Carbon County Court of Common Pleas
Carbon County is Pennsylvania Judicial District 56. The Court of Common Pleas is the county's general trial court, and the official court site identifies the courthouse at 4 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229. The mailing address on the court site is P.O. Box 131, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229. General Court Information is (570) 325-8556. The UJS Carbon County page repeats the same courthouse address, mailing address, phone, and weekday hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The court homepage lists President Judge Nanovic, Judge Serfass, and Judge Matika in its judicial navigation. The county court site also links court services, fees, local rules, self-service forms, calendars, treatment courts, opinions, ADA materials, language access materials, and court history. Appeals from Common Pleas generally route to the Pennsylvania Superior Court for criminal and ordinary civil cases, while Commonwealth Court handles many government-agency matters.
Carbon County Court of Common Pleas
4 Broadway
Jim Thorpe, PA 18229
Mail: P.O. Box 131, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229
(570) 325-8556
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Carbon County Court Offices
The Court of Common Pleas shares the local court system with four Magisterial District Courts. The Magisterial District Courts are not the same as the Common Pleas trial court, but many cases begin there. MDJs handle summary offenses, motor vehicle violations, landlord-tenant cases, civil claims up to $12,000, preliminary criminal matters, arraignments, bail, arrest warrants, search warrants, and emergency PFA orders on nights, weekends, and holidays when Common Pleas is closed.
| Court | Judge | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court of Common Pleas | President Judge Nanovic, Judge Serfass, Judge Matika | 4 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229 | 570-325-8556 |
| District Court 56-3-01 | Eric M. Schrantz | 340 Center Avenue, P.O. Box 356, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229-0356 | 570-325-2751 |
| District Court 56-3-02 | William J. Kissner | 401 Delaware Avenue, 2nd Floor, Palmerton, PA 18071-1892 | 610-826-3707 |
| District Court 56-3-03 | Beth A. Dodson | 417 East Ridge Street, P.O. Box 203, Lansford, PA 18232-0203 | 570-645-3024 |
| District Court 56-3-04 | Joseph D. Homanko, Sr. | 71 W. Main Street, Weatherly, PA 18255 | 570-427-4100 |
MDJ offices are open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closed from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Staff may explain basic procedure, but the court page says they cannot give legal advice.
Carbon County Court Types Compared
The key distinction is trial-court scope. The Court of Common Pleas is the county-level general trial court. The MDJ courts are lower courts for limited civil, landlord-tenant, summary, traffic, and early criminal stages. Municipal ordinance matters may be handled outside the county court site where local procedures apply.
| Issue | Court of Common Pleas | Magisterial District Courts | Municipal or local ordinance matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil reach | General civil trial court and appeals from lower courts. | Civil money claims up to $12,000, excluding interest and costs. | Depends on local ordinance process. |
| Criminal reach | Criminal Common Pleas cases, pleas, trials, sentencing, and appeals. | Preliminary arraignments, bail, warrants, preliminary hearings, summary matters, limited guilty-plea DUI or misdemeanors. | Local code or ordinance violations where assigned. |
| Family and PFA | Divorce, custody, PFA, and related Common Pleas work. | Emergency PFA orders when Common Pleas is closed. | Not the main family court path. |
| Record access | UJS for criminal dockets, Prothonotary for civil, Clerk of Courts for criminal records. | UJS for public MDJ docket sheets and traffic or summary searches. | Check the local office or municipality. |
Carbon County Case Movement
Case movement depends on the type of case. A civil complaint can begin in the Prothonotary's civil filing system if it belongs in Common Pleas, while a lower-value civil claim or landlord-tenant case may start in an MDJ court. A criminal matter may begin with an arrest, complaint, preliminary arraignment, bail, and preliminary hearing at the MDJ level before moving into Common Pleas if the charges proceed.
Criminal flow: Arrest or complaint › preliminary arraignment › bail › preliminary hearing › Common Pleas filing › arraignment › motions › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil flow: complaint or petition › service › answer or response › motions › hearing or trial › order or judgment › appeal if allowed.
For public docket searching, UJS Case Search can show Common Pleas criminal and MDJ dockets. Carbon civil records since January 1, 1984 are in Odyssey through the Prothonotary, and remote civil access requires Court Administration subscription or fee information. For a broader records overview, the Carbon County court records page explains which office holds which record type.
Carbon County Court Record Access
Carbon County court record access is not one portal for all case types. Public statewide UJS Case Search is useful for criminal Courts of Common Pleas, Magisterial District Courts, appellate dockets, and public calendar schedules. Secure docket sheets and secure calendars have more content and require secure login. Carbon County civil and Orphans' Court search access is local and subscription-gated. The court public-access page states that searching court records requires a subscription and directs questions to info@carboncourts.com.
The county Right-to-Know process is another access channel, but it is not a substitute for every court record request. Carbon County's Open Records Officer is Jennifer Boger, with Julie Loudon as alternate. Requests may be sent by fax to (570)-732-0051, by email to CommissionersOffice@carboncounty.net with the subject containing "Open Records Request," or by mail to Commissioners' Office, PO Box 129, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229. Judicial records and judicial financial records may follow court-specific policies, including Rule 509.
The Carbon County Right-to-Know page is assigned to the original district-court page image set and shows the county agency request route.
The Right-to-Know image belongs in the access section because county agency records and court case records can require different request channels.
Pennsylvania court public records policies explain court case records, statewide case-management data, financial records, forms, FAQs, and access limits.
The public-records policies image supports the distinction between county open-records requests and Pennsylvania court record access policies.
Carbon County Civil Criminal Family
Common Pleas records in Carbon County are divided by function even when they share the same courthouse. Civil matters route through the Prothonotary. Criminal Common Pleas records route through the Clerk of Courts and Collections, which keeps pleadings and criminal records from arrest through final disposition and handles costs, fines, and restitution. Probate, estates, marriage, adoption-related petitions, and incapacity matters route through the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court.
Family-related filings can cross civil and Orphans' Court boundaries. Divorce and custody forms are in the Self-Service Center and use the civil filing path. Adoption and termination-of-parental-rights petitions are handled by the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court. Emergency PFA orders may be issued by MDJs on nights, weekends, and holidays when Common Pleas is closed, then the matter proceeds under the court's PFA process.
Carbon County Treatment Courts
Carbon County has specialty court programs within the Court of Common Pleas system. Veterans Treatment Court began in 2017 for veterans involved in the criminal justice system. Its team includes the Court of Common Pleas of the 56th Judicial District, District Attorney, Public Defender, County Commissioners, Correctional Facility, Adult Probation, Veterans Affairs, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The mission is to identify and provide interventions for justice-involved veterans to promote public safety, cut recidivism and costs, and improve veterans' lives.
Drug Treatment Court began in January 2019 for substance-addicted or abusing persons involved in the criminal justice system. Partners include Common Pleas, District Attorney, Public Defender, Commissioners, Correctional Facility, Adult Probation, Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug and Alcohol, Carbon-Monroe-Pike Mental Health and Developmental Services, and PA CareerLink. These programs are court functions, but public access to participant records may be limited by criminal, treatment, and privacy rules.
Carbon County Courthouse History
Carbon County's court history is unusually rich. The first courthouse opened after the county was created in 1843 and occupied the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company's Old Store at Susquehanna Street and Broadway. The first court session occurred Monday, December 18, 1843. The first courthouse and jail burned in the July 15, 1849 Mauch Chunk fire, but the court history says the court records survived.
The second courthouse, a Greek Revival building designed by John Root, hosted the Molly Maguire trials from 1876 through 1878. By 1890, the county population had grown to 38,264 and court business had outgrown the building. The third courthouse began with bids in 1892, construction by Herman Riebe, architect L.S. Jacoby of Allentown, and completion in May 1894 for $125,000. The current building used Romanesque Revival features, Rockport sandstone, a clock tower with a 2,122-pound bell, Minton tile from England, English oak wainscoting, and stained glass of the Goddess of Justice.
Carbon County Court Services
The court homepage links ADA FAQ materials, a reasonable-accommodation policy, an ADA request form, a grievance procedure, and a grievance form. It also links language access forms, an AOPC Language Access Brochure, Carbon County's Language Access Plan, interpreter request forms, interpreter waiver forms, and grievance forms. These services matter for hearings, filings, and court appearances across Common Pleas and related court offices.
Custody status is separate from court case access. The Pennsylvania DOC locator is for state-sentenced inmates and parolees, not people held in a county facility. Carbon County Correctional Facility custody questions use the county jail contact path, while criminal court dates and charges use UJS Case Search or the appropriate court office.
The Pennsylvania DOC inmate and parolee locator appears in the original district-court manifest image set and is useful only for the state custody distinction.
The DOC locator image closes the loop between court records and custody records: court cases and state custody searches are related, but they are not the same database.