York County Prothonotary Records

About the York County Prothonotary

The Prothonotary is York County's civil and family court filing office. The elected official who runs it is Diane M. Platts, Prothonotary. The office takes in and keeps the official papers for custody, divorce, civil actions, judgments, mechanics liens, municipal tax liens, name changes, license suspension appeals, and protection-from-abuse filings. It also processes passports and gives out court records. If a case is civil or family in nature, the file most likely sits here.

Pennsylvania uses a split-clerk model, so no single office holds every type of court record. The Prothonotary keeps civil and family records. The Clerk of Courts keeps criminal records. The Register of Wills, tied to probate records, keeps estates and marriage records. Knowing which office holds what saves a wasted trip. Passport service runs by appointment, and the staff can point you to the right desk when a request crosses office lines.

What the Prothonotary Does in York County

The Prothonotary is the gatekeeper for civil and family court paperwork in York County. When a person files a divorce, a custody case, or a civil suit, the first stop is this office. Staff take in the pleadings, stamp them with a date, give the case a number, and add the file to the court record. They also keep the records safe, run the public search tools, and hand out copies when people ask. Fees get collected at the counter or through the e-filing system. The work is steady and the rules are exact, since these files often shape big life decisions.

Day to day, the office handles a mix of tasks tied to the Court of Common Pleas. The core duties include the following.

• File civil and family pleadings
• Maintain civil court records and judgments
• Run the Civil Case Search and electronic filing system
• Issue copies and certified copies
• Handle divorce decree copy requests
• Record mechanics liens, municipal tax liens, and name changes

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is a court-stamped version of a record that proves the document is real. People need them for many reasons. A divorce decree may be asked for when someone remarries, changes a name, or settles money matters. A judgment copy may be needed to enforce a debt. A plain copy is fine for personal use, but courts, banks, and other agencies often want the certified kind. The steps below walk through how to get one from the York County Prothonotary.

1. Identify the case number and party names so staff can find the right file fast.
2. For items filed May 2008 or later, print the document from the Civil Case Search module on the Prothonotary e-filing site.
3. For older records or for certified copies, submit a request along with the correct fee.
4. For a divorce decree by mail, send the party names, your phone number, the approximate year, the case number if known, a $15 money order payable to Prothonotary, and a self-addressed stamped envelope; a confidential special decree requires acceptable ID.

Records Request Form Fields

A request goes faster when the details are clear. The Prothonotary needs enough to find the file and to charge the right fee. The table shows the common fields on a records request, whether each one is needed, and a short note on what staff expect. Filling in every field you can helps avoid back-and-forth and delay.

York County Prothonotary Fees

Fees split into two main groups. Copy fees are small and per page. Filing fees are larger and depend on the case type. The civil filing fees shown here took effect August 1, 2023. A divorce complaint costs more if extra counts get added, so the total can climb past the base. The table lists the most common charges. Always confirm the current amount before you pay, since fees can change.

The office takes several forms of payment. You can pay with cash, money order, credit or debit card, certified bank check, or business check. Personal checks are not accepted, so plan ahead if you mail a request. A money order payable to Prothonotary is the safest choice for a mailed divorce decree request. For more on divorce filings, see marriage and divorce records.

Common Prothonotary Forms and Tools

Most of the day-to-day tools live on the county website. The links below cover case lookup, e-filing, and the current fee list. The search and filing system is the same place where you print recent documents on your own. Check the fee schedule before you file, since amounts get updated from time to time.

• Civil Case Search and electronic filing system (CountySuite Online) - civil case lookup and e-filing
• Electronic Filing policy - mandatory e-filing categories
• Prothonotary Fee Schedule - current filing and copy fees

Mail and Online Filings

Many records can be reached without a trip downtown. Civil and family items filed May 2008 or later can be printed from the Civil Case Search module on the Prothonotary e-filing site at prothyefiling.yorkcountypa.gov. To search civil cases, the public landing page shows a login with options to register a user or recover a password. Once signed in, you can look up a case and pull the documents tied to it.

Electronic filing has been mandatory since January 3, 2023 for judgments, mechanics liens, municipal tax liens, and certain non-family civil suit filings. That last group covers appeals to the Commonwealth and Superior Courts, arbitration appeals, subpoenas, and writs of revival. Family Court e-filing is not available, so those papers still go in by other means. The rules are strict on timing. Clerks do not accept or reject e-filings after 4:30 p.m., on weekends, or on holidays, and the timestamp reflects the submitted date.

One technical point trips up filers. PDF documents must be flattened to meet PDF/A rules before they upload. Skip this and the file may bounce. For a wider look at how to pull files across the county, see court records, and for non-court files start with public records.

Related York County Resources

For court files, see court records. For probate, see probate records. For broader public records, see public records.