About the Erie County Prothonotary
The Erie County Clerk of Records is Aubrea Hagerty-Haynes, elected in 2021. The Clerk of Records is a unified county row office, but the court-record functions are split by subject. The Prothonotary is the civil clerk for the Court of Common Pleas, while the Clerk of Courts keeps criminal Common Pleas records.
The Prothonotary receives and maintains civil pleadings, district judge appeals, divorce filings, custody filings, Protection From Abuse matters, judgments, government liens, mechanics lien waivers, and satisfactions of judgment. On April 15, 2024, the Prothonotary moved to Paperless Solution CourtPro for civil case management and document filing, and no Prothonotary filings or docket entries were added to INFOCON after April 12, 2024.
Erie County Prothonotary
Clerk of Records: Aubrea Hagerty-Haynes
140 West Sixth Street, Room 120
Erie, PA 16501
814-451-6250
TDD 814-451-6237; Fax 814-451-7400
Contact the office for current counter hours.
What the Prothonotary Does in Erie County
The Prothonotary is the filing and records office for civil Court of Common Pleas matters. That means the office receives pleadings, indexes civil cases, accepts civil filing fees, maintains public civil dockets, and issues copies or certifications when a document is available for public release.
- Maintains Erie County civil case records, including complaints, judgments, liens, and satisfactions.
- Processes divorce, custody, Protection From Abuse, and district judge appeal filings that are assigned to the civil side.
- Supports CourtPro public access and e-filing for Prothonotary records from 1992-current.
- Routes criminal record users to the Clerk of Courts and estate users to the Register of Wills or Clerk of Orphans' Court.
How to Request a Certified Copy
Certified copies are commonly needed when a judgment, divorce decree, lien satisfaction, custody order, or other civil filing must be presented outside the courthouse. A certification shows that the copy was issued from the official Erie County Prothonotary record rather than a private download or informal printout.
- Search CourtPro or your paperwork for the civil case number, party names, and document title.
- Contact or visit the Prothonotary in Room 120 to confirm whether the document is public and copy-eligible.
- Submit the request with the case details, requested document, number of copies, and the office's current copy or certification fee.
- Use the certified copy issued by the Prothonotary; do not treat a search-result screen as a certified record.
Records Request Form Fields
A clear request reduces search time, especially when a party has multiple civil cases or older filings. Include enough detail for staff to distinguish the case and document without relying on broad name matching.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case Number | No, but strongly preferred | Use the CourtPro case number when available; it is the fastest match. |
| Party Names | Yes | Provide full names and any former names used in divorce, custody, or judgment matters. |
| Document Type | Yes | Examples include complaint, decree, order, judgment, lien, or satisfaction. |
| Number of Copies | Yes | State whether each copy must be certified or plain. |
Erie County Clerk Fees
The research file confirms several Erie County Clerk of Records fees, but it does not provide a complete Prothonotary copy-fee schedule. Use the confirmed search fee below and verify current plain-copy, certified-copy, and filing amounts with the Prothonotary before submitting payment.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy per page | Verify with Prothonotary |
| Certified copy per page | Verify with Prothonotary |
| Certification fee | Verify with Prothonotary |
| Clerk of Records office-conducted search | $20 |
| Filing fee - civil | Use current Prothonotary fee schedule |
Common Clerk Forms
The Prothonotary page links users to civil filing materials, CourtPro access, and fee information. Forms are case-type specific, so a divorce, custody, PFA, district judge appeal, lien, or judgment filing may require a different packet.
- Prothonotary forms and civil filing links - civil records, CourtPro, and filing resources.
- Record Information - public self-search and Clerk of Records search-fee guidance.
Mail and Online Filings
Erie County uses CourtPro for Prothonotary civil case management, public access, and e-filing. The Prothonotary viewer covers records from 1992-current. After the related March 3, 2025 Register of Wills and Orphans' Court transition, existing Prothonotary CourtPro users did not need a second registration for those Clerk of Records divisions.
CourtPro is useful for locating the case and docket history, but it does not eliminate the need to contact the Prothonotary when a certified civil copy, older record, restricted family filing, or clarification of a docket entry is required. Divorce and custody matters are civil records, but remote family access is narrower under Pennsylvania judiciary policy than ordinary civil docket access. When a party cannot locate a civil case online, the Clerk of Records public self-search option or the $20 office-conducted search is the documented fallback.
Users should also account for the civil-versus-criminal split before submitting requests. A judgment, lien, divorce decree, custody filing, PFA record, or district judge civil appeal belongs with the Prothonotary. A criminal docket, bail bond, summary appeal, Superior Court criminal appeal, or expungement filing belongs with the Clerk of Courts. Sending the request to the correct division reduces delays and avoids a misdirected office search. Keep case numbers available.