How to Search Northampton County Court Records
Court records in Northampton County are searched through two main tools. The free statewide system is the Pennsylvania UJS Case Search portal. It covers criminal Court of Common Pleas cases and every magisterial district court docket, including traffic, non-traffic, civil, and landlord/tenant matters. Common Pleas civil cases work differently. Those docket sheets are not posted on the public UJS portal, so the county runs its own civil search.
Before you start, gather a few details. A full name helps. A date of birth narrows results. A docket number or citation number gives an exact match. Set the county to Northampton so you do not pull cases from across the state.
The UJS screen lets you pick a search type, then enter a name, docket number, OTN, complaint number, or citation number. The UJS help pages walk through each field.
- Open the UJS Case Search portal for criminal, traffic, and district court dockets.
- Choose Participant Name to search a person, or Docket Number if you have the case number.
- Enter the last and first name, then set the county to Northampton.
- Pick a docket type and a filing date range to narrow a broad name search.
- Open the docket sheet to read charges, events, disposition, bail, and costs.
- For Common Pleas civil cases, switch to the county portal instead.
For civil and family cases, use the Northampton County CountySuite Civil Case Search. The banner calls it the Prothonotary Online Portal.
This portal holds divorce, custody, judgment, lien, and mortgage foreclosure filings that the UJS site does not show. More detail lives on the Northampton County court records page.
The Northampton County Judicial System
Pennsylvania uses a layered court system, and Northampton County fits inside it as the Third Judicial District. The Court of Common Pleas is the trial court of general jurisdiction. It handles homicides through misdemeanors, money-damage suits, divorce and custody, juvenile matters, estates, adoptions, and property disputes. Below it sit the magisterial district courts, the local minor courts that take the first step in most cases. Above it sit the appellate courts.
Appeals from Northampton County usually go to the Superior Court for criminal and most civil and family matters, or to the Commonwealth Court for government and agency matters. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the court of last resort. The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System explains how each level connects.
That structure decides where a record lives and where an appeal goes next.
Case flow: Magisterial District Court › Court of Common Pleas › Superior Court / Commonwealth Court › Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Supreme Court of Pennsylvania | Highest court, discretionary review | Final appeals, court supervision |
| Superior and Commonwealth Courts | Intermediate appeals | Criminal, civil, family, and government appeals |
| Court of Common Pleas | General trial court | Felonies, civil suits, divorce, custody, estates, juvenile |
| Magisterial District Courts | Local limited jurisdiction | Preliminary hearings, summary offenses, traffic, small civil claims, landlord/tenant |
You can read more about the trial court on the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas page.
Magisterial District Courts in Northampton County
Northampton County has fifteen magisterial district courts spread across Easton, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Bangor, Wind Gap, Walnutport, and the surrounding boroughs and townships. These courts are where most cases begin. A magisterial district judge holds preliminary hearings in criminal matters, decides summary offenses, hears emergency protection-from-abuse requests, issues search and arrest warrants, sets bail, and rules on small civil claims. Civil claims under $12,000 may be filed in the district court that has proper venue.
The volume is high. In 2011 the county's district courts handled 65,636 cases, and traffic matters made up the largest share. To find the right court, the county offers a lookup by address and a full listing.
The official MDJ listing shows each district number, judge, coverage area, address, and phone.
Note: District court offices are open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and money is not accepted after 4:00 p.m.
The Northampton County Courthouse in Easton
The Court of Common Pleas and the county's main record offices share the Northampton County Government Center at 669 Washington Street in Easton. The building holds the courtrooms and judicial chambers, the Prothonotary, the Criminal Division, and the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court. The Sheriff's Department and the Public Defender work from the basement level. The county jail is a separate building a few blocks away.
The Northampton County Court website links the court calendars, judges, divisions, and self-help pages from one place.
Plan your visit before you go. The courthouse sits on the Washington Street hill above downtown Easton, and parking can be tight during jury weeks. Official directions and security rules are posted online.
The directions, parking, and security page covers the garage, the entrances, and weapons screening.
Court of Common Pleas / Government Center
669 Washington Street
Easton, PA 18042
610-829-6500
Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Register of Wills and Orphans' Court
669 Washington Street
Easton, PA 18042
610-829-6492
Estates, guardianship, marriage records
Department of Corrections (County Jail)
666 Walnut Street
Easton, PA 18042
610-923-4300
Central Booking and Records
Types of Court Records Available in Northampton County
Court records in Northampton County fall into a handful of groups, and each group has a home office. The Prothonotary keeps civil and family files. The Criminal Division keeps Common Pleas criminal records. The Register of Wills and Orphans' Court keeps estate, guardianship, and marriage records. Magisterial district courts keep their own minor case files. Knowing the group helps you pick the search tool that actually holds the record.
The Criminal Division acts as the Clerk of Courts for criminal matters and works closely with the District Attorney.
The Criminal Division page lists payment rules, bail steps, and the $10 criminal record search fee.
- Criminal records - Common Pleas prosecutions and district court summary and preliminary cases. See arrest records.
- Civil records - judgments, liens, mortgage foreclosure, name change, and personal injury filings.
- Family records - divorce, custody, and support, with sensitive details restricted. See marriage and divorce records.
- Probate records - wills, estates, and guardianship through the Orphans' Court.
- Traffic records - citations filed in the magisterial district courts.
What Northampton County Court Records Show
A public docket sheet is a summary of a case. It tells you who is involved, what was filed, what the court did, and how the case ended. It does not always include the full documents. Pleadings, motions, and orders are often kept as paper or images that you request from the filing office. Sensitive data is redacted under court policy. Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and minor identifiers do not appear in public view.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The court-coded docket, such as CP-48-CR for Northampton Common Pleas criminal cases. |
| Filing Date | The date the case, complaint, or citation was lodged. |
| Parties | Defendant, plaintiff, petitioner, or respondent, plus attorneys. |
| Charges / Cause | Offense, statute, and grade for criminal and traffic cases. |
| Disposition | The outcome of each charge or claim. |
| Sentence / Judgment | Penalty, money award, costs, fines, and restitution. |
For docket-by-docket detail, the Northampton County court dockets page breaks down each entry.
Public Access Laws for Northampton County Court Records
Pennsylvania splits public access into two systems. General county and state agency records fall under the Right-to-Know Law, handled with appeals through the Office of Open Records. Court case records follow judiciary rules and the Case Records Public Access Policy instead. That is why Northampton County sends you to the UJS portal for free dockets, to CountySuite for civil cases, and to the filing office for certified copies. A court docket is not a background check.
The UJS public records page warns that case information is not a substitute for a Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history check.
Key Statutes:
Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. § 67.101 - sets how to request many county and state agency records and how to appeal a denial.
18 Pa.C.S. § 9121 - governs how criminal history record information is kept and shared in Pennsylvania.
18 Pa.C.S. § 9122 - the central expungement statute for eligible criminal records.
18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.2 - the Clean Slate law that seals eligible records from public view.
The Northampton County public records page explains how to file a request step by step.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Not every case shows up in a public search. The UJS help pages list several categories that are kept off the public portal. Juvenile cases, sealed cases, expunged cases, cases pending expungement, and limited-access or Clean Slate cases are not shown. Common Pleas civil docket sheets are also off the public UJS portal, which is why the county uses CountySuite for civil matters. Adoption and dependency files in the Orphans' Court are confidential under Pennsylvania law. Mental health commitment matters are restricted as well.
If a record is sealed or under limited access, you can still ask the court of record about your options. Expungement under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122 can remove eligible records, while limited access seals records but keeps them open to courts, police, and certain agencies. Eligibility, waiting periods, and the right petition all matter, so legal advice helps.
Specialty Courts in Northampton County
Northampton County runs several problem-solving courts through its treatment court program. The treatment courts page lists Mental Health Court, Recovery Court, and Veterans' Court, each with an application and a policy manual. Mental Health Court serves people whose mental health needs feed their court involvement. Recovery Court works with substance-use cases. Veterans' Court serves eligible veterans whose service-related issues intersect with criminal charges. These courts pair supervision with treatment, and they are not a promise of dismissal.
The District Attorney also runs a DUI ARD program, a pre-trial diversion path for many first-time DUI offenders. Screening starts with the DA, and a Common Pleas judge reviews the case. Applicants must waive the preliminary hearing and apply by formal arraignment.
Northampton County Sheriff and Jail
The Northampton County Sheriff's Department handles courthouse security, prisoner transport, civil process, sheriff sales, firearms licenses, and warrant and fugitive work. Its Criminal Division serves court-issued warrants, and members are cross-sworn as Deputy U.S. Marshals on the Violent Fugitive Task Force. The county jail, run by the Department of Corrections, is a separate operation that handles booking, housing, visitation, and inmate accounts. There is no public online roster, so custody questions go by phone to Central Booking at 610-923-4300 or Records at 610-923-4303.
For more depth, see the Northampton County inmate records page for the jail and booking steps, the warrant records page for bench warrants, the released inmates page for release checks, and the jail population page for facility data.
Marriage, Divorce, and Orphans' Court Records
Family and estate records live in two offices. The Prothonotary, the civil filing office, keeps divorce and custody filings. The Register of Wills and Orphans' Court keeps wills, estates, guardianships, and the marriage records issued in the county. Divorce is filed with the Prothonotary, while a marriage license comes from the Register of Wills.
The Prothonotary page lists civil filing types, e-filing, and the fee schedule. Full detail is on the Northampton County Prothonotary page.
Estate and marriage records run through a different office in the same building.
The Register of Wills and Orphans' Court page covers estates from 1752 to present, guardianship, and marriage licenses. See the marriage and divorce records and Orphans' Court pages for the steps.
- Testator
- A person who makes a will and dies leaving it in force.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to settle the estate and carry out its terms.
- Guardian
- A person the court appoints to act for a minor or an incapacitated adult.
Northampton County Court Records Fees
Viewing a docket online is free. Getting a copy is not. Fees depend on the office, the type of copy, and whether you need certification. The Criminal Division charges a flat fee for a county criminal record search and adds copy or certification charges when they apply. The Prothonotary and the Register of Wills publish their own fee schedules. Online payments through the UJS system carry a transaction fee.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Common Pleas criminal record search | $10.00 |
| Online payment transaction fee | $2.75 per transaction |
| Civil / Prothonotary filings | Per published Civil Division fee schedule |
| Wills and estate filings | Vary by filing and estate value |
Mail payments to the Criminal Division must be a business check, certified check, or money order, since personal checks and mailed cash are not accepted.
How to Interpret Northampton County Court Records
Docket sheets use short codes. Once you know them, a case reads quickly. The court type comes first, then the docket type, then a sequence and year. A charge is not a conviction. The disposition line tells you the real outcome. A few common abbreviations show up on almost every Northampton County criminal docket.
- CP - Court of Common Pleas; MJ - magisterial district judge.
- CR - criminal; SA - summary appeal; MD - miscellaneous.
- TR - traffic; NT - non-traffic; CV - civil; LT - landlord/tenant.
- OTN - offense tracking number; ARD - accelerated rehabilitative disposition.
Northampton County is county code 48 in Common Pleas criminal docket numbers.
Accuracy and Record Limitations
Online dockets can lag behind real life. A fresh arrest may sit in the jail before a full public docket appears. Bail can be posted, a charge can be amended, or a case can be sealed, and the public view may update on its own schedule. Use the docket for case status and court events, then confirm anything that matters with the office that keeps the file.
Note: Always confirm dates, fees, and dispositions with the originating Northampton County office before you rely on an online record for any legal step.
History of Northampton County Courts
Northampton County's court history runs deep. The first courthouse was authorized in 1764 and opened in 1766 in Easton's Public Square, a limestone building modeled after Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia. George Taylor, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, served among the trustees who oversaw it, and a Moravian-cast bell hung in the cupola. A new brick courthouse opened on the Washington Street hill in 1861 at a cost of $53,000. The county added an administration building in 1978, then a $43 million expansion in 2004 with seven new courtrooms. Today the Third Judicial District blends that historic courthouse with fifteen district courts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I search Northampton County criminal court records?
Use the Pennsylvania UJS Case Search portal and set the county to Northampton. Search by name, docket number, OTN, complaint number, or citation number. The portal covers Common Pleas criminal cases and district court matters. For paper records or certified copies, contact the Criminal Division, which charges $10 for a county criminal record search and will not give disposition details by phone.
Which office handles probate in Northampton County?
Pennsylvania uses Orphans' Court and Register of Wills terms. The Register of Wills keeps decedent estate records from 1752 to present and collects inheritance tax. The Orphans' Court handles adoptions, guardianships, incapacity, and estate accounts. Both work from the Government Center in Easton.
Is there an online Northampton County inmate roster?
No public online jail roster was found in the county's official pages. For county custody, call Central Booking at 610-923-4300 or Records at 610-923-4303. For state inmates use the Pennsylvania DOC locator, and for federal inmates use the BOP locator.
More on the Northampton County Court Records FAQ page.