Common Pleas Court: Case Search & Records

Common Pleas Courts • Case Search • Dockets & Public Records

Common Pleas Court: Case Search & Records

Trying to find a Court of Common Pleas case, read a docket, check a hearing, or request a judgment? The first question is not simply the person’s name. It is which state and county court handled the case.

Courts of Common Pleas exist in different states, but they do not share one nationwide database. A Pennsylvania criminal docket, an Ohio civil judgment, a Delaware misdemeanor, and a South Carolina lawsuit can all involve a Common Pleas court while requiring different official record searches.

Search warning: there is no single national “Common Pleas Court case search.” A website claiming to search every Common Pleas court through one official government portal should be treated cautiously.

Find Your State’s Search Search by Name Get Certified Records

Independent court information guide • Reviewed October 2026 • Public portal coverage, courthouse procedures and record-access rules vary by jurisdiction.

Choose the correct jurisdiction

Where to Search a Court of Common Pleas Case

“Common Pleas” has a different role in each state. Before entering a person’s name or buying a record, identify the location and case type.

Pennsylvania County Courts of Common Pleas

Trial courts covering major criminal cases, civil litigation, family matters, estates and other proceedings. The Pennsylvania UJS portal offers public criminal Common Pleas docket sheets; county offices handle many other records.

Pennsylvania Judiciary Web Portal

Ohio Common Pleas Courts in 88 Counties

Each Ohio county has a Court of Common Pleas. General, domestic relations, probate and juvenile divisions may maintain distinct searches and records offices.

Ohio Trial Court Directory

Delaware Statewide Court of Common Pleas

Handles eligible civil cases, misdemeanors, motor-vehicle offenses and certain appeals. Public civil case information is searchable through CourtConnect.

Delaware CourtConnect Access

South Carolina Circuit Court — Common Pleas

Common Pleas is the civil side of South Carolina’s Circuit Court. County trial-court public indexes are used for local civil cases, while criminal matters are generally associated with General Sessions.

South Carolina Judicial Branch

Fast identification: if the paperwork says “CP” and lists a Pennsylvania county, begin with the Pennsylvania UJS system. If it lists an Ohio county Court of Common Pleas, identify that county’s clerk. If it names Delaware Court of Common Pleas, use Delaware’s court resources. If it says South Carolina Common Pleas, use the appropriate county civil public index.

Pennsylvania

How to Search Pennsylvania Common Pleas Court Cases

Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System Web Portal provides free public docket-sheet access for criminal Courts of Common Pleas cases. It also contains appellate and magisterial district records. However, civil Common Pleas dockets are not generally available through the same statewide public criminal docket search; the county prothonotary or other court office is often the correct source.

Choose courtCommon Pleas.

Select docketCriminal or supported type.

Enter detailsName or docket number.

Read resultsDocket sheet and case events.

Official Pennsylvania criminal docket lookup

Open the Pennsylvania Judiciary Web Portal.
Choose Case Information and then Case Search.
Select the Common Pleas court type and the appropriate public docket category.
Choose a search method such as docket number or participant name.
Enter the known details and narrow by county when possible.
Open the matching docket sheet and compare participant names, case number, filing county, dates and status.
Review docket entries, dispositions, scheduled events and any publicly displayed financial information.
Contact the county clerk of courts when a document or certified copy is not available online.

No account required: the official Pennsylvania UJS public docket guide says public docket sheets can be viewed without creating a portal account. A public search is different from restricted PACFile and secure docket access.

What about Pennsylvania civil Common Pleas cases?

For a civil case such as a contract dispute, mortgage foreclosure, judgment or other lawsuit, identify the county and use that county’s Prothonotary or civil court records system.

Identify the county named on the complaint, judgment or notice.
Locate the county Court of Common Pleas civil division or Prothonotary’s Office using an official county or Pennsylvania judiciary directory.
Look for its civil case search, docket search, judgment index or records instructions.
Enter the case number or party name.
Review the docket and ask the records office for copies of filings or certified judgments.

Pennsylvania coverage trap: no result in the statewide UJS criminal Common Pleas docket search does not mean there is no civil lawsuit. Civil Common Pleas cases may require county-specific searching.

Official Pennsylvania illustrated PDF: Search for and View Public Docket Sheets

Ohio

Ohio Court of Common Pleas Case Search by County

Ohio has a Court of Common Pleas in every one of its 88 counties. The court may have a General Division and separate Domestic Relations, Probate or Juvenile divisions. The Supreme Court of Ohio does not provide one search covering all county Common Pleas case dockets.

General Division

Felony criminal proceedings, larger civil lawsuits, foreclosures, judgments and selected administrative appeals.

Domestic Relations

Divorce, dissolution, legal separation, spousal support and related family matters.

Probate Division

Estates, wills, guardianships, name changes and other probate proceedings; some records are restricted.

Juvenile Division

Juvenile delinquency, dependency and related matters, with substantial confidentiality rules.

Find the correct Ohio case portal

Open the Supreme Court of Ohio Trial Courts and Local Rules directory.
Choose the county where the case was filed.
Identify the Common Pleas court division listed there.
Open the court or county clerk’s official website.
Find the public records, case search, online docket or clerk records section.
Search using case number or name, as available.
Verify the case category, parties, filing year and most recent docket entries.
Use the responsible clerk for official certified copies or older files.

Ohio local tip: do not search only the General Division for every type of case. A divorce, estate or juvenile matter may be kept in a separate division with its own records policy and case-search system.

Delaware

Delaware Court of Common Pleas: Search Civil Cases With CourtConnect

Delaware has a statewide Court of Common Pleas. Its jurisdiction includes misdemeanors, certain motor-vehicle matters, felony preliminary hearings, appeals from lower courts and civil actions within its monetary jurisdiction.

The Delaware Courts website states that the Court of Common Pleas has concurrent civil jurisdiction in cases where the amount in controversy does not exceed $75,000, subject to the jurisdictional rules. Its CourtConnect system provides public access to civil docket information.

Open the Delaware Courts Civil Case Search page.
Follow the official link to CourtConnect.
Search by the person, business name or case type supported by the interface.
Compare county, parties, filing date and case details.
Open the relevant case to review available docket activities and judgments.
For unavailable documents or certified records, contact the appropriate Court of Common Pleas clerk.

Which Delaware clerk should you contact?

County	Official clerk telephone	When to use
New Castle	(302) 255-0900	Case scheduling, copies and court-specific inquiries
Kent	(302) 735-3900	Case inquiries for Kent County matters
Sussex	(302) 858-5700	Sussex County Common Pleas matters

These clerk numbers are published in Delaware Courts’ official Court of Common Pleas case-inquiry instructions. Confirm the appropriate division before calling.

Case scheduling question? Delaware provides a Case Inquiry Form specifically for scheduled proceedings and Zoom access. The court instructs users to contact the clerk instead for bail, fines, continuances and general inquiries.

South Carolina

South Carolina Court of Common Pleas: Civil Case Search

In South Carolina, Common Pleas is the civil side of the Circuit Court. Criminal cases are generally associated with the Court of General Sessions. The search depends on the county where the civil action was filed.

Open the South Carolina Judicial Branch website.
Find the Trial Court Public Index or county public-index records search.
Select the county connected to the lawsuit.
Accept the public-access disclaimer if presented.
Search by case number, party name or supported case-search fields.
Open the matching Common Pleas case.
Review the case history, parties, filing information and available public document images.
Contact the county Clerk of Court for an official certified copy or missing records.

Helpful South Carolina detail: the Judicial Branch’s public-index guidance explains that party-name searches can offer Begins With and Contains options. Try these when the full legal name is uncertain.

Do not confuse trial and appellate searches: South Carolina’s C-Track Public Access is for appellate cases. Use the county trial-court Public Index for the original Common Pleas civil docket.

Name-search method

How to Search Common Pleas Court Cases by Name

Whether you are looking for a civil lawsuit, felony case, family matter or a business judgment, a name search is most useful after you know the state, county and court division.

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Exact name: begin with the legal first and last name or registered business name.

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Alternate spellings: try suffixes, middle initials, former surnames and punctuation changes where supported.

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Filing county: use a location clue from a summons, arrest, notice, property location or old docket.

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Approximate year: apply a date filter if available.

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Case type: distinguish civil, criminal, domestic relations, probate and appeal categories.

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Identity verification: compare parties, court, case number, filing date and procedural details before relying on a match.

A matching name is not proof. Never assume a result refers to a particular person merely because the first and last names match.

Common Pleas Case Number Search: Why Formats Differ

Docket numbers are not standardized across every Common Pleas jurisdiction. Pennsylvania criminal dockets can include a CP county-style identifier. South Carolina Common Pleas civil case numbers may contain a CP designation. Ohio and Delaware use their own case-number conventions.

Find the number on the summons, criminal information, complaint, judgment or hearing notice.
Record the state, county and court name appearing with it.
Copy the complete number, including letters, hyphens and filing year.
Open the official portal for that jurisdiction.
Enter the number in the case-number or docket-number field.
Verify the case title, court, participants and filing date.
Save the number when requesting a copy or asking the clerk about a hearing.

If a case started in a lower court and moved to Common Pleas, it may have a different number after transfer. Appeals can also receive a separate appellate number.

Understand the case history

How to Read a Common Pleas Court Docket

A docket sheet or register of actions is a record of events and filings. It is not always the complete set of documents in the court file. The terminology differs by state and case type.

Case captionThe formal title identifying the parties or matter.

Docket numberThe unique identifier within that court system.

Filing dateThe date a case or document was entered with the court.

Party / participantA plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent or other participant.

MotionA request for a judge to take action; not proof it was granted.

OrderA judicial direction or determination issued in the case.

JudgmentA court decision resolving a claim or issue, subject to any later modification or appeal.

DispositionThe recorded outcome or status of a charge, claim or case.

Read the sequence: a motion being filed does not mean it was granted. A criminal charge does not establish guilt. An initial judgment might later be stayed, modified or appealed. Read the most recent relevant entries.

No Common Pleas Case Found? What to Check Next

Problem	Possible reason	Next step
Wrong state	Common Pleas is used in several jurisdictions.	Confirm state and county from original documents.
Wrong division	Civil, felony, family, probate or juvenile files may use different systems.	Choose the responsible court division.
Pennsylvania civil case missing	UJS public Common Pleas search primarily provides criminal dockets at that level.	Use the county Prothonotary or civil records source.
Name not found	Search format, surname variation or filing-year mismatch.	Try supported partial-name searches and verify the county.
Case number does not work	Different format, transfer or appellate number.	Compare the complete docket number and court.
Restricted case	Sealed, juvenile, confidential, expunged or limited-access status.	Follow the applicable court’s authorized access procedure.
Docket visible, PDF missing	Not every filing is remotely imaged or publicly available.	Request access or copies from the clerk.
Recent event absent	Court updates may not appear immediately online.	Confirm directly when a deadline or hearing depends on it.

Court of record

How to Request Common Pleas Court Records and Certified Copies

If you need a certified judgment, sentencing order, divorce decree, estate document or complete case file, locate the clerk responsible for that case. An online docket sheet may help identify the document but is not necessarily an authenticated copy.

Prepare the following information

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State, county and exact court division.

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Case or docket number, if known.

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Names of the parties or defendant.

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Approximate filing date or judgment date.

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Specific document requested.

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Whether you need an ordinary copy, certified copy or another form of authentication.

Step-by-step records request

Use the official court or clerk directory to locate the office holding the file.
Check the public records, copy-request or records-access instructions.
Find the document name and date in the case history when possible.
Ask whether online, mail, email or in-person requests are accepted.
Identify any official reproduction, search or certification fee.
Submit the request using the court’s prescribed method.
Keep the receipt or request reference number.

Fees are local: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware and South Carolina do not share one universal Common Pleas certified-copy fee. Copy charges and search costs can differ by state, county, document type and service. Do not send payment based on a fee from another court.

Official Court Search Resources and Guides

These official government and judiciary resources support the searches and record-access procedures described above.

Pennsylvania Judiciary Web Portal Pennsylvania Public Court Case Information Pennsylvania UJS Case Search Help Pennsylvania Illustrated Docket Search PDF Ohio Trial Courts and Local Rules Ohio Court of Common Pleas Structure Delaware CourtConnect Civil Case Search Delaware Court of Common Pleas Delaware Common Pleas Jurisdiction South Carolina Judicial Branch South Carolina Public Index and E-Filing FAQs South Carolina Appellate C-Track Public Access

Frequently asked questions

10 FAQs About Common Pleas Court Case Search & Records

1. What is a Court of Common Pleas?

A Court of Common Pleas is a court name used in several states, but its jurisdiction differs. Ohio and Pennsylvania have county Courts of Common Pleas, Delaware has a statewide Court of Common Pleas, and South Carolina uses Common Pleas for the civil side of its Circuit Court.

2. Is there one national Common Pleas Court case search?

No. Courts of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware and South Carolina are separate state court systems. You must identify the state, county and court type before selecting the official case-search service.

3. How can I search Common Pleas Court cases by name?

First identify the state, county and court division. Open that court’s official portal or clerk website, choose party or participant search, enter the person’s or business’s name, and compare the results by case number, filing date, court and party role.

4. How do I find Pennsylvania Common Pleas criminal dockets?

Use the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Web Portal, select Case Information and Case Search, choose the Common Pleas court and criminal docket category, then search by available docket number or participant-name fields. Public docket sheets do not require a portal account.

5. Where can I search Pennsylvania civil Common Pleas cases?

Pennsylvania’s statewide UJS public Common Pleas docket search primarily covers criminal cases. For civil litigation, judgments, foreclosures and many other civil case files, search the county Prothonotary or the official county civil records system.

6. How do I find an Ohio Court of Common Pleas case?

Use the Supreme Court of Ohio Trial Courts directory to select the county and identify the proper General, Domestic Relations, Probate or Juvenile Division. Then open the official county court or clerk records service and search by name or case number.

7. Can I search Delaware Court of Common Pleas records online?

Yes. Delaware Courts provides CourtConnect for civil docket searches by a person’s name, business name or case type. Other criminal, scheduling and document requests may need the appropriate Delaware Court of Common Pleas clerk.

8. How do I search South Carolina Common Pleas civil cases?

Use the South Carolina Judicial Branch Trial Court Public Index and select the county where the civil action was filed. Search by case number or party information, review the case history, and contact the county Clerk of Court for official copies or unavailable records.

9. Why can’t I find a Common Pleas court case online?

You may be searching the wrong state, county or division, using a mismatched case number, or looking for a case excluded by sealing, confidentiality, expungement or other restrictions. Certain civil case searches and older records also require county-level or in-person access.

10. How do I obtain certified Common Pleas Court records?

Contact the clerk or records office of the court that maintains the case. Provide the state, county, case number, party names and exact document requested. Ask for a certified copy and confirm any applicable search, reproduction, certification and delivery fees before submitting your request.