Search Northampton County Court Records
Northampton County court records are not held in one database. The broadest online path is the Pennsylvania UJS Portal, which provides public docket sheets for many Court of Common Pleas, Magisterial District Court, and appellate matters. Civil case searching also runs through CountySuite, the county Prothonotary system for civil filings. Traffic payments and payable costs use PAePAY, while certified copies and complete files still come from the office that maintains the record.
The Northampton County Court of Common Pleas site is the starting point for court structure, public access links, contact lists, calendars, and local court information. For criminal records, the District Attorney's case-search guidance points users to UJS and explains OTN searches, which can connect a preliminary-hearing record to the later Common Pleas docket.
- Choose the record type first: civil, criminal, traffic, family, probate, warrant, or custody status.
- Use UJS for public docket sheets, especially criminal, traffic, MDJ, and Common Pleas docket information.
- Use CountySuite for Prothonotary civil case search when the matter is a civil, custody, divorce, lien, judgment, foreclosure, or similar filing.
- Contact the Criminal Division, Prothonotary, Register of Wills and Orphans' Court, or issuing MDJ when a certified copy or complete file is needed.
- Use Right-to-Know channels only for agency records, not as a substitute for the court record custodian.
The official Court of Common Pleas home page shows the Northampton County court access points in one place.
That court site is useful because it connects the Easton courthouse, court calendars, Magisterial District Judges, public access policy, and local contact pages.
Northampton County Court System
Northampton County is Pennsylvania's Third Judicial District. The main trial court is the Court of Common Pleas, which handles major criminal prosecutions, civil damages cases, divorce, custody, support, juvenile matters, estates, adoptions, equity, and property disputes. Lower-level matters often begin in Magisterial District Courts, where judges hear traffic and non-traffic cases, small civil claims, preliminary criminal hearings, bail matters, emergency protection-from-abuse applications, and warrant requests.
Statewide appeals do not stay in Northampton County. Appeals from Common Pleas can move to the Superior Court or Commonwealth Court depending on the case type, with discretionary review in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Federal civil, criminal, and bankruptcy cases are separate and are handled through federal courts and PACER, not county court offices.
| Court or Office | Record Role | Common Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Court of Common Pleas | Trial court of general jurisdiction | Felony, major misdemeanor, civil, family, juvenile, estates, equity |
| Magisterial District Courts | Lower court and first hearing level | Traffic, non-traffic, summary criminal, preliminary hearings, small civil claims |
| Prothonotary | Civil clerk | Custody, divorce, judgments, liens, mortgage foreclosure, personal injury |
| Clerk of Courts | Criminal clerk | Criminal record searches, summary appeals, criminal costs and filings |
| Register of Wills and Orphans' Court | Estate, marriage, and Orphans' Court records | Estates, wills, guardianships, adoptions, marriage records |
Case flow: Magisterial District Court › Northampton County Court of Common Pleas › Pennsylvania Superior Court or Commonwealth Court › Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
The county's MDJ listing is available through the official Magisterial District Judge listing.
The MDJ list matters because traffic tickets, preliminary hearings, local summary cases, and smaller civil claims are often tied to a specific district court.
Northampton County Courthouse Access
The main court complex is the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas and Government Center at 669 Washington Street, Easton, PA 18042. The main court phone is (610) 829-6500. Court Administration is also at 669 Washington Street and can be reached at (610) 829-6700, with fax (610) 559-6702. Related offices are nearby but not always at the same counter: Domestic Relations is on South Union Street, Adult Probation and DUI Program services are on South Union Street, and the Juvenile Justice Center is on Ferry Street.
Visitors use the first-floor main entrance and pass through electronic screening. The court notes that belongings may be examined by security officers. People needing special assistance may use the basement entrance when needed. Interpreter requests go through Court Administration channels, and the court site states that people have a right to an interpreter at no cost.
Court of Common Pleas
669 Washington Street
Easton, PA 18042
(610) 829-6500
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Court Administration
669 Washington Street
Easton, PA 18042
(610) 829-6700
Fax (610) 559-6702
Law Library
669 Washington Street
Easton, PA 18042
(610) 829-6751
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
The official directions and parking page gives route details, parking notes, and screening rules for visitors.
Those directions are unusually specific, including Easton approaches from Route 22, Route 78, Seventh Street, Washington Street, and the adjoining parking structure.
Northampton County Court Record Types
Civil records are mainly Prothonotary records. They include change-of-name cases, custody, divorce, District Justice appeals, driver's license suspension appeals, federal tax liens, judgments, mechanics liens, medical malpractice cases, mortgage foreclosure, and personal injury claims. Criminal court records are maintained through the Criminal Division and UJS docket sheets. They may include the OTN, docket number, charges, bail, hearings, pleas, motions, orders, disposition, sentence, costs, fines, restitution, probation, and warrants where public.
Family, traffic, probate, juvenile, and protection-order records need separate treatment. Divorce and custody are civil/family filings, but confidential documents and minor information can be restricted. Traffic records usually start with a Magisterial District Court or police agency and may also appear in PAePAY. Estate and guardianship records are Orphans' Court records, while adoption and dependency records are not ordinary public files.
- Civil records: searched through CountySuite or requested from the Prothonotary.
- Criminal records: searched through UJS or requested from the Clerk of Courts / Criminal Division.
- Traffic records: tied to the issuing MDJ, police agency, UJS, and PAePAY.
- Orphans' Court records: estate, guardianship, adoption, marriage, and related filings handled through Register of Wills and Orphans' Court.
- Restricted records: juvenile, sealed, expunged, adoption, and certain mental-health or abuse-victim records are limited.
Northampton County Court Record Details
A docket is a chronological record of court activity. It is not always the same as the full case file. A public docket sheet may show enough to track case status, filing dates, hearings, charges, dispositions, and costs, but exhibits, confidential forms, sealed filings, and certified copies may require a direct office request.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Docket number | The court, case type, sequence, and year used to identify the case. |
| OTN | The offense tracking number used in Pennsylvania criminal processing. |
| Parties | Names such as plaintiff, defendant, Commonwealth, petitioner, respondent, or estate caption. |
| Docket entries | Filings, notices, hearings, continuances, orders, pleas, sentences, judgments, and payment events. |
| Financial section | Fines, costs, restitution, supervision fees, payment plans, and online payment eligibility. |
| Restrictions | Redactions or limits for minors, financial identifiers, Social Security numbers, abuse victims, and sealed material. |
- Docket
- A time-ordered list of filings and court events.
- Disposition
- The outcome of a charge, claim, or case.
- Bench warrant
- A warrant issued by a judge, often after a missed court date or failed compliance.
- Limited access
- A Pennsylvania record-sealing treatment that restricts public visibility.
Northampton County Dockets and Calendars
Docket sheets are found through statewide UJS channels, while civil docket searches may run through CountySuite. The court calendar page is a separate scheduling source. Northampton County regular court sessions generally begin at 9:00 a.m. unless a listed schedule says otherwise. Recent UJS docket entries may lag because filing-office entries do not always appear online at once.
The Northampton County court calendars page helps visitors confirm the right date, time, judge, and schedule before appearing.
Calendar checks are useful when a docket shows a hearing but the courtroom, session list, or schedule has changed.
Northampton County Public Court Access
Public access to Northampton County court records depends on the type of record. The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law applies to many local and Commonwealth agency records, but court case records are governed by judiciary policy and the court custodian. That means a court file request should start with the Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills and Orphans' Court, MDJ office, or UJS portal rather than a general county records form.
The Pennsylvania Courts public records page explains statewide court-record access and online docket availability.
That statewide source is important because a county office may hold the complete file while UJS supplies the free public docket sheet.
Key access rules: Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law presumes many agency records are public; the UJS Case Records Public Access Policy controls many court records; 42 Pa.C.S. § 6307 restricts juvenile court-file inspection.
The Office of Open Records Right-to-Know overview explains how Pennsylvania agency records are presumed public unless an exemption, privilege, court order, or other law applies.
Right-to-Know can help with county agency records, but it should not be treated as the main route for a certified court case file.
Restricted Northampton County Court Records
Some Northampton County court records are partly public, partly redacted, or not public at all. Juvenile court files are restricted by statute. Adoption and termination-of-parental-rights records are handled in Orphans' Court but are not ordinary probate files. Mental-health proceedings can include protected health information. UJS and PAePAY can also exclude secured, sealed, limited-access, and pending-expungement matters from public display.
Confidential information may include Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, driver's license or state ID numbers, minors' names, abuse-victim identifiers, and medical or mental-health details. If a file is sealed or under limited access, the public portal may show less than the office file or may show no record at all. Parties and attorneys may have different access rights than the public.
Note: A missing online result does not prove that no Northampton County court record exists.
Northampton County Sheriff and Jail Records
The Sheriff's Department handles courthouse security, prisoner transport, warrants, legal papers, notices, sheriff sales, and related enforcement duties. Sheriff Christopher Zieger is named on the county contact page, and the sheriff page lists the department phone as 610-829-6501. Bench-warrant questions are routed to the Sheriff's Office at 610-829-6561.
Northampton County did not publish an official searchable county inmate roster in the research materials. Jail custody questions route to the Department of Corrections, Central Booking, or Records. State-sentenced inmates and parolees are searched through Pennsylvania DOC, federal inmates through BOP, and custody notifications through PA SAVIN / VINE. The full custody-channel breakdown appears in the Northampton County inmate records page.
Northampton County Marriage and Orphans' Court
Marriage licenses, marriage records, estates, guardianships, adoptions, incapacity matters, and related Orphans' Court filings are handled through the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court Division. Divorce is different. It is a civil/family Common Pleas matter filed through the Prothonotary. The county divorce self-help page points divorce complaints to the Prothonotary's Office, while marriage and probate questions use Register of Wills and Orphans' Court channels.
Probate records can involve estates from 1752 to present, audit lists, estate accounts, confirmations, letters, and filings that may need office review. Adoption, juvenile dependency, and incapacitated-person records can be restricted. Marriage and divorce details are handled separately from the Northampton County Orphans' Court page when the record is an estate or guardianship matter.
Northampton County Law Library
The Law Library is a practical stop for self-represented litigants and records researchers. It is a non-lending resource in the courthouse, funded by the county under the Home Rule Charter and administered by the President Judge. The research materials describe more than 24,000 volumes on three levels, public computers, Westlaw access, Northampton County Local Rules, Common Pleas opinions, and searchable legal materials.
The official Law Library page gives its location, hours, holdings, and contact information.
That resource can help users read local rules, locate court opinions, or understand forms before filing at the proper office.
Northampton County Court Record Fees
Only confirmed fee details should be used for Northampton County court records. The Criminal Division charges $10.00 for a Northampton County Court of Common Pleas criminal record search. Mail requests must include a business check, certified check, or money order payable to Criminal Division, plus any additional copy or certification fees. A summary appeal filing is listed at $45.00 non-refundable, with deadline rules tied to the MDJ disposition or conviction date.
| Item | Confirmed Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Criminal record search | $10.00 from the Criminal Division |
| Summary appeal filing | $45.00 non-refundable |
| Archives name search | $5.00 per name search |
| Archives copies | $0.50 per page |
| PAePAY card service fee | 2.75% non-refundable service fee |
| PAePAY transaction cap | $2,500 applied to fines, costs, and restitution per transaction |
Northampton County Court Programs
Northampton County official sources identify Treatment Courts, Mental Health Court, Recovery Court, and Veterans Court resources. The District Attorney's site also lists specialty court resources. A July 22, 2025 UJS news item reported that Northampton County Treatment Courts celebrated their 10th anniversary and held the first Veterans Court graduation at the courthouse.
That local court activity sits alongside the county's courthouse history. The official history traces the historic courthouse to 1861, a 1978 administration building annex, and a 2004 expansion that added seven courtrooms, judicial offices, and renovations tied to growth and security needs.
The official courthouse history page describes the older courthouse, the 1978 annex, and the 2004 addition.
The history helps explain why several court and county offices are clustered in and around the Easton court campus.
Northampton County Court Contacts
Northampton County court records often require the right office, not just the right portal. Court Administration handles many scheduling and administrative questions. The Prothonotary is the civil filing office. The Clerk of Courts / Criminal Division handles criminal record searches and criminal filing questions. The Register of Wills and Orphans' Court handles estate, marriage, guardianship, and related Orphans' Court matters.
The official court contacts page lists offices such as Court Administration, Adult Probation, Domestic Relations, DUI Program, Jury Clerk, Juvenile Justice Center, Law Library, and related court services.
The contact list is useful because hearing dates, probation questions, interpreter requests, records, and family services may route to different Easton offices.
Northampton County Court Records FAQ
Can Northampton County court records be searched online? Many public docket records can be searched online through UJS, and civil Prothonotary records can be searched through CountySuite. Certified copies and full files still come from the proper court office.
Is there a countywide warrant search? The research did not locate an official countywide online active-warrant list. Bench-warrant questions route to the Sheriff's Office, and underlying case status may appear on UJS when public.
Where are Northampton County criminal records requested? Common Pleas criminal record searches are handled by the Criminal Division / Clerk of Courts. The confirmed search fee is $10.00, and disposition or sentencing information is not provided by phone.
Where are divorce records filed? Divorce is a civil/family Common Pleas matter filed through the Prothonotary. Marriage records and estate matters are handled by Register of Wills and Orphans' Court.
Why might a docket be incomplete? Recent entries may not appear immediately, and confidential, sealed, juvenile, expunged, or limited-access records may be restricted or omitted from public portals.