Are Divorce Records Public in Pennsylvania? 2026 Access Guide

Divorce records are public in Pennsylvania. Under the Unified Judicial System's Case Records Public Access Policy, divorce filings held by the county Prothonotary are open to the public unless a judge seals them by order. Anyone can search the statewide UJS docket portal for free, though certified copies are issued only to the parties or those with legal authority.

Pennsylvania has treated divorce as a public judicial proceeding since 1804, when Prothonotaries first began keeping these records at the county level. This guide explains exactly what is public, what is confidential, how to search filings, and how to seal or redact sensitive information. Whether you are researching your own case, a public divorce filing, or considering how to protect your privacy, the rules below govern divorce records privacy across all 67 Pennsylvania counties.

Key Facts: Pennsylvania Divorce Records at a Glance

Are Divorce Records Public in Pennsylvania?

Yes, divorce records are public in Pennsylvania. Divorce is a judicial proceeding in the Court of Common Pleas, so the resulting court file is a public record accessible to any member of the public under the Unified Judicial System (UJS) Case Records Public Access Policy. The only exceptions are records a judge has sealed by court order or information redacted onto a confidential form.

This default of openness reflects a long-standing principle: court proceedings in Pennsylvania are presumptively public so citizens can monitor the operation of the judicial system. When you file a Complaint in Divorce with the Prothonotary, that complaint, the docket entries, the divorce decree, and most subsequent filings become part of a publicly accessible record. Members of the public can view the docket, read most filed documents at the courthouse, and request plain copies. The public-access default applies statewide across all 67 counties, though each county's Prothonotary administers the physical file. Certified copies carrying a raised seal are treated differently and issued only to the divorcing parties or persons with proper legal authority.

What Information Appears in a Public Pennsylvania Divorce Record?

A public Pennsylvania divorce record contains the names of both spouses, the county and case (docket) number, the date of filing, the grounds asserted under 23 Pa.C.S. § 3301, and the final divorce decree. Sensitive data such as Social Security numbers, minor children's names and birth dates, and full financial account numbers are removed to a separate confidential form.

The visible public file typically includes the Complaint in Divorce, the docket sheet listing every filing and order, affidavits of consent or service, the master's or hearing officer's report in contested matters, and the signed divorce decree. Marriage records and marriage licenses are also public in Pennsylvania. What is NOT visible in the public record are documents governed by the 2022 UJS confidentiality rules: the Marital Property Inventory under Pa.R.C.P. 1920.33, the Income and Expense Statement under Pa.R.C.P. 1910.27(c), and settlement agreements referenced under 23 Pa.C.S. § 3105. These financial documents are flagged by a Confidential Document Form so the clerk withholds them from public inspection while still noting on the docket that they exist.

How to Search Pennsylvania Divorce Filings Online

You can search Pennsylvania public divorce filings for free through the UJS Web Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us. Enter a party's name to retrieve the docket for Court of Common Pleas cases, including divorce actions. The portal displays case status, docket entries, and party information at no charge, but sealed records never appear on the portal, and financial documents flagged confidential are not viewable.

A divorce records search in Pennsylvania follows a predictable path. Start with the statewide UJS portal, which aggregates Common Pleas civil dockets, then narrow by county if you know where the case was filed. Under 23 Pa.C.S. § 3104, venue generally lies in the county where a spouse resides, so the case will sit in that county's Prothonotary office. For documents not available online — older records, full document images, or certified copies — you must contact the Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas in the county where the divorce was granted. Records have been maintained at the county level since 1804. The portal is best for confirming a case exists and reviewing docket activity; the Prothonotary's office is where you obtain the actual document copies for a per-page or certification fee.

How to Get a Copy of a Divorce Record in Pennsylvania

To obtain a Pennsylvania divorce record, contact the Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas in the county where the divorce was finalized. Plain (informational) copies are available to any member of the public, while certified copies bearing a raised seal are issued only to the parties or persons with legal authority. Copy fees typically run a few dollars per page plus a certification charge that varies by county.

Pennsylvania divorce records consist of the divorce decree, the divorce certificate, and the associated documents generated during the case. Plain copies are printed on white paper without a seal and are limited to informational use. Certified copies are printed on special paper with a raised seal that validates them as exact reproductions of the originals, and they are required for legal or business matters such as remarriage, name changes, or benefit claims. Because certified copies carry legal weight, the Prothonotary issues them only to an involved party, someone authorized by an involved party, or a person acting under a court order. Note that Pennsylvania does NOT issue divorce records through the state Department of Health — unlike marriage and death certificates, divorce decrees remain with the county court, not the vital records office.

Can You Seal or Make Divorce Records Private in Pennsylvania?

Yes, you can seal divorce records in Pennsylvania, but full sealing is rare and requires a court order. Your attorney must file a motion to seal and demonstrate compelling reasons why your privacy interest outweighs the public's right of access to court records under Pa.R.C.P. 1931. Courts far more commonly grant partial sealing or redaction of specific sensitive documents rather than sealing an entire case file.

To seal divorce records in Pennsylvania, the moving party carries the burden of overcoming the strong presumption of public access. Judges weigh the requesting party's privacy interest against the public's constitutional and common-law right to open court records, and general embarrassment or a desire for confidentiality is not enough. Courts are more receptive to narrow requests — isolating the specific documents that truly require protection, such as financial disclosures, medical information, or business records. If a filing is non-compliant with the confidentiality policy, a court may on its own initiative order the document sealed, redacted, or amended. Sealed records are excluded from the UJS online portal entirely, so a successful sealing motion removes those documents from public electronic view. This approach to divorce records privacy protects genuinely sensitive material without attempting the difficult task of shielding the whole case.

The 2022 UJS Public Access Policy and Confidential Information Forms

Under the amended UJS Case Records Public Access Policy effective January 1, 2022, filing parties must redact confidential information from public documents and place it on a separate statewide Confidential Information Form (CIF) that is never available to the public. This system replaced the older practice of leaving sensitive data in the body of court filings and applies to every divorce filed in Pennsylvania.

The policy created two distinct forms that shape what the public sees. The Confidential Information Form (CIF) captures data points that must be removed from the visible filing: Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and the names and dates of birth of minor children. For family court actions defined by Pa.R.C.P. 1931(a), an abuse victim's address, employer, and work schedule are also listed on the CIF — everything except the victim's name — to protect safety. The Confidential Document Form (CDF) works differently: it accompanies entire documents the clerk must withhold, such as the Marital Property Inventory and Income and Expense Statement, and only the CDF cover sheet identifying the document type is public. Attorneys and self-represented filers are solely responsible for complying and must certify compliance, making accurate redaction a mandatory step in every public divorce filing.

Pennsylvania Divorce Grounds and Waiting Periods

Pennsylvania allows both no-fault and fault-based divorce under 23 Pa.C.S. § 3301. The fastest route is mutual consent under § 3301(c), which requires a 90-day waiting period after the complaint is served plus sworn affidavits from both spouses. A unilateral no-fault divorce under § 3301(d) requires one year of living separate and apart. No-fault cases account for over 90% of all Pennsylvania divorce filings.

Understanding the grounds matters because they shape the public record. The mutual consent path under § 3301(c) produces a shorter, cleaner file: after the 90-day waiting period, both spouses file affidavits of consent, and the decree follows. The one-year separation path under § 3301(d) applies when one spouse refuses to consent — Act 102 (December 2016) reduced this separation period from two years to one year for separations beginning on or after December 5, 2016. Fault grounds under § 3301(a) — adultery, desertion for one year, cruel and barbarous treatment, bigamy, imprisonment for two or more years, or indignities — have no fixed waiting period but require proof at trial, which generates a larger public litigation record. A separate ground exists for institutionalization after 18 months of confinement for serious mental disorder.

How Property Division Affects the Public Record

Pennsylvania is an equitable distribution state under 23 Pa.C.S. § 3502, meaning courts divide marital property fairly but not necessarily 50/50, without regard to marital misconduct. The financial disclosures that drive this division — the Marital Property Inventory and Income and Expense Statement — are treated as confidential documents under the 2022 UJS policy and are withheld from the public file even though the divorce case itself remains public.

Equitable distribution requires each spouse to disclose assets and debts so the court can apply the statutory fairness factors in § 3502(a), which weigh each party's age, health, income, earning capacity, contributions as a homemaker, and the standard of living during the marriage. Because these disclosures contain full account numbers, income figures, and detailed asset schedules, Pennsylvania flags them with a Confidential Document Form under Pa.R.C.P. 1920.33 and 1910.27(c) so they do not appear in the public record. The public docket will note that these documents were filed and that equitable distribution occurred, and the final decree may reference a property settlement, but the granular financial data stays private. This structure balances the public's right to know a divorce happened against the parties' interest in keeping detailed finances out of the searchable public divorce filings.

Pennsylvania Divorce Filing Fees by County (2026)

Pennsylvania divorce filing fees range from approximately $135 to $410, set individually by each county's Prothonotary rather than by statewide statute. Philadelphia charges roughly $319–$334, Allegheny County about $254, Montgomery County around $344, and Bucks County near $388 as of April 2026. Fee waivers are available for low-income filers through a Petition to Proceed In Forma Pauperis under Pa.R.C.P. 240.

As of April 2026. Verify current amounts with your local county Prothonotary before filing, as fees change periodically. The Petition to Proceed In Forma Pauperis under Pa.R.C.P. 240 waives filing fees, service costs, and other court expenses for filers demonstrating financial hardship, generally those with income below 125% of the federal poverty line — approximately $19,562 for a single filer in 2026. Because filing fees fund the court's maintenance of your public divorce record, waiving them does not change the public status of the case; an IFP-filed divorce remains searchable on the UJS portal just like any other.

Residency Requirements for Filing in Pennsylvania

At least one spouse must be a bona fide Pennsylvania resident for six months immediately before filing, under 23 Pa.C.S. § 3104(b). Only one party needs to meet this requirement. A Pennsylvania resident may file against a non-resident spouse, and there is no separate county residency period, though venue rules determine which county court hears the case.

Proof of residency is established through documentation such as a Pennsylvania driver's license, voter registration, utility bills, a lease, or employment records showing a Pennsylvania address. Physical presence combined with intent to remain indefinitely satisfies the bona fide residency standard. Venue under Pa.R.C.P. 1920.2 dictates the county: if your spouse lives in Pennsylvania, you generally file in the county where your spouse resides; if your spouse lives outside the state, you may file in your own county. The county you file in becomes the permanent home of your public record, because the Prothonotary of that Court of Common Pleas is the custodian who will maintain and issue copies of the divorce file for decades to come.