Pike County Prothonotary Office
The Pike County Prothonotary is Yvonne Merrill, with Victoria Horacek listed as First Deputy. The office is the civil clerk for the Court of Common Pleas and is responsible for recording civil procedures before the court, signing and sealing writs, and processing other Common Pleas civil documents. It is an elected office under the Pennsylvania county court structure described in the research file.
The office also gives a practical filing rule: parties should bring one original and three copies plus the proper fee. The county page says accepted payment is cash or money order only. That instruction matters for in-person civil filings because a complete pleading packet can still be rejected or delayed if the filer arrives without copies or an acceptable payment method.
Pike County Prothonotary
Prothonotary: Yvonne Merrill
First Deputy: Victoria Horacek
412 Broad Street, Suite 1
Milford, PA 18337
570-296-7231
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Pike County Civil Office Duties
The Prothonotary handles civil records filed in Pike County Common Pleas. The office records and files personal injury cases, medical malpractice matters, divorce, custody, protection from abuse, judgments, change of name, school audits, driver's license suspension appeals, District Justice appeals, mechanics liens, federal income tax liens, and oaths and affirmations. Criminal cases are not part of this civil office's core record role.
The county Prothonotary source identifies the Pike County civil filing office and its record duties.
Use that office source when the record sought is a civil Common Pleas filing, a certified divorce decree, a lien filing, or a civil appeal.
- Civil actions in law or equity, including personal injury and medical malpractice filings.
- Family-related civil filings such as divorce, custody, and protection-from-abuse matters.
- Judgment, name-change, mechanics lien, tax lien, and oath records kept by the civil clerk.
- Appeals from District Justice, PennDOT, zoning, assessment, and other listed local matters.
- Certified copies and civil docket copy requests tied to Prothonotary files.
Request Pike County Prothonotary Copies
A useful Pike County Prothonotary request starts with the file type. Civil case copies need the case caption, docket number if known, party names, document name, and copy type. Divorce decree requests should identify the divorce case and state whether a certified decree is needed. Judgment and lien searches should use the name to be searched and enough detail to avoid pulling the wrong person or business.
For divorce and custody records, online access can be especially narrow. A UJS docket may confirm that a filing exists, but remote public access to family materials is limited by Pennsylvania policy. If a certified divorce decree is needed for benefits, remarriage, a name change, or an agency filing, the Prothonotary is the office to contact because it is the civil custodian named in Pike County research.
- Search UJS Case Search or your own papers for the civil docket number, caption, or filing date.
- Decide whether a plain copy, certified copy, docket printout, certificate, or certified divorce decree is needed.
- Contact or visit the Pike County Prothonotary with the case details and ask for the current total fee.
- Use cash or money order for office filings or requests when the county instruction applies.
- For records outside court-case custody, use the Pike County Right-to-Know process instead of asking the Prothonotary to answer general questions.
Pike County Civil Request Fields
The county Right-to-Know form is a fallback for county records outside court-case custody, while court-case copies are requested from the court custodian. The research captured the fields on Pike County's RTK form, and the same level of detail helps a Prothonotary civil copy request even when the request is made in person or by phone.
| Field | Use for Prothonotary Requests | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number or docket number | Strongly recommended | Use the Common Pleas civil number when known. |
| Party names | Yes | Include plaintiff, defendant, spouses, or custody parties as applicable. |
| Document description | Yes | Name the decree, complaint, judgment, lien, order, or docket entries requested. |
| Copy preference | Yes | State plain copy, certified copy, electronic copy, or in-person inspection. |
| Certified copy request | Conditional | Ask for certification only when needed for a legal, agency, or filing purpose. |
| Requester contact information | Yes | Give name, mailing address, email, phone, and preferred response method. |
| Fee threshold | Useful | The RTK form asks for notice if fees exceed $100 or another stated amount. |
Pike County Prothonotary Fees
Pike County's Prothonotary fees revised effective January 1, 2026 include filing fees, copy fees, certification lines, family-case fees, lien fees, and appeal costs. Use the fee schedule before filing because several matters require both a base fee and extra counts, separate checks, or per-page costs. The research does not support a credit-card rule for this office, so rely on the county's cash or money-order instruction unless the office confirms otherwise.
Some fee lines also depend on the number of claims or counts. The research lists each additional divorce count at $67 and a custody count at $97.50, separate from the base divorce complaint. That means a filing with divorce, custody, and other relief may cost more than the first line a requester sees on the schedule. Copy requests have the same issue when certification and page count both apply.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Any action in law or equity | $142 |
| Praecipe for writ of summons | $142 |
| Amended complaint | $25 |
| More than four litigants | $2 each |
| District Judge, PennDOT, zoning, or assessment appeal | $142 |
| Mechanics lien claim | $142 |
| Certifications | $6 each |
| Copies | $0.50 per page |
| County clerk's certificate | $7.50 |
| Custody complaint | $172.50 |
| Custody contempt, modification, or special relief petition | $58 |
| Divorce complaint | $152 |
| Certified copy of divorce decree | $12.50 |
| Computer generated copy of docket entries | $6 |
| Returned check | $35 |
Pike County Prothonotary Search Channels
For online docket information, the statewide UJS Case Search is the main free search channel for Pike County Common Pleas cases. It can show docket sheets, party information, filing dates, docket entries, orders or opinions where available, and court status. UJS warns that recent entries from court filing offices may not appear right away. It also warns that docket sheets are not criminal-history background checks.
Family cases require care. Divorce and custody dockets may appear in UJS, but remote access to many family-court records is limited under Pennsylvania's public access policy. A docket line or order may be visible while pleadings, sensitive filings, and sealed material remain unavailable online. For an official civil copy, certified decree, or civil filing record, contact the Prothonotary rather than relying on a screen print.
Driver's license suspension appeals, District Justice appeals, mechanics liens, federal income tax liens, and name-change records are also Prothonotary matters under the county's office description. Those records can be easy to misroute because they do not look like ordinary civil complaints. The safest request identifies the docket number, the name to be searched, the filing type, and whether certification or only a plain copy is needed.
PAeDocket is another statewide channel for quick docket lookup. The UJS portal describes it as a free mobile app that can search court cases or dockets by case number, participant name, organization name, offense tracking number, police incident or complaint number, or state ID number. It helps find a docket lead, but it does not change which Pike County office certifies the civil record.
Note: UJS is useful for docket lookup, but certification must come from the civil record custodian.
Pike County RTK Civil Fallback
Pike County's Right-to-Know form directs general county record requests to Shannon DeVuyst, Right to Know Officer, 506 Broad Street, Milford, PA 18337, email sdevuyst@pikepa.org, phone 570-296-9826, and fax 570-296-6055. The form warns that RTKL requests must seek records, not ask questions. It asks for agency name, date, submission method, requester identity, response preference, contact method, record description, copy preference, fee notification threshold, and certified-copy choice.
Use the RTK channel for county records that are not Prothonotary court-case files. If the request is for a civil complaint, divorce decree, custody order, PFA filing, judgment, lien, or civil docket entries, the Prothonotary remains the better first custodian. If the record is a criminal case file, use the Pike County Clerk of Courts instead.
For mailed or in-person civil copy requests, confirm the current fee before sending payment. The research lists cash or money order for office filings, but a copy request can still depend on page count, certification count, and whether a docket printout or full document copy is requested. A certified divorce decree, for example, uses a separate fee line from ordinary copies.