Adams County Clerk of Courts Office
Kelly A. Lawver is the elected Adams County Clerk of Courts and Clerk of Orphans' Court. The Clerk of Courts is the criminal Common Pleas records office, the custodian of the court seal, and the office tied to costs, fines, fees, and restitution. The Orphans' Court side handles marriage applications and probate-adjacent categories such as estate, adoption, termination of parental rights, incapacitated-person, minor, and guardianship matters. This page is separate from the Adams County Prothonotary, which handles civil and family filings such as divorce records.
Clerk of Courts / Clerk of Orphans' Court
Clerk: Kelly A. Lawver
117 Baltimore Street, Room 103
Gettysburg, PA 17325
717-337-9806
Clerk of Orphans' Court
117 Baltimore Street, Room 103
Gettysburg, PA 17325
OrphansCourt@adamscountypa.gov
Adams County Criminal Clerk Records
The Adams County Clerk of Courts handles criminal Common Pleas records after lower court proceedings move into the Court of Common Pleas. These files may show charges, pleas, orders, disposition, sentence, fines, costs, restitution, probation, and docket events. UJS Case Search can be used for public criminal docket sheets, but the Clerk's access page warns that docket sheets are not certified criminal background checks. Pennsylvania State Police is the correct route for certified criminal history checks.
The Clerk's access page says copies or docket printouts may be obtained for a fee by completing a Request for Access Form and sending it with the fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope. PACFile is available after registration and an access code from the Clerk of Court, allowing electronic filing at all times and electronic receipt of court orders and notices.
That access route is also a reminder that the Clerk of Courts record is not the same as an arrest booking record. An arrest or preliminary matter may first appear in an MDJ docket, while the Common Pleas criminal file becomes the key record once the case moves forward. For bail, charge status, sentencing, restitution, and docket-event questions, the Clerk of Courts record is usually more useful than a general name search.
| Criminal record channel | Use it for |
|---|---|
| UJS Case Search | Public criminal and Magisterial District Court docket lookup. |
| Clerk access form | Copies, docket printouts, older records, and mail requests with fee and SASE. |
| Pennsylvania State Police | Certified criminal history background checks. |
| PACFile | Authorized electronic filing after registration and a Clerk access code. |
Adams County Clerk Request Fees
The Clerk of Courts access page gives specific search fees by date range. These fees apply to Clerk of Courts criminal record searches, not Prothonotary civil searches or Register/Recorder eSearch subscriptions. A request by mail should include the completed form, fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope when required by the office.
| Item | Amount or rule |
|---|---|
| Clerk of Courts name search, 1986 to present | $12.50 per name. |
| Clerk of Courts older search, 1800 to 1985 | $25.50 per hour per name. |
| Marriage license | $83, includes certified copy, paid by cash, check, or money order. |
| Returned check | $39. |
| Marriage waiting-period waiver | Additional $5 with signed court order and judge appointment. |
Adams County Clerk Request Fields
A Clerk of Courts request should be specific enough for staff to distinguish a criminal Common Pleas file from an MDJ docket, civil case, or Orphans' Court matter. The research notes the Request for Access Form but does not reproduce every label, so this inventory stays with the facts that are normally needed to locate the case and calculate the fee.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name to search | Yes | Fee is charged per name for Clerk of Courts searches. |
| Date range | Yes | Separate rates apply for 1986 to present and 1800 to 1985. |
| Docket number | If known | Use the Common Pleas criminal docket number if available. |
| Record type | Yes | State whether a docket printout, copy, or other case record is needed. |
| Return address and SASE | For mail requests | The access page calls for a self-addressed stamped envelope. |
Adams County Orphans' Court Records
The Clerk of Orphans' Court side covers marriage applications, estate matters, adoptions, termination of parental rights, incapacitated persons, minors, and related Orphans' Court records. Marriage applicants can submit the online application, upload required documents, and schedule a video appointment. Probate and estate users may start with the free Orphans' Court case-search page for public index and docketing back to 1800, while Register of Wills eSearch handles paid estate index access for coverage listed in the research.
- Marriage license applications and video appointment scheduling.
- Public Orphans' Court index and case docketing for eligible records back to 1800.
- Formal and informal accounts, trusts, small estate settlements, and marriage applications where public.
- Documents and forms for accounts, guardianship, trusts, adjudication petitions, and public access requests.
- Confidential categories excluded from online public access, including adoptions and termination of parental rights.
Adams County Clerk App
The county research identifies an Adams County Clerk of Courts and Orphans' Court app. The app is a strong local access channel because it brings together marriage license functions, criminal-record search, mobile payments, PACFile, Guardianship Tracking System access, PASAVIN, court calendar tools, alerts, and court appearance reminders. Defendants can sign up for Court Appearance Notification reminders through the app, with text or email reminders sent 4 days before court and again 24 hours before most court dates.
The app does not replace the filing offices, but it gives Adams County users a local shortcut that many counties do not document as clearly. It is most useful when a person needs to schedule a marriage step, make a court-related payment, check a criminal record shortcut, or set reminders for a pending appearance. For certified copies, sealed records, and older record searches, the office request process and fee schedule still control.
- Use the app for marriage license and scheduling shortcuts when the county route points to app access.
- Use the criminal-record search and payment shortcuts for Clerk of Courts matters.
- Use calendar and notification tools to track court appearance dates.
- Use PACFile and Guardianship Tracking System shortcuts only when the user is authorized for that filing function.
Note: The research identifies this as a Clerk of Courts and Orphans' Court app, not a sheriff app or county jail roster app.
Restricted Adams County Clerk Records
Some Clerk and Orphans' Court records are restricted by law or court policy. The Orphans' Court search page excludes adoptions, gestational births, and termination of parental rights from public online access. The genealogy notes also identify incapacitations as non-public. Criminal records may be sealed, expunged, or subject to limited access under Pennsylvania law, and juvenile records are restricted. Personal identifiers and protected details must be redacted under the judicial public access policy.
When a record is restricted, a public search may show nothing even when a case exists. That is common for adoption, termination, juvenile, and incapacitation matters. The correct next step is not a broader third-party search; it is a direct office inquiry by a party, attorney, or person with legal authority to ask what access, if any, the court can provide.
Note: A public docket sheet is not a certified criminal background check; use Pennsylvania State Police for that purpose.