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Adams County, Pennsylvania public records

In Adams County, deeds are recorded by the Recorder of Deeds; property values come from the Tax Services Department; court files are divided among the Prothonotary, the Clerk of Courts and the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Where to get each record
  2. Deeds and land records
  3. Property values, owners and tax bills
  4. Court records: which clerk keeps which case
  5. Marriage records
  6. Divorce records
  7. Birth certificates
  8. Death certificates
  9. Probate records and wills
  10. Voter records
  11. Historical records
  12. Good to know about Adams County records
  13. Office addresses, phones and hours
  14. Records that are not online: public records requests
  15. Questions people ask
  16. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  17. Sources

Where to get each record

RecordOfficeSearch onlineFee
Deeds and land recordsRecorder of Deeds5Search deeds23$0.25 per page4
Property values and ownersTax Services Department5Property search5—
Property tax billsTreasurer5Tax bill search5—
Court casesProthonotary5
Clerk of Courts5
Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court5		Court of Common Pleas, 51st Judicial District: criminal6
Orphans' Court Division7
Magisterial District Courts8		—
Marriage recordsClerk of Orphans' Court9——
Divorce recordsProthonotary11—Certified copy fee: $6.50 certification (Prothonotary fee schedule effective January 1, 2026)10
Birth certificatesPA Department of Vital Records (after 1905); county Orphans' Court holds 1852-1854 birth records7——
Death certificatesPA Department of Vital Records (after 1905); county holds 1852-1854 death records7——
Probate and willsRegister of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court5——
Business names (DBA)Statewide: Fictitious names (DBAs) are registered with the PA Department of State, not the county (since early 1980s)12——

Deeds and land records

Deeds, mortgages and other land documents for property in Adams County are recorded by the Recorder of Deeds (Register & Recorder Office).5

Cost
Account3
Who runs it
Cott Systems eSearch3
Years online
General land-records index 01/01/1937 to current (miscellaneous from 01/02/1964, UCC from 08/04/1997); online index books: deeds 1800-1936, mortgages (index only) 1800-1936, miscellaneous 1800-1963; highway plans 2003 to current3
Copy fee
$0.25 per page4
Certified copy fee
$2.00 certification13
Recording fee
Deeds $71.25; mortgages $71.25; each page over 4 $4.00; each name over 4 $1.00 (fee schedule effective 12.01.25)13
How to order
In person or by mail at $0.25 per page, or online with a $10.00 daily subscription4
Electronic recording
Not offered4

How deeds work in Pennsylvania

Property values, owners and tax bills

The Tax Services Department (Assessment/Appraising, Tax Claim, Tax Mapping) sets property values5; the Treasurer bills and collects the tax5.

Property search
gis-hub-adamsgis.hub.arcgis.com (Parcel Locator / Parcel Viewer)5
Tax bill search
govpaynow.com/gps/user/cyg/plc/a0046i (delinquent taxes)5
Appealing a value
Board of Assessment Appeals; deadline 4:30 PM August 1 of the year before the next billing cycle, or 40 days after a Change of Assessment Notice14

How property tax works in Pennsylvania

Court records: which clerk keeps which case

CourtCasesRecords kept byCase search
Court of Common Pleas, 51st Judicial District: civil and familyCivil, divorce, annulment, custody, name changes, judgmentsProthonotary No online civil search; public terminals in the Prothonotary Office15
Court of Common Pleas, 51st Judicial District: criminalCriminal, summary appeals, juvenile delinquency, dependencyClerk of Courtsujsportal.pacourts.us State UJS portal, free6Free search
Orphans' Court DivisionEstates, accounts, trusts, adoptions, guardianships, marriage applicationsRegister of Wills (estates) and Clerk of Orphans' Court (marriage, adoptions, guardianships)countyfusion11.kofiletech.us/… Kofile County Fusion7
Magisterial District Courts (4)Minor criminal, traffic, small claims—adamscountypa.gov/courts/mdj8
Fees: prothonotary copy
$0.25 per page for file and docket copies; $1.00 per page from microfilm10
Fees: prothonotary certification
$6.5010
Fees: criminal record search
1986-present $12.50 per name; 1800-1985 $25.50 per hour per name6

Criminal records and background checks

State check
Clerk does not issue certified record checks; use the Pennsylvania State Police6

How Pennsylvania courts keep their files

Marriage records

Kept by: Clerk of Orphans' Court9

Marriage license fee
$83.00, includes one certified copy16
How to apply
Online application, then video appointment16
Years online
Marriage and Orphans' Court records 1978-present on County Fusion7

Pennsylvania marriage records, statewide

Divorce records

Kept by: Prothonotary11

Certified copy fee
$6.50 certification (Prothonotary fee schedule effective January 1, 2026)10
How to order
In person or by mail with docket number, party names, check or money order and SASE15

Birth certificates

PA Department of Vital Records (after 1905); county Orphans' Court holds 1852-1854 birth records7

Ordering a Pennsylvania birth certificate

Death certificates

PA Department of Vital Records (after 1905); county holds 1852-1854 death records7

Ordering a Pennsylvania death certificate

Probate records and wills

Kept by the Register of Wills (estates) and Clerk of Orphans' Court (marriage, adoptions, guardianships).5

Years held
Register of Wills records date back to 180017

Voter records

Elections and Voter Registration office, 230 Greenamyer Lane Suite 100, Gettysburg18

Historical records

Criminal records before 1800 at York County Historical Society; 1800-1910 at PHMC6

Good to know about Adams County records

  • Before 1800 the area was part of York County; pre-1800 records are at the York County Historical Society17
  • One elected official holds both the Clerk of Courts and Clerk of Orphans' Court offices9
  • PACFile e-filing is mandatory for criminal, summary and miscellaneous cases (since 2022) and for juvenile cases6
  • Last countywide assessment was in 2010; assessments are 100% of 2010 market value19
  • No photographing of record images is allowed20

Office addresses, phones and hours

Recorder of Deeds (Register & Recorder Office)

Address
Adams County Courthouse, 117 Baltimore Street, Room 102, Gettysburg, PA 17325-239813
Hours
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday; 4:00 p.m. cut-off for recordings2

Tax Services Department (Assessment/Appraising, Tax Claim, Tax Mapping)

Address
117 Baltimore Street, Room 202, Gettysburg, PA 1732514
Phone
717-337-9837; fax 717-337-576714
Hours
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday21

Treasurer

Hours
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday22

Prothonotary

Address
Adams County Courthouse, 117 Baltimore Street, Room 104, Gettysburg, PA 1732523
Hours
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday11

Clerk of Courts

Address
Adams County Courthouse, 117 Baltimore Street, Room 103, Gettysburg, PA 17325 (Clerk of Courts and Clerk of Orphans' Court)7
Hours
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday24

Register of Wills (estates) and Clerk of Orphans' Court (marriage, adoptions, guardianships)

Address
Register of Wills: 117 Baltimore Street, Room 102 (Register & Recorder Office); Clerk of Orphans' Court: 117 Baltimore Street, Room 103, Gettysburg PA 1732516
Phone
Register of Wills 717-337-9826; Clerk of Orphans' Court (717) 337-980617
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; 4:00 p.m. cut-off to begin an estate probate17

Sheriff

Hours
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday25

Elections and Voter Registration

Address
230 Greenamyer Lane Suite 100, Gettysburg, PA 1732518
Hours
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday18

GIS Hub

Records that are not online: public records requests

Where to send it
[email protected] (county); [email protected] (courts)26

How to write a public records request

Questions people ask

How do I get a copy of a deed in Adams County?

The Recorder of Deeds (Register & Recorder Office) keeps deed records. To order copies: In person or by mail at $0.25 per page, or online with a $10.00 daily subscription. Plain copies: $0.25 per page. Certified copies: $2.00 certification.5413

Where do I get a divorce decree in Adams County?

Divorce decrees are court records; ask the Prothonotary.11

How much does a marriage license cost in Adams County?

$83.00, includes one certified copy.16

How do I look up who owns a property in Adams County?

Use the property search of the Tax Services Department (Assessment/Appraising, Tax Claim, Tax Mapping): gis-hub-adamsgis.hub.arcgis.com5

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Adams County office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Other counties in Pennsylvania with a full guide: Allegheny County, Beaver County, Berks County, Blair County, Bucks County, Butler County, Cambria County, Centre County, Chester County, Clearfield County, Crawford County, Cumberland County, Dauphin County, Delaware County, Erie County, Fayette County, Franklin County, Lackawanna County, Lancaster County, Lawrence County, Lebanon County, Lehigh County, Luzerne County, Lycoming County, Mercer County, Monroe County, Montgomery County, Northampton County, Northumberland County, Philadelphia County, Washington County, Westmoreland County, York County. Every county in the state: Pennsylvania county list. Looking for another Adams County? Adams County, Colorado.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 27 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  2. Recorder of DeedsCounty of Adams, PA
  3. Recorder eSearch sign-in (Cott Systems)County of Adams, PA
  4. Recorder of Deeds FAQCounty of Adams, PA
  5. Adams County homepageCounty of Adams, PA
  6. Clerk of Courts Public RecordsCounty of Adams, PA
  7. Genealogy Record InformationCounty of Adams, PA
  8. Court of Common Pleas, 51st Judicial DistrictCounty of Adams, PA
  9. Clerk of Orphans' CourtCounty of Adams, PA
  10. Prothonotary fee schedule (effective January 1, 2026)County of Adams, PA
  11. ProthonotaryCounty of Adams, PA
  12. Fictitious NamesPennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
  13. Recorder of Deeds fee schedule effective 12.01.25County of Adams, PA
  14. Real Estate Assessment AppealsCounty of Adams, PA
  15. Prothonotary FAQCounty of Adams, PA
  16. Marriage ServicesCounty of Adams, PA
  17. Register of WillsCounty of Adams, PA
  18. Elections and Voter RegistrationCounty of Adams, PA
  19. Assessment and AppraisingCounty of Adams, PA
  20. Recording InformationCounty of Adams, PA
  21. Tax ServicesCounty of Adams, PA
  22. TreasurerCounty of Adams, PA
  23. Prothonotary Fee Schedule pageCounty of Adams, PA
  24. Clerk of CourtsCounty of Adams, PA
  25. SheriffCounty of Adams, PA
  26. Right to KnowCounty of Adams, PA
  27. County population totals: Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025)US Census Bureau