About the Elk County Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts
Elk County official materials and the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System identify Susanne Straub Schneider as the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts. The local office description says the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts deals with record keeping and reporting for criminal cases bound over from the district justice, and also maintains road dockets and naturalization records. Divorce records are found in the Prothonotary's Office.
The Prothonotary side handles civil and family filings in the Court of Common Pleas, while the Clerk of Courts side handles criminal Court of Common Pleas records after cases move beyond the magisterial district level. The separate Clerk of Orphans' Court handles marriage licenses, wills, estates, Orphans' Court files, and recorder functions, so requests should be routed by record type.
Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts
Clerk: Susanne Straub Schneider
250 Main Street, Suite 114
P.O. Box 237
Ridgway, PA 15853
814-776-5343
Fax: 814-776-5303
sschneider@countyofelkpa.gov
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
The county's Prothonotary contact page is the local source for the office address, hours, and record responsibilities.
That contact detail is the safest starting point when a copy request involves a divorce decree, criminal docket, or civil Court of Common Pleas file.
What the Elk County Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts Does
The office serves two linked but distinct court-record functions. As Prothonotary, it is the civil filing office for Court of Common Pleas matters such as divorce and other civil case records. As Clerk of Courts, it is the criminal record office for cases bound over from magisterial district judges to Common Pleas. The office also keeps road dockets and naturalization records, which are separate from current criminal or civil dockets.
- Maintains civil Court of Common Pleas filings and related docket records.
- Maintains divorce records filed in Elk County.
- Keeps and reports criminal cases bound over from district justice proceedings.
- Maintains road dockets and naturalization records.
- Accepts filings and copy requests subject to office rules, fees, and public-access limits.
How to Request a Certified Copy from the Elk County Clerk
A certified copy from the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts is often needed when a court record must prove a divorce decree, case disposition, judgment, or filed order. Before requesting certification, identify the case type because marriage, estate, and deed records are not held by this primary clerk office.
- Identify whether the record is civil, divorce, criminal Common Pleas, road docket, or naturalization.
- Gather the party names, case number if known, approximate filing date, and document type.
- Call 814-776-5343 or contact the office at Suite 114 to confirm copy availability and current fee handling.
- State whether a plain copy or certified copy is needed.
- Submit the request with the required payment, mailing details, and any postage cost the office identifies.
- Retain the receipt or certification information in case the receiving agency asks for proof from the issuing clerk.
Elk County Clerk Records Request Form Fields
Routine court-record copy requests should give the clerk enough information to identify the file without turning the request into a broad open-records demand. Elk County's open-records material says routine records such as divorce records do not require a Right-to-Know request, but a specific request still needs clear file details.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number or docket number | Helpful when known | Use UJS or prior paperwork to identify the file if possible. |
| Party names | Yes | List full names and any former names used in divorce or civil records. |
| Case type | Yes | Identify civil, divorce, criminal, road docket, or naturalization. |
| Document type | Yes | Examples include decree, order, docket sheet, judgment, or disposition. |
| Copy type | Yes | State plain copy or certified copy. |
| Requester contact and mailing address | Yes | Needed for follow-up, mailing, and fee or postage questions. |
Elk County Prothonotary and Clerk Fees
Elk County posts civil and criminal fee schedules for the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts. The research did not capture each schedule line, so specific filing fees should be checked against the current county schedule before filing or ordering copies. Some court financial record requests under Rule 509 have separate published charges.
| Item | Amount or Source |
|---|---|
| Rule 509 photocopying | $0.25 per page |
| Rule 509 retrieval or redaction | $5.00 per 15 minutes |
| Rule 509 CD | $5.00 each |
| Rule 509 postage | Actual costs |
| General printing or copying when no other law supersedes | $0.25 per page |
| Civil and criminal filing fees | Use current Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts fee schedules. |
The official Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts fee schedule page is the county source for civil and criminal schedule links.
Checking the schedule before filing matters because a copy request, civil filing, and criminal filing may use different fee lines.
Common Elk County Clerk Forms
Elk County links pro se materials for people representing themselves, but the county also warns that court staff cannot give legal advice or complete forms. Forms should be complete before they are filed with the Prothonotary's Office.
- Information for pro se litigants for divorce, custody, public defender, and fee-waiver form links.
- 59th Judicial District court forms for local self-represented litigant resources.
- Elk County open records forms for Right-to-Know and Rule 509 requests when the request is not a routine office copy request.
The pro se page is a local source for self-represented filing guidance.
The key limit is that forms may be available online, but legal strategy and form completion remain the filer's responsibility.
Routine Elk County Records vs Right-to-Know Requests
Elk County distinguishes routine courthouse records from formal Right-to-Know Law requests. Birth, death, marriage, divorce, and deeds do not require an open-records request because they are routine records handled by the Prothonotary or Register and Recorder offices. For the primary clerk page, the practical example is divorce records: contact the Prothonotary rather than filing a broad Right-to-Know request.
When a request truly belongs under Right-to-Know or court financial record rules, Elk County requires either its Record Request Form or the state Office of Open Records form. The county does not accept anonymous RTKL requests because an anonymous requester does not meet the requester definition cited in the county materials. The Open Records Officer is listed at the Courthouse Annex, 300 Center Street, P.O. Box 448, Ridgway, PA 15853, with openrecords@countyofelkpa.gov and fax 814-776-5379.
Elk County Clerk of Courts in the State Directory
The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System keeps a statewide Clerks of Courts directory that confirms the local office information for criminal court clerk functions. That state directory is useful when a requester wants to verify the official Clerk of Courts name or distinguish Elk County from another Pennsylvania county with a similar court structure.
The statewide Clerks of Courts directory confirms the Elk County Clerk of Courts listing used in the research.
For day-to-day copies and filings, though, the local Ridgway office remains the direct contact.