Union County Court Docket Basics
A docket is the court's event log for a case. It is not the same as the full case record. The docket usually lists the case number, court, caption, filing date, parties, status, scheduled hearings, filings, orders, disposition, financial entries, and appeal events. In criminal cases it may also list charges, statute sections, grading, plea, sentence, bail, counsel, fines, costs, restitution, and probation entries.
In Union County, the docket source depends on where the case sits. Court of Common Pleas criminal dockets are searched through the statewide UJS portal. Magisterial District Court dockets cover traffic, summary offenses, landlord-tenant matters, small civil cases, preliminary arraignments, and preliminary hearings. Civil, custody, divorce, judgment, and some Orphans' Court records may require the Prothonotary or Orphans' Court office when the public web docket does not show the document needed.
Find Union County Dockets Online
The official statewide route is Pennsylvania UJS Case Search. The companion UJS docket sheets page explains that docket sheets provide Common Pleas public case summaries and that entries may be delayed when recent filings have not yet reached the public system.
- Choose the search mode that fits the known fact: docket number, participant name, citation number, complaint number, OTN, SID, or date filed.
- Filter by Union County or by the Snyder/Union 17th Judicial District when the portal offers court filters.
- For MDJ cases, use the MDJS Court Office filter when the issuing office is known. Union County has Lewisburg and Mifflinburg MDJ offices.
- Open the docket sheet and read the case header, events, charges, disposition, financial entries, and appeal information.
- Contact the Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, Orphans' Court office, or MDJ office for certified copies or documents that are not attached to the online docket.
The statewide docket sheet page is the best visual source for how Pennsylvania presents Common Pleas case summaries.
That docket-sheet format supports case tracking, but the local clerk remains the source for certified copies and complete files.
Sample Union County Docket Fields
Public docket sheets use structured fields. A single case can have a header, party list, event history, financial section, and charge section. The fields below are drawn from the Pennsylvania docket structure described in the research. Some entries appear only for certain case types.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Header | Docket number, court name, county, case caption, case type, filing date, and case status. |
| Parties | Participant names, party roles, and sometimes attorney information. |
| Criminal charges | Offense description, statute, grade, offense date, disposition, plea, and sentence when entered. |
| Events | Complaint filed, arraignment, hearing, motion, order, continuance, plea, sentencing, payment plan, or appeal. |
| Financial | Costs, fines, restitution, payment plan, bail, and PAePay eligibility where public. |
| Documents | Docket entries identifying filings. Full papers may require an office request. |
| Redactions | Protected identifiers, minors' names, and confidential documents are limited under UJS policy. |
Union County Courts With Dockets
Union County is part of Pennsylvania's 17th Judicial District with Snyder County. The Court of Common Pleas is the trial court of general jurisdiction, and the Magisterial District Courts are limited-jurisdiction lower courts. The court level controls where a docket begins, which search field works best, and where an appeal is filed.
| Court / Office | Judge / Official | Records Commonly Found |
|---|---|---|
| Court of Common Pleas, 17th Judicial District | President Judge Lori R. Hackenberg | Common Pleas civil, criminal, family, juvenile, and Orphans' Court matters. |
| Union County Common Pleas chambers | Judge Michael Piecuch | Union County Common Pleas hearings and case events. |
| Magisterial District Court 17-03-01 | Hon. Jeffrey A. Rowe | Traffic, summary, landlord-tenant, small civil, and preliminary criminal matters in Lewisburg. |
| Magisterial District Court 17-03-02 | Hon. Jeffrey L. Mensch | Traffic, summary, landlord-tenant, small civil, and preliminary criminal matters in Mifflinburg. |
The Union County Magisterial District Court page lists the local MDJ offices, judges, addresses, phones, and faxes. That court list is especially important when a docket search starts with a citation or lower-court complaint instead of a Common Pleas case number.
Docket vs. Full Case Record
Dockets are good for status checks. Full case records are better when a person needs the actual complaint, petition, order, judgment, divorce decree, sentencing order, or certified copy. Union County's filing procedure also shows why a full document can be a separate request: the office retains original filings, requires fees at filing, requires case captions, and does not accept fax or email filing.
| Point | Docket Sheet | Full Case Record |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Chronological list of entries and case fields. | Pleadings, orders, motions, exhibits where public, judgments, and certified copies. |
| Access | Often online through UJS for public dockets. | May require a clerk visit, mail request, copy fee, or certification fee. |
| Best use | Track case progress, find docket numbers, confirm court dates, read status. | Use for legal filings, official proof, detailed review, or certified record needs. |
| Limits | Recent entries may lag and documents may not be visible. | Restricted records, sealed files, and confidential data may still be withheld. |
Read Union County Dockets
Start with the header. It identifies the docket number, case type, court, county, filing date, and status. Then read the event list from oldest to newest. In a criminal case, early MDJ entries may show preliminary arraignment, bail, preliminary hearing, and whether charges were held for court. A later Common Pleas docket may show the information, arraignment, motions, plea, disposition, sentence, restitution, and costs.
Traffic and summary dockets may show citation number, violation section, plea, disposition, fines and costs, payment status, and appeal path. The official MDJ FAQ states that criminal and traffic appeals are filed within 30 days after conviction with the County Clerk of Courts. Civil and landlord-tenant appeals are filed within 30 days with the Prothonotary.
Note: A docket may show a charge or event before the final disposition has been entered.
Offline Union County Docket Help
When a public docket is missing, delayed, or incomplete, the right office depends on the case type. The Prothonotary handles civil and family filings. The Clerk of Courts handles Common Pleas criminal filings, criminal and traffic appeals from MDJ convictions, and criminal copy requests. Orphans' Court and Register of Wills channels apply to estate, guardianship, adoption, account, and marriage-license-related materials.
Union County's own filing procedure is a useful check on docket requests. Mailed filings need a self-addressed stamped envelope when return copies are wanted, fees must be paid at filing, and the office does not accept faxed or emailed documents for filing of record. Those rules explain why a web docket may confirm that an event occurred while the actual paper, certified copy, or stamped return copy still has to come from the courthouse office.
For civil practice, the 17th Judicial District local rules reference CountySuite Portal for civil e-filing, PDF format, registration, credit-card payment, and rejection notices when an e-filing is not accepted. The research did not locate an official public Union County civil docket search URL, so civil docket users should treat CountySuite as an e-filing reference rather than a substitute for a Prothonotary record request.
Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts
Union County Courthouse
103 S. Second Street
Lewisburg, PA 17837
(570) 524-8751
8:30 AM-4:30 PM
For county agency records that are not court case records, use Union County Right-to-Know information. Written requests are routed through the county open-records process, while court case records stay under UJS access policy and court-custodian rules.