What the Delaware County Office of Judicial Support Does
The Office of Judicial Support, often shortened to OJS, is the records hub for the Court of Common Pleas. It manages filing, indexing, dockets, and copy services under the county court system. Pennsylvania once split this work between two offices. The Prothonotary kept civil records, and the Clerk of Courts kept criminal records. Delaware County brings those functions together under one office.
The office connects to the county's public access portal and to the statewide e-filing systems where available.
The Delaware County Office of Judicial Support is the official records office for Common Pleas civil and criminal cases.
Use this office for Common Pleas filings, while estate and marriage matters go to the Register of Wills.
The office name throws some people off. In many states, the same job sits under a "Clerk of Court" title. In Pennsylvania, Delaware County uses Office of Judicial Support for the combined role. The work is the same: it is the office of record for the county's general trial court, and it is where a certified copy of a Common Pleas filing comes from.
Records the Office of Judicial Support Keeps
OJS holds the records that flow through the Court of Common Pleas. That covers a broad range of civil and criminal filings, plus the judgments and copies people request most. The list below shows the main records the office maintains.
- Civil actions filed in the Court of Common Pleas.
- Criminal Common Pleas filings and docket support.
- Family and domestic relations filings where assigned by local practice.
- Judgments, liens, and civil docket entries where public.
- Certified and plain copies of court records that are not sealed.
- Links to Pennsylvania e-filing and UJS systems where available.
Older, sealed, archived, or certified records may need direct contact with the office rather than an online pull.
The civil and criminal sides differ in what they hold. The civil side, the old Prothonotary role, keeps lawsuits, judgments, and liens. The criminal side, the old Clerk of Courts role, keeps Common Pleas criminal dockets and their orders. Both run through the same office in Delaware County, but knowing which side a record falls on helps you ask the right question.
How to Request a Delaware County Certified Copy
A certified copy is the version courts and agencies accept as official. A plain printout from a portal is not certified. To get a certified copy from OJS, you identify the case, choose the documents, and pay the copy and certification fees. The steps below outline the request.
- Find the docket number for the case through the court portals.
- Contact the Office of Judicial Support in person, by mail, or through any posted online method.
- Identify the documents you need and ask for certified copies.
- Pay the current copy and certification fees.
- Receive the certified copies, which carry the office's certification.
For docket lookups before you request a copy, the court records page covers the search portals.
Important: An uncertified copy printed from a court portal is not accepted in court or by most agencies. When a record must be official, ask the Office of Judicial Support for a certified copy.
Delaware County Records Request Fields
Whether you request by mail or in person, the office needs enough detail to find the right file. The fields below are what a records request usually asks for.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case caption or party name | Text | Yes | The names on the case. |
| Docket number | Text | Helpful | Speeds the search; CP-23 format for criminal cases. |
| Documents requested | Text | Yes | Which filings or orders you need. |
| Copy type | Choice | Yes | Plain or certified. |
| Requester contact | Text | Yes | Name, address, and phone or email. |
A docket number is the single most useful item, because it points the office straight to one file. Without it, the office searches by name, which can take longer when the name is common or the case is old. A filing year or the type of case helps narrow the search in those situations.
Delaware County Court Records Fees
The office charges for copies and certification. The exact amounts are set by the current OJS fee schedule and can change, so confirm them before you pay. Rather than print a figure that may be out of date, the table below shows where each fee is set.
| Service | Where the Fee Is Set |
|---|---|
| Plain court copy | Office of Judicial Support fee schedule |
| Certified court copy | Office of Judicial Support fee schedule |
| Exemplified copy | Office of Judicial Support fee schedule |
| Records search | Office of Judicial Support fee schedule |
Ask which payment methods the office accepts, since cash, card, and check rules differ by counter.
Office of Judicial Support Contact and Hours
The office sits in the county courts complex in Media. Counter hours are set by the office, so call before a trip, especially for a certified copy or an older record. The contact below is the place to reach OJS.
Office of Judicial Support
100 W. Front St.
Media, PA 19063
610-565-6990
Fax: 610-891-7849
Call to confirm counter hours
The courts complex is in downtown Media, the county seat.
The courthouse and records office sit near Front Street in Media, shown on the Delaware County Courts page.
Plan for parking and courthouse screening when you visit the office in person.
The Register of Wills Split in Delaware County
Delaware County divides court-related clerk work between two offices. The Office of Judicial Support handles Common Pleas civil and criminal records. The Register of Wills, who is also Clerk of Orphans' Court, handles estates, wills, marriage licenses, and Orphans' Court filings. Sending a request to the wrong office is a common cause of delay.
So a lawsuit or criminal case record comes from OJS, while a will, estate, or marriage record comes from the Register of Wills. The Orphans' Court and probate records page covers that second office, and the marriage and divorce records page covers marriage licenses.
This two-office model is normal in Pennsylvania, even though it surprises people from states with a single clerk. The takeaway is simple. For anything tied to a Common Pleas civil or criminal case, start with the Office of Judicial Support. For anything tied to a death, an estate, a will, or a marriage license, start with the Register of Wills.
Searching Delaware County Court Records Online
Before you contact the office, try the portals. Delaware County Public Access holds local court data, and the statewide UJS portal holds docket sheets. Many lookups can be done online for free, which saves a trip. The office is the next step when you need a certified copy or a record that is not posted.
The Delaware County Public Access portal requires a JavaScript-enabled browser, since it runs as an app. For docket sheets and case search across courts, the statewide portal is the companion tool, and the court dockets page explains both.
Online access has limits worth knowing. A docket sheet may be posted while the actual filing stays with the office. Sealed and confidential matters do not appear at all. So the portals are the fast first step, and the Office of Judicial Support is the office that fills the gap when a record is not online or must be certified. For an older case, an archived file, or a sealed matter, expect to deal with the office directly rather than the website. A phone call ahead can confirm whether the record is available and what the office needs from you.