Potter County Court of Common Pleas
Potter County is Pennsylvania's 55th Judicial District. The county trial court is the Potter County Court of Common Pleas in Coudersport. Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas are the main county-level trial courts for felony criminal cases, major civil cases, family matters, juvenile matters, Orphans' Court matters, and appeals from Magisterial District Court judgments. The official county court page places Common Pleas and the three local Magisterial District Courts under the county Courts section.
The Potter County Courthouse is at 1 East Second Street, Coudersport, PA 16915. It anchors the trial court, civil and criminal filing offices, Orphans' Court activity, and nearby court-related county offices such as the District Attorney, Public Defender, Probation Department, and Sheriff. Official county parking-rate, transit schedule, and detailed security-screening pages were not located, so visitors should confirm entry rules before court.
The image below comes from the official Potter County Court of Common Pleas page.
Use the Common Pleas path for the county trial court. Traffic, summary, and preliminary criminal matters may still begin in a Magisterial District Court before moving to Common Pleas.
Potter County Court Table
Potter County has one Court of Common Pleas and three Magisterial District Courts. Individual MDJ phone numbers were not available in accessible page text, so the table points users to the official court pages instead of guessing. The Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts phone for Common Pleas records is 814-274-9740.
| Court Number | Type | Address or location notes | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55th Judicial District | Court of Common Pleas | Potter County Courthouse, 1 East Second Street, Coudersport, PA 16915 | 814-274-9740 for Prothonotary/Clerk records |
| 55-3-01 | Magisterial District Court | Coudersport area, official county court page under Courts | Use official MDJ page |
| 55-4-01 | Magisterial District Court | Shinglehouse area, official county court page under Courts | Use official MDJ page |
| 55-4-03 | Magisterial District Court | Galeton area, official county court page under Courts | Use official MDJ page |
| Orphans' Court function | Probate and estates | Register and Recorder / Clerk of Orphans' Court path at the Potter County Courthouse | 814-274-8370 for Register and Recorder |
Common Pleas vs Magisterial District
Pennsylvania does not use the same court labels as states with county courts or justice courts. In Potter County, the key split is Court of Common Pleas versus Magisterial District Court. The lower courts handle the first stage for many matters, while serious criminal and larger civil or family cases move to the Common Pleas level. Appeals from MDJ judgments can also land in Common Pleas.
| Comparison point | Court of Common Pleas | Magisterial District Courts |
|---|---|---|
| Civil cases | Major civil actions, judgments, liens, appeals, family filings, and cases beyond MDJ jurisdiction. | Landlord-tenant cases and smaller civil claims within statutory limits. |
| Criminal cases | Felonies and misdemeanors after bind-over or information filing, pleas, trials, sentencing, and probation-related entries. | Preliminary arraignments, bail, preliminary hearings, summary offenses, and early criminal docket activity. |
| Traffic and summary matters | Appeals and some later related proceedings. | Most traffic citations and non-traffic summary cases begin here. |
| Family and juvenile | Divorce, custody, support-related court filings, juvenile matters, and protection-related court activity where assigned. | Not the main forum for divorce or custody cases. |
| Probate role | Orphans' Court functions within the county trial court framework. | No routine estate-file role. |
Potter County Case Flow
A Potter County criminal case often starts below Common Pleas. Police file charges before a Magisterial District Judge, and the MDJ handles preliminary arraignment, bail, and the preliminary hearing. If the charges are held for court, a Common Pleas criminal docket opens, the District Attorney files the criminal information, and the Clerk of Courts maintains the file for plea, trial, sentence, costs, and later events.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › MDJ arraignment and bail › Preliminary hearing › Held for court or dismissed › Common Pleas information › Plea or trial › Sentencing › Appeal.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition filed › Service and answer › Motions or discovery › Conference, settlement, or hearing › Trial or order › Judgment › Appeal.
For public docket searching, use Pennsylvania UJS Case Search and choose the court level that matches the matter. For full document copies, contact the Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts or the correct MDJ office. The broader Potter County court dockets page focuses on docket sheets and search fields.
Potter County MDJ 55-3-01
Magisterial District Court 55-3-01 serves the Coudersport area. The official county page identifies it as one of Potter County's three MDJ courts. This court level is important for traffic citations, summary criminal cases, landlord-tenant claims, smaller civil matters, preliminary arraignments, bail decisions, and preliminary hearings in criminal cases before any bind-over to Common Pleas.
The screenshot comes from the official Magisterial District Court 55-3-01 Coudersport page.
If a citation or early criminal docket shows the Coudersport MDJ, use the MDJ office and UJS Magisterial District search path before assuming the case has reached Common Pleas.
Potter County MDJ 55-4-01
Magisterial District Court 55-4-01 serves the Shinglehouse area. Like the other Potter County MDJ courts, it is a lower court for preliminary criminal proceedings, traffic and summary matters, landlord-tenant disputes, and smaller civil claims. The issuing MDJ matters because hearing dates, plea instructions, continuance requests, and certified copies of MDJ-level records should go through the correct office.
The screenshot comes from the official Magisterial District Court 55-4-01 Shinglehouse page.
For a Shinglehouse-area traffic ticket or preliminary hearing, search UJS at the Magisterial District level and verify office details before mailing payments or requests.
Potter County MDJ 55-4-03
Magisterial District Court 55-4-03 serves the Galeton area. Its role is the same lower-court role described in the county hierarchy: traffic, non-traffic summary cases, landlord-tenant matters, smaller civil claims, and the first court stage for many misdemeanor or felony charges. If a charge is held for court after the preliminary hearing, the case then proceeds to the Court of Common Pleas for the main criminal file.
The screenshot comes from the official Magisterial District Court 55-4-03 Galeton page.
Galeton-area lower-court records should be traced through that MDJ office unless the docket shows transfer or appeal to Common Pleas.
Potter County Court Divisions
The Court of Common Pleas handles several record groups through different office paths. Civil actions, divorce, custody, judgments, liens, and appeals generally start with the Prothonotary. Criminal Common Pleas files, sentencing papers, cost and fine records, and docket filings after MDJ bind-over route through the Clerk of Courts side. Probate and estate matters use the Register of Wills / Recorder of Deeds and Clerk of Orphans' Court path.
The District Attorney and Public Defender are part of the criminal-case environment but do not replace the Clerk of Courts as the record custodian. The Probation Department appears after sentence or supervision orders. The Sheriff connects to court security, civil process, transport, and warrant-related court activity. For transcript requests, local rules require the original request to be filed with the correct office, such as the Prothonotary for civil matters or the Clerk of Courts/Clerk of Orphans' Court for criminal or Orphans' Court matters.
Note: UJS public docket sheets usually summarize events; full complaints, motions, orders, transcripts, and exhibits require the proper court or clerk office.
Potter County Court Appeals
Appeals from Potter County trial-court decisions generally go to Pennsylvania's appellate courts. Most criminal and civil appeals route to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, many government-agency and public-law matters route to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, and discretionary review may go to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. MDJ judgments may first be appealed to the Court of Common Pleas depending on the matter and rule.
Federal court is separate. Federal civil cases, federal criminal cases, habeas matters, and bankruptcy do not sit in Potter County Common Pleas files. Those records are searched through federal court systems such as PACER or the applicable federal clerk. County court users should avoid mixing a CP-53 Potter County docket number with a federal case number because they belong to different court systems and clerks.