Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Franklin County, Pennsylvania, has about 159,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). The divorce record of a couple from Franklin County is a file of the Court of Common Pleas, kept by the Prothonotary, not a vital record. This guide says where the file is, how a certified copy of the decree is had and what the state issues.
This guide covers the court, copies, related records and common questions.
Related guides: Franklin County public records, Franklin County arrest records, Franklin County warrants, Franklin County inmate search, Franklin County criminal records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
Where a Divorce from Franklin County Is Filed and Kept
A divorce in Pennsylvania is a court case, so the file and the final judgment of a divorce from Franklin County stay with the Court of Common Pleas. The Prothonotary keeps it, and the case index tells whether a divorce was filed and when.
For Franklin County the court records page SearchSystems verified is at franklincountypa.gov/departments/clerk-of-courts (page title: Clerk of Courts -Franklin County), phone 717-261-3805, 14 North Main Street Chambersburg, PA 17201, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026. Most of a divorce file is open to the public; the papers the law keeps confidential and anything the court has sealed are not.
Statewide, UJS Web Portal is the Pennsylvania courts' free statewide docket search.
Copies of a Divorce Decree from Franklin County
A certified copy of the decree comes from the Prothonotary, the office that keeps the file, reached through the court at 717-261-3805.
The Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records issues no divorce records; the Prothonotary holds them.
The Pennsylvania vital records page SearchSystems verified is at pa.gov/agencies/health/programs/vital-records/birth-certificates.
The Recorder of Deeds, whose page SearchSystems verified is at franklincountypa.gov/departments/register-recorder, records deeds and liens, not divorces.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a copy of a divorce decree from Franklin County?
From the Court of Common Pleas, through the Prothonotary (franklincountypa.gov). The Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records issues no divorce records; the Prothonotary holds them.
Are divorce records public in Pennsylvania?
Mostly. The court file is open except for the papers the law makes confidential and anything the court seals.
Which court hears divorces from Franklin County?
The Court of Common Pleas. The file is kept by the Prothonotary.
Does Pennsylvania issue divorce certificates?
The Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records issues no divorce records; the Prothonotary holds them.
Is this the official Franklin County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.