Lebanon County Prothonotary Office
The Prothonotary is Lebanon County's civil filing office for the Court of Common Pleas. It handles civil, family, protection from abuse, judgment, and lien matters. The office is open to the public for searches, and its page states that any file may be viewed unless impounded by the court. Barbara A. Smith is listed as Prothonotary.
The office is in Room 104 of the Municipal Building, 400 South 8th Street, Lebanon, PA 17042-6794. The phone number is (717) 228-4418, fax is (717) 228-4467, and office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Passport appointments are separate from court-record work and are offered Tuesday through Friday, 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Lebanon County Prothonotary
Prothonotary: Barbara A. Smith
Room 104, Municipal Building
400 South 8th Street
Lebanon, PA 17042-6794
(717) 228-4418
Fax: (717) 228-4467
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Lebanon County Civil Filing Duties
The Prothonotary should be used for Common Pleas civil and family files. Research examples include complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, liens, arbitration appeals, MDJ civil appeals, writs of execution, writs of possession, subpoenas, praecipes, and satisfaction or discontinuance filings. Family filings include divorce, custody, support-related filings, and name-change or prior-name election forms.
- Civil case files, judgments, liens, motions, orders, and related pleadings.
- Family records such as divorce, custody, and prior-name election filings.
- Protection from Abuse records, with access limits where safety or confidential information applies.
- Appeals from Magisterial District Judge civil judgments, including landlord-tenant and small-claims appeals.
- Public file searches unless the file is impounded or otherwise restricted by court order.
Criminal and juvenile filings belong with the Lebanon County Clerk of Courts, not the Prothonotary.
Search Lebanon County Prothonotary Records
The Prothonotary and Register pages link the official CountySuite civil portal at portal.lebanon.pa.countysuite-azuregov.us/courts.civil.portal/CaseSearch and a civil case search guide. During research, the portal returned a 502 Bad Gateway. That means the portal is official but should not be treated as the only working access path. Use Room 104, phone contact, and UJS Case Search as fallbacks where appropriate.
The Prothonotary page is the manifest source for the Lebanon County civil and family filing office.
This county source supports the office role, room number, search access statement, fee schedule links, and form links used for Lebanon County Prothonotary records.
Request Certified Civil Copies
Certified copies are used when a civil or family court document must prove that it came from the official court file. For Lebanon County divorce decrees, judgments, civil orders, and similar Common Pleas civil documents, start with the Prothonotary. If the case number is unknown, search UJS or CountySuite first when available, then ask Room 104 to confirm the file.
- Identify the case number, party names, filing year, and document needed.
- Confirm that the record is a Prothonotary civil, family, PFA, judgment, or lien file.
- Call Room 104 or visit during business hours to ask whether the file is public, impounded, or restricted.
- Confirm the current copy or certification fee from the office's civil or family fee schedule.
- Submit the request with payment and ask whether pickup or mail return is available.
Lebanon County Copy Request Fields
The research file does not provide a separate Prothonotary copy-request form. For an accurate file request, include the fields the office needs to locate the case, identify the document, and decide whether access is public. Avoid sending unnecessary sensitive information unless the office requests it under a court process.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Recommended | Use CountySuite, UJS, or prior paperwork to locate it. |
| Party names | Yes | Include plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, or respondent names. |
| Record type | Yes | Civil, family, divorce, PFA, judgment, lien, or MDJ appeal. |
| Document requested | Yes | Examples include decree, order, judgment, complaint, or satisfaction. |
| Copy type | Yes | State plain copy, certified copy, or file review. |
| Date range | Recommended | Useful when the case number is not known. |
Lebanon County Prothonotary Fees
The Prothonotary links current civil and family fee schedules for 2025-2027. The research file instructs builders to use the current PDF before quoting individual filing fees. For this reason, the table identifies the researched fee source and the request channel rather than inventing per-page charges not captured in the source material.
| Item | Amount or source |
|---|---|
| Civil filing fees | Use the linked 2025-2027 civil fee schedule from the Prothonotary page. |
| Family filing fees | Use the linked 2025-2027 family fee schedule from the Prothonotary page. |
| Certified civil copies | Confirm current certification and page-copy charges with Room 104. |
| Public file searches | Office states it is open to the public for searches unless a file is impounded. |
| MDJ civil appeals | Research says appeals are filed with the Prothonotary and require payment by cash, money order, or check. |
Lebanon County Civil Forms
Lebanon County Prothonotary materials include fee schedules and forms. The research file names divorce-related prior-name election forms, including a Notice of Election to Retake Prior Name after Divorce Complaint and after Final Decree. The broader county forms page also lists Right to Know material, jail forms, public defender material, and Register of Wills forms, but Prothonotary users should stay with civil and family forms for civil case filing.
When a case includes confidential information, Pennsylvania public access policy may require redactions or confidential-information filings. Family files can include minor names, financial data, sealed material, or protected addresses. PFA files may involve safety limits. Ask Room 104 before assuming a file can be viewed online or copied remotely.
Note: Right-to-Know forms are for agency records and are not the first route for court case files held by the Prothonotary.
Online and In-Person Access
Lebanon County Prothonotary access is best viewed as a set of fallback channels. Start with the official CountySuite portal for civil and Orphans' Court searches if it is available. Use UJS Case Search for statewide docket sheets and related court events when a civil or family docket appears there. If online results are incomplete, call or visit Room 104 with the case number, party names, record type, and date range.
For restricted files, the office may only confirm the process for seeking access. For impounded files, a court order may control viewing. For certified copies, the office must issue the copy. For criminal Common Pleas records, use the Clerk of Courts in Room 102. For probate, adoption, guardianship, and marriage records, use the Orphans' Court office in Room 105.
When visiting the Municipal Building for a civil record, remember that several court offices share the same address but use different rooms. The room number is part of the access path.
For MDJ civil appeals, bring the judgment copy and follow the Prothonotary filing route described in the county research.