Clarion County Court of Common Pleas Overview
The Clarion County Court of Common Pleas is Pennsylvania's general-jurisdiction county trial court for the 18th Judicial District. The county page lists criminal and juvenile delinquency cases, juvenile dependency cases, civil property or money disputes, family law cases, divorce, custody, child support, Orphans' Court matters, administrative hearings, zoning-board hearings, motor-vehicle license-suspension appeals, and other miscellaneous hearings. The court also hears appeals from the four Magisterial District Courts.
The county court page says Courtroom Number One, the main courtroom, and Judicial Chambers are on the second floor. Courtroom Number Two is a smaller courtroom on the third floor. Court Administration offices are also on the second floor and operate under the President Judge through District Court Administrator Rachel Kundick, phone 814-226-9351. Court calendars are set annually because many case types have specific days each month.
Clarion County Courthouse
421 Main Street
Clarion, PA 16214
814-226-4000
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Clarion County Court Source Pages
The official PACER lookup page for the Western District of Pennsylvania helps distinguish county Common Pleas records from federal trial records.
Federal PACER is not the county court portal, but it matters when a case belongs in federal court rather than Clarion County Common Pleas.
The PACER bankruptcy lookup page identifies the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Bankruptcy records are federal records and do not come from the Clarion County Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts.
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania is the federal trial court for federal cases arising in this region.
Federal criminal and civil records use federal court systems even when the events occurred in Clarion County.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit hears federal appeals from the Western District of Pennsylvania.
State appeals from Common Pleas usually go to Pennsylvania appellate courts, while federal appeals follow the Third Circuit path.
Clarion County Court Offices
The research identifies four known Clarion Magisterial District Court offices from UJS and PAePay listings: MDJ-18-0-00 Clarion Central Court, MDJ-18-3-02 Timothy P. Schill, MDJ-18-3-03 Jarah Lee Heeter, and MDJ-18-3-04 Jeffrey C. Miller. The research also notes a gap: official county pages pointed to a reestablishment PDF for full 2022-2032 district boundaries, but text extraction was not available. Because of that, this page does not invent addresses or phone numbers for those lower courts.
| Court Office | Type | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Clarion County Court of Common Pleas | General-jurisdiction trial court | Major criminal, civil, family, juvenile, Orphans' Court, administrative, and appeal matters. |
| MDJ-18-0-00 Clarion Central Court | Magisterial District Court | Listed in statewide traffic and lower-court systems. |
| MDJ-18-3-02 Timothy P. Schill | Magisterial District Court | Handles lower-court matters within assigned district boundaries. |
| MDJ-18-3-03 Jarah Lee Heeter | Magisterial District Court | Handles lower-court matters within assigned district boundaries. |
| MDJ-18-3-04 Jeffrey C. Miller | Magisterial District Court | Handles lower-court matters within assigned district boundaries. |
Common Pleas vs Magisterial Courts
The Court of Common Pleas and the Magisterial District Courts both create Clarion County court records, but they do different work. Magisterial District Courts handle the start of many criminal cases, traffic citations, non-traffic summaries, warrants, bail, landlord-tenant cases, and small civil claims. Common Pleas handles felony and major misdemeanor case progression after lower-court screening, larger civil matters, family cases, juvenile matters, Orphans' Court issues, and appeals.
| Feature | Court of Common Pleas | Magisterial District Courts |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal role | Formal arraignment, motions, plea, trial, disposition, sentencing | Preliminary arraignment, bail, preliminary hearing, summary trials |
| Civil role | Civil complaints, judgments, family cases, appeals | Small claims up to $12,000 and landlord-tenant matters |
| Traffic role | Appeals and some financial obligations | Most traffic citation cases and summary traffic trials |
| Record keeper | Prothonotary for civil, Clerk of Courts for criminal | Specific Magisterial District Court office |
Clarion County Case Movement
Criminal cases often begin in a Magisterial District Court. The MDJ may issue warrants or summonses, hold a preliminary arraignment, set bail, and conduct a preliminary hearing. If enough evidence exists, the case is held for court and moves to Common Pleas. Common Pleas then handles formal arraignment, criminal conferences, motions, plea, trial, disposition, sentence, and later probation or revocation entries when applicable.
Criminal case flow: Complaint or arrest › Magisterial District Court › preliminary hearing › held for court or dismissed › Court of Common Pleas › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing.
Civil cases can begin directly in Common Pleas when the matter belongs there. Lower civil claims and landlord-tenant disputes begin in Magisterial District Court and may be appealed to Common Pleas. Orphans' Court filings stay within Common Pleas jurisdiction but are handled through the Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court office.
Clarion County Federal Court Difference
Clarion County is in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Federal court is separate from the Clarion County Court of Common Pleas. Federal trial cases include federal crimes, federal-question civil suits, civil rights cases, diversity civil cases, prisoner civil rights cases, federal habeas matters, and other cases with federal jurisdiction. Bankruptcy cases use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District covers 25 counties, including Clarion. Federal appeals go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit except for specialized appeal paths. A county case does not become federal just because federal law is mentioned; a separate federal jurisdiction basis is usually required. County dockets use UJS and local clerks. Federal dockets use PACER.
Note: Use UJS and county clerks for Clarion County cases, and PACER for federal district, bankruptcy, and appeal records.