Scranton Divorce Records and Decrees

Scranton divorce decree records are maintained by the Lackawanna County Clerk of Judicial Records and the Family Court Division at 200 Adams Avenue in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Lackawanna County is the county that handles all divorce filings for Scranton residents. Divorce records in Scranton go back to 1878. The Lackawanna County Family Court Division, established in 2008, maintains all divorce actions, custody filings, and family court documents for Scranton. Once the court enters a divorce decree, it is stored as a public record at the courthouse.

Lackawanna County Family Court for Scranton Divorce

Scranton divorce cases are filed at and decided by the Lackawanna County Family Court at 200 Adams Avenue. This is the same building that houses the Clerk of Judicial Records. The Family Court Division collects filing fees, time stamps all documents, and maintains divorce actions for all Scranton cases. The Family Court Division has been operating since 2008 and handles all Scranton divorce, custody, protection from abuse, and family matters.

The Clerk of Judicial Records page at lackawannacounty.org provides current information on how to request Scranton divorce records. Divorce records maintained by this office go back to 1878. Scranton has one of the older continuous divorce record collections in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Lackawanna County Register of Wills and Marriage Records

The Lackawanna County Register of Wills in Scranton maintains marriage license records from October 1885 to the present, which may be relevant when researching the history of a Scranton divorce case.

The Register of Wills is located at the Scranton Electric Building, Suite 400, 507 Linden Street, Scranton, PA 18503, phone 570-963-6702. Marriage records from 1885 forward are available here. These records may be needed as background documents in some Scranton divorce decree cases.

How to Search Scranton Divorce Records

You can search Scranton divorce records online through the Unified Judicial System Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us. This free tool covers Lackawanna County cases and lets you search by party name or case number. It shows filing dates, case status, and party names. For copies of actual documents from a Scranton divorce decree, contact the Clerk of Judicial Records at 570-963-6723.

In person, visit the Clerk of Judicial Records at 200 Adams Avenue in Scranton. Staff can search Scranton divorce records by party name or case number. Divorce records go back to 1878. For older records, call ahead to confirm what is available and whether files need to be retrieved from off-site storage. Bring valid photo identification when visiting in person.

The Family Court Division at the same address collects filing fees and maintains active Scranton divorce files. Once a case is closed, the record moves to the Clerk of Judicial Records. Both offices are in the same building, which makes it straightforward to handle your Scranton divorce record needs in one visit. Call 570-963-5692 to confirm what you need before you go.

Note: Recent entries at the courthouse may not appear immediately online. If you cannot find a case through the UJS Portal, contact the Clerk of Judicial Records directly to confirm whether the record exists.

Filing for Divorce in Scranton

To start a divorce case in Scranton, you file a complaint in divorce at the Lackawanna County Family Court at 200 Adams Avenue. The Family Court Division collects the filing fee and stamps the complaint with the filing date and case number. At least one spouse must have been a Pennsylvania resident for six months before filing in Scranton.

Pennsylvania offers two no-fault grounds under 23 Pa.C.S. § 3323. Mutual consent requires both spouses to sign consent affidavits after a 90-day waiting period. Irretrievable breakdown requires proof of a one-year separation. Fault grounds also exist under Pennsylvania law. You identify the grounds in the complaint filed at the Scranton courthouse.

After filing in Scranton, you serve the other spouse with the divorce papers. Service can be done through the county sheriff, a private process server, or certified mail with return receipt. Proof of service is filed back with the Family Court and becomes part of the Scranton divorce record. Failure to properly serve delays the case.

When all issues are resolved, the Scranton court enters the final divorce decree. The decree ends the marriage and is filed with the Clerk of Judicial Records as a public record. Under 23 Pa.C.S. § 3105, any written agreement about property or support in a Scranton divorce is enforceable as a court order once the judge approves it. Property division in Scranton follows Pennsylvania's equitable distribution rules. Courts in Scranton consider the length of the marriage, financial contributions of each spouse, and their economic needs.

The procedural rules for a Scranton divorce action are in the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure, Chapter 1920. These rules govern every step, from filing the complaint to obtaining the final decree in Scranton.

Legal Help for Scranton Divorce Cases

Scranton residents who need help with a divorce can turn to several organizations. Pennsylvania Legal Aid at palegalaid.net serves Lackawanna County and provides free legal help to income-eligible Scranton residents. Services can include advice, form assistance, and representation at Scranton divorce hearings.

The Lackawanna Bar Association offers a lawyer referral service for Scranton residents who need a family law attorney. The Pennsylvania Bar Association referral line at 1-800-692-7375 can also connect you with attorneys who handle Scranton divorce cases.

Court forms for a Scranton divorce are available through the Pennsylvania court system at pacourts.us/public-records. All standard Pennsylvania divorce forms are free to download and print. Staff at the Lackawanna County Family Court can tell you which forms apply to your Scranton case. They cannot give legal advice, but they can help you identify the correct paperwork.

The Albright Memorial Library in Scranton at 500 Vine Street, phone (570) 349-3000, also has genealogy research resources that may help with older Scranton divorce records. The reference department can assist with research requests for historical Lackawanna County cases.

Scranton Divorce Records and State Vital Statistics

The Pennsylvania Department of Health does not issue copies of Scranton divorce decrees. For any Scranton divorce decree, contact the Lackawanna County Clerk of Judicial Records at 570-963-6723. The PA Department of Health at pa.gov/agencies/health/programs/vital-records directs all divorce record requests to the county courthouse where the divorce was granted.

The CDC guide at cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/pennsylvania.htm confirms that copy costs vary by county and that requesters must contact the Prothonotary at the county courthouse. For Scranton, that is the Lackawanna County Clerk of Judicial Records. FamilySearch at familysearch.org has guidance on finding older Scranton and Lackawanna County divorce records for genealogy research.

The Pennsylvania State Archives at pa.gov/agencies/phmc/pa-state-archives holds some very early divorce records from before 1804. All modern Scranton divorce decrees are at the Lackawanna County Courthouse at 200 Adams Avenue. Records go back to 1878, which gives genealogy researchers more than a century of Scranton divorce history to draw from.

Note: Marriage licenses in Lackawanna County are available from October 1885 to the present at the Register of Wills office at 507 Linden Street, Scranton, PA 18503, email registerofwills@lackawannacounty.org.

County Court for Scranton

All Scranton divorce cases are handled by the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas. The Family Court Division and the Clerk of Judicial Records at 200 Adams Avenue in Scranton are the official locations for all Scranton divorce decree records.

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