Cumberland County Court Records

Cumberland County Courts, PA *

Founded in 1750, Cumberland County is one of the oldest counties in Pennsylvania. It is located within the South Central region of Pennsylvania, with Carlisle as the County seat and an estimated total county population of 277,000 residents as of 2025. It is ranked among the fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania, with a strong public-sector economy tied to Harrisburg. The County also holds the second-oldest military post in the United States, the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks.

With the county's steady population increase, its legal matters have consistently increased as well, but they are effectively managed by the Unified Cumberland County court system. This system's structure has enabled the county to preside over a wide range of major legal matters, such as major civil and criminal cases, adoption, and divorce, and also managed to preside over minor legal matters such as traffic citations, summary offenses, and landlord-tenant disputes.

Overview of the Cumberland County Court System

The Cumberland County court system is anchored to the Pennsylvania 9th Judicial District. It includes the Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas, which presides over the county's major legal hearings and represents the County's court of general jurisdiction, the highest trial court in the county, and the Magisterial District Court, the County's court of limited jurisdiction, presiding over minor cases within the county. Cumberland County operates ten Magisterial District Courts.

The Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas is presided over by seven judges. In contrast, the Magisterial District Courts are presided over by a single Magisterial District Judge per court, for a total of ten judges. The Court of Common Pleas is housed within the County Courthouse, with all related offices in the same building. The Magisterial District Courts are spread across the county in ten separate court offices, each covering a specific municipality.

Types of Courts in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

Navigating the Cumberland County Court system involves accessing court records and filing legal cases, which require an in-depth understanding of the Court structure beyond the Cumberland County court overview. Hence, a more detailed discussion of the different Courts, their operations, and cases presided over is provided below:

Court of Common Pleas

Cumberland County's Court of Common Pleas is the highest general trial court in the county, located within the County Courthouse, where it presides over the following cases:

Major civil lawsuits and contract disputes
Felony and misdemeanor criminal trials
Divorce, custody, and family law
Child and spousal support matters
Protection From Abuse (PFA), Protection From Intimidation(PFI), and Sexual Violence Protection Orders (SVPO)
Probate, estate, and guardianship legal matters
Juvenile delinquency and dependency cases

The Court of Common Pleas operates internal divisions, which include the Civil Division supported by the Prothonotary's office, the Criminal Division supported by the Clerk of Courts, the Family Law Division, the Orphans' Court Division supported by the Clerk of Orphans Court, and the Juvenile Court Division supported by the county's CASA program.

Magisterial District Courts

The Magisterial District Courts in Cumberland County are the county's local courts and the first level of the judicial system. Cumberland County has 10 Magisterial District Courts, spread across the county. The Courts preside over the following cases:

Preliminary arraignment and preliminary hearing in criminal cases
Summary of criminal offenses
Traffic and non-traffic citations
Landlord-tenant disputes
DUI preliminary proceedings
Emergency Protection From Abuse (PFA)

Residents can access the correct Magisterial District Court through the Cumberland County Magisterial District Court Jurisdiction map. This platform ensures that Cumberland County residents do not file cases in the wrong courts, which can result in dismissal.

How to Access Cumberland County Court Records

The majority of Cumberland County court records are accessible to the public because they are considered public records. In contrast, a small portion of the records is sealed or restricted, meaning they are not publicly accessible. Some of these court records include juvenile court records to protect minors, mental health case records to keep the parties' health records private and prevent stigmatization cases, Protection From Abuse records to protect crime victims' privacy, adoption and guardianship records, and family law records, which are also not accessible.

Online Access

In Cumberland County, one easy way to access court records is through online platforms. The county has multiple platforms, the state-provided platforms and county-provided platforms that give residents access to different types of court records. The state-provided portal, Pennsylvania UJS Web Portal, gives access to criminal records and case dockets, not the full case files, from the Court of Common Pleas and Magisterial District Courts. Residents have access to the county-provided Onbase Web Viewer Portal, which provides free access to civil records filed from 1994, while the full case documents cost $0.08 per page.

Alternative Online Options

In addition to the state and county portals, Cumberland residents can use alternative online platforms to access court records. Platforms such as CourtCaseFinder aggregate records from different public record platforms into a single search tool, a functionality not achievable with state- or county-provided tools. Residents interested in cases that spread beyond a single Cumberland County court and office can find it challenging to trace on the county and state platforms, which are court-restricted result platforms.

In-Person Requests

Residents of Cumberland County can access the County Court records through in-person requests at the involved court case offices, for example, the Clerks of Courts, for access to certified copies of criminal case records from the County Court of Common Pleas. The Prothonotary's Office will have civil case files, including post-2010 family law court records. The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court offices help residents access wills, estate, marriage license, and guardianship records. All the offices are housed within the Cumberland County Courthouse.

Archived Records

Cumberland County residents can access archived county records through the Cumberland County Archives, which holds inactive permanent court records covering more than 270 years of county history (1750-1950), including poorhouse records, indentured servant records, court documents, and other county office files. Residents can also access other county archive court records from the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court historical records, Pennsylvania State Archives, and the Cumberland County Historical Society.

For Attorneys and Legal Professionals

Out-of-county/state attorneys first need to access Cumberland County's local rules, the Cumberland County Rules of Procedure (CCRP), which represent the county's local house rules and cover things that are not covered within the statewide PA rules, such as where to file Preliminary Objections, which is the Prothonotary's office, or how to file criminal cases electronically, which is through the PACFile Portal. To clearly understand these rules, attorneys need to access the Cumberland County official website, where the rules are published within 30 days of publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, with the Full Rule of Courts PDF available.

Out-of-state attorneys appearing in Cumberland County courts must have pro hac vice admission. A Pennsylvania-licensed attorney, the sponsor, must write a motion on behalf of the out-of-state attorney at least three days before the court appearance to the clerks of the specific court where the case is pending. Before the motion is filed, the attorney must meet the administrative requirements of the Pennsylvania Interest On Lawyers Trust Account (IOLTA), obtain written certification from their PA sponsor, and pay any associated fees.

How to File a Case in Cumberland County

Cumberland County residents filing a case with the county court system need to be detail-oriented and focused, as the process is both delicate and procedural. For example, each filed case must be correctly aligned with the court that presides over the filer's legal matter, the case forms must be correctly filled out, and the correct filing fees must be paid. Failure to capture all these details correctly can result in the case being dismissed or rejected, wastage of time, and financial losses.

Step 1: Choose the Correct Court

The first step in any case filing process within the Cumberland County Court system is choosing the correct court, which begins by understanding which courts preside over different cases in the county. Cumberland County has two courts: the Court of Common Pleas, which has four Divisions that run under the court: the Civil Division, the Criminal Division, the Orphans' Court Division, and the Family Division; and the County local court, which has the Magisterial District Courts. Understanding the types of courts helps the filer easily align their case with the correct court that presides over their legal matter.

Step 2: Complete Required Forms

With the correct court selected, the filer proceeds to the next step, which involves selecting and filing the correct case forms. In Cumberland County, residents can access certified case forms for estate, adoption, and marriage cases from the Orphans' Court. Residents can also use the PA Unified Judicial System Forms, which are accepted statewide in Cumberland County.

Step 3: File the Case

A case can be filed in person at the Cumberland County Courthouse or electronically. Electronic filing can be done through the Onbase eFiling portal, which covers civil and domestic case records in the Prothonotary's office. Filers can also physically visit the Prothonotary's offices for filing or the Cumberland County Library. Filers of other cases, including criminal cases, may visit the Clerk of Courts' office or file electronically via the PACFile Portal, which is optional. Filers who file in the Orphans' Court must physically visit the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court offices. Magisterial District Court filings must be done in person at the appropriate court.

Step 4: Pay Filing Fees

Cumberland County's case filing process charges a filing fee, which varies by case type and the court presiding over the case. The county's main website maintains an updated case filing fee schedule that filers must confirm before paying to avoid the wrong fee. Cumberland County also offers a fee waiver for residents who are unable to pay the case filing fee, requiring them to fill out and submit an In Forma Pauperis, which, when approved, waives the case filing fees.

Step 5: Serve the Other Party

With the case filed, the defendant needs to be notified of the filed case against them, which is carried out through a process called Service of Process, which in Cumberland County must be carried out by the Cumberland County Sheriff's office, a constable, or via certified mail. Once the defendant is served, a Proof of Service is submitted to the court.

Step 6: Monitor the Case

Monitoring requires the filer to use the provided case number, also known as the docket number, assigned at the time of filing. Filers can monitor their civil case through the Cumberland County Onbase Web View Platform or by physically visiting the Prothonotary's office at the county courthouse, monitor criminal cases through the Pennsylvania UJS Web portal, monitor the Argument Court Schedules, and find other court calendars. Filers of the Magisterial District Court cases, on the other hand, can directly contact the court clerk's offices to monitor their case status.

Cumberland County Courthouse Directory

Cumberland County Courthouse

Houses the County Court of Common Pleas, which is responsible for presiding over juvenile cases, felony and criminal cases, divorce, custody cases, and all the major cases within the county.

Carlisle

Address: 1 Courthouse Square, Carlisle, PA 17013

Main Courthouse Phone: (717) 240-6100

Prothonotary (Civil): (717) 240-6195

Clerk of Courts (Criminal): (717) 240-6250

Clerk of Orphans' Court: (717) 240-6345

Website: cumberlandcountypa.gov/2603/Courts

Magisterial District Court

The courts are located within their respective municipalities and preside over small claims, landlord-tenant disputes, traffic citations, summary offenses, and other minor local hearings within the county.

MDJ 09-1-01 Camp Hill

(717) 737-3434

MDJ 09-1-02 Lemoyne

(717) 761-0583

MDJ 09-1-03 Enola

(717) 728-2805

MDJ 09-2-01 Carlisle (Spring Road)

(717) 218-5250

MDJ 09-2-02 Carlisle (N. Hanover Street)

(717) 240-6564

MDJ 09-3-01 Shippensburg

(717) 532-7676

MDJ 09-3-02 Newville

(717) 776-3187

MDJ 09-3-03 Carlisle (Village Drive)

(717) 218-2365

MDJ 09-3-04 Mechanicsburg (Trindle Road)

(717) 697-2201

MDJ 09-3-05 Mechanicsburg (N. York Street)

(717) 766-4575

Legal Help and Self-Help Resources

Cumberland residents navigating the county court system have access to various legal aid and resources to help them understand court proceedings and ensure a smooth legal process. Some of these resources are accessible through county and state-provided bodies, non-profit organizations, and legal institutions, all aimed at helping Cumberland County residents legally.

Free Legal Assistance

The Main source of free legal aid services is MidPenn Legal Service, a nonprofit public-interest law firm that provides civil legal services to Cumberland County residents. The service takes on cases in housing, family law, Protection from Abuse and other domestic violence matters, public benefits, employment law, and low-income tax issues. MidPenn also carries out special projects for Cumberland County residents, such as the Legal Intervention for Victims and Empowerment (LIVE) Project. The project provides free legal representation to survivors of domestic and sexual violence, specifically in the county. Also, Cumberland County court clerks help residents with official court legal forms and filing instructions, and provide procedural guidance, such as the correct offices to file their cases.

Local Legal Support

In addition to legal assistance, Cumberland residents can access legal support through the Penn State Dickinson Law Community Law Clinic, the county's most distinctive local legal support resource. This is a working law clinic, where second- and third-year law students, under faculty supervision, represent Cumberland residents who cannot afford private attorneys. The clinic covers poverty law matters, family law, and disability law. Residents also receive local legal support from the Cumberland County Bar Association Pro Bono Program, where members of the bar volunteer to represent eligible low-income individuals in eligible cases.

FAQs

Within Cumberland County, can I represent myself in a small-claims legal issue, or do I need an attorney?

Yes, one can represent oneself in a small claims case in the Magisterial District Court. These courts are intentionally designed to be less formal and to make it possible for county residents to present themselves easily. It is also possible to represent oneself in other legal matters, such as traffic citations, basic name changes, simple landlord-tenant disputes, and straightforward uncontested divorces.

Where can a resident in Cumberland County do their own legal research?

There are two locations in Cumberland County where a resident can conduct legal research, starting with the Cumberland County Law Library, which the Clerk of Court's office lists as the place to find legal procedural information. Residents can also access the Cumberland County library, which is equipped to help residents with electronic filings and document scanning.

What is the importance of the Proof of Service record to a case filer in Cumberland County?

The proof of service is the document that confirms the defendant was successfully served. The Sheriff's office, or the official server, files a return of service with the court clerk to put into the record that the defendant is aware of the case filed against them. The filer needs a record of proof of service in case the other party does not respond, and a default judgment is requested.

After successfully filing a case with the Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas, where can I monitor the case activities?

Cumberland County provides residents with a few ways to monitor their active case activities, starting with physical contact, which can be carried out with the Cumberland County courthouse, which holds most of the county judicial offices. Secondly, one can use the Cumberland County OnBase Web View portal to monitor a civil case, or use the state-provided Pennsylvania UJS portal to monitor the criminal cases.

Are there any other alternatives I can use to access a divorce case record that has ties to multiple other offices in Cumberland County?

Yes, one can use an alternative third-party platform, especially when they are unsure which office or court holds the case records of interest. With Cumberland County court records split into multiple online platforms, Pennsylvania UJS, Onbase Web Portal, and the Archives, and three local courts, having to go through all these places can be exhausting and time-consuming. Alternative third-party platforms, such as CourtCaseFinder, pull all these publicly accessible records into a single search result.

Cumberland County Court Records Lookup

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