How to Search Westmoreland County Court Records
Westmoreland County court records search work starts by choosing the right custodian. Civil and family filings in the Court of Common Pleas are searched through the Prothonotary iJEMS public records portal or the Prothonotary office. Criminal Common Pleas cases, Magisterial District Court cases, summary matters, traffic dockets, and many warrant events are searched through Pennsylvania UJS Case Search. The county Case Lookup page points users to those civil and criminal search paths.
Probate, marriage, estate, adoption, and guardianship records are handled by the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court. Traffic payments and many court costs are handled through PAePay. If an online result is missing, check for a recent filing delay, a sealed or limited-access record, an older paper or microfilm file, or the wrong court level.
- Identify the venue: Prothonotary for civil and family, UJS for criminal and MDJ matters, Register for probate or marriage, and PAePay for eligible payments.
- Search by docket number, citation number, OTN, or complaint number if known because those fields reduce identity errors.
- For name searches, add Westmoreland County, court type, date of birth, filing date, or court office when the portal allows it.
- Open the docket or result detail and compare case status, parties, events, disposition, judge, and financial balance.
- Contact the office that holds the file for certified copies, older records, sealed-record questions, or documents not shown online.
The official county case lookup page is one of the starting points for this split search structure. The screenshot below comes from the Westmoreland County Case Lookup page.
That page matters because Westmoreland County separates civil Prothonotary search from criminal and Magisterial District Court docket search.
Westmoreland County Court System
Pennsylvania uses a unified judiciary. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the court of last resort, the Superior Court and Commonwealth Court handle most statewide appeals, and the Court of Common Pleas is the general trial court. Westmoreland County is its own Court of Common Pleas judicial district in Greensburg.
Below the Court of Common Pleas are Magisterial District Courts. These local courts handle traffic citations, non-traffic summary cases, landlord-tenant matters, small civil claims, preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings, and some warrant events. A criminal case can therefore have both an MDJ lower-court docket and a Common Pleas docket for the same incident.
Case flow: Magisterial District Court › Court of Common Pleas › Superior Court or Commonwealth Court › Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Court of Common Pleas | Countywide trial court | Felony criminal, major civil, family, divorce, custody, PFA, juvenile, probate-related litigation, and appeals from lower courts |
| Magisterial District Courts | Local district courts | Traffic, summary offenses, landlord-tenant, small civil claims, preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings, and local warrants |
| State appellate courts | Statewide review | Appeals from Westmoreland County trial-court decisions when Pennsylvania law allows review |
The statewide UJS profile gives the courthouse address, phone, and hours for Westmoreland County. The screenshot below comes from the UJS Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas profile.
Use the UJS court profile to confirm the county court location before relying on a third-party listing or an old court notice.
Westmoreland County Courthouse Offices
The Westmoreland County Courthouse at 2 North Main Street in Greensburg is the hub for court records, court administration, criminal prosecution, public defense, sheriff services, and several clerk offices. The Court of Common Pleas and Court Administration use the courthouse address. The Prothonotary is in Suite 501, the Clerk of Courts is in Suite 203, the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court is in Suite 301, and the Public Defender is in Suite 404.
Westmoreland County Courthouse
2 N Main Street
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-830-3826
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Prothonotary
2 N Main Street, Suite 501
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-830-3502
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Clerk of Courts
2 N Main Street, Suite 203
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-830-3734
Fax 724-850-3979
Westmoreland County Court Record Types
Westmoreland County court records include civil complaints, judgments, family filings, divorce decrees, criminal informations, charge rows, pleas, bail events, sentences, traffic citations, MDJ summary cases, landlord-tenant matters, small civil claims, estate files, guardianships, adoption filings, and marriage records. Not all of those files have the same public access rules.
The Prothonotary holds civil and family Court of Common Pleas records. The Clerk of Courts holds criminal and juvenile dockets. The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court handles estates, wills, marriage licenses, guardianships, adoptions, and Orphans' Court filings. Magisterial District Courts handle the first local layer for traffic, summary, and preliminary criminal matters.
- Criminal records track charges, pleas, hearings, warrants, dispositions, sentences, fines, costs, restitution, and appeals in adult criminal cases.
- Civil records include complaints, answers, motions, judgments, liens, name changes, appeals, and trial entries kept by the Prothonotary.
- Family and divorce records include divorce, custody, support-related civil filings, PFA matters, and family court orders.
- Probate and Orphans' Court records include wills, estates, letters, inventories, guardianships, adoptions, and estate litigation.
- Traffic records usually begin in the Magisterial District Court named on the ticket and may also appear through PAePay.
What Westmoreland County Court Records Show
A Westmoreland County court record is usually a docket first, with documents or certified copies requested from the office that keeps the file. UJS public criminal and MDJ docket sheets show court activity, parties, charges, dates, events, dispositions, and financial data. Civil and family records through iJEMS may include scanned images for current filings, while older Prothonotary records may still be in docket books or microfilm.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Common Pleas criminal cases may use CP-65-CR style numbers; MDJ records use magisterial district identifiers; civil records use Prothonotary docket numbers. |
| Filing Date | The date the complaint, petition, information, citation, or other initiating paper entered the court record. |
| Parties | Names such as Commonwealth and defendant, plaintiff and defendant, petitioner and respondent, estate caption, or guardianship caption. |
| Charges / Cause | Criminal statute, offense grade, count number, complaint or OTN details, or the civil cause of action where available. |
| Disposition | The result of a charge, claim, petition, or case, including dismissal, plea, judgment, sentencing, transfer, appeal, or closed status. |
| Sentence / Judgment | Court-ordered punishment, probation, restitution, fines, costs, civil judgment, lien, or other final order details when public. |
Public Access for Westmoreland County Court Records
Pennsylvania court case records are governed mainly by the Case Records Public Access Policy at 204 Pa. Code Section 213.81. The policy covers public access, remote access, confidential information, and redaction limits. Westmoreland County agency records may fall under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, but court case records are handled through court public-access rules and the custodian court office.
Key Statutes:
204 Pa. Code Section 213.81 sets the public access policy for Pennsylvania court case records.
65 P.S. Sections 67.101-67.3104 is the Right-to-Know Law for state and local agency records.
Clean Slate and limited access can shield eligible criminal records from public view without fully expunging them.
The official Pennsylvania Right-to-Know material is often useful when a request is for agency records rather than case files. The screenshot below comes from the Pennsylvania General Assembly Right-to-Know Law page.
For a case record, start with the court custodian. For non-case county records, the Right-to-Know process may be the better path.
The state Office of Open Records also publishes public guidance on the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law.
That agency guidance is most useful for county agency records, while Pennsylvania court case records still follow the court public-access policy.
Restricted Westmoreland County Court Records
Some Westmoreland County court records are public only in part, and some are not public at all. Juvenile proceedings, sealed cases, limited-access criminal records, expunged records, adoption records, mental-health information, medical information, minors' data, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and victim-sensitive material may be withheld or redacted.
Clean Slate and limited access are not the same as expungement. The Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts explains that limited-access records are shielded from public view but remain available to law enforcement and judicial officers. If a case is no longer visible in UJS but payment remains due, the Clerk's payment page directs users to contact Collections for recurring payment setup or payment questions.
Westmoreland County Specialty Courts
Westmoreland County Drug Treatment Court is built around intensive judicial oversight, court supervision, treatment, and public-safety goals. County materials describe the mission as helping participants return to a clean and sober life while reducing recidivism. Veterans Court focuses on eligible veterans whose charges may relate to anger, mental health, adjustment issues, or substance abuse.
Specialty-court participation can affect how a criminal docket reads. Events may show referral, treatment-court review, compliance hearings, revocation, graduation, plea terms, or sentence terms rather than a simple straight-line trial path. The full criminal case still belongs with the Clerk of Courts, while eligibility and program details come from the court program or counsel.
Westmoreland County Sheriff and Jail
Sheriff James Albert's office is listed in the basement area at 2 North Main Street in Greensburg. The Sheriff's Office publishes separate division contacts, including Civil Division, gun permits, real estate, transport, and Warrant Division. The warrant system linked on the county sheriff page is marked restricted access, so public warrant checks usually rely on UJS docket events, the issuing court, counsel, or direct contact with the Warrant Division.
Westmoreland County Prison is at 3000 S Grande Boulevard in Greensburg. The county provides a current-inmate search, but the active inmate result sample shows custody identifiers such as name, date of birth, and booking number rather than full charge or bond details. For the custody side, use Westmoreland County inmate records. For warrant events, use Westmoreland County warrant records.
Marriage, Divorce, and Orphans' Court
Marriage licenses are issued through the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court. Both applicants must appear at the office with required documentation, the county fee is paid at the office appearance, and the license is issued after the statutory waiting period. Divorce decrees are civil and family Court of Common Pleas records held by the Prothonotary, not the Register.
Probate records, estate records, guardianships, adoptions, and Orphans' Court filings use the Register/Orphans office. Westmoreland County's older records matter for genealogy because estate and Orphans' Court material reaches back to the eighteenth century, while most Register records from 1988 forward are online and older records are viewed in office.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named to manage an estate under a will.
- Letters
- Court-issued proof that a representative may act for an estate.
Westmoreland County Court Records Fees
The research file documents the most detailed fee schedule for the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court. Those fees are important for marriage, estate, guardianship, copy, certification, and genealogy work. For Prothonotary civil copies, criminal copies, expungements, transcripts, and payment-plan questions, confirm the current amount with the specific office before sending money.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage application/license, including one certified copy | $70.00 |
| Additional certified marriage copy | $15.00 |
| Register/Orphans photocopies | $0.50 per page |
| Certification of local records | $15.00 |
| Genealogical research | $20.00 |
| Small estate petition | $60.00 |
Read Westmoreland County Court Records
Docket language can be compact. A complaint starts a civil, criminal, or MDJ matter. An information is the prosecutor's formal charging paper in Common Pleas criminal court. An OTN is an offense tracking number used in Pennsylvania criminal cases. A bench warrant is usually a judge-issued warrant tied to failure to appear or another court order. A disposition is the outcome of a charge, claim, or case.
Do not treat a charge as a conviction. Westmoreland County criminal docket rows can show amended, reduced, dismissed, withdrawn, nolle prosequi, ARD, guilty plea, trial verdict, sentencing, or appeal events. When a case moves from MDJ to Common Pleas, compare the MDJ docket with the Common Pleas docket before deciding what happened.
Accuracy of Westmoreland County Court Records
UJS warns that recent entries may not appear right away and that public docket sheets are not a substitute for a Pennsylvania State Police criminal history background check. Popup blockers, old browsers, disabled cookies, and TLS issues can also interfere with UJS reports. Civil and family records may be scanned into iJEMS, while older Prothonotary documents remain in docket books or microfilm during back-scanning.
The Register states that most records from 1988 forward are online, but older marriage, estate, and Orphans' Court records must be viewed through the office. If a result is missing, narrow the date, try the docket number, confirm the spelling, check the other court level, and contact the custodian office before assuming the record does not exist.
Note: Certified copies and current case status must come from the office or court that holds the original record.
History of Westmoreland County Courts
Westmoreland County is one of Pennsylvania's older counties, and its court records reflect that long local history. The Register of Wills reports estate records from 1773 and marriage records from 1885, with incomplete marriage records from 1852 to 1855. The current courthouse began construction in 1901, was completed in 1907, and was dedicated in January 1908.
Older record access is shaped by that history. Modern users can start with iJEMS, UJS, PAePay, and Register online tools, but genealogy, title, estate, and older divorce research may still require office records, docket books, microfilm, or staff guidance at the courthouse.
The courthouse history screenshot below comes from the official Westmoreland County courthouse trivia page.
The historic courthouse context explains why Westmoreland County has both modern online indexes and older records that still require office research.
Westmoreland County Court Records FAQ
Where are civil court records searched?
Civil and family Court of Common Pleas records are searched through the Prothonotary's iJEMS portal or at the Prothonotary office in Suite 501. The office states that public civil records are available unless sealed by the court, with current filings scanned and older documents kept in docket books or microfilm.
Where are criminal court records searched?
Adult criminal dockets are searched through UJS Case Search and the Clerk of Courts. The Clerk of Courts keeps criminal and juvenile dockets, collects fines, costs, and restitution, and handles records questions for criminal files, expungements, appeals, record checks, and transcripts.
Does the inmate search show charges?
The county inmate search is a custody locator. The active-inmate sample shows name, date of birth, and booking number. County inmate instructions direct users to UJS docket sheets for charges and bond information.
Is there a public active warrant list?
The sheriff page links a warrant system marked restricted access. Public warrant research usually uses UJS docket events, the Warrant Division phone line, the issuing Magisterial District Court, the Clerk of Courts, or counsel.
Who issues marriage licenses?
The Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court issues Westmoreland County marriage licenses. Both applicants must appear at the office with required documentation, and the license is issued after the waiting period.