Allegheny County Prothonotary Office
The county brands its filing office as the Department of Court Records. For civil and family cases, the Civil/Family Division performs the functions previously carried out by the Prothonotary. It receives and maintains filings for the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Civil and Family divisions, keeps official documents and the seal, and supports document retrieval. UJS lists Michael McGeever as Allegheny County Prothonotary contact.
Civil and family case records are distinct from criminal court files. Divorce, custody, support, civil complaints, judgments, liens, arbitration records, and similar filings belong with the Civil/Family Division. Criminal case files and criminal background-related record questions belong with the Department of Court Records Criminal Division. Estate, guardianship, and marriage records belong with the Wills/Orphans' Court Division.
DCR Civil/Family Division
Prothonotary contact: Michael McGeever
City-County Building
414 Grant Street, First Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15219-2469
412-350-5729
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Allegheny County Civil Records Duties
The Prothonotary function is the filing and record office for civil and family court documents. The division receives pleadings, keeps the official docket, accepts filings, records orders and judgments, and maintains the court seal for documents that need formal certification. It also supports the county's e-filing and retrieval systems, which are separate from the statewide UJS docket-sheet search.
- Receives civil complaints, answers, motions, arbitration filings, orders, judgments, liens, and appeals from lower tribunals.
- Maintains family records such as divorce complaints, custody filings, support matters, paternity actions, and PFA-related filings.
- Supports civil and family document retrieval through the county Department of Court Records portal.
- Keeps official documents and the seal for certified copy requests in civil and family matters.
- Separates restricted family details from public access when policy, statute, or a court order requires confidentiality.
Attorney civil e-filing became mandatory effective November 13, 2023. Self-represented litigants are encouraged to use the system but are not mandated under the research source. Case participants with verified email are scheduled to receive Rule 236 notices electronically effective July 1, 2026.
Allegheny County Prothonotary Search
The county's DCR Civil/Family Case Search is case-ID oriented. It asks for a Standard Case ID or Non Standard Case ID and a CAPTCHA. It is not the same as a broad statewide name search. If a case number is unknown, the UJS Case Search or PAeDocket options may help locate a docket number before a county document request is made.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enter Standard Case ID | Text | Unspecified | Use the standard Allegheny County case identifier when known. |
| Enter Non Standard Case ID | Text | Unspecified | Use an alternate case identifier if the standard ID is not available. |
| Security Check | CAPTCHA | Yes | Retype the CAPTCHA; the page offers change and audio options. |
| Search / Submit | Button | Yes | Runs the search after the ID and security check are entered. |
Request Allegheny County Certified Copies
A certified copy is a copy authenticated by the record office. It is often needed when a civil judgment, divorce decree, custody order, or other court filing must be used for a legal, title, financial, or administrative purpose. A plain copy may be enough for personal review, but certification matters when a third party requires proof that the document came from the official court file.
- Identify the division. Civil and family copies go to the Prothonotary function in the DCR Civil/Family Division.
- Find the case number or enough party information to help staff locate the record. The DCR case search or UJS docket sheet can help.
- State the exact document needed, such as complaint, order, decree, judgment, or docket entries.
- Ask whether the record is available for retrieval, must be viewed in person, or is restricted by policy or court order.
- Pay the applicable filing, copy, certification, or retrieval charges listed by the office before the certified copy is issued.
Note: Family records can show docket activity while still withholding child, abuse-victim, or confidential filing details.
Allegheny County Copy Request Fields
The research did not locate a single public copy-request form for all Prothonotary requests. The practical request fields below come from the DCR search fields, the county's division split, and the facts staff need to identify a civil or family case file. A clear request should be narrow enough for staff to find the filing and determine whether public access is allowed.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number or case ID | Best practice | Use the Standard Case ID, Non Standard Case ID, or docket number if known. |
| Party names | Yes if case ID unknown | Include full names and any former names used in the filing. |
| Case type | Yes | Identify civil, divorce, custody, support, PFA, judgment, or other family/civil type. |
| Document requested | Yes | Name the order, decree, pleading, judgment, docket sheet, or other document. |
| Copy type | Yes | State plain copy or certified copy. |
| Requester contact | Yes | Provide phone, email, or mailing address so staff can answer fee or access questions. |
Allegheny County Prothonotary Fees
Allegheny County fee details vary by filing and record type. The research source identifies several Civil/Family rules and fee changes but does not provide a universal per-page copy schedule for every document. Do not assume a copy cost that is not listed by the office. For filing and payment planning, use the official fee pages or call the Civil/Family Division before mailing money or appearing at the counter.
| Item | Amount / Rule |
|---|---|
| Civil/family records retention fee | Increases from $3.50 to $7.00 effective June 1, 2026 |
| Civil/family NSF checks | $35 |
| Personal checks | Not accepted under the researched fee notes |
| Overpayment refunds | No refunds for overpayments of $10 or less |
| Divorce complaint | $191.75 per family-division fee notes |
| Custody count added to divorce | Add $173.50 |
| Custody complaint with no prior paid filing fees | $345.75 |
Allegheny County Civil Filing Access
The DCR portal supports civil, family, criminal, marriage, e-filing, and retrieval functions from one county landing page. For Prothonotary work, civil and family e-filing and retrieval are the relevant branches. The DCR case search carries an authorized-use warning, so users should treat the portal as an official case tool rather than a private people-search service.
Mail and in-person requests should go to the Civil/Family Division when the record is a civil or family court filing. Criminal records should be sent to the Criminal Division, not the Prothonotary page. Estate, adoption, guardianship, and marriage records belong to Wills/Orphans' Court. The split matters because sending a request to the wrong division can delay copies and may produce an incomplete search.
Allegheny County court case files are generally requested from the court custodian. The county's court-record open-records guidance states Common Pleas case files are open unless sealed and says the Open Records Fill-In Form is not needed for court case files. Non-court county records use the county Right-to-Know channels instead.