Northumberland County Prothonotary Office
Northumberland County's Prothonotary is Jamie Saleski. The county page identifies Denise Zechman as First Deputy and Robert L. Deluge Jr., Esq. as solicitor. The office states that its duty is the accurate and timely creation, maintenance, and certification of records in the Court of Common Pleas. Jamie Saleski has worked in the office since September 2007 and was elected office holder in 2017.
The Prothonotary's civil role is distinct from the criminal Clerk of Courts role and from the Register and Recorder / Clerk of Orphans' Court role. Civil Common Pleas files, many family filings, divorce files, and certified civil copies go through this office. Criminal Common Pleas dockets and court costs do not belong on this Prothonotary page; those functions route to the Northumberland County Clerk of Courts.
Northumberland County Prothonotary
Prothonotary: Jamie Saleski
Northumberland County Courthouse
201 Market Street
Sunbury, PA 17801
570-988-4151
Open-records contact: jamie.saleski at northumberlandcountypa.gov
Northumberland County Prothonotary Duties
The Prothonotary works with the civil side of the Court of Common Pleas. The research identifies civil complaints, cover sheets, summonses, answers, motions, orders, judgments, name changes, liens, and appeals from lower tribunals as Common Pleas civil record types. Divorce complaints and decrees, custody matters, support-related court files, and PFA filings can also involve civil or family court procedures with protected details.
- Create and maintain civil Court of Common Pleas records.
- Certify civil and family court records when the office is the file custodian.
- Accept or maintain filings tied to divorce, custody, PFA, name change, and civil judgment matters.
- Maintain forms and fee schedule notices for Prothonotary work.
- Route public access according to UJS court-record policy rather than broad county administrative rules.
The office also states that it cannot give legal advice. That limitation is practical. Staff can identify filing counters, copy procedures, and office rules, but cannot choose a legal claim, draft pleadings, tell a party what to say, or predict an outcome.
Request Certified Prothonotary Copies
Certified copies are needed when a civil or family record must be used as official proof. Examples include divorce decrees, civil judgments, name change orders, or other Common Pleas orders. A docket printout from UJS Case Search may be useful for reference, but certification must come from the court office that holds the record. The request should be narrow enough for staff to locate the file and exact document.
- Identify the case type, party names, and docket number if known.
- Check UJS Case Search or prior paperwork for filing date, caption, and court details.
- Contact the Prothonotary to confirm copy availability, copy fee, certification fee, and payment method.
- Submit the request in person or by the office method provided, with return contact details.
- Review the certified document for the seal, certification language, case number, and correct party names.
Northumberland Prothonotary Request Fields
The research did not identify a single universal copy-request form, but it did identify the information needed to route a civil court file request. Good requests include party names, case number, document type, copy type, and contact details. If the matter involves family, PFA, minor, or confidential financial content, the office may limit access or require a narrower request under UJS policy.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number or docket number | Helpful | Use exact number when known to avoid name-match errors. |
| Party names | Yes | Include former names when seeking divorce or name-change records. |
| Document type | Yes | Examples include decree, judgment, order, complaint, or docket sheet. |
| Copy type | Yes | State whether plain or certified copies are needed. |
| Requester contact | Yes | Provide phone, mailing address, or email for follow-up. |
| Payment method | Before release | Confirm current fee schedule and accepted payment form with the office. |
Northumberland County Prothonotary Fees
The Prothonotary page posts a notice that the updated fee schedule is effective January 1, 2026. The research did not capture exact line-item fees from the PDF, so filing, copy, and certification amounts should be confirmed from the current schedule before submitting payment. The office also notes that it no longer performs naturalization searches effective January 1, 2022.
| Item | Amount / Rule |
|---|---|
| Prothonotary fee schedule | Updated schedule effective January 1, 2026; check the linked county PDF. |
| Plain copy | Confirm current per-page fee with the office. |
| Certified civil copy | Confirm copy and certification fee before ordering. |
| Civil or family filing | Use current Prothonotary filing fee schedule. |
| Naturalization search | Office states it no longer performs naturalization searches effective January 1, 2022. |
Northumberland County Civil Forms
The county court forms index includes civil, family, PFA, custody, divorce, continuance, cover sheet, confidential information, and Spanish-language resources. Examples identified in the research include Adult Name Change Petition, Child Name Change Petition, Civil Contempt, Civil Continuance, Confidential Information Form, Court Cover Sheet, Divorce Packet, Entry of Appearance, and Application for Continuance.
Forms do not decide whether a filing is legally sufficient. They help route the filing and protect confidential information. UJS public access policy requires sensitive data to be handled through confidential-information procedures, so a civil filing may include both a public pleading and a protected form. That is especially important in divorce, custody, PFA, and cases involving minors or financial identifiers.
The form list also helps separate court case filings from county administrative records. A civil party may need a Court Cover Sheet and Confidential Information Form for the case file, while a request about office administration may route through the county Open Records List. Court case access remains controlled by the UJS case-record policy even when the office is located in a county building.
Northumberland Prothonotary Online Access
Northumberland County has an official Prothonotary eSearch page at cotthosting.com/panumberlandexternal/user/login.aspx. The research notes that the page says a guest sign-in exists, but also states the site is currently for county use only and requires a username and password. Because of that access limit, the public starting point for docket information remains UJS Case Search, while full records and certified copies route to the Prothonotary.
| Portal Field | Type | Access Note |
|---|---|---|
| Sign in as Guest User | Button/login | Visible, but research notes county-use and login limits. |
| Username | Text | Required if not using guest access. |
| Password | Password | Required for login-gated use. |
Note: A limited county portal should not be treated as proof that no public civil record exists.
Civil Records and Federal Distinctions
Federal court records follow a separate system from Northumberland County civil files. PACER's Middle District CM/ECF lookup is for federal district court filings, not Northumberland County Prothonotary civil files.
County divorce, civil judgment, PFA, and name-change copies still route through the Prothonotary when they are Common Pleas civil records.
The U.S. Attorney's Middle District page describes federal prosecution geography, which is separate from local civil court filing custody.
The local civil clerk page remains focused on the Prothonotary, while criminal prosecution and federal filings follow different offices.