Union County Court Structure
Pennsylvania's trial court of general jurisdiction is the Court of Common Pleas. Union County is part of the 17th Judicial District with Snyder County, and the official Union County Court of Common Pleas page describes the district as a two-county, two-judge district. The court handles civil and criminal matters, child and spousal support, child custody, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, and Orphans' Court matters.
Lower court work is handled by Magisterial District Courts. They hear summary traffic and non-traffic cases, landlord-tenant cases, small civil claims, preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings, and other limited-jurisdiction matters. For case lookup, that split matters. A traffic citation or preliminary criminal case may begin in an MDJ office, while felony trial records and major civil, family, and Orphans' Court records are Common Pleas records.
Union County Court Table
The official Union County court pages list one Union County Common Pleas chambers, one court administration contact, and two Union County Magisterial District Courts within the 17th Judicial District.
| Court or Office | Judge or Official | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court of Common Pleas, 17th Judicial District | President Judge Lori R. Hackenberg | Snyder County Courthouse, 9 West Market Street, P.O. Box 217, Middleburg, PA 17842 | (570) 837-4238 |
| Court of Common Pleas, Union County chambers | Judge Michael Piecuch | Union County Courthouse, 103 South Second Street, Lewisburg, PA 17837 | (570) 524-8641 |
| Court Administration | Court Administrator | Union County Courthouse, 103 S. Second Street, Lewisburg, PA 17837 | (570) 524-8736 |
| Magisterial District Court 17-03-01 | Hon. Jeffrey A. Rowe | 103 S Second Street, Lewisburg, PA 17837 | (570) 524-8656 |
| Magisterial District Court 17-03-02 | Hon. Jeffrey L. Mensch | 343 Chestnut Street, Suite #2, Mifflinburg, PA 17844 | (570) 966-2886 |
The Union County Magisterial District Court page is shown in the captured image.
The image supports the Lewisburg and Mifflinburg MDJ office details used for Union County Court of Common Pleas case routing.
Common Pleas vs MDJ
Union County does not use a separate county court layer like some other states. The practical comparison is between the Court of Common Pleas and Magisterial District Courts, with appeals from MDJ matters moving up to Common Pleas.
| Topic | Court of Common Pleas | Magisterial District Courts |
|---|---|---|
| Role | General trial court for major county cases. | Limited-jurisdiction local courts. |
| Criminal Work | Felony and misdemeanor trial records, pleas, sentencing, appeals. | Preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings, summary matters. |
| Civil Work | Major civil, custody, divorce, support, judgments, Orphans' Court matters. | Small civil claims and landlord-tenant cases. |
| Traffic Work | Appeals and higher-level criminal traffic matters such as DUI. | Most traffic citations and summary traffic cases. |
| Record Access | UJS public dockets plus courthouse clerk offices for documents. | UJS citation, docket, and MDJ case search channels. |
Union County Case Movement
Criminal, traffic, civil, and family cases do not follow one path. A traffic ticket may remain at the MDJ level unless appealed. A felony case may begin with an MDJ preliminary hearing and then move to Common Pleas. A divorce or custody filing starts with the Prothonotary side of the Common Pleas system.
Criminal flow: Arrest or complaint › MDJ preliminary arraignment or hearing › Held for court › Clerk of Courts filing › Common Pleas arraignment, plea, trial, disposition, and sentence › appeal.
Civil and family flow: Prothonotary filing › service and response › motions or hearings › order, decree, judgment, or settlement › appeal if allowed.
MDJ appeal flow: MDJ conviction or judgment › appeal filed within 30 days with the correct county office › Common Pleas hearing before a judge.
Union County Common Pleas Records
Common Pleas records divide by case type. Civil and family filings are routed through the Prothonotary function. Criminal filings are routed through the Clerk of Courts. Orphans' Court records and probate-related petitions connect to the Orphans' Court clerk function and Register of Wills. The public should not assume one counter can answer every record question without knowing the case type.
- Civil records include complaints, judgments, liens, writs, petitions, motions, and appeals.
- Family records include divorce, custody, support, and related orders.
- Criminal records include charges, pleas, dispositions, sentences, costs, restitution, and probation events.
- Orphans' Court records include marriage-license-related filings, estates, guardianships, accounts, and adoption filings.
- Juvenile delinquency and dependency are handled by Common Pleas, but access is restricted.
Search Union County Dockets
The main statewide online access point is Pennsylvania UJS Case Search. It supports appellate, attorney, calendar event, citation number, complaint number, date filed, docket number, incident number, organization, OTN, parcel, participant name, and SID searches. For Union County Court of Common Pleas criminal cases, docket number, participant name, and OTN are common paths. For MDJ traffic cases, citation number is often the best path.
The Pennsylvania courts docket sheet page warns that docket sheets may lag after filing office entries. Full documents, certified copies, and civil/family materials not visible online should be requested from the correct Union County office.
Union County Local Rules
The 17th Judicial District local rules add practice details for Common Pleas cases. Research notes that civil electronic filing uses CountySuite Portal, PDF format, registration, credit-card payment, rejection notices for rejected e-filings, and confidential-information compliance. The filing page also states that faxed and emailed documents are not acceptable for filing and will not be filed of record.
Union County requires a Certification of Compliance attached to all filings regardless of whether a confidential information form is attached. This relates to the UJS public access policy, which restricts personal identifiers, confidential documents, and other protected information.
The local rules also show why docket access and document access are not the same. A docket sheet can show that a motion, order, or filing event exists. The filed paper itself may require office access, payment of copy fees, and review for confidential information before release. For civil and family records, the Prothonotary function is the local route for those document-level requests.
17th Judicial Treatment Court
The 17th Judicial District Treatment Court is a major local Common Pleas program. The official page lists a Union County Courthouse contact at 103 S. Second Street, Lewisburg, with phone (570) 524-8741. The program combines treatment, support services, regular status hearings, rewards and sanctions, and court supervision for non-violent offenders with substance-use issues.
The Treatment Court page is shown in the screenshot below.
The treatment court source helps explain why some Union County criminal docket events involve supervision, hearings, and program phases rather than only sentencing dates.
Eligibility details are published on the Treatment Court eligibility page.
The eligibility image supports the local distinction between Drug Treatment Court and DUI Treatment Court tracks.
Union County Treatment Phases
The treatment court phase page gives the program's structure. Research lists four phases with monitoring, self-help meetings, status hearings, urinalysis, probation contacts, case management, curfews, sobriety periods, employment or education goals, and payment compliance. Those details can appear in docket events, probation notes, or hearing schedules for participants.
The phase details are shown in the screenshot from the 17th Judicial District Treatment Court phases page.
The phase source gives local context for why a Common Pleas criminal case can have repeated review hearings before completion.
Union County Appeals History
Appeals from the Court of Common Pleas usually go to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania or Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, depending on the case type. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the final statewide appellate court and administrative authority over the Unified Judicial System.
Union County was created in 1813 from part of Northumberland County. Current official court history is limited, but the 17th Judicial District has recent official context. Union County announced on October 2, 2024 that Judge Michael H. Sholley died September 28, 2024 after public service that included military service, police work, legal practice, service as Snyder County District Attorney, and 12 years as a judge of the 17th Judicial District.
Note: Current judge and calendar information should be verified with the court before a hearing date.