Search York County Common Pleas Records

York County Court of Common Pleas Overview

The York County Court of Common Pleas is the trial court of general jurisdiction in the county. It makes up Pennsylvania's 19th Judicial District. This court hears the major civil and criminal cases. It also takes on divorce, custody, adoption, abuse and protection matters, juvenile delinquency, estates, guardianships, and charitable organization matters. In short, if a case is too big or too serious for a lower court, it lands here.

The court sits at the York County Judicial Center, 45 North George Street, York, PA 17401. President Judge Michael W. Flannelly leads the bench. You can read more about the court on the county's Court of Common Pleas page, and the full list of sitting judges is posted on the judge roster. To trace a file once it reaches this court, you can also check York County court records and court dockets.

York County Magisterial District Courts

The 19th Judicial District runs more than one trial court. Above sits the single Court of Common Pleas, which splits its work into civil, criminal, and family divisions. Below it are 19 Magisterial District Courts spread across the county. These are the local courts where most people first meet the system, and each one is led by an elected Magisterial District Judge.

The table lists every York County Magisterial District Court by its MDJ number, the sitting judge, the office address, and the phone. One note on the list: office 19-1-05 moved to the Human Services Center at 100 West Market Street, Suite 1116, as of September 30, 2025. The full office directory is kept on the county's Magisterial District Judges offices page.

Court of Common Pleas vs. Magisterial District Court

Pennsylvania does not have a separate "County Court" or "Justice Court" like some other states. The trial system here has two tiers. At the top is the Court of Common Pleas. At the local level are the Magisterial District Courts. The split between them turns mostly on how much money is at stake and how serious a crime is.

The table below sets the two side by side. In plain terms, the district judge takes the small stuff and the first steps of a criminal case, while the Court of Common Pleas takes the trials, the family cases, and the larger civil disputes.

How a Case Moves Through the York County System

A case rarely starts and ends in one place. Criminal matters open at the local level, then move up if the charges are serious. Civil matters tend to run their full course in the Court of Common Pleas. The two paths below show the usual steps, though not every case hits every stage. Knowing the order helps when you track a file or look up criminal records tied to a name.

Criminal flow: Arrest or Citation › Magisterial District Court (preliminary hearing, bail) › Court of Common Pleas (arraignment, pretrial, trial, sentencing) › Superior or Commonwealth Court › Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Civil flow: Complaint Filed › Answer › Discovery › Pretrial › Trial › Judgment › Appeal

Civil, Family, and Criminal Divisions

The Court of Common Pleas runs three divisions: civil, criminal, and family. Each one keeps its own files and staff. The Family Law Division uses Divorce Hearing Officers for disputed divorce and economic claims, and Domestic Relations handles child support. The criminal side deals with felony and misdemeanor trials once a case is held for court. The civil side takes lawsuits, contract disputes, and other money claims.

Where a file ends up depends on the case and the office that keeps it. Criminal records are kept by the Clerk of Courts, so the Clerk of Courts is the place to start for those. Civil and family filings are kept by the Prothonotary, and the Prothonotary handles those requests. Estates and guardianships fall to the Orphans' Court Division and run through the Register of Wills. Sorting out which office holds a record saves time before you ever file a request.

Judicial District and Judges

York County stands alone as the 19th Judicial District of Pennsylvania. President Judge Michael W. Flannelly leads the court. The bench is large enough to staff each division and still keep the docket moving.

Active judges include Joseph C. Adams, Christopher A. Ferro, Joseph N. Gothie, Amber A. Kraft, Kelley L. Margetas, Matthew D. Menges, N. Christopher Menges, Paul W. Minnich, Todd R. Platts, Kathleen J. Prendergast, Gregory M. Snyder, Steven D. Stambaugh, Andrea Marceca Strong, and Clyde W. Vedder. Senior judges Maria Musti Cook, Harry M. Ness, and Richard K. Renn also help hear cases. Judges may rotate between divisions, so the name on a case can change as it moves along.

Magistrate, Lower Courts, and Federal Courts

The 19 Magisterial District Judges are the first level of judicial authority in the county. They are where many residents first meet the court system. These judges handle traffic, minor criminal, landlord-tenant, and civil claims up to $12,000. They also set bail and conduct preliminary hearings. From there, serious cases move up to the Court of Common Pleas, while smaller matters often end at the district court.

Not every case stays in state court. Some York County matters belong in the federal system instead. York County sits in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, not the Western District, and that point trips up a lot of people. The federal trial court for the county is the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. You can view its site through the Middle District court page.

The Middle District court hears federal civil and criminal cases that arise in the county. If a debtor files for bankruptcy, that work goes to a separate court. The federal bankruptcy filings run through the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, posted on the bankruptcy court page.

When a party loses in the federal trial court and wants to appeal, the next step is the federal appeals court. Federal appeals from the Middle District go to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Its site lives at the Third Circuit court page.

To read federal case files online, most people use one shared system. Federal case access runs through PACER, which covers district, bankruptcy, and appellate dockets in one place. You can sign up and search at the PACER access page.

One common mix-up is worth a clear word. Pennsylvania has more than one federal district, and the Western District is a separate court that does not cover York County. The Western District court page serves counties on the far side of the state, near Pittsburgh. York County falls under the Middle District, so any federal filing for the county should go there, not to the Western District.

So keep the two layers straight. State cases for York County move through the 19th Judicial District, from the Magisterial District Courts up to the Court of Common Pleas. Federal cases run through the Middle District and, on appeal, the Third Circuit. Picking the right court at the start saves a lot of wasted effort.

Related York County Resources

For dockets and case lookup, see court records and court dockets. For civil and family file requests, see the Prothonotary. For criminal files, see the Clerk of Courts, and to search by name, check York County criminal records.