Delaware County PA Court Records Search: Civil, Criminal, MDJ, Copies & PACER
Use this Delaware County, Pennsylvania-specific guide to search official court records through the county Public Access page, C-Track civil dockets and judgment index, Pennsylvania UJS criminal and Magisterial District Court dockets, Office of Judicial Support copy routes, Register of Wills and Orphans’ Court records, appellate dockets, and federal PACER records.
Public-Court-Records.us is independent. This page is not Delaware County, the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, the Office of Judicial Support, Magisterial District Courts, Register of Wills, Clerk of Orphans’ Court, Recorder of Deeds, Pennsylvania Courts, PACER, a court clerk, a law firm, a government agency or a Consumer Reporting Agency.
Responsible-use warning: a name match does not prove identity. A charge, complaint, citation, docket entry, civil claim, petition, judgment, warrant listing or filing event does not prove guilt or liability. Court records can be incomplete, delayed, sealed, expunged, limited-access, restricted, confidential, corrected later or unavailable online. Do not use this page as an employment, housing, tenant, credit, insurance or FCRA-regulated screening product.
Delaware County court records start with the court type and the correct portal
Delaware County is Pennsylvania’s 32nd Judicial District. Its Office of Judicial Support performs the former Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary functions through Criminal and Civil divisions. Civil dockets and judgment index records use Delaware County’s C-Track public access route. Criminal Common Pleas, Magisterial District Court, appellate dockets and many calendars use the Pennsylvania UJS Web Portal. Probate and Orphans’ Court records use the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans’ Court Division.
Delaware County Court of Common Pleas is Pennsylvania’s 32nd Judicial District.
Delaware County lists thirty Magisterial District Courts across the county.
Magisterial District Judges handle civil cases involving amounts up to $12,000.
The courthouse and Government Center in Media anchor many record offices.
Delaware County PA court-record route finder
Select what you are trying to find. This privacy-safe helper runs in your browser only and does not collect names, dates of birth, docket numbers, addresses or personal information.
Start from the Delaware County Public Access page, choose the civil link, continue as a public user, and search by docket number, party name, business name or judgment details when available.
How to search Delaware County court records without mixing systems
Delaware County’s official Public Access page is the safest starting point because it separates civil C-Track dockets, criminal UJS dockets, e-filing, Recorder of Deeds records, tax records and other public access tools. The statewide Pennsylvania UJS Web Portal is the correct route for many criminal, Magisterial District Court, appellate and calendar searches.
Look for Court of Common Pleas, Office of Judicial Support, Magisterial District Court, Orphans’ Court, Register of Wills, Recorder of Deeds, Superior Court, Commonwealth Court, Supreme Court, federal district court or bankruptcy court.
The county page links to the civil C-Track system for Common Pleas civil dockets and judgment index, and to Pennsylvania UJS for criminal dockets.
Delaware County OJS forms say civil case numbers are written as yyyy-######, such as 2016-031234. Criminal docket numbers use CP-23 formats, such as CP-23-CR-1234-2017.
Use Pennsylvania Case Search for Common Pleas criminal dockets, Magisterial District Court traffic and minor criminal dockets, calendar searches and PAePay. UJS docket sheets are not a substitute for certified court records.
For person or business names, compare docket number, court, filing date, party role, attorney, judge, charge or claim type, docket activity, judgment and final disposition.
For Common Pleas records, contact the Office of Judicial Support file room or correct division. Divorce copies require the docket number. Older files may require archive retrieval before a visit.
Probated estates, probated wills and marriage records use Register of Wills/Orphans’ Court routes. Deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, powers of attorney and other recorded land documents use the Recorder of Deeds.
Which Delaware County PA record route should you use?
Use this table before searching. It prevents false no-record results and keeps Common Pleas, MDJ, Orphans’ Court, Recorder, jail, sheriff, appellate and federal records separate.
| Need | Correct official route | Best next step |
|---|---|---|
| Civil lawsuit, judgment index, lien, contract case, personal injury, property dispute or Common Pleas civil docket | Delaware County C-Track Civil Dockets and Judgment Index / OJS Civil Division | Start from Public Access, open Civil, continue as public user, and search by civil case number in yyyy-###### format or party/business name. |
| Felony, misdemeanor Common Pleas case, summary appeal, bail activity or criminal docket | Pennsylvania UJS Case Search / OJS Criminal Division | Search by CP-23 docket number, participant name, offense tracking number, complaint number or other UJS criteria. |
| Traffic case, non-traffic citation, landlord-tenant, minor criminal, small civil claim or preliminary hearing | Magisterial District Court / Pennsylvania UJS Case Search / PAePay | Use the MJ docket number or citation number when possible. Contact the correct MDJ office directly for paper case records. |
| Court date, hearing, calendar or event search | Pennsylvania Judiciary Web Portal calendars / Delaware County court administration when needed | Search UJS calendars by docket, participant, date range, county and court office when available, then confirm close to the hearing date. |
| Divorce decree or divorce file | Office of Judicial Support divorce-copy route | Find the docket number through Public Access and Civil Docket. The decree is public, but other parts of the file are limited to parties and attorneys of record with photo ID. |
| Probated estate, probated will, marriage record, guardianship, adoption or Orphans’ Court matter | Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans’ Court Division | Use the ROW online guest search for probated estates or marriage records, but order document copies separately because images are not displayed online. |
| Deed, mortgage, satisfaction, assignment, power of attorney, highway plan, subdivision plan or recorded document | Delaware County Recorder of Deeds | Use Recorder Online Records or Recorder Cloud Search. These are land records, not ordinary court dockets. |
| Bench warrant, sheriff service, inmate custody or incarceration proof | Sheriff’s Office / Bench Warrant Division / George W. Hill Correctional Facility Records | Use sheriff or prison records routes. A warrant or custody record is not the same as a final court disposition. |
| Pennsylvania appeal from Delaware County trial court | Pennsylvania UJS appellate docket search / Superior, Commonwealth or Supreme Court route | Use the appellate or docket-number option in UJS Case Search and keep the Delaware County trial docket number with the appellate docket number. |
| Federal civil, federal criminal, federal appellate or bankruptcy case | PACER / Eastern District of Pennsylvania / Eastern District Bankruptcy Court | Use PACER Find a Case or the specific federal court. Delaware County court offices do not keep federal case files. |
Delaware County court copies, certified copies and file-room routing
Online docket viewing is not the same as an official certified court record. For Common Pleas records, use the Office of Judicial Support and its file room. For probate and Orphans’ Court records, use the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans’ Court Division. For land records, use the Recorder of Deeds.
| Request type | Fee or rule shown by official materials | Practical instruction |
|---|---|---|
| OJS certified copy | $6.00 first page; $1.00 each additional page | Use the correct case number, document title, party names and court division before ordering. |
| OJS docket entries | $1.00 per page | A docket entry printout is not always the same as a certified copy of a filed document. |
| Divorce decree simple copy | $1.00 simple copy | You must know the docket number. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope and money order as directed by OJS. |
| Divorce decree certified copy | $6.00 certified copy | Use certified copies for agencies such as PennDOT or Social Security when required. |
| Older divorce file retrieval | OJS keeps current year and five prior years in office; older files should be requested before visiting | Call 610-891-4324 or 610-891-4370 before visiting for older divorce files. |
| ROW online marriage/probate copy orders | ROW online copy orders may require up to 14 business days for processing | Use online search first, then order copies. Orphans’ Court copy requests cannot be processed online and should be directed to Orphans’ Court. |
| Recorder land-record copies | Recorder materials list online copies at $0.50 per page and in-office copies at $1.00 per page | Use Recorder Cloud Search for electronically certified copies when available. |
| Rule 509 judicial financial records | $0.25 per page plus actual mailing expenses, with possible waiver for four pages or fewer | Rule 509 is for judicial financial records, not normal case-file copies, dockets or certified judgments. |
Delaware County copy-cost estimator
This estimator is only a planning aid. The official custodian controls the actual fee, page count, certification rule, postage, archive retrieval, payment method and delivery process.
Official Delaware County PA court-record links and what to do after opening each one
Use these official and court-recognized links with the after-opening steps below. Do not treat private background-check pages, scraped indexes or sponsored people-search sites as official court records.
Use this as the official county starting point for civil, criminal, e-filing, Recorder, tax and other public access links.
- Choose Civil for Common Pleas civil dockets and judgment index.
- Choose Criminal for Pennsylvania UJS criminal dockets.
- Use Recorder only for recorded land documents.
- Do not use dog license, tax or recorder links for court-case outcomes.
Use this for the combined former Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary functions.
- Use Criminal Division for criminal files processed from District Justices.
- Use Civil Division for civil cases, liens and judgments.
- Email OJSfileroom@co.delaware.pa.us for file-room routing when appropriate.
- Call 610-891-4370 before visiting for record-copy questions.
Use this for Delaware County Court of Common Pleas civil dockets and judgment index.
- Enable JavaScript.
- Read the disclaimer.
- Continue as a public user.
- Search by docket number, party name, business name or judgment fields when available.
Use this for criminal Common Pleas, MDJ, appellate, calendar and PAePay-related searches.
- Select the correct search option.
- Use docket number when possible.
- For Delaware County criminal cases, look for CP-23 docket formats.
- Do not use docket sheets as criminal-history background checks.
Use this for docket-number formats, filing instructions, public access forms and OJS materials.
- Check civil docket format yyyy-######.
- Check criminal format CP-23-MD, SA or CR-####-yyyy.
- Use public access forms when confidential information must be handled properly.
- Do not bind, staple or tab documents if OJS instructions prohibit it.
Use this for divorce-decree copy rules and divorce-file access limits.
- Find the docket number through Public Access and Civil Docket.
- Send the request, self-addressed stamped envelope and money order as instructed.
- Remember the decree is public, but the rest of the divorce file is limited.
- Call first for files older than the current year plus five prior years.
Use this for Delaware County’s thirty Magisterial District Courts and MDJ jurisdiction notes.
- Use UJS for MDJ docket searches and PAePay.
- Use the correct MDJ office for paper records.
- Remember MDJs handle traffic, minor criminal, civil claims up to $12,000 and preliminary hearings.
- Call 610-565-6990 for administrative routing questions.
Use this for probated estate searches, marriage-record existence searches and copy-ordering routes.
- Open the portal.
- Click LOGIN AS GUEST.
- Select Search Public Records.
- Choose Case Names for estates or Marriage Names for marriage records.
- Order copies separately because images are not shown online.
Use this for marriage and probate copy ordering, not ordinary Common Pleas docket copies.
- Search first to confirm the record exists.
- Choose marriage or probate copy route.
- Specify the probate document needed in the comments.
- Contact Orphans’ Court directly for Orphans’ Court copy requests.
Use this for deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, powers of attorney, plans and recorded land documents.
- Choose Recorder Online Records or Cloud Search.
- Use Parcel ID when possible.
- Use Cloud Search for electronically certified copies when available.
- Do not treat land records as criminal or civil court dockets.
Use this only for judicial-agency financial records requests, not normal case docket copies.
- Use the Rule 509 Request Form.
- Submit to the Court Records Manager by mail, email, fax or hand delivery.
- Expect redaction under AOPC directive or RTKL where applicable.
- Do not use Rule 509 to bypass case-record access limits.
Use this for federal district, federal appellate and bankruptcy records.
- Use PACER Case Locator if the federal court is unknown.
- Use Eastern District of Pennsylvania for Delaware County federal district cases.
- Use Eastern District Bankruptcy Court for bankruptcy cases.
- Review PACER pricing before opening searches, reports or documents.
Delaware County courthouse, clerk and record-location guide
Many Delaware County record routes are centered around the courthouse and Government Center in Media, but the exact office depends on whether the record is civil, criminal, MDJ, probate, Orphans’ Court, land, jail, sheriff or federal.
| Location or office | Address / phone | Record-access relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware County Courthouse and Government Center | 201 West Front Street, Media, PA 19063; general county phone 610-891-4000 | Main courthouse/government location for Common Pleas, OJS, court administration, Recorder, Register of Wills and other county record offices. |
| Office of Judicial Support | Government Center, Room 127, 201 W. Front Street, Media, PA 19063; 610-891-4370 | Civil Division, Criminal Division, court clerks, file room, civil/criminal copies, judgments, liens, bail and appeal filing support. |
| Court Administrator / Court of Common Pleas | 201 West Front Street, Media, PA 19063; 610-891-4550 for many scheduling/admin questions | Court administration, hearing scheduling, self-represented litigant routing, interpreter routing and common pleas court operations. |
| Magisterial District Court Administrative Office | 100 W. Front Street, Media, PA 19063; 610-565-6990 | Administrative route for Delaware County’s thirty MDJ courts; paper MDJ records should be requested from the appropriate MDJ office. |
| Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans’ Court | Government Center, 201 W. Front Street, Media, PA 19063; main 610-891-4400; Probate 610-891-4419; Orphans’ Court 610-891-5408 | Probated estates, wills used in probate, marriage records, Orphans’ Court filings, guardianship/adoption routing and copy orders. |
| Recorder of Deeds | Government Center, Room 108, 201 W. Front Street, Media, PA 19063; 610-891-4152 | Deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, powers of attorney, land records from 1789, online copies from 1799 and Cloud Search electronic certification. |
| Sheriff Bench Warrant Division | Courthouse, Room 101, 201 W. Front Street, Media, PA 19063; 610-891-4296 | Bench warrants issued on Court of Common Pleas orders. Warrant information is not the same as final court disposition. |
| George W. Hill Correctional Facility Records | 500 Cheyney Road, Thornton, PA 19373; 610-361-3200 | Incarceration proof, facility records and custody-related questions. Jail records are separate from court docket sheets. |
| U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania | James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse, 601 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106; Clerk’s Office 215-597-7704 | Federal district court records and PACER access, not Delaware County state court records. |
Delaware County online access limits users often miss
- Delaware County C-Track civil access requires JavaScript and a public-user disclaimer.
- UJS requires a current browser, JavaScript, cookies and TLS 1.2 or higher.
- Recent entries may not immediately appear on docket sheets.
- UJS warns that docket sheets should not be used in place of criminal history background checks.
- Limited-access, expunged and confidential records may not appear publicly.
- The divorce decree is available to anyone through the OJS copy route.
- Other parts of a divorce file are limited to the parties and their attorney of record with photo ID.
- Older divorce files may need to be brought from archives before a visit.
- Custody, abuse-history and family filings can involve confidential information rules.
- Use public access forms when confidential information must be separated.
- ROW online search shows probated estate data but not images of documents.
- The Register retains wills that were used in probate proceedings, not every will ever written in the county.
- Orphans’ Court copy requests cannot be processed through the ROW online e-commerce copy route.
- Adoption records require special request procedures and photo identification.
- Guardianship and sensitive Orphans’ Court matters can have privacy restrictions.
- Deeds and mortgages route to Recorder of Deeds, not OJS civil docket search.
- Jail custody and incarceration proof route to George W. Hill records.
- Bench warrants route to the Sheriff and court docket verification.
- Federal cases use PACER and federal courts.
- Judicial financial records use Rule 509, not ordinary court-copy requests.
How to read Delaware County case results responsibly
- Plaintiff: party bringing a civil case.
- Defendant: party responding to a civil case, criminal charge or citation.
- Petitioner: party asking the court for relief or an order.
- Respondent: party responding to a petition.
- Commonwealth: Pennsylvania criminal prosecution party.
- OJS: Delaware County Office of Judicial Support, which handles combined Clerk/Prothonotary functions.
- Civil complaint: starts a civil case; it does not prove liability.
- Criminal complaint, information or indictment: charging document; it is not a conviction.
- MDJ docket: Magisterial District Court case record, often for traffic, landlord-tenant, minor criminal or small civil matters.
- Judgment index: civil judgment indexing tool; verify satisfaction, appeal or revival status before relying on it.
- Disposition: outcome of a charge or case; verify from the latest docket and certified record.
- Certified copy: official copy issued by the custodian, different from a screenshot or online docket view.
Delaware County appeals, Pennsylvania UJS and PACER
Pennsylvania UJS Case Search includes appellate docket options for the Supreme Court, Superior Court and Commonwealth Court. If a Delaware County case is appealed, keep the trial court docket number and the appellate docket number together.
- Search UJS by Appellate or Docket Number option.
- Use the exact appellate docket format when available.
- Compare trial court county, trial docket number and party names.
- Contact the appellate court clerk for official appellate-file questions.
Federal cases are separate from Delaware County court records. Delaware County falls within the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Bankruptcy records route through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and PACER.
- Use PACER Find a Case if you do not know the federal court.
- Use Eastern District of Pennsylvania for federal district cases tied to Delaware County.
- Use Eastern District Bankruptcy Court for bankruptcy records.
- Review PACER pricing before opening searches, reports or documents.
What to do if your Delaware County court-record search fails
- You searched C-Track civil when the case is criminal, MDJ, probate, Orphans’ Court, Recorder, appellate or federal.
- You searched UJS criminal when the case is a Common Pleas civil docket or county judgment index record.
- The civil number is missing yyyy-###### formatting.
- The criminal docket is missing CP-23, CR, MD, SA, sequence number or year formatting.
- The Magisterial District Court number should start with MJ.
- The name spelling, middle initial, suffix, business punctuation, DBA or organization name differs from your search.
- Record is sealed, expunged, limited-access, juvenile, adoption-related, family-restricted, confidential or protected by rule or order.
- Record is too new to appear or too old and requires archive retrieval.
- Record was destroyed under retention rules.
- Record is a Recorder, Register of Wills, Orphans’ Court, sheriff, jail, appellate or federal record.
- Official proof requires a certified copy, not an online docket or search result.
Use Delaware County court records responsibly
- A complaint, citation, criminal information, petition or docket entry is not proof that the allegation is true.
- An arrest, bench warrant or jail record is not a final court disposition.
- A dismissed case may still need the actual order to understand the result.
- A civil judgment may not show whether money was paid, appealed, vacated, revived, satisfied or settled.
- Do not use this page for FCRA-regulated screening.
- Do not harass, threaten, shame or retaliate against anyone.
- Do not republish unnecessary personal information.
- Do not try to bypass sealing, expungement, juvenile confidentiality, adoption confidentiality, limited-access restrictions or protected-case rules.
Frequently asked questions about Delaware County PA court records
How do I search Delaware County PA court records online?
Start with Delaware County’s official Public Access page. Use the county C-Track link for Court of Common Pleas civil dockets and judgment index, and use the Pennsylvania UJS Case Search for criminal Common Pleas dockets, Magisterial District Court dockets, appellate dockets, calendars and PAePay.
Can I search Delaware County court records by name?
Yes, name searching is available in several official routes, but a name match alone does not prove identity. Verify the court, docket number, filing date, party role, attorney, judge, charge or claim type, docket entries, judgment and disposition before relying on a result.
Which office keeps Delaware County Court of Common Pleas civil and criminal records?
The Delaware County Office of Judicial Support handles the former Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary functions. Its Civil Division handles civil cases, liens and judgments, while its Criminal Division handles criminal case files processed from the local District Justices, bail activity, summary appeals and appellate appeals.
What is the Delaware County civil case number format?
Delaware County Office of Judicial Support forms state that civil case numbers are written in yyyy-###### format, such as 2016-031234. Criminal case numbers use the CP-23 format, such as CP-23-CR-1234-2017.
Where do I search Delaware County criminal and traffic dockets?
Use the Pennsylvania UJS Case Search for Court of Common Pleas criminal dockets and Magisterial District Court dockets. Magisterial District Courts handle traffic cases, many minor criminal cases, civil claims up to $12,000, bail settings and preliminary hearings.
How do I get a Delaware County divorce decree?
Use the Delaware County Office of Judicial Support divorce-copy route. You must know the docket number, which can be found through Public Access and Civil Docket. A divorce decree is available to anyone, but other parts of a divorce file may be viewed only by the parties and their attorney of record with photo identification.
How much do Delaware County court record copies cost?
Office of Judicial Support civil fee materials list certified copies at $6 for the first page and $1 for each additional page, and docket entries at $1 per page. Divorce guidance lists a simple divorce-decree copy at $1 and a certified copy at $6. Confirm current fees with the correct office before ordering.
Are Delaware County probate and Orphans’ Court records in the same court search?
Not always. Probate estates, probated wills, marriage records and Orphans’ Court matters use the Delaware County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans’ Court routes. The online Register of Wills search allows free searching for probated estates, but document images are not displayed for privacy reasons and copies must be ordered separately.
Are Delaware County deeds, mortgages, inmate records and warrants court records?
No. Deeds, mortgages and recorded land documents route to the Delaware County Recorder of Deeds. Incarceration records route to George W. Hill Correctional Facility records, and bench-warrant information may route to the Sheriff’s Bench Warrant Division. These are separate from court docket sheets.
Are Delaware County federal and bankruptcy cases in county court records?
No. Federal district and bankruptcy cases are not Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, Magisterial District Court, Orphans’ Court or county clerk records. Use PACER, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, or the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for federal records.
Official-source review notes
This guide was reviewed against official Delaware County Public Access pages; Delaware County Courts and Court of Common Pleas pages; Delaware County Office of Judicial Support pages for civil, criminal, fees, forms and divorce information; Delaware County C-Track civil docket and judgment-index access; Pennsylvania UJS Case Search and Web Portal materials; Delaware County Magisterial District Court materials; Delaware County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans’ Court online systems, copy-ordering and Orphans’ Court pages; Delaware County Recorder of Deeds and public-access-site pages; Rule 509 financial-record procedures; Delaware County sheriff, prison records and bench-warrant materials; Eastern District of Pennsylvania federal court resources; Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Court case-information resources; and PACER pricing/fee-change sources. Review date: September 2, 2026.