About the York County Clerk of Courts
The York County Clerk of Courts maintains all criminal court records for the Court of Common Pleas. The office dockets events for roughly 8,000 to 9,000 criminal cases each year. Staff also schedule court events at the court's direction, and they keep the paper trail behind every charge filed in the county. If a case moved through the criminal side of the court, the file lives here.
Money is a big part of the job too. The office collects about $12 million in costs, fines, and restitution each year. Pennsylvania uses a split-clerk model in York County. The Clerk of Courts keeps criminal records. The Prothonotary keeps civil and family records. The Register of Wills keeps estates and marriage records. So if you want a criminal docket, you come here, and not to one of the other offices.
You can see the office and its public counter on the county website. The link below leads to the official Clerk of Courts page.
Source: York County Clerk of Courts office page.
The contact card below lists the address, the costs and fines phone line, and public hours. Call ahead if you plan to visit in person.
York County Clerk of Courts
45 North George Street
York, PA 17401
Costs and Fines: 717-771-9363
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
What the Clerk of Courts Does in York County
The job is wider than most people think. Yes, the office stores criminal files, but it also takes in many filings tied to those cases. Some come from courts, some from other officials, and some from the public. The list below covers the core duties.
Each task feeds the same goal: a clean, public record of the county's criminal court work. When you ask for a copy, the staff pull from these same files.
- Maintain criminal court records for the Court of Common Pleas
- Accept juvenile court records, summary convictions, and expungement and limited-access petitions
- Collect costs, fines, and restitution
- Accept bonds filed by tax collectors and constables and township and borough financial statements
- Process emancipations and private detective filings
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy carries the court's seal. People need them for background checks, for court in another county, or for an employer who wants proof. A plain copy works for personal use, but a certified copy is the one that holds weight as an official document. The steps below walk through the request from start to finish.
Start by pinning down the case. The more you know, the faster the staff can find the file. Then make your request and pay the fee.
- Find the criminal docket number through the Pennsylvania UJS Case Search at https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch.
- Contact the Clerk of Courts with the case number and party name.
- Submit the request with the copy fee.
- For a certified copy, pay the certification fee and pick it up or have it mailed.
Records Request Form Fields
Give the office enough to find the right file. A docket number is the fastest path, but a name and a document type can work too. The table lists what the staff look for and why each field helps. Fill in as much as you can.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case or Docket Number | Conditional | CP docket speeds the search |
| Party Name | Yes | The defendant name |
| Document Type | Yes | Docket, order, disposition |
| Number of Copies | Yes | Sets the fee |
| Record Check | Optional | A name-based criminal record check is $7 |
York County Clerk of Courts Fees
Fees depend on what you want and how many pages it runs. Copies are cheap. Petitions and appeals cost more, since they open new court action. The table below lists the common charges. Add the automation fee where it applies.
The county posts a full fee schedule online. Use the source link to check the current rates before you send money or mail a request.
Source: York County Clerk of Courts filing fees.
The amounts shown here reflect the posted schedule. Prices can change, so confirm before you pay.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Black and white copy per page | $0.25 |
| Color copy per page | $0.50 |
| Certified copy (hard copy or electronic) | $12.00 |
| Record check | $7.00 |
| Summary conviction appeal (per docket number) | $74.65 |
| Appeals to Commonwealth, Superior, or Supreme Court | $73.50 |
| Expungement petition | $215.10 |
| Limited access | $132.00 |
| Miscellaneous papers | $26.50 |
| Automation fee | $5.00 |
Common Clerk of Courts Forms
The office keeps a forms page with the documents people use most. Many tie to bail, counsel, or a trial date. You can grab them before you visit, fill them out, and bring them in. That saves a trip and a wait.
Source: York County Clerk of Courts forms page.
The list below names the common forms found on that page. Each links back to the official Clerk of Courts forms page.
Mail and Online Access
You can search criminal docket sheets free at the Pennsylvania UJS Case Search at https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch. The docket lists filings but does not let you download them. So the actual copies come from the Clerk of Courts. Use the online search to find your case, then ask the office for the document you need.
Bail can be posted at the Clerk of Courts on the first floor of the Judicial Center from 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding holidays. For an expungement, the petitioner obtains a court order. The Pennsylvania State Police then processes the expungement after receiving the signed order from the Clerk of Courts. So the court signs, the office sends, and the state police clear the record.
The Clerk of Courts filing fee schedule is posted at https://yorkcountypa.gov/192/Filing-Fees. Estates and marriage records sit with a separate office, the Clerk of Orphans' Court and Register of Wills.
Source: York County Clerk of Orphans' Court and Register of Wills.
For estate and marriage files, the probate records office is the right place, not the Clerk of Courts.