Westmoreland County Prothonotary Office

Pennsylvania's Split Clerk Structure

Pennsylvania does not use one "county clerk" for all court records. Westmoreland County splits the job across several elected offices. The Prothonotary is the civil clerk. The Clerk of Courts keeps criminal files. The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court handles estates and marriage licenses. This matters before you start a search.

The split confuses many out-of-county searchers. People type "county clerk" into a search box, but that is not the local office name here. A civil judgment and a criminal sentence both come from the Court of Common Pleas, yet they live in different offices under different clerks. Match the record to the right office first.

• Prothonotary - civil and family Common Pleas records.
• Clerk of Courts - criminal and juvenile Common Pleas records.
• Register of Wills / Orphans' Court - estates, wills, guardianships, and marriage licenses.

Each office is run by a separate elected official. So a request for a divorce decree, a money judgment, or a protection-from-abuse docket starts with the Prothonotary, while a criminal docket starts with the Clerk of Courts. For estate and marriage files, see the Orphans' Court page.

About the Westmoreland County Prothonotary

Gina O'Barto is the Westmoreland County Prothonotary. The county bio says she was elected in 2022 and once worked in the Controller's office as a Senior Finance Clerk. As Prothonotary, she has charge of the official documents and records of the civil and family divisions of the Court of Common Pleas. The office sits in the courthouse complex in downtown Greensburg.

The Prothonotary is the keeper of the civil docket. Staff accept civil filings, enter judgments, record liens, and maintain the file index. They also process appeals and serve the public, the bar, and the media who need civil case information. The office is one of Westmoreland County's old Pennsylvania row offices.

What the Prothonotary Does in Westmoreland County

The office description lists a long set of civil records that pass through the Prothonotary. These are the civil and family matters of the Court of Common Pleas, plus a few duties most people do not expect from a clerk. The office also acts as a federal passport agent.

Records filed or recorded by the office include several core types.

• Judgments and money awards, plus mortgage foreclosure filings.
• Federal tax liens and other liens against property.
• Divorce, custody, and protection-from-abuse filings.
• Quiet title, ejectment appeals, and medical malpractice cases.
• Driver's license suspension appeals and naturalization records.

The office also moves appeals up the ladder. It processes appeals from magisterial district judges to the Court of Common Pleas, and appeals from Common Pleas to the Superior, Supreme, and Commonwealth Courts. For a fuller view of how cases move through the system, see the Court of Common Pleas page.

On top of court work, the Prothonotary serves as a passport-application agent for the federal government. County news says Thursday after-hours passport appointments resume on January 1, 2026, by appointment only through the passport line. That service is separate from court-record access, but it runs out of the same office.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy carries the office seal and proves the record is genuine. Courts, lenders, and agencies often want a certified copy of a divorce decree or judgment, not a printout. An uncertified screen print from a portal will not always be accepted. Plan for a small wait if you mail your request.

1. Find the civil docket number first. Use UJS or call the Prothonotary if you do not have it.
2. Tell the office which document you need and how many certified copies.
3. Submit the request in person or by mail to Suite 501 in Greensburg.
4. Pay the copy and certification fee the office quotes you.
5. Pick up the copy at the counter or wait for it to arrive by mail.

For divorce files, the decree is a civil record held here, while UJS may show the docket online. Family details can be redacted or sealed, so some pages may not be released. The marriage and divorce records page covers decree copies in more depth.

Records Request Form Fields

Court case records follow the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System public-access rules, not a one-page county form. For a civil case copy, the office mainly needs the docket number, the parties, and the document you want. For administrative office records, such as policies or budgets, Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know process uses a standard state form. The fields below come from the Office of Open Records standard RTKL request form.

The OOR request and appeal forms are filed with an agency open-records officer. Do not use a Right-to-Know request for a court case docket as your first step. Court case records go through the court and UJS, which the public records page explains in full.

Westmoreland County Prothonotary Fees

Copy, certification, and civil filing fees are set by the office, and the county did not post a single combined fee sheet in the sources reviewed. Rather than guess at amounts, confirm the current charge with the Prothonotary before you mail a request or visit the counter. Fees can change, and they vary by document and by the number of pages.

If you cannot pay a civil filing fee, Pennsylvania allows a fee waiver, sometimes called in forma pauperis relief. Ask the office or your attorney how to file for that relief before you give up on a case.

Searching Civil Records Online

Many civil dockets show up in the statewide court portal, though the office holds the official paper file. The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System lets you look up cases for free. Set the county to Westmoreland so common names do not pull the whole state. Use the docket number when you have it, because it is the most exact way to search.

The UJS Case Search tool covers Common Pleas and magisterial dockets. The county also gathers its official links on the Westmoreland County public record search hub, which routes you to court, deed, and assessment systems.

One caution: not every civil Common Pleas case shows online. The portal warns that some civil cases, sealed cases, and limited-access cases may not display even with the right terms. When the portal shows nothing, the file may still exist at the Prothonotary's counter. For a full walk-through of the portal, see the court records page or the court dockets page.

Related Westmoreland County Resources

For criminal case files, see the Clerk of Courts page, since criminal dockets are kept by that office, not the Prothonotary. For estates, wills, and marriage licenses, see the Orphans' Court page. For divorce decrees and license rules, see marriage and divorce records. For a broad view of the court system and docket search, see court records and the Court of Common Pleas.