Centre County
Centre County was created in 1800 and named for its central geographic location in Pennsylvania. The county's land area is approximately 1,107 square miles, which is the fifth largest in its home state. As of 2022, 158,665 persons reside in Centre County, while its government seat is the Bellefonte Borough.
Centre County's judiciary is made up of the Court of Common Pleas and Magisterial District Courts. The Court of Common Pleas presides over all criminal and civil cases that are not exclusive to other subordinate courts in Centre County. It typically rules on all felony trials, contract disputes, personal injuries, and other claims without financial limits. The apex trial court has a Probate Division, also known as the Orphans' Court, that handles all probate matters such as guardianships and wills disputes. As the general jurisdiction court, the Common Pleas Court can review decisions and judgments from the Magisterial District Courts. The Magisterial District Courts in Centre County typically hear minor criminal and civil cases. These include felony pretrials, misdemeanors, landlord-tenant disputes, and traffic violations.
The Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary is the official custodian in Centre County tasked with maintaining the following documents:
- Criminal records
- Probate court records
- Civil records
- Family law records
- Juvenile court records
These records contain information on court proceedings, including party names, petitions, dockets, complaints, charges, evidence, and verdicts. According to the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law, the Court Clerk should provide public access to court records filed in Centre County. This is to ensure that all judicial processes are transparent. However, juvenile and adoption records should not be publicly available to protect the privacy of vulnerable persons. Parents, legal guardians, attorneys, and other key representatives can access confidential court records. To get Centre County public court records, requesters should complete the request forms and send them by mail, email, or in-person to the Court Clerk at:
Centre County Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts
102 South Allegheny Street, Room 102
Bellefonte, PA 16823
Phone: (814) 355-6796
Email: prothonotaryandclerkofcourtsrecords@centrecountypa.gov
Getting copies of court records in Centre County costs $0.25 per page. Certified copies cost $4 per page and $2 for each additional certified page. Record searchers can access Centre County court records online free of charge using Pennsylvania's Case Search portal. They can search by filing date, docket numbers, complaint numbers, citation numbers, or attorneys' names.
