Access Allegheny County Common Pleas

Allegheny County Court Overview

The Courts of Common Pleas are Pennsylvania's general trial courts. Allegheny County is the Fifth Judicial District, and its Court of Common Pleas hears the county's major trial-level disputes. That includes felony prosecutions, larger civil disputes, divorce, custody, support, protection from abuse matters, estates, trusts, adoptions, guardianships, and appeals from some lower courts or local agencies. The statewide court system places this trial court below the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Superior Court of Pennsylvania, and Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania.

The Fifth Judicial District division overview describes four Common Pleas divisions: Civil, Criminal, Family, and Orphans' Court. The court has 43 commissioned judges, plus senior judges assigned by division. Records do not all sit with one counter. Civil and family filings are handled by the Prothonotary function in the Department of Court Records Civil/Family Division. Criminal case files are handled by the Department of Court Records Criminal Division. Estate and guardianship records are handled by the Wills/Orphans' Court Division.

Allegheny County Court Divisions

Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas records should be routed by division. The county's official phone directory separates court administration, civil, criminal, family, Orphans' Court, jury services, and Magisterial District Judge administration. The table below reflects the local division split documented in the research and helps distinguish court operations from record-custodian functions.

The Common Pleas judge directory lists judges by division, room, and phone number. The directory is useful when a docket sheet identifies a judge or courtroom, but the record request still belongs with the proper record division.

Allegheny County Court Sources

The official Common Pleas judge directory is a practical source when a case is already assigned to a judge or division.

Use the judge listing to confirm division placement, then use the civil/family, criminal, or Orphans' Court record office for file access.

The Magisterial District Courts administration page explains the lower-court system that feeds many Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas records through appeals or preliminary hearings.

Lower-court records can be a key starting point before a criminal case reaches Common Pleas or before a civil judgment is appealed.

Allegheny County Court Levels

Allegheny County does not use a county-court or justice-of-the-peace model for the records covered here. The relevant comparison is the Court of Common Pleas, Magisterial District Courts, and Pittsburgh Municipal Court. Each level can create a public docket, but each level serves a different role in the court process.

Allegheny County Case Flow

Case movement depends on the filing type. A felony criminal case may begin with arrest, complaint, preliminary arraignment, and preliminary hearing in a lower court before moving into the Court of Common Pleas Criminal Division. Civil cases usually begin with a complaint or petition filed with the Civil/Family Division. Family cases may involve separate divorce, custody, support, juvenile, or protection from abuse tracks. Estate and guardianship matters go to Wills/Orphans' Court functions.

Criminal flow: Complaint › preliminary arraignment › preliminary hearing › information filed › arraignment › pretrial motions › plea or trial › sentence › appeal.

Civil flow: Complaint or petition › service › answer or preliminary objections › motions or arbitration › trial or judgment › post-trial relief › appeal.

Orphans' Court flow: Probate filing or petition › letters or citation › accounting, audit, decree, or guardianship order › appeal if permitted.

Allegheny County Lower Courts

Magisterial District Courts are spread across Allegheny County municipalities and Pittsburgh wards. They handle many traffic citations, summary criminal cases, landlord-tenant cases, smaller civil claims, preliminary arraignments, and preliminary hearings. The district court directory lists the municipality or area, district number, judge, office address, phone, and hours for each MDJ office.

Pittsburgh Municipal Court is the lower-court venue inside the City of Pittsburgh. The official court page lists the Municipal Courts Building at 660 First Avenue, phone 412-350-6715, weekday hours, plus 24-hour arraignment and emergency PFA availability.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Records

Common Pleas case files are open unless sealed by court order, but they are not handled through the county's ordinary Right-to-Know form. The county's court-record open-records guidance says to use the court custodian. For many users, the first stop is the UJS Case Search docket sheet. Full pleadings, certified copies, older criminal files, or stored materials may still require the correct Allegheny County Department of Court Records division.

• Civil and family filings are maintained by the Civil/Family Division at the City-County Building.
• Current-year and four prior years of criminal files are kept in Room 220 of the courthouse.
• Older criminal case files can be ordered from storage through the Criminal Division.
• Wills, letters, estate case documents, guardianship files, and related Orphans' Court records are handled by Wills/Orphans' Court.
• Lower-court docket sheets are searched through UJS and checked with the issuing MDJ or Pittsburgh Municipal Court when needed.

Allegheny County Court Copy Steps

Copy requests should follow the division that owns the file. Civil and family copies go through the Prothonotary function at the Civil/Family Division. Criminal copies go through Room 220 or storage ordering through the Criminal Division. Estate and guardianship copies go through Wills/Orphans' Court. The county research gives fee rules for these divisions, but not a single universal per-page copy cost for every Common Pleas document.

1. Find the case number, party name, and division from UJS, DCR, or the issuing court.
2. Send the request to the division that maintains the file, not to the general county open-records form.
3. State the document type and whether a plain copy or certified copy is needed.
4. Confirm any fee, payment rule, and storage delay before mailing money or appearing at the counter.