Cambria County Common Pleas Overview
Cambria County is Pennsylvania Judicial District 47. The Court of Common Pleas sits at the Cambria County Courthouse in Ebensburg and is the county's general trial court. The Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas are organized into 60 judicial districts and hear major civil and criminal cases. Local court administration also explains that Pennsylvania Common Pleas courts absorbed older separate courts after the 1968 constitutional changes.
The court's public-facing offices include Court Administration, the Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court, District Attorney, Public Defender, Sheriff, Jury Selection, Juvenile Court, Domestic Relations, Adult Probation, and Magisterial District Judges. Court Administration lists separate phone lines for criminal, civil, and law library questions, which helps route users before they visit the courthouse.
The Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas overview is the statewide source for the general trial-court role.
Cambria County applies that statewide structure through Judicial District 47 and the county row offices that keep case records.
Cambria Common Pleas Judges
AOPC lists the Cambria County Court of Common Pleas judges at the courthouse address. Judge phone numbers differ by chambers and by county page listing, so users should confirm current routing through Court Administration when a hearing, filing, or chambers contact is time-sensitive.
| Court | Judge | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judicial District 47 | Hon. Tamara R. Bernstein | 200 South Center Street, Ebensburg, PA 15931 | (814) 472-1416 |
| Judicial District 47 | Hon. Michael A. Carbonara | 200 South Center Street, Ebensburg, PA 15931 | (814) 472-5440 / (814) 472-1492 |
| Judicial District 47 | President Judge Linda R. Fleming | 200 South Center Street, Ebensburg, PA 15931 | (814) 472-2173 |
| Judicial District 47 | Hon. Forrest B. Fordham III | 200 South Center Street, Ebensburg, PA 15931 | (814) 472-1540 |
| Judicial District 47 | Hon. Gregory J. Neugebauer | 200 South Center Street, Ebensburg, PA 15931 | (814) 472-1401 |
The Court Administration page identifies Nicole A. Arrington as Court Administrator, with the main court administration phone at (814) 472-1552 and fax at (814) 472-1466. It also lists Criminal at (814) 472-1560, Civil at (814) 472-1561, and Law Library at (814) 472-1501.
Cambria Common Pleas Case Types
Common Pleas case records in Cambria County are not kept by one single clerk label. The Prothonotary keeps civil records, including divorce, custody, protection from abuse, judgments, liens, eminent domain, driver's license and registration suspension appeals, and appeals from Magisterial District judgments. The Clerk of Courts keeps adult criminal records, including informations, arraignments, pleas, motions, orders, verdicts, sentencing, appeals, costs, restitution, and probation orders.
The Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court handles marriage records, estates, and probate matters. The office keeps marriage records from 1885-present and probate records from the early 1800s-present. Wills are not filed before death, and the office has a will only if an estate was or is opened for the decedent.
| Record Area | Office | Access Path |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Common Pleas | Prothonotary | CountySuite civil search or office request. |
| Adult criminal Common Pleas | Clerk of Courts | UJS public docket or Clerk of Courts request. |
| Marriage and probate | Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court | Office request for records and certified copies. |
| Traffic and preliminary matters | Magisterial District Courts | UJS docket search, MDJ office, or PAePay when payment is available. |
Common Pleas vs Magisterial Courts
Cambria County residents often move between Common Pleas and Magisterial District Court records. Magisterial District Judges handle first-stage and lower-level matters, while the Court of Common Pleas handles the county's general trial-court work. Appeals from lower-court judgments can move into the Common Pleas record system.
| Feature | Court of Common Pleas | Magisterial District Courts |
|---|---|---|
| Main role | General trial court for major civil, criminal, family, and appeal matters. | Minor courts for traffic, summary, preliminary, landlord-tenant, and small civil matters. |
| Record office | Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, or Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court. | MDJ office and UJS docket tools. |
| Online search | UJS for criminal, CountySuite for civil. | UJS for magisterial dockets and many traffic records. |
| Appeal path | Superior Court or Commonwealth Court depending on case type. | Some decisions can be appealed to Common Pleas. |
The AOPC page for the Western District federal courthouse is not a state Common Pleas source, but it helps distinguish county trial-court cases from federal cases filed in Johnstown.
Federal civil, criminal, bankruptcy, and inmate records use federal court and PACER channels rather than Cambria County Common Pleas offices.
Cambria Common Pleas Case Flow
Case flow depends on the record type. A criminal case may begin with charges in a lower court, then move through Common Pleas arraignment, pretrial work, plea or trial, disposition, sentencing, and appeal. A civil case may begin with a complaint or petition filed with the Prothonotary, followed by service, answer, motions, hearings, judgment, and appeal. Divorce, custody, PFA, and driver's license suspension appeals follow their own forms and court rules.
Criminal flow: MDJ proceedings › Common Pleas information › arraignment › pretrial motions › plea or trial › disposition › sentence › appeal.
Civil flow: complaint or petition › service › answer or response › motions or conference › hearing or trial › judgment or order › appeal.
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania handles federal cases separately from the county Court of Common Pleas.
That distinction prevents a county docket search from being confused with PACER, bankruptcy CM/ECF, or federal criminal records.
Cambria Magisterial District Courts
Cambria County has eight Magisterial District Courts. They cover Johnstown-area wards and broader county regions including Ebensburg, Lilly, Hastings, Sidman, Mineral Point, and other municipalities. The county MDJ list gives district numbers, judges, coverage areas, addresses, and phones. Because the coverage descriptions are local, a user should match the address, municipality, citation, or docket to the correct MDJ district before calling.
| District | Judge | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47-1-01 | Brian Subich | 110 Franklin St., Johnstown, PA 15901 | (814) 539-9982 |
| 47-1-02 | Susan Gindlesperger | 110 Sunray Dr. Suite 2, Johnstown, PA 15905 | (814) 255-2205 |
| 47-1-03 | Kevin Price | 110 Franklin St. Suite 202, Johnstown, PA 15905 | (814) 539-7791 |
| 47-3-01 | Mary Ann Zanghi | 200 Adams Ave., Suite 2, Mineral Point, PA 15942 | (814) 322-1527 |
| 47-3-03 | John Prebish | 2223 W 2nd Street, Lilly, PA 15938 | (814) 886-8879 |
| 47-3-05 | Michael Zungali | 207 5th Ave., Suite 3, Hastings, PA 16646 | (814) 247-6588 |
| 47-3-06 | Rick Varner | 112 Mary Drive, Sidman, PA 15955 | (814) 487-5111 |
| 47-3-07 | David Beyer | 401 Candlelight Dr., Suite 120, Ebensburg, PA 15931 | (814) 472-6661 |
Note: The research did not locate official courthouse parking rates, locker rules, or an ADA entrance map.
Common Pleas Record Paths
A Cambria County Court of Common Pleas search should start with the case type. Civil, family, custody, divorce, PFA, lien, judgment, and many appeal records use the Prothonotary. Adult criminal records use the Clerk of Courts. Estate, probate, guardianship, and marriage records use the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court. Court Administration can help route criminal, civil, and law library questions, but the certified copy comes from the office that keeps the file.
Online access follows the same split. UJS Case Search is the statewide public docket route for criminal Common Pleas, Magisterial District, appellate, traffic, and calendar data. CountySuite is the local civil search tied to the Prothonotary. PAePay is the payment route for approved court costs, fines, traffic tickets, restitution, bail, and state probation or parole fees. An online result is a starting point, not always the final record.
Cambria Appeals and Federal Context
Appeals from Cambria County matters generally move to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania for criminal, family, and many civil cases, or to Commonwealth Court for government-agency and public-sector matters. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the court of last resort and generally reviews cases by discretionary review. The Prothonotary research also notes appeals to the Superior and Commonwealth Courts as part of the civil office's work.
Federal cases are outside the county Common Pleas system. Cambria County is served by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, with a Johnstown Division at the Penn Traffic Building. Federal criminal, civil-rights, federal-question, diversity, bankruptcy, and federal agency matters use federal court systems and PACER or CM/ECF. A county docket can mention a related federal issue, but it does not replace the federal case file.
Common Pleas users should also account for local specialty resources. Adult Probation lists Veterans Court, Mental Health Court, and the Day Reporting Center, and the District Attorney page links Veterans Court and a criminal justice flow chart. The official research did not show full eligibility manuals, so those programs should be confirmed through the court, Adult Probation, counsel, or the District Attorney before relying on them in a specific case.