Lebanon County Clerk of Courts
The Clerk of Courts is Lebanon County's filing office for criminal and juvenile Court of Common Pleas matters. The official page states that all criminal and juvenile records are available to the public unless specifically precluded by law. Barbara A. Smith is listed as Clerk. The office links a Clerk of Courts Fee Schedule, an Expungement Procedure, and Pennsylvania courts public forms.
The office is in Room 102 of the Municipal Building, 400 South 8th Street, Lebanon, PA 17042-6794. The phone number is (717) 228-4419, fax is (717) 228-4467, and office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Use this office for Common Pleas criminal case-file copies, juvenile filing questions, and clerk procedure questions after a criminal case reaches the trial court.
Lebanon County Clerk of Courts
Clerk: Barbara A. Smith
Room 102, Municipal Building
400 South 8th Street
Lebanon, PA 17042-6794
(717) 228-4419
Fax: (717) 228-4467
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Lebanon County Criminal Record Duties
The Clerk of Courts handles criminal and juvenile filings after cases enter the Court of Common Pleas. Public docket sheets may show charges, bail, court events, dispositions, sentences, counsel, and docket entries unless a record is sealed, expunged, subject to limited access, or otherwise restricted. The full criminal case file and clerk copy questions are distinct from police arrest records and jail custody information.
- Criminal Court of Common Pleas filings, docket entries, dispositions, and sentence records.
- Juvenile filings, subject to legal restrictions where records are precluded from public access.
- Fee schedule and copy procedure information for criminal clerk records.
- Expungement procedure links for eligible criminal record relief.
- Public forms from Pennsylvania courts where the county page links them.
For the civil filing side of the same trial court, use the Lebanon County Prothonotary.
Search Lebanon County Criminal Filings
Start with UJS Case Search for free statewide docket sheets. Search by docket number, participant name, OTN, complaint number, citation number, date filed, or other available fields, then narrow to Lebanon or Judicial District 52. Common Pleas criminal docket numbers may use the CP-38-CR format, while Magisterial District Court traffic or preliminary matters may use MJ docket formats.
The Clerk of Courts page is the manifest source for the criminal and juvenile filing office.
This source supports the Clerk of Courts role, contact details, fee schedule link, expungement link, and public-record availability statement.
Request Certified Criminal Copies
Certified criminal copies should be requested from the Clerk of Courts when the record is a Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas criminal filing. A UJS docket sheet can help locate the docket number and filed entries, but certified file copies come from the court custodian. Juvenile access may be limited, even though the office handles juvenile filings.
- Use UJS Case Search to identify the docket number, party name, filing year, and document entries.
- Confirm that the case is a Lebanon County Common Pleas criminal or juvenile matter.
- Call or visit Room 102 to ask whether the record is public, sealed, expunged, limited access, or juvenile-restricted.
- Ask the Clerk of Courts for the current copy and certification charges from the fee schedule.
- Submit the request with the docket number, document names, copy type, and approved payment method.
Lebanon County Criminal Request Fields
The research file does not provide a separate Clerk of Courts copy-request form. A useful request should match the fields found in Pennsylvania docket records and clerk files. Include enough detail to locate the record without assuming access to sealed, juvenile, or expunged material.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Docket number | Recommended | Use CP-38-CR format when available from UJS. |
| Defendant name | Yes | Needed when no docket number is known. |
| OTN or complaint number | Optional | Useful for matching criminal charge records. |
| Document requested | Yes | Examples include order, disposition, sentence, or docket entry document. |
| Copy type | Yes | State whether a certified copy or plain copy is needed. |
| Juvenile or sealed status concern | If known | Tell the clerk if the case may be restricted before requesting copies. |
Lebanon County Clerk Fees
The Clerk of Courts page links a criminal fee schedule, but the research file does not quote individual copy or filing fees from that PDF. The proper content is therefore a fee-source table, not guessed amounts. Confirm the current schedule with Room 102 before mailing payment or asking for certified copies.
| Item | Amount or source |
|---|---|
| Criminal Clerk fee schedule | Linked from the official Clerk of Courts page. |
| Certified criminal copies | Confirm current copy and certification charge with Room 102. |
| Juvenile records | Access and copy availability depend on legal restrictions. |
| Expungement procedure | Procedure link is provided by the Clerk of Courts page. |
| Costs, fines, restitution payments | Probation Collections handles many payment matters, with PAePay also available where eligible. |
Lebanon County Criminal Case Flow
The Public Defender page gives the criminal sequence used in Lebanon County. A case may begin with a summons or warrant. A preliminary arraignment before a Magisterial District Judge advises the defendant of charges and sets bail. At preliminary hearing, the Commonwealth presents evidence. If sufficient evidence exists, the case moves to Common Pleas, where formal arraignment, call of the list, trial, and sentencing may follow.
Process: Summons or warrant › preliminary arraignment › preliminary hearing › Common Pleas filing › formal arraignment › call of the list › plea or trial › sentencing.
Sample public docket material in the research file includes calendar events such as Arraignment, Call of the List, Criminal Jury Trial, Motion, Criminal Pre-Trial Conference, Pre-Trial, and sentencing-related entries. Some entries also show bail, charges, attorney information, service details, and docket filings.
The county Court System page is the manifest source for the broader Court of Common Pleas setting that supports Clerk of Courts criminal filings.
The court-system source helps connect Room 102 criminal filings with Court Administration, judges, calendars, forms, ADA access, and jury trial activity.
Restricted Lebanon County Criminal Records
Public access has limits. Juvenile records are filed by the Clerk of Courts but may be restricted where law precludes access. Sealed, expunged, and limited-access records may not appear to the public in the same way as open cases. Pennsylvania limited access removes eligible records from public view while criminal justice agencies retain access. Expungement is a more complete removal or destruction process where available.
If a case includes costs, fines, or restitution, payment records may also involve Probation Collections or PAePay rather than only the Clerk of Courts.
Note: UJS warns that docket sheets are not criminal-history background checks and should not be used as a substitute for Pennsylvania State Police checks.