About the Erie County Clerk of Courts
Erie County's Clerk of Courts function sits within the elected Clerk of Records office led by Aubrea Hagerty-Haynes. Pennsylvania counties often divide civil and criminal clerk work, and Erie follows that model: the Prothonotary keeps civil records, while the Clerk of Courts keeps criminal Court of Common Pleas records.
The office's main responsibility is custody of criminal court records, including motions, pleadings, transcripts, criminal filings, bail bond paperwork, summary appeals, Superior Court appeals, and criminal expungement or limited-access filings. It also maintains some miscellaneous civil-type dockets such as road dockets and liquor board matters.
Erie County Clerk of Courts
Clerk of Records: Aubrea Hagerty-Haynes
140 West Sixth Street, Room 103
Erie, PA 16501
814-451-6221
Clerk of Records main line: 814-451-6250
Contact the office for current counter hours.
What the Clerk of Courts Does in Erie County
The Clerk of Courts handles the criminal case file once a matter reaches the Court of Common Pleas level. Public web docket sheets are searched through UJS, but official copies, office criminal searches, appeal processing, bail bond records, and expungement or limited-access filings are handled through the Erie County criminal clerk.
- Maintains criminal Common Pleas records, including pleadings, motions, transcripts, dispositions, and sentence entries.
- Accepts bail bonds for release from custody, with the confirmed Erie County filing service fee listed by the office.
- Processes summary appeals from Magisterial District Judge decisions, including traffic code violations.
- Provides expungement, ARD expungement, and limited-access filing materials for eligible criminal records.
How to Request a Certified Copy
Certified criminal copies may be needed for appeal filings, attorney review, correction of another agency's record, immigration or licensing matters, or proof of a final disposition. A certified copy should come from the Clerk of Courts because the office is the Erie County custodian for criminal Common Pleas case documents.
- Search the UJS criminal docket or existing paperwork for the docket number and defendant name.
- Identify the specific document or disposition needed, such as sentencing order, plea entry, or appeal filing.
- Contact the Clerk of Courts in Room 103 to confirm public access, current copy fees, and accepted payment.
- Request the certified copy from the office and keep the certification attached to the copy for official use.
Records Request Form Fields
Criminal record requests should be specific because a single defendant name may match several docket numbers, MDJ proceedings, or Common Pleas cases. Include docket identifiers when available and make clear whether the request is for an office search, a plain copy, or a certified copy.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case Number | No, but strongly preferred | Use the Common Pleas docket number from UJS when available. |
| Party Names | Yes | Provide the defendant's full name and any known date or case year. |
| Document Type | Yes | Examples include docket sheet, plea, sentence, motion, appeal, expungement order, or disposition. |
| Number of Copies | Yes | State whether plain or certified copies are needed. |
Erie County Clerk Fees
The research confirms several Clerk of Courts fees. Copy and certification amounts were not captured in the source material, so those should be verified with Room 103 before payment is submitted.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Adult criminal record search | $10 |
| Bail bond filing service | Bond amount plus $16.50 |
| Summary appeal from MDJ, including traffic | $43.50 non-refundable |
| Direct appeal to Superior Court | $43.50 Clerk fee plus $91.25 Superior Court fee |
| Copy or certification fee | Verify with Clerk of Courts |
Common Clerk Forms
The Clerk of Courts page links criminal forms used for arraignment waivers, trial motion cover sheets, summary appeal continuances, and criminal record relief. Expungement and limited-access forms should be filed in Room 103 when the petitioner is using Erie County's criminal Common Pleas record channel.
- Clerk of Courts forms - criminal filings, appeals, expungement, and limited-access resources.
- UJS public docket search - free criminal Common Pleas and Magisterial District Court docket lookup.
Mail and Online Filings
Public criminal docket searching is handled through Pennsylvania UJS Case Search, which covers criminal Courts of Common Pleas and Magisterial District Courts. Office requests, certified copies, adult criminal searches, bail bonds, and appeal filings remain Clerk of Courts functions. For non-judicial county records, Erie County uses NextRequest, but judicial case records follow court access rules instead of ordinary county Right-to-Know processing.
The Clerk of Courts is also the practical office for understanding how a Common Pleas criminal file connects to a lower-court docket. A case may begin at the Magisterial District Court level with preliminary proceedings, then appear in Common Pleas after charges are held for court or otherwise filed. UJS may show both levels, but the criminal Common Pleas file, appeal paperwork, bail bond activity, and record-relief filings are handled through Room 103. If the only available information is a defendant name, the $10 adult criminal search is the researched Erie County office search option.
For record relief, use the Erie County criminal forms channel rather than the civil Prothonotary office. Expungement, ARD expungement, and limited-access papers are criminal-record filings, and the research places those materials with the Clerk of Courts.