Erie County
Erie County was created in 1800 from part of Allegheny County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Its land area is about 798.9 square miles, and its estimated population is 270,495. The county seat is the City of Erie.
Erie County courts include a Court of Common Pleas and Managerial District Courts. The Court of Common Pleas handles felony, juvenile, probate, mental health, and civil cases. It has an Orphans' Court division and a Family Court division that addresses domestic relations and family-related cases, respectively. The Court of Common Pleas also hears appeals from lower courts and administrative agencies. The Managerial District Courts, with 13 districts, conducts preliminary hearings and handles cases involving misdemeanors, traffic infractions, ordinance violations, and small claims cases in which the amount in contention is less than $12,000.
Erie County public court records include documents, photocopies, pictures, maps, audio, and video files received or created during court sessions. The Erie County Clerk of Records is the primary custodian of all court records in the county. It oversees the Clerk of Court and maintains the following court records:
- Civil records
- Criminal records
- Land records
- Estate records
- Probate records
- Juvenile records (except adoptions)
According to the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law (RTKL), the public has the right to access court records in Erie County. To access court records, requests may be made in person to the appropriate clerk's office. The Pennsylvania Judicial Branch allows anyone to search public court records and dockets online through the Unified Judicial System Portal. Also, finding public court information is easier with the launch of PAeDocket, a free app that provides a quick and simple search of court cases or dockets. Here, users may search by case number, participant number, organization name, or state ID number.
