Butler County Trial Court
The Butler County Court of Common Pleas is part of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System and serves as the general trial court for the county. Pennsylvania organizes Courts of Common Pleas into judicial districts. Butler County is the Fiftieth Judicial District, and its Common Pleas court hears the larger county-level cases that are not resolved in Magisterial District Court.
The courthouse and government judicial center are centered at 124 West Diamond Street in Butler. Court Administration is on the third floor and handles court services, interpreter and ADA coordination, transcripts, schedules, and other administrative functions. The county's court pages also point users to the Clerk of Courts, District Attorney, District Judges, Domestic Relations, Adult Probation, Jury Management, and specialty court programs.
The UJS Butler County Court of Common Pleas page is the source view for this county-level trial court listing.
The UJS county page confirms the Common Pleas court identity, while Butler County pages provide local office links and schedule details.
Butler County Lower Courts
Butler County's lower courts are Magisterial District Courts. County materials describe them as the first level of courts under Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. They handle summary offenses, traffic matters, landlord-tenant and civil cases within MDJ limits, preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings, bail, and warrant functions.
| District | Judge | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50-1-01 | Kevin P. O'Donnell | 530 Fairground Hill Road, Butler, PA 16001 | 724-284-5370 |
| 50-3-01 | Joseph J. Nash | 520 Kelly Boulevard, Slippery Rock, PA 16057 | 724-794-6221 |
| 50-3-02 | Lewis Stoughton | 112 N. Main St., Chicora, PA 16025; mailing P.O. Box 249 | 724-445-3366 |
| 50-3-03 | Jack D. Ripper | 333 Main Street, Suite 103, Saxonburg, PA 16056; mailing P.O. Box 94 | 724-352-9465 |
| 50-3-04 | Kevin J. Flaherty | 9028 Marshall Road, Cranberry Township, PA 16066 | 724-772-1717 |
| 50-3-05 | William T. Fullerton | 107 Woody Drive, Butler, PA 16001 | 724-431-4854 |
| 50-3-06 | Amy M. Marcinkiewicz | 202 E Main Street, Evans City, PA 16033 | 724-538-3960 |
The official District Judge directory should be checked before visiting because district assignments, mailing instructions, and contact details can change.
Common Pleas vs MDJ Courts
Pennsylvania does not use the county-court and justice-court model found in some states. Butler County's practical split is between the Court of Common Pleas and the Magisterial District Courts. The filing office also changes by case type: the Prothonotary handles civil and family records, the Clerk of Courts handles criminal and juvenile records, and MDJ offices handle their own district matters.
| Category | Court of Common Pleas | Magisterial District Courts | Record Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil matters | Major civil cases, family, custody, divorce, judgments, liens, and appeals from MDJ decisions | Landlord-tenant and smaller civil matters within MDJ jurisdiction | Prothonotary for Common Pleas civil files; MDJ office or UJS for district matters |
| Criminal matters | Criminal Division case files, pleas, motions, disposition, sentence, and many post-charge records | Preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings, bail, summary offenses, and certain misdemeanor pleas | Clerk of Courts for Common Pleas criminal files; UJS for public docket sheets |
| Traffic matters | Summary appeals and related Common Pleas activity | Traffic citations and summary traffic proceedings | UJS Case Search, PAePay, or the listed MDJ office |
| Warrants | Bench warrants and court orders in Common Pleas matters | MDJs issue warrants and set bail in matters within their jurisdiction | Sheriff warrant portal, UJS docket, or the court that issued the warrant |
Butler County Case Flow
Criminal cases often begin at the MDJ level with preliminary arraignment, bail, and preliminary hearing activity. If charges move forward, the Common Pleas Criminal Division case is maintained by the Clerk of Courts. Civil cases are filed with the Prothonotary unless they are within MDJ civil jurisdiction, and appeals from District Judge decisions can move into the Court of Common Pleas.
Criminal flow: Arrest or summons › Magisterial District Court preliminary stage › Court of Common Pleas filing › arraignment › motions and hearings › plea or trial › disposition and sentence › appeal.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition filed › service and response › motions or conferences › hearing, settlement, or trial › judgment or order › post-judgment process or appeal.
The statewide UJS Case Search can show docket sheets across Common Pleas, Magisterial District, appellate, Philadelphia Municipal, and Pittsburgh Municipal courts. It is a docket portal, not a full document-image repository.
Butler County Court Divisions
The Common Pleas court touches several record groups. Civil and family files include civil complaints, custody, divorce, PFA matters, judgments, liens, writs, executions, name-change petitions, license-suspension appeals, and zoning appeals. These records route to the Prothonotary unless sealed or restricted by court order or public-access policy.
Criminal and juvenile case files route to the Clerk of Courts. Public criminal docket sheets may show charges, pleas, dispositions, sentences, court costs, restitution, hearings, and docket entries. Juvenile files are more restricted, and the research cites Pennsylvania juvenile confidentiality law as a public-access limit. Estate and Orphans' Court matters go through the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court.
Specialty courts also operate through the Court of Common Pleas and Adult Probation. The county documents Behavioral Health Court, Drug Treatment Court, and Veterans Treatment Court as problem-solving programs that combine treatment, supervision, and public-safety goals.
The county's Veterans Treatment Court page is one example of a Common Pleas specialty court program.
Specialty court records still connect back to the underlying criminal case file and the court office that maintains the docket.
Fiftieth Judicial District
Butler County is Pennsylvania's Fiftieth Judicial District. Appeals from the Court of Common Pleas generally go to Pennsylvania's intermediate appellate courts. The Superior Court handles many criminal and civil appeals, while Commonwealth Court handles many matters involving government agencies. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest state court.
Court schedules are not the same as docket sheets. Butler County's Court Case Schedules page publishes motion-court schedules and courtroom information, but the county warns that schedule information may not reflect true case status because of ordinary limits, delays, or errors. Parties should check monitors throughout the Government Center for changed courtroom assignments.
Note: A schedule listing helps with court appearance planning, but the docket is the better source for case history.
Butler County Court Visits
The main courthouse and Government Judicial Center are located at 124 West Diamond Street in downtown Butler. Court Administration lists a mailing address of P.O. Box 1208, Butler, PA 16003, and phone 724-284-5200. The Clerk of Courts is in the Government Judicial Center at 124 West Diamond Street, with phone 724-284-5233 and office hours Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Downtown parking is a practical issue. Butler County jury materials identify the Tier Garage and public lots at McKean Street, Cunningham Street, Jefferson Street, Main Street next to the TW Phillips Office Building, and North Street next to the City Building. ADA requests should be made as soon as possible or at least three business days before the proceeding through Court Administration. Interpreter services are part of the Fiftieth Judicial District language access plan.
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections inmate and parolee locator is sometimes relevant after sentencing, but it is not the same as a Butler County Common Pleas case search.
Court records, custody status, and state correctional records serve different needs, so match the search tool to the stage of the case.