Sheriff, currently Brian M. Szumski, handles courthouse security, civil process, sheriff sales of foreclosed property, warrant service, and concealed-carry permits. The Division of Corrections runs the county jail on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre, which holds people awaiting trial and those serving short sentences. The county does not post a public online jail roster, so a phone call to the facility is the way to confirm whether someone is in custody.
For the full picture, see the pages on Luzerne County inmate records for the roster and lookup details and warrant records for how active warrants work. The released inmates page covers how to confirm a release and set up custody alerts.
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records
Marriage and probate records in Luzerne County run through the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court, while divorce files sit with the Prothonotary. Pennsylvania's Department of Health does not keep marriage or divorce certificates; those stay at the county level. You can read more on the marriage and divorce records page and the probate records page. A few estate terms come up often, so it helps to know them.
- Testator
- A person who makes a will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to settle the estate.
- Guardian
- A person the Orphans' Court appoints to care for a minor or an incapacitated adult.
Luzerne County Court Records Fees
Each row office sets its own fees, and they are published in county fee schedules. Plain copies run about fifty cents a page across the offices. Certified copies cost more, and a criminal record check through the Clerk of Courts carries a flat fee. The amounts below come from the current county schedules and give a sense of what to expect.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy per page | $0.50 |
| Certified copy, first page (Prothonotary) | $9.00 |
| Criminal record check (Clerk of Courts) | $17.75 |
| Civil records search, five years | $28.50 |
Fees can change, so confirm the current amount with the office before you mail a payment.
How to Interpret Luzerne County Court Records
Reading a docket takes a little practice. An arrest or a charge is not the same as a conviction; the disposition line tells you the result. Watch for terms like "nolle prossed," which means the charge was dropped, and "ARD," which is a diversion program that can end in dismissal. A bench warrant entry means a judge ordered an arrest, often after a missed court date. Costs, fines, and restitution show as money owed and may sit separate from the sentence. When a docket is unclear, the Clerk of Courts or the Prothonotary can explain what an entry means, though staff cannot give legal advice.
Accuracy and Record Limitations
Online dockets update on a delay, and a recent filing may not show right away. The state portal also warns that some cases will not appear at all, including juvenile, expunged, and limited-access matters. A docket sheet is not an official background check; only the Pennsylvania State Police can provide that. If a record looks wrong or out of date, the office that holds the file is the place to fix it.
Note: Always confirm names, dates, and dispositions with the originating court office before you rely on an online record for any decision.
History of Luzerne County Courts
Luzerne County was established in 1786, and its courts go back just as far. The current courthouse on North River Street is an early-1900s Beaux-Arts landmark, designed by Pittsburgh architect F. J. Osterling and finished in the years after a 1902 building contract. Earlier courthouses stood on or near the site, including an 1801 Georgian building and an 1856 round-arch structure. That long history shows up in the records: estate indexes reach back to 1875, marriage records to 1885, and deeds to 1787, which makes the county's row offices a deep resource for both legal research and genealogy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I search Luzerne County court records online?
Use the Pennsylvania UJS Web Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us for criminal, traffic, magisterial, and appellate dockets. Set the county to Luzerne and search by name, docket number, or citation number. For civil case images, use the county Prothonotary viewer on SearchIQS. Estate and marriage indexes are on the Register of Wills system. There is no single search for every record type, so start with the kind of record you need.
What court is Luzerne County in?
Luzerne County is the 11th Judicial District of Pennsylvania. Its trial court is the Court of Common Pleas in Wilkes-Barre, which hears criminal, civil, family, and Orphans' Court cases. Below it sit the county's Magisterial District Courts, the local minor courts that handle traffic tickets, small claims, and the first steps of criminal cases. Appeals go to the Superior or Commonwealth Court.
How do I look up an inmate in the Luzerne County jail?
Luzerne County does not publish a public online roster for its own jail. Call the Correctional Facility at 570-829-7741 to confirm whether someone is in custody. The county's "Inmate Lookup Tool" link points to the state prison locator, which only covers people sentenced to state prison, not the county jail. See the inmate records page for more detail.
More on the Luzerne County Court Records FAQ page.