Fulton County Court Records Lookup

Fulton County Courts, PA *

Fulton County is a mountainous county in the ridge-and-valley terrain of south-central Pennsylvania, bordering the state of Maryland to the south and the Tuscarora and Rays Hill mountains to the north. With an area of about 440 square miles, it is the fourth-least populous county in Pennsylvania, with a population of approximately 14,500 people. Fulton County has a strong agricultural, timber, and recreation base. Buchanan State Forest, as well as other lands in surrounding rural communities, is hunted, hiked, and fished year-round.

The county seat of Fulton County is McConnellsburg. Judicial Services are provided by the 39th Judicial District, a two-county District, and as such, residents have access to all services provided by the District. For individuals seeking copies of court records or requiring legal services, the starting point is understanding the two-county District in which Fulton County residents reside.

Overview of the County Court System

The Fulton County Courts operate as the Fulton County Branch of the 39th Judicial District Court of Common Pleas. The Judges for the Court of Common Pleas are elected to serve the 39th Judicial District as a whole, and as needed, are assigned to the Fulton County Branch as well as the Franklin County Branch.

The Fulton County Courthouse in McConnellsburg houses the Court of Common Pleas and the various clerk offices. Since Fulton County is very small compared to other Pennsylvania counties, many of the separate offices found in larger counties have been consolidated into a single office here. The Prothonotary, the Clerk of Courts, the Register of Wills, the Recorder of Deeds, and the Clerk of the Orphans' Court are all consolidated into the Fulton County Courthouse and are responsible for keeping all of the court records of the Court of Common Pleas.

Types of Courts in Fulton County, Pennsylvania

Each of Fulton County's courts defines its own set of jurisdictional boundaries. The level of the court that handled a matter (for example, a traffic citation or a divorce) is key to where records from that matter are kept, retrieved, and searched.

Court of Common Pleas

The Court of Common Pleas is the trial court of general jurisdiction for Fulton County. Therefore, this is the court where the majority of significant civil, criminal, family, and probate-type cases are processed. The Judges of the 39th Judicial District conduct business at the Fulton County Branch courthouse in McConnellsburg.

Jurisdiction includes:

• Felony and misdemeanor criminal prosecutions
• Civil actions with no statutory upper monetary limit
• Divorce, equitable distribution, and spousal support proceedings
• Child custody and visitation matters
• Juvenile delinquency and dependency proceedings
• Wills, estate administration, and guardianship matters through the Orphans' Court Division
• Adoption proceedings
• Protection from abuse petitions
• Appeals from Magisterial District Court decisions

Since Fulton County is small, it has combined several clerks' offices into a single office. Thus, all records for the Court of Common Pleas, whether civil, criminal, or estate, are located in the clerk's office at the courthouse. All records are kept by a single administrative staff member.

Magisterial District Courts

Fulton County has three Magisterial District Courts, each covering a different geographic area of the county. These courts handle the first level of many civil, criminal, and traffic cases. Cases that are above the jurisdiction of the Magisterial District Court are sent to the Court of Common Pleas.

Jurisdiction includes:

• Civil claims up to $12,000
• Small claims matters
• Landlord-tenant disputes and eviction proceedings
• Traffic citations and summary offenses
• Preliminary arraignments and bail hearings
• Misdemeanor and summary criminal charges

Magisterial District Judges are elected to 4-year terms by the voters within their District. It is required that a Magisterial District Judge complete an initial training program provided by the PA Unified Judicial System, as well as continued education required by PA Law. All Fulton County Magisterial District Court records can be accessed through the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Web Portal.

How to Access Fulton County Court Records

Court records in Fulton County are public unless sealed by a judge's order or otherwise prohibited by statute, such as juvenile court proceedings, adoption records, or domestic violence records. Each level of the Court has its own method for accessing records.

Online Access

Online Fulton County court records are available to the public through the three Magisterial District Courts within the county. Three court dockets for online access, available by searching for a party name, docket number, or date range on the free Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Web Portal, are for the three Magisterial District Courts. Online access to criminal dockets for the Court of Common Pleas for Fulton County is also available by searching for a party name on the free UJS portal.

The criminal and civil dockets for the Court of Common Pleas, Fulton County, are not available for free on the Unified Judicial System Web Portal. Fulton County Court of Common Pleas civil online docket access is provided by Fulton County through INFOCON, an online civil docket service provided by INFOCON (a subscription service that charges a setup fee and then charges by the minute for access to online docket information). Fulton County civil online docket access is set up primarily for frequent users of civil online docket information, like attorneys and researchers.

Alternative Online Options

Navigating separate systems for different court levels can make it unclear where a particular Fulton County record resides, especially when the originating court is unknown. Commercial platforms like CourtCaseFinder aggregate public court records across multiple jurisdictions and can help researchers identify which court level handled a matter before committing to a more targeted inquiry and pull together those records into one consolidated report.

In-Person Requests

The Fulton County Courthouse houses the clerk's office for the Court of Common Pleas records. This combined office has staff that can assist with civil, criminal, family, and estate records. The Magisterial District Courts have their own precincts, and the record is retrieved from that precinct. Certified copies of court records incur a per-page fee. It is recommended that, before travelling to Fulton County, residents and researchers call to verify that the record exists and the current fee for it.

Archived Records

There are old court documents stored in various locations, some at the courthouse and some in the county storage. The Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg is the repository for all the PA historical judicial records. All the old Fulton County Estate and Probate records from when the county was founded in 1850 are currently stored in the Fulton County Clerk's Office.

For Attorneys and Legal Professionals

All civil cases are filed in the Court of Common Pleas using the statewide case management system, PACFile. The local rules for the Fulton County Branch of the Fulton County Court of Common Pleas should be read in conjunction with the local rules for the 39th Judicial District (Fulton and Hunterdon Counties), as the Judges rotate between the two counties. Case scheduling, discovery, and motion practice are all handled the same for cases filed in both counties. These rules can be found on the Fulton County court's website.

Case management for matters assigned to the 39th Judicial District Judges can take a little more time in the Fulton County Branch than the Clearfield Branch. Cases filed in the Magisterial District Court are filed in person or by mail at the individual precinct offices for each of the three precincts in Fulton County. For all other matters filed in the Fulton County Branch of the Court of Common Pleas, procedural questions should be directed to the Clerk's Office at the courthouse.

How to File a Case in Fulton County

Residents must file a case in the correct court to avoid delays and additional costs of refiling in a different venue. The correct court is the one with proper jurisdiction to hear the case. Each court has specific jurisdiction, and a case outside its jurisdiction must be filed in the proper venue.

Step 1: Choose the Correct Court

Felony charges and significant misdemeanor charges are filed in the Court of Common Pleas Criminal Division. Civil cases above $12,000 are filed with the combined clerk's office in the Court of Common Pleas. Divorce, child custody, and family support cases are filed in the Family Division. Estate and guardianship cases are filed in the Orphans' Court Division (through the combined clerk's office). Civil cases below $12,000, small claims, traffic citations, landlord/tenant cases, and eviction cases are filed in the Magisterial District Court for the area where the civil case arose or where the defendant resides.

Step 2: Complete Required Forms

Pennsylvania Courts' Self-Help Center and PALawHelp provide standardized forms for common types of cases. Forms for Orphans' Court petitions, family law matters, and protection from abuse filings must comply with the specific requirements outlined in the 39th Judicial District's local rules. Magisterial District Courts also supply forms for small claims and landlord-tenant proceedings at their precinct offices.

Step 3: File the Case

In addition to the Fulton County Courthouse being the location for the combined clerk's office for the Court of Common Pleas for Civil, Family, and Orphans' Court matters, filings for these cases can be mailed to the courthouse, hand delivered to the courthouse, or filed electronically via PACFile, for those cases that are able to be filed electronically. Filings for Magisterial District Court matters can be filed in person or by mail to the precinct where the matter occurred or where the defendant resides. The combined clerk's office can direct individuals proceeding pro se to the appropriate court for a particular matter if they are unsure which court is the proper venue.

Step 4: Pay Filing Fees

The filing fees for the different court levels can vary by case type. In the Court of Common Pleas for civil matters, the filing fee is statutorily driven and collected by the combined clerk's office. For Orphans' Court proceedings, the fees are set based on the nature of the proceeding and the value of the decedent's estate. For Magisterial District Court cases filed as small claims or landlord-tenant matters, the fee is significantly less than the filing fee for a civil matter filed in the Court of Common Pleas. Parties who cannot afford filing fees may petition the court for in forma pauperis status, which waives the requirement upon a demonstrated showing of financial hardship.

Step 5: Serve the Other Party

Once a case is filed, the opposing party must be formally notified through service of process. Pennsylvania rules govern the acceptable methods of service based on the case type and the identity of the party being served. These methods of service include personal service, service by sheriff, and service by certified or regular mail. In every case, an affidavit or proof of service must be filed with the court after service has been made to allow the court to continue the proceedings.

Step 6: Monitor the Case

Magisterial District Court case status can be tracked through the UJS Web Portal using the assigned docket number. Court of Common Pleas criminal dockets are also accessible through the UJS portal. For Court of Common Pleas civil matters, tracking requires access through INFOCON or direct contact with the combined clerk's office, which can provide current case status and upcoming hearing dates during regular business hours.

Fulton County Courthouse Directory

Legal Help and Self-Help Resources

There are several free and low-cost legal assistance programs in Fulton County. Magisterial District Court matters can usually be handled by a person without an attorney, such as traffic citations and small claims actions. However, for contested custody matters, felony criminal charges, estate disputes, and complex civil matters, the services of an experienced attorney can make a great deal of difference.

Free Legal Assistance

• Franklin County Legal Services is a non-profit civil legal aid organization that serves the residents of Franklin and Fulton counties. It provides free legal representation, advice and education to low-income individuals and families on domestic relations, housing, income, consumer, civil rights and immigration issues. Services are provided by appointment and are income-eligible.
• Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network is for people who do not know which local program can assist with their legal situation. It has an online intake that helps determine which program is best for the person in their county.

Local Legal Support

• Pennsylvania Courts Self-Help Center provides free information and forms to individuals representing themselves in court for a variety of matters throughout the Commonwealth.
• The Pennsylvania Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service can connect individuals with an attorney practicing in a specific area of law, and typically, the attorney agrees to complete a reduced-fee initial consultation.
• The Fulton County Clerk of Courts can direct individuals to the correct forms for filing, explain the filing requirements, and advise on where specific court records are filed. However, court clerks are prohibited by law from providing legal advice.

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