Mercer County Clerk Structure
Mercer County uses a split and locally combined clerk structure. The Prothonotary keeps civil Court of Common Pleas records. The combined Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills, and Clerk of Orphans' Court office keeps criminal Common Pleas records, probate files, marriage licenses, guardianships, adoption files, juvenile and dependency records, and several miscellaneous record groups.
Mary Jo Basilone DePreta is the Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills, Clerk of Orphans' Court, and Administrator of Cost Collections. Mercer County describes this as one of the few Pennsylvania counties where those offices are combined under one elected officeholder. The office is at 125 S. Diamond St., Suite 112, Mercer, PA 16137.
Clerk of Courts / Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court
Officeholder: Mary Jo Basilone DePreta
125 S. Diamond St., Suite 112
Mercer, PA 16137
724-662-3800 ext. 2248
mdepreta@mercercountypa.gov
Fax: 724-662-1604
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Mercer County Clerk Criminal Records
The Clerk of Courts is the filing office for Court of Common Pleas criminal cases. The office maintains criminal documents, pleadings, and orders, plus District Justice M3 dispositions filed for collection and further handling, summary appeals, bail bonding applications, juvenile and children/youth matters, road and bridge dockets, detective licenses, constable and tax collector bonds, public-official appointments, township audits, and township reports.
Criminal records after 1994 are available through the Pennsylvania UJS public docket system by name or docket number, while older criminal records are in Archives. Mercer County research notes that pre-1994 criminal records should be requested in advance and may need at least 48 hours for retrieval. Murder records are retained permanently.
- Criminal Common Pleas pleadings and orders.
- Summary appeals and M3 dispositions from District Justice cases.
- Bail bonding applications and cost-collection records.
- Juvenile and children/youth records, which may be confidential.
- State commitment forms and monthly reporting duties.
The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law is the public-records source tied to Mercer County administrative requests, while court case records still route to the correct filing office.
The public-access law source matters because Clerk records can include public criminal dockets and restricted juvenile, dependency, adoption, sealed, or limited-access materials.
Mercer County Register Duties
As Register of Wills, the office probates wills and grants letters of administration. When executor or administrator appointments are contested, the Register may conduct informal and formal hearings before referral to the Court of Common Pleas, Orphans' Court Division. The office also acts as Department of Revenue agent for inheritance-tax returns, collection, transmittal, and related commissions.
As Clerk of Orphans' Court, the office handles marriage-license applications and licenses, estate proceedings, guardianships, and adoption proceedings. Adoption records are confidential under Pennsylvania practice and are not public lookup records. Marriage records start in 1885. Probate records start in 1800. Records after 1944 are available at office public terminals, and many older records are on microfiche or in Archives.
Request Mercer County Clerk Copies
Certified copies from this office depend on record type. A criminal case copy, short certificate, marriage duplicate, estate document, guardianship filing, or Orphans' Court paper is requested through Suite 112. A divorce decree or civil complaint is not; it goes to the Prothonotary in Suite 105.
- Identify whether the record is criminal, probate, marriage, guardianship, adoption, juvenile, dependency, or civil.
- Use UJS for post-1994 public criminal docket information when the case is criminal or MDJ-related.
- Call or visit Suite 112 for copies, certifications, marriage duplicates, probate records, and archive retrieval.
- Request pre-1994 criminal records or archived records in advance because retrieval may require at least 48 hours.
- Pay the correct copy, certification, research, or filing fee for the record type.
Mercer County Clerk Request Fields
Mercer County research identifies different forms for marriage duplicates, estate claims, small-estate affidavits, and other Orphans' Court filings. A general clerk copy request should give enough information for staff to identify the office, index, and record group.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Yes | Criminal, marriage, estate, guardianship, adoption, juvenile, dependency, or miscellaneous |
| Docket, case, register, or license number | If known | Use UJS docket, estate register number, or marriage license number |
| Names | Yes | Defendant, spouse/applicant, decedent, claimant, or party name |
| Approximate date | Helpful | Filing date, marriage date, death date, or case year |
| Copy type | Yes | Plain copy, certified copy, short certificate, or research request |
| Delivery method | Yes | Counter pickup, mail, or office-directed method |
Mercer County Clerk Fees
The Clerk/Register fee schedules include criminal, summary, estate, Orphans' Court, copy, certification, and research items. The amounts below are the Mercer-specific fees identified in the research file.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Misdemeanor or felony disposed during or after trial | $209 |
| Misdemeanor or felony disposed before trial | $157 |
| Summary appeal filing | $51 plus possible mailing/automation |
| Xerox copy or fax | $0.50 per sheet |
| Clerk certification | $10 |
| Exemplification | $11.50 |
| Limited access expungement | $132 |
| Register/Orphans' Court short certificate | $10 |
| Register/Orphans' Court research | $7 per name or record |
| Register/Orphans' Court copies | $0.50 per page |
Mercer County Cost Collections
Cost Collections works closely with the Clerk because the office assesses, collects, and distributes costs, fines, and restitution. The combined office also reports monthly to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and Department of Revenue, reports motor-vehicle charges to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and completes state commitment forms for offenders who receive state sentences.
That cost role is why a criminal record search may lead from a UJS docket to a Clerk of Courts copy request or payment question. A docket may show case events and status, but it is not the same as a complete file or a payment ledger from the Clerk's office.
Mercer County Clerk Access Limits
Court records are governed by Pennsylvania's UJS case-record public-access policy and by specific confidentiality rules. Juvenile and dependency records are confidential. Adoption records are confidential. Sealed records, expunged records, and limited-access criminal records are not ordinary public lookup records. Personal identifiers may be redacted or handled through confidential-document forms.
County administrative records follow a different route through the Mercer County Open Records Office. Pennsylvania's agency-record process is useful for county records, but it is not a substitute for requesting case records from the filing office that owns the court file.
The combined-office structure also affects search strategy. A person looking for a criminal cost balance, bail-bonding paper, summary appeal, or state-commitment record should start with Clerk of Courts functions. A person looking for a will, short certificate, estate claim, guardianship filing, adoption matter, or marriage-license record should use the Register of Wills or Clerk of Orphans' Court side of the same Suite 112 office. Civil divorce decrees, custody files, liens, and PFA filings remain Prothonotary records even though some family or protection issues may overlap with other courts.