For those looking to tie the knot, visit the Register & Recorder’s Office in the Courthouse.

For more information, read the Marriage Disclaimer of Liability.

For those looking to untie the knot, visit the Prothonotary’s Office to begin the process.

Notes: It is required you and your spouse have lived in Pennsylvania for at least six months before you can file for divorce. You will also need to file for the divorce in the county where your spouse lives; you can also file in your county with the agreement of your spouse.

The Clarion County Prothonotary cannot give legal advice.

Where to file

If you wish to file a Complaint in Divorce in Clarion County, you will file it at the Office of the Prothonotary, located at the Clarion County Court House on 421 Main Street, Clarion, Pennsylvania 16214.

The Prothonotary is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except for legal holidays. If you are coming to file something, please arrive no later than 4:00PM.

Fees

At the time you file your divorce complaint please be prepared to pay the filing fee. Cash or money order are the preferred methods of payment. You can obtain filing fee information by going to the Prothonotary’s page of the Clarion County website.

Number of Copies

You will need to file only the original of the Complaint in Divorce. However, you should have no fewer than three photocopies with you as you will wish to keep one for your records and it will be your responsibility to serve the defendant in the action and you may need two copies for service. You may ask the Prothonotary to clock in the copies so that you have a record of when the original document was filed. Please have your copies already made as the Prothonotary’s Office does not provide copies.

Once service has been made, you must file proof of that by filing a Certificate of Service with the Prothonotary. Certificates of Service that you may use can be found on this website.

General Information

If you intend to represent yourself in your divorce action, you will need to familiarize yourself with the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure regarding actions in divorce, Rule 1920.1 through Rule 1920.92. You can also find useful information, including family law forms and plain language instructions, at www.pacourts.us, the website of Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System. Neither the Prothonotary and staff nor court staff can give you legal advice.

Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1930.4, Service of Original Process in Domestic Relations Matters, is of great importance as it will be your responsibility to make service on the Defendant in the divorce action. Please read it carefully and follow the directives set forth.

In all divorce complaints filed in Clarion County in which the parties have children together that are less than 18 years of age, there must be information included in the complaint on the Education Program For Divorcing Parents. Information on that Program can be found on this website.