How to Search Cambria County Court Records
Most Cambria County Court records start with the Pennsylvania UJS Case Search. That statewide tool provides public docket sheets for Criminal Courts of Common Pleas, Magisterial District Courts, appellate courts, and Philadelphia Municipal Court records. In Cambria County, it is the main online path for adult criminal dockets, traffic and summary matters handled by Magisterial District Courts, public calendars, and statewide appellate case lookups. Recent entries may lag the filing office, and UJS docket sheets are not a Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history background check.
Civil Court of Common Pleas searches use the Cambria County Civil Court Online Portal and its Prothonotary public search. Older civil copies, certified copies, and records not visible online may require a direct request to the Prothonotary. Adult criminal certified copies route to the Clerk of Courts. Administrative county records, sheriff records, and non-case county files may require the Cambria County Open Records process.
- Open UJS Case Search for criminal, Magisterial District, appellate, public-calendar, and many traffic docket records.
- Select a search method such as docket number, participant name, organization name, OTN, complaint number, or citation number.
- Use Cambria as the county filter when the portal permits it, then narrow by court type or date if results are broad.
- For civil Common Pleas cases, use CountySuite and search by case number, participant name, participant address, reference number, or opened-date range.
- Contact the Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, Magisterial District Court, or Open Records Officer when a current filing, certified copy, or non-digitized record is needed.
The county homepage captured in the image below is one official starting point for court offices, fines, marriage licenses, open records, and county contacts. See the Cambria County government homepage for the source.
That county hub is useful when an online docket gives a record clue but a local office must issue the copy or confirm the latest filing.
Cambria County Court System Overview
Cambria County is Pennsylvania Judicial District 47. The Court of Common Pleas is the county's general trial court, while Magisterial District Courts handle preliminary criminal proceedings, traffic citations, summary offenses, landlord-tenant matters, smaller civil claims, private criminal complaints after review, and local ordinance cases where applicable. Appeals from many lower-court matters may move into Common Pleas, and later appeals may go to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania or Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania depending on case type.
The AOPC Cambria County court page confirms the county court location and official court links. The local Court Administration page describes the Court of Common Pleas as a court of general jurisdiction and lists separate public lines for criminal, civil, and law library questions.
Case flow: Magisterial District Court › Cambria County Court of Common Pleas › Superior Court or Commonwealth Court › Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
| Court or Office | Role in Cambria County | Common Record Types |
|---|---|---|
| Court of Common Pleas | General trial court for Judicial District 47 | Major civil cases, adult criminal cases, family filings, appeals, Orphans' Court matters |
| Magisterial District Courts | Local minor courts across Johnstown, Ebensburg, Hastings, Lilly, Sidman, Mineral Point, and other areas | Traffic citations, summary offenses, preliminary hearings, landlord-tenant cases, small civil claims |
| Prothonotary | Civil clerk for Common Pleas | Divorce, custody, PFA, civil judgments, liens, civil appeals, naturalization records |
| Clerk of Courts | Adult criminal clerk for Common Pleas | Criminal docket records, informations, pleas, orders, sentences, appeals, costs |
| Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court | Marriage and probate office | Marriage records, estates, wills after death, probate files, Orphans' Court matters |
The AOPC Cambria County court page is the state judiciary's local county court page.
Use that source to confirm the Common Pleas court location and state judiciary links before relying on local copies or calendars.
The image from Cambria County Court Administration shows the county's local court office structure and public contact panel.
Those administration contacts matter when a record search turns into a hearing-date, calendar, or courtroom question rather than a copy request.
Cambria County Courthouse Location
The Cambria County Courthouse is the center of the county court system. It houses or links to Court Administration, the Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court, District Attorney, Public Defender, Sheriff, Jury Selection, Juvenile Court, Domestic Relations, Adult Probation, and related court offices. The county posts courthouse hours as Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and notes that the courthouse no longer provides notary service.
Cambria County Courthouse
200 South Center Street
Ebensburg, PA 15931
(814) 472-5440
Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Court Administration
200 South Center Street
Ebensburg, PA 15931
(814) 472-1552
Criminal: (814) 472-1560
Civil: (814) 472-1561
Record Storage
1150 Wilmore Road
Ebensburg, PA 15931
(814) 472-2353
Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Types of Cambria County Court Records
Cambria County Court records vary by the office that created them. A civil complaint, divorce case, custody filing, protection from abuse matter, judgment, lien, or civil appeal belongs with the Prothonotary. Adult criminal files are kept by the Clerk of Courts once the case reaches the Court of Common Pleas. Magisterial District Court records cover traffic tickets, non-traffic summary offenses, preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings, small civil claims, landlord-tenant cases, and local ordinance matters.
Marriage records and probate records are not held by the same office as criminal or civil case files. The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court keeps marriage records from 1885 to the present and probate records from the early 1800s to the present. Juvenile, adoption, sealed, expunged, and some minor-related files are restricted and do not appear as ordinary public dockets.
- Criminal records: adult Common Pleas case files, charging documents, pleas, orders, sentences, costs, restitution, and appeals.
- Civil records: lawsuits, judgments, liens, divorce, custody, PFA filings, eminent domain, and appeals from lower courts.
- Magisterial District records: traffic, summary, preliminary criminal, landlord-tenant, and smaller civil matters.
- Marriage and Orphans' Court records: marriage applications, certified marriage copies, estates, wills after death, probate files, and guardianship matters.
- Custody and jail records: county prison custody confirmation, VINE notifications, state DOC locator results, and federal BOP inmate records where applicable.
Cambria County Court Record Fields
The statewide UJS portal and the county civil portal do not ask for the same information. UJS is built around statewide docket identifiers, participant names, organization names, OTN values, complaint numbers, state ID numbers, and court type. CountySuite is a Prothonotary civil search, so it supports civil case number, participant name, participant address, reference number, and date-opened filters.
| Field | Where It Helps | What It Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Docket or case number | UJS and CountySuite | Direct route to a known court case or civil filing |
| Participant name | UJS and CountySuite | Person or party search when the number is unknown |
| OTN | UJS criminal records | Offense Tracking Number tied to Pennsylvania criminal processing |
| Citation or complaint number | UJS and PAePay | Traffic, summary, or complaint-based search path |
| County and court type | UJS | Limits statewide results to Cambria and a court level |
| Date-opened range | CountySuite | Narrows civil Prothonotary cases by filing date |
A captured image of the Pennsylvania UJS Portal shows the statewide entry point for case search, payment, and docket tools.
Use the statewide portal when the case type is criminal, magisterial, appellate, traffic, or tied to a public court calendar.
Public Access Laws for Cambria County Court Records
Pennsylvania public access uses more than one rule set. The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. Section 67.101 et seq., governs state and local agency records, but court case access follows judiciary policies and court rules. The Unified Judicial System public records page links court data, financial record rules, docket policies, and case-access materials for Pennsylvania courts.
For Cambria County Court records, the practical rule is to start with the court portal for public docket sheets and the correct county office for copies. UJS public docket sheets may show less than secure docket sheets. A filing can also exist at the courthouse before it appears online. Certified records must come from the office that keeps the file.
Key Access Rules:
65 P.S. Section 67.101 et seq. governs public access to many state and local agency records.
Pa.R.J.A. 509 treats Unified Judicial System financial records as open unless an exception applies.
UJS Electronic Case Record Public Access Policy controls what case data appears in public electronic docket access.
The statewide UJS public records page is the source for judiciary access policies, docket sheets, financial records, and correction channels.
That policy source is separate from the county Right-to-Know page, which is why court case records and county administrative records can follow different request paths.
The image from the Cambria County Open Records page shows the local administrative records channel.
That channel helps with county administrative records and non-case files, while court case copies still depend on the correct clerk or court office.
Restricted Cambria County Court Records
Not every Cambria County Court record is public online. Restricted categories include juvenile cases, adoption files, sealed criminal records, expunged records, some mental-health proceedings, confidential victim or witness data, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, minor names in certain contexts, and secure criminal reports. UJS separates public docket sheets from secure docket sheets and secure calendar schedules, and secure access requires login.
Expungement and limited access are separate from a routine record search. A person usually needs the docket number, OTN, charges, arrest date, disposition, and agencies that hold the record before filing a petition or using statewide forms. Adult criminal records route through the Clerk of Courts and UJS. Juvenile expungement follows a different statute. Eligibility should be checked with the Clerk of Courts, an attorney, or statewide self-help forms before any filing decision is made.
Cambria County Court Offices
The split clerk structure is one of the most important local facts for Cambria County Court records. The Prothonotary is the civil clerk for Court of Common Pleas records. Lisa Crynock is listed as Prothonotary, with civil duties that include divorce, custody, protection from abuse, judgments, liens, appeals, and naturalization records. The Clerk of Courts keeps adult criminal Court of Common Pleas records. Max R. Pavlovich is listed as Clerk of Courts.
The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court handles marriage and estate work. It keeps marriage records from 1885 to the present and probate records from the early 1800s to the present. It also states a local rule that wills are not filed while a person is living and are filed after death only if an estate was or is opened.
| Office | Records | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Prothonotary | Civil Common Pleas records, divorce, custody, PFA, judgments, liens, appeals | (814) 472-1638 |
| Clerk of Courts | Adult criminal Common Pleas records, appeals, criminal costs, road docket materials | (814) 472-1540 |
| Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court | Marriage records, estate files, probate records, Orphans' Court records | (814) 472-5440 main county line |
| Open Records Officer | Administrative county records and Right-to-Know requests | (814) 472-1607 |
Cambria County Court Record Fees
Official research found several county fees, but not a full visible line-item fee schedule for every court copy. The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court publishes marriage and historical copy fees. The sheriff publishes civil-service and license fees. The Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts pages link fee schedules, but the detailed text was not visible in the captured page body, so copy amounts should be confirmed with those offices before ordering.
| Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $60.00 cash only |
| Certified marriage copy | $5.00 |
| Marriage application photocopy | $1.00 |
| Genealogy research | $5.00 for up to five names |
| PAePay online payment | UJS states a $2,500 maximum transaction amount for fines, costs, and restitution |
| Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts copies | Confirm current fee schedule with the office before requesting certified copies |
Cambria County Warrants and Jail Records
The Cambria County Sheriff provides courtroom security, prisoner transport, criminal bench-warrant arrests, and Domestic Relations warrant arrests. The sheriff does not publish a complete active-warrant search database on the county page. It does publish a 24/7 warrant tip hotline and a warrant tip email. Public wanted or warrant posts may appear on CRIMEWATCH Cambria County, but CRIMEWATCH is not a full countywide court warrant database.
Cambria County Prison is at 425 Manor Drive in Ebensburg. No official county online jail roster or inmate profile search was found on the county prison page. County custody checks may require calling the prison, using Pennsylvania VINE for custody alerts, checking the Pennsylvania DOC locator for state-sentenced inmates and parolees, or using the federal BOP locator for federal custody.
Cambria County Sheriff
200 South Center Street
Ebensburg, PA 15931
Clerk: (814) 472-1691
Deputy: (814) 472-2440
Warrant tips: (814) 472-8395
Cambria County Prison
425 Manor Drive
Ebensburg, PA 15931
(814) 472-7330
Lobby and professional visitation hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Cambria County Traffic Court Records
Traffic citations and many summary matters in Cambria County generally begin in Magisterial District Court. The citation should show the district court and case number. PAePay allows online payment for traffic tickets, court costs, fines, restitution, bail, and state probation or parole fees when the obligation is approved for online payment. UJS help states that paying a traffic citation online requires a guilty plea during the payment process.
Court traffic records and PennDOT driver records are different files. The court record shows the citation, court, charge, plea, hearing date, disposition, fine, costs, payment status, and possible warrant entries for failure to appear or pay. A driver record is kept by PennDOT and shows license status, points, suspensions, convictions reported to PennDOT, and CDL implications.
The UJS Case Search page captured below is the main public docket search path for Cambria County court and traffic docket records.
When a payment result does not appear, search by citation number, person name, or docket number, then call the listed Magisterial District Court if the case is still missing.
Cambria County Specialty Courts
Adult Probation lists specialty court and supervision resources for Cambria County, including the Day Reporting Center, Veterans Court, and Mental Health Court. The available official research did not show full eligibility manuals, graduation terms, or program statistics, so these programs should be described as local court-supervision and treatment-related resources rather than broad promises of diversion.
Adult Probation is located at 401 Candlelight Drive, Suite 250, in Ebensburg. Corey Hale is listed as Chief Probation Officer. Published phone numbers include (814) 472-4410 for Ebensburg, (814) 534-2551 for Johnstown, and (814) 471-1801 for the Day Reporting Center. The District Attorney page also links Veterans Court material and a criminal justice flow chart.
Federal Court Records for Cambria County
Federal cases are not Cambria County Court records. Cambria County is served by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the Johnstown Division is at the U.S. Courthouse in the Penn Traffic Building. Federal civil, criminal, civil-rights, diversity, federal-question, and agency cases use federal court systems and PACER or CM/ECF instead of county portals.
Bankruptcy cases are handled by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Federal inmate records use the Bureau of Prisons locator, while federal prosecution information may involve the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. A state or county docket may mention federal activity, but the official federal case file must be searched in the federal court system.
Cambria County Court History
Cambria County's records reflect Pennsylvania's long Court of Common Pleas structure. Court Administration notes that Common Pleas courts received constitutional status in Pennsylvania by the Constitution of 1776. Before the 1968 Constitution, separate courts such as Oyer and Terminer, General Jail Delivery, Quarter Sessions of the Peace, and Orphans' Courts existed before their work was incorporated into the Common Pleas system.
That history explains why modern users still see Orphans' Court language for probate and estate records even though the Court of Common Pleas is the trial court of general jurisdiction. It also explains why older local records can sit in row offices rather than in a single statewide database. Cambria's Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court reports probate records from the early 1800s to the present, and the Prothonotary offers public access to naturalization records from the early 1800s.
Cambria County Court Records FAQ
Where do Cambria County criminal court records start online?
Adult criminal docket records usually start with UJS Case Search. Certified copies and full Common Pleas criminal file questions go to the Cambria County Clerk of Courts.
Where are Cambria County divorce records kept?
Divorce records are civil Court of Common Pleas records. Search the CountySuite civil portal first, then contact the Prothonotary for copies or older filings.
Is there a Cambria County jail roster online?
No official county online jail roster was found in the official county prison page research. Call Cambria County Prison, use Pennsylvania VINE for notifications, or use the DOC and BOP locators for state or federal custody.
Can PAePay be used to fight a traffic ticket?
No. PAePay is a payment tool. UJS help states that online traffic citation payment requires a guilty plea, so contesting a ticket requires following the listed Magisterial District Court's instructions.
Are all Cambria County Court records public?
No. Juvenile, adoption, sealed, expunged, secure, mental-health, victim, witness, and minor-related information may be restricted or redacted.
Which office handles probate records?
The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court handles probate and estate records, including probate files from the early 1800s to the present.