Luzerne County Clerk of Courts Records
The Luzerne County Clerk of Courts is the filing office for criminal, juvenile, and dependency court cases. The office also accepts and processes summary appeals from Magisterial District Judge decisions in traffic and non-traffic cases. It accepts and processes expungements and limited access for criminal and summary court cases, which makes it the correct office for many post-disposition criminal-record questions.
This office should not be confused with the Prothonotary. The Luzerne County Prothonotary keeps civil Court of Common Pleas filings, while the Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court keeps estate, marriage, guardianship, and adoption records. For criminal docket sheets, court dates, charges, dispositions, and sentence entries, the statewide UJS Case Search is usually the first online lookup, but certified copies and filing-specific questions route back to the Clerk of Courts.
Clerk of Courts
200 N River Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
570-825-1585
Fax: 570-825-1843
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; no monies after 4 p.m.
Hazleton Office: 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
PennDOT-related fax: 570-825-6303
Search Luzerne County Criminal Files
Public criminal docket research starts with Pennsylvania UJS Case Search. UJS searches Common Pleas, Magisterial District Court, appellate, citation, docket, OTN, SID, participant, organization, and related identifiers. For Luzerne County Common Pleas criminal cases, filter the county to Luzerne or the judicial district to Luzerne - 11 when that field is available.
| Search Mode | Best Use | Luzerne County Note |
|---|---|---|
| Docket Number | Known Common Pleas or MDJ docket | Fastest path when the case number is known. |
| Participant Name | Name-based search | Use filters to reduce false matches. |
| OTN | Criminal tracking number | Useful when charge documents list the offense tracking number. |
| Citation Number | Traffic or summary matter | May connect to summary appeals handled by the Clerk. |
| SID | State ID number | Use only when the identifier is known and relevant. |
UJS warns that recent entries from court filing offices may not appear immediately, and docket sheets are not criminal-history background checks. Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history channels are separate from public court docket sheets.
What Luzerne County Clerk Handles
The Clerk of Courts receives the criminal court file after a case moves beyond lower-court proceedings or is filed in Common Pleas. Criminal records may include informations filed by the prosecutor, pleas, motions, orders, warrants, sentencing entries, fines, costs, restitution, payment-plan records, expungement filings, and limited-access filings. The office also handles juvenile and dependency cases, but those are restricted compared with ordinary adult criminal dockets.
- Criminal Court of Common Pleas case files and docket filings.
- Juvenile and dependency court filings with restricted public access.
- Summary appeals from Magisterial District Judge decisions.
- Expungement and limited-access filings for criminal and summary cases.
- Record checks and office filings that use the county's listed electronic payment options.
Request Clerk of Courts Copies
A criminal-copy request should give the office enough detail to locate the correct case. Name-only requests can be risky when several defendants share a name or when a person has both Magisterial District Court and Common Pleas records. A docket number, OTN, charge year, and document name will narrow the request.
- Search UJS Case Search for the docket number, court, case status, and public docket entries.
- Confirm whether the record is a Common Pleas criminal case, summary appeal, juvenile or dependency case, or limited-access matter.
- Call the Clerk of Courts at 570-825-1585 for copy, certification, payment, and access instructions.
- Provide party names, docket number, document type, case year, and whether a certified copy is needed.
- Use the Clerk of Courts fee schedule for the current filing or copy charge before submitting payment.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Docket number | Best if known | UJS can supply this for many public cases. |
| Defendant or party name | Yes | Use full legal name when possible. |
| Document type | Yes | Examples include sentencing order, docket sheet, expungement order, or summary appeal filing. |
| Case year or offense date | Helpful | Useful when the docket number is missing. |
| Certified copy request | As needed | Tell staff whether certification is required. |
Luzerne County Clerk Fees
The Clerk's county page links a 2024 fee schedule. The research file also notes a 2024 payment update for office filings. Visa credit or debit is accepted for expungements or summary appeals, Mastercard is accepted for record checks, and Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay are listed as accepted electronic payment options.
| Item or Payment Type | Rule |
|---|---|
| Expungement filing payment | Visa credit/debit accepted for office filings |
| Summary appeal payment | Visa credit/debit accepted for office filings |
| Record checks | Mastercard accepted |
| Mobile wallet payments | Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay accepted |
| Office payments | No monies after 4 p.m. |
Luzerne County Limited Access
Expungement and limited access are not the same. Expungement is a statutory process that removes qualifying criminal records from public access or destruction under the applicable law. Limited access under 18 Pa.C.S. ยง 9122.1 can remove qualifying criminal-history information from public dissemination after court approval, while criminal justice agencies may still retain access.
Criminal-history dissemination and juvenile-record rules also appear in 18 Pa.C.S. Chapter 91. Luzerne County Clerk of Courts accepts and processes expungements and limited access for criminal and summary court cases. Eligibility should not be assumed from the docket alone. Check the statute, the county fee schedule, and the docket in the county where the conviction or summary case occurred.
| Record Status | Public Effect | Office Path |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary public docket | Public docket sheet may appear in UJS | UJS plus Clerk of Courts for copies |
| Limited access | Qualifying record is limited from public dissemination | Petition filed through criminal or summary case process |
| Expungement | Qualifying record removed from ordinary access under statute | Filed and processed by Clerk of Courts for qualifying cases |
| Juvenile or dependency | Restricted compared with adult criminal dockets | Clerk of Courts, subject to access limits |
Clerk of Courts Warrant Questions
Bench warrants and failure-to-appear issues can appear in a criminal docket, a summary appeal, or a Magisterial District Court case. The Clerk of Courts FAQ list includes a warrant question, and the research routes Common Pleas criminal warrant questions to the Clerk at 570-825-1585. Lower-court traffic, summary, landlord-tenant, or preliminary criminal warrant issues may require the specific Magisterial District Court listed on the docket.
The Luzerne County Sheriff's Warrants Division handles enforcement and warns that the Sheriff's Department does not call people to demand payment to resolve warrants. Any payment-demand call should be treated as a scam and reported to local law enforcement. Note: Do not rely on a public docket as real-time proof that a warrant has been cleared.