Wyoming County Court of Common Pleas Overview
Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas are the general trial courts. Wyoming County is part of the 44th Judicial District, paired with Sullivan County. President Judge Russell D. Shurtleff and Judge Nina M. Sordoni preside over both counties, and Deputy Court Administrator Shannon Carney is listed by the county courts page. The courthouse is at 1 Courthouse Square, Tunkhannock, PA 18657, with the main county phone 570-836-3200. Court hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The court handles the main trial-court workload: felony cases after magisterial proceedings, criminal pleas and sentencing, civil actions, family matters, divorce, protection-from-abuse cases, juvenile matters, Orphans' Court estates and guardianships, summary appeals, and appeals from Magisterial District Courts. The local court page also points users to criminal calendar links, district court links, ADA policy materials, and a local rule.
The federal image set includes the Middle District homepage at U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, which is included here only as federal context.
Federal district court is not the Wyoming County Court of Common Pleas, but Wyoming County falls within the Middle District for federal cases.
Wyoming County Court Locations
The county has one Court of Common Pleas location and two Magisterial District Courts. Magisterial District Courts are lower courts, but they matter because many criminal, traffic, landlord-tenant, summary, and small civil matters start there before any Common Pleas appeal or bind-over. The table includes the trial court and lower-court locations because the correct record path depends on where the case sits.
| Court or Office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court of Common Pleas, 44th Judicial District | General trial court | Wyoming County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Tunkhannock, PA 18657 | 570-836-3200 |
| Magisterial District Court 44-3-01, Judge David K. Plummer | Lower court | 71 Hollowcrest Road, Suite 1, Tunkhannock, PA 18657 | 570-836-1616 |
| Magisterial District Court 44-3-02, Judge Carl Smith | Lower court | 1 Courthouse Square, 1st Floor, Tunkhannock, PA 18657 | 570-836-3797 |
| Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, Clerk of Orphans' Court | Court-record custodian | 1 Courthouse Square, Tunkhannock, PA 18657 | 570-996-2232 for marriage; main 570-836-3200 |
Common Pleas vs Magisterial Courts
Wyoming County does not use a separate county court tier like some states. The main split is between the Court of Common Pleas and the Magisterial District Courts. Common Pleas is the general trial court. Magisterial District Courts are the base-level courts for preliminary criminal proceedings, citations, summary offenses, landlord-tenant matters, and smaller civil claims. Appeals and felony cases can move from the lower level to Common Pleas.
| Point | Court of Common Pleas | Magisterial District Courts |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Primary trial court for Wyoming County | Lower court level for first-stage and smaller matters |
| Criminal cases | Felony cases after preliminary proceedings, pleas, trials, sentencing | Preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings, summary cases |
| Civil matters | Civil actions, family, divorce, PFA, Orphans' Court matters | Landlord-tenant and smaller civil claims |
| Traffic | Summary appeals and higher-level criminal traffic such as DUI after transfer | Routine traffic citations and summary traffic cases |
| Records path | Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts plus UJS where available | MDJ office and UJS where available |
Wyoming County Case Flow
A criminal case often starts with police investigation and a criminal complaint at a Magisterial District Court. If felony charges are held for court, the case proceeds to the Court of Common Pleas, where arraignment, motions, plea, trial, disposition, and sentencing are tracked. A summary traffic citation usually starts at a Magisterial District Court. A summary appeal can move to Common Pleas. Civil and family cases are filed through the Prothonotary side of the Common Pleas system.
Criminal flow: Complaint or citation › Magisterial District Court › Preliminary proceedings › Court of Common Pleas › Plea or trial › Disposition › Sentencing › Superior Court appeal when available.
Civil and family flow: Filing with Prothonotary › Service and response › Motions or conferences › Hearing or trial › Order or judgment › Appeal path when available.
After sentencing, the DA FAQ states that a defendant may appeal to the Superior Court and then seek Supreme Court review alleging errors in the handling of the case.
Wyoming County Common Pleas Divisions
The Wyoming County Court of Common Pleas handles multiple subject areas rather than one narrow docket. Civil filings are routed through the Wyoming County Prothonotary. Criminal filings, verdicts, fines, costs, bonds, bail, subpoenas, and bench warrants are handled through the Wyoming County Clerk of Courts. Orphans' Court records route to Orphans' Court and Register of Wills functions. That office split is more useful than a generic division label when a user needs a copy or filing rule.
- Civil
- Complaints, answers, motions, judgments, and appeals in noncriminal disputes.
- Family and divorce
- Divorce and related family filings, with access limits for confidential data.
- Criminal
- Felony and other Common Pleas criminal filings, pleas, verdicts, and sentencing.
- Orphans' Court
- Estate, guardianship, and related probate matters.
- PFA
- Protection-from-abuse petitions, with protected information limits.
Wyoming County Case Lookup
UJS Case Search is the main statewide public docket tool for Wyoming County court records. It can search by participant name, docket number, OTN, complaint number, citation number, incident number, SID, date filed, organization, and other modes depending on court type. Public Calendar Schedule can show future events for Criminal Courts of Common Pleas and Magisterial District Courts. Recent entries may lag, and secure docket content is limited to authorized access.
| Search Field | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Participant Name | Name-based docket search | Useful without a docket number |
| Docket Number | Known case lookup | Best for precise Common Pleas records |
| OTN or Complaint Number | Criminal case lookup | Useful after arrest or complaint filing |
| Citation Number | Traffic or citation case lookup | Mostly lower-court matters |
| County | Filter results | Select Wyoming County where offered |
Federal Courts Near Wyoming County
Federal cases are different from Wyoming County Court of Common Pleas records. Wyoming County is in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. That federal court handles federal criminal prosecutions, federal civil cases, civil-rights suits, federal statutory claims, and cases involving the United States. Federal docket and document access uses PACER and CM/ECF rather than the county Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts.
The assigned PACER source for the Middle District is PACER's Pennsylvania Middle District lookup.
PACER lookup is relevant only when the case is federal, not when the matter belongs in Wyoming County Common Pleas or a Magisterial District Court.
Federal electronic filing appears through Middle District CM/ECF.
CM/ECF requires the correct federal login and does not provide county Court of Common Pleas filing access.
Bankruptcy and Federal Prosecution
Bankruptcy is handled by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, not by Wyoming County Court of Common Pleas. The PACER bankruptcy lookup lists locations in Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, help desk phone numbers 717-901-2800 and 570-831-2500, email PAMBecf_helpdesk@pamb.uscourts.gov, and hours Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The U.S. Attorney's Office Middle District page explains that federal prosecutors appear in Scranton, Harrisburg, Williamsport, and Wilkes-Barre.
The bankruptcy court source assigned to the manifest is U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Bankruptcy records are federal records, so they should not be requested from the Wyoming County trial court office.
The federal bankruptcy PACER lookup source is PACER's Middle Pennsylvania bankruptcy lookup.
This distinction keeps Wyoming County state court searches separate from federal bankruptcy docket searches.
The U.S. Attorney source assigned to this page is Middle District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney district overview.
Federal prosecution context matters only when the case is charged under federal jurisdiction, not for routine county criminal filings.