How to Search Northampton County Court Records
The main tool is the Pennsylvania UJS Case Search portal, run by the Unified Judicial System. It is free, and no login is needed for public docket sheets. The portal covers criminal Court of Common Pleas cases, magisterial district court cases, and appellate matters. Magisterial dockets include traffic, non-traffic, civil, and landlord/tenant cases. Common Pleas civil docket sheets are the exception, since those are not posted on the public UJS site.
Have your details ready before you begin. A last name is the minimum. A first name, date of birth, docket number, or citation number narrows the search. Setting the county to Northampton keeps stray statewide results out of your list.
The UJS Case Search help page explains the docket sheet and calendar searches in plain steps.
- Open the UJS Case Search portal and choose your search type.
- Select Participant Name for 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 focus a broad search.
- Review the result list for docket number, court, parties, filing date, and status.
- Open a docket sheet to read charges, events, disposition, bail, and costs.
If a name search fails, the help pages suggest clearing the screen, confirming Participant Name is selected, and trying again with fewer filters. You can also search by docket number or citation number for an exact hit.
Northampton County Court Records Search Fields
The UJS portal offers a single search screen with several fields. Most are optional, but a smart combination cuts down on false matches. The table below lists the fields you will see and how to use each one for a Northampton County search.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search By | Dropdown | Yes | Participant Name, Docket Number, OTN, Complaint Number, Citation Number, or Organization. |
| Last Name | Text | Conditional | Required for a participant-name search. |
| First Name | Text | Optional | Use with the last name to narrow results. |
| Date of Birth | Date | Optional | Helps separate people with the same name. |
| County | Dropdown | Optional | Select Northampton to limit results; blank searches statewide. |
| Docket Type | Dropdown | Optional | Criminal, Traffic, Non-Traffic, Civil, Landlord/Tenant, Summary Appeal. |
| Date Filed | Date range | Optional | From and Through dates narrow a broad name search. |
| Docket Number | Text | Conditional | Common Pleas criminal uses CP-48-CR style; magisterial uses MJ style. |
| Citation Number | Text | Conditional | Best for traffic and non-traffic ticket lookups. |
CountySuite Civil Case Search in Northampton County
Common Pleas civil cases need a different tool. The Northampton County CountySuite Civil Case Search is the Prothonotary's online portal. Use it for divorce, custody, judgments, liens, mortgage foreclosure, personal injury, and name change cases. The portal also supports e-filing and includes a case search user guide in its help menu. For paper documents or certified civil copies, the Prothonotary office is the place to go.
Many cases begin in a magisterial district court, so finding the right district matters. The county offers a lookup by address.
The MDJ lookup points you to the district court that covers a specific address. Full filing detail is on the Northampton County Prothonotary page.
Types of Northampton County Court Records
Records split by case type, and each type has a home. Civil and family files sit with the Prothonotary. Criminal Common Pleas files sit with the Criminal Division. Estate and marriage files sit with the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court. The fifteen magisterial district courts keep their own minor case files, and many of those are searchable on the UJS portal.
The magisterial district court FAQ lists office hours, holidays, and the count of district courts in the county.
- Criminal - prosecutions from summary offenses to felonies, plus bail, costs, and sentencing.
- Civil - judgments, liens, mortgage foreclosure, and appeals from district court judgments.
- Family - divorce, custody, and support, with sensitive details restricted.
- Traffic and non-traffic - citations filed in the magisterial district courts.
- Estate and probate - wills, estates, and guardianship through the Register of Wills.
You can dig into specific types on the arrest records, traffic court records, and court dockets pages.
What Northampton County Court Records Show
A public docket sheet is a summary, not the full file. It tells you what happened and when, but the underlying pleadings and orders usually stay with the clerk. Confidential identifiers are redacted under the Case Records Public Access Policy. The table below shows the fields a typical Northampton County docket sheet displays.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Docket Number | Court-coded case number, such as CP-48-CR for Common Pleas criminal. |
| Court | Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County or a numbered district court. |
| Case Caption | Commonwealth v. defendant, or plaintiff v. defendant for civil cases. |
| Filing Date | When the case, complaint, or citation was lodged. |
| Parties and Attorneys | Names, roles, and counsel, with confidential identifiers redacted. |
| Charges | Offense, statute, grade, and OTN for criminal matters. |
| Bail | Bail type, amount, and posting status when it applies. |
| Docket Entries | Filings, hearings, orders, pleas, sentencing, and warrants. |
| Disposition | The outcome of each charge or claim. |
Note: A charge is not a conviction, so always read the disposition line before drawing any conclusion about a Northampton County case.
Public Access Framework for Northampton County Court Records
Pennsylvania treats court records and agency records under two different systems. Court case records follow judiciary rules and the Case Records Public Access Policy, not the ordinary Right-to-Know process. The Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. § 67.101, still governs many county and state agency records, with appeals through the Office of Open Records. Court dockets, though, are published by the UJS under its own policy. A docket search is not an official criminal-history check, which only the Pennsylvania State Police can provide.
Anyone can read public docket sheets at no cost. Getting certified or exemplified copies, or older paper files, means a request to the filing office and a copy fee. The public records page explains the request process in detail.
Law-enforcement audio and video, such as body-camera footage, follow a separate track under Act 22 of 2017 rather than the ordinary open-records process. So a request for a recording does not move through the same channel as a request for a court file. Match the request to the record type and the office that holds it.
Note: A free UJS docket confirms case status and events, but it does not replace a Pennsylvania State Police background check for employment or licensing.
Records That Are Sealed or Confidential in Northampton County
Some cases never appear in a public search. The UJS help pages list juvenile cases, sealed cases, expunged cases, cases pending expungement, and limited-access or Clean Slate cases as unavailable on the public portal. Common Pleas civil docket sheets are also kept off the public UJS site. Adoption and dependency matters in the Orphans' Court are confidential under Pennsylvania law, and mental health commitment records carry their own privacy rules.
If a record is sealed, you can still ask the court of record about access. Expungement under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122 can remove eligible records, while limited access seals them from public view but keeps them open to courts and police. Eligibility, waiting periods, and the correct petition all matter, so the county expungement self-help page is a good starting point.
Copy and Certification Requests
Viewing a docket is one thing. Getting an official copy is another. Route the request to the office that holds the file. Civil, divorce, custody, and judgment copies go to the Prothonotary. Common Pleas criminal records go to the Criminal Division, which charges $10 for a county criminal record search plus copy or certification fees. Estate, guardianship, and marriage copies go to the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court. Magisterial district court paper records come from the specific district office.
The Northampton County court forms library holds civil, criminal, divorce, domestic relations, DUI, and juvenile forms for download.
Payment rules differ by office, so read them before you mail anything. The Criminal Division does not accept personal checks or mailed cash, and it will not take a card by phone. Mail payments there must be a business check, certified check, or money order. Older paper records may take extra time to pull, and historical estate files at the Register of Wills can require archive handling and added copy fees.
Northampton County Court Calendars and Case Lists
A docket tells the history of a case. A calendar tells you when a case is scheduled next. The Northampton County Court publishes several lists that work alongside a docket search. These include the full court calendar, the ARD list, argument lists, the arraignment list and index, civil jury and non-jury lists, civil pretrial lists, custody lists, the DUI ARD list, status conferences, and the trial list. If you are tracking an upcoming hearing, the calendar confirms the courtroom and timing that a docket alone may not make clear.
Calendars matter for planning a visit too. Jury weeks crowd the courthouse and fill the garage, so checking the schedule first saves a wasted trip. For an active case, compare the public docket entries with the posted list to confirm the next event. When something does not line up, the filing office can confirm the current status faster than guessing from an old entry.