Armstrong County Traffic Courts
Traffic cases in Armstrong County generally route through Magisterial District Courts. There is no separate county traffic court in the research file. The MDJ district tied to the municipality where the citation was issued is the key local venue. Those lower courts handle traffic citations, summary offenses, preliminary criminal proceedings, landlord-tenant cases, and smaller civil matters. Serious traffic crimes, including DUI, may also appear in criminal docket records and later move into Court of Common Pleas activity.
The official Armstrong County Magisterial District Judge list gives each court's district number, judge, office, phone, fax, and covered municipalities. If the citation is not visible online, contact the MDJ office printed on the citation or the office serving the municipality where the stop or event occurred. Use that office for hearing questions, not the Prothonotary, because traffic citation matters begin at the MDJ level.
| District | Judge | Office | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33-3-01 | Hon. J. Gary Decomo | 206 Fifth Avenue, Ford City, PA 16226 | 724-763-7866 |
| 33-3-02 | Hon. Kenneth Bussard | 128 South Grant Avenue, Kittanning, PA 16201 | 724-543-2313 |
| 33-3-03 | Hon. James Andring | 241 Market Street, Leechburg, PA 15656 | 724-842-3571 |
| 33-3-04 | Hon. Kevin McCausland | 720 Main Street, Rural Valley, PA 16249 | 724-783-6886 |
Armstrong County Traffic Search
Use the Pennsylvania UJS Case Search portal for public Magisterial District Court docket sheets. UJS is the statewide court search channel for Armstrong County traffic records, summary citation records, and criminal traffic matters that appear on public dockets. The research also notes that the UJS portal has a payment link for traffic tickets or court costs where a matter is eligible for online payment.
A good search starts with the citation number or docket number if it is printed on the ticket. Name searches are useful when the citation number is not available, but common names can produce multiple results. UJS can also support searches by participant name, docket number, organization name, OTN, police incident or complaint number, and SID in PAeDocket contexts. Limit to Armstrong County where the portal offers a county selector, and choose Magisterial District Courts for most traffic citations.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search Type | Dropdown or tab | Required | Use participant, docket number, or other supported UJS search type. |
| Court Type | Dropdown | Required | Choose Magisterial District Courts for most Armstrong County traffic citations. |
| Court | Dropdown | Required when offered | Select the MDJ court tied to the citation or municipality. |
| County | Dropdown | Optional or required by search type | Choose Armstrong for local traffic results when available. |
| Docket or citation information | Text | Optional unless searching by number | MDJ docket numbers begin with MJ; citation details may narrow the result. |
| Participant name | Text | Required for name search | Last name is the strongest starting point; first name narrows matches. |
| Date filed or date range | Date | Optional | Use dates when many similar results appear. |
Armstrong County Citation Searches
Searching by citation number, docket number, or complaint information is usually cleaner than searching by name. A number search points to one case if the format is entered correctly. A name search can find the record when the citation is lost, but it may return older cases, non-traffic summary matters, criminal records, or another person with a similar name. Armstrong County traffic court records may also connect to a police incident or complaint number when that value appears in the court system.
When the online search does not show a citation, the next step is to contact the MDJ office. A new citation may not be posted yet, a number may have been entered in the wrong format, or the case may be under a different court level than expected. If the matter is DUI or another serious traffic charge, check both Magisterial District Court and criminal docket channels.
- Read the citation for the issuing MDJ district, response deadline, and docket or citation identifiers.
- Search UJS by number first when the number is clear.
- Use participant name and Armstrong County filters if the number search fails.
- Call the MDJ office listed on the citation when UJS does not return a clear result.
- Check criminal docket records if the traffic event involves DUI or another charge that may carry jail risk.
Armstrong County Traffic Fields
Traffic docket fields should be read in context. A citation record can show the charge and court event history before the final outcome is entered. It may also show costs, fines, payment events, or warrant entries if the person missed a hearing. A pending charge is not the same as a conviction, and a court traffic record is not the same file as a driver record held by state driver services.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| MDJ docket number | The lower-court docket identifier, often beginning with MJ. |
| Citation or complaint number | The ticket or complaint reference used to connect the traffic event to the docket. |
| Court and county | The Armstrong County Magisterial District Court handling the citation. |
| Participant name | The defendant or participant listed in the court record. |
| Charge or statute | The traffic charge, grading where listed, and statute or offense description. |
| Court date | The scheduled hearing, plea, continuance, or other event date. |
| Disposition | The outcome when entered, such as guilty, dismissed, withdrawn, or other court result. |
| Fine, costs, or restitution | Financial entries shown in the public docket or payment channel where public. |
| FTA or warrant event | A failure-to-appear or bench-warrant entry when the court records it publicly. |
Armstrong County Traffic Ticket Steps
The UJS portal includes a payment route for traffic tickets or court costs where eligible. Eligibility depends on the case, the court, and the ticket status. The research does not provide a countywide fixed fine schedule, so the amount must come from the citation, docket, court notice, or payment screen. If online payment is not available, follow the instructions from the MDJ office that issued the citation.
Contesting a citation is also handled through the court listed on the ticket or notice. A person generally must respond by the deadline, enter the required plea or request a hearing using the method on the citation or court notice, and appear when scheduled. Missing the response or hearing can create failure-to-appear consequences, including bench-warrant activity in the court record and possible license consequences through state driver channels.
- Read the citation and identify the issuing Armstrong County MDJ office.
- Search UJS or contact that MDJ office if the citation is not visible online.
- If paying, use the UJS payment link where eligible or follow MDJ instructions.
- If contesting, follow the citation or court notice to plead not guilty or request a hearing.
- Appear on time and keep proof of payment, plea, or court disposition.
Note: The Public Defender page says the office does not handle traffic citations or most summary citations unless a jail sentence is anticipated.
Armstrong County Traffic Record Comparison
Armstrong County traffic court records and state driver records serve different purposes. A court traffic record is a case file or docket record. It shows what happened in the MDJ or criminal court case. A driver record is maintained through state driver services and is focused on license status, points, suspensions, and reportable convictions. Correcting one system may not automatically correct the other.
| Topic | Court Traffic Record | State Driver Record |
|---|---|---|
| Record source | UJS docket sheet or Armstrong County MDJ office | PennDOT or authorized state driver-record channels |
| Main content | Citation case, charge or statute, plea, disposition, fine, costs, court date, FTA or warrant events | License status, points, suspensions, and reportable convictions |
| Best search key | Citation number, MDJ docket number, participant name, complaint number | Driver identity and state driver-record request fields |
| Where to correct errors | Issuing MDJ office, UJS court-record correction process, or the court that handled the case | State driver services channel after the court record is correct |
| What it cannot prove | Current license status or complete driving history | Full court docket history or every hearing event |
Armstrong County DUI Traffic Cases
DUI and serious traffic crimes do not stay in the same lane as a simple payable citation. The research notes that DUI and serious traffic offenses may become criminal cases, and DA warrant or arrest notices may reference DUI, careless driving, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, and driving while DUI suspended. Those matters may appear in both MDJ records and criminal docket records depending on the case stage. For a full criminal case file, use Armstrong County criminal court records.
Commercial driver issues should be handled with extra care because a court traffic disposition may have employment and licensing consequences beyond the fine. The research does not provide an Armstrong County CDL diversion rule or defensive-driving program for traffic citations. Because the state driver record is separate from the court file, CDL drivers should check both the court record and the state driver-record channel after disposition.
DUI or criminal traffic can also be relevant to PATCH, Pennsylvania's Access to Criminal History portal, depending on the disposition and eligibility rules. The Pennsylvania State Police PATCH guidance identifies PATCH as the state criminal-history request system, with help line 1-888-QUERYPA.
Armstrong County Traffic FTA Warrants
Failure to appear in an Armstrong County traffic or summary matter can create warrant activity or other court consequences. The research on warrants specifically notes that Magisterial District Courts may handle bench warrants and lower-court proceedings, especially for traffic, summary, and preliminary-hearing matters. UJS dockets can show bench-warrant events, failure-to-appear status, bail changes, and lifted or served warrant entries when public.
If a traffic court record shows FTA, check the docket and contact the issuing MDJ office before assuming the issue is resolved. A later payment, arrest, hearing, or court order may not appear in every public notice channel at the same time. For public warrant notices tied to failure to appear, the Armstrong County District Attorney's CRIMEWATCH warrant and arrest pages may provide additional public detail.
Armstrong County Traffic Access Limits
Public access to Armstrong County traffic court records follows Pennsylvania court access rules. The UJS Case Records Public Access Policy governs access to Pennsylvania appellate and trial court case records and confidential filing procedures. The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law is the general state and local agency records law, but court case records are primarily handled under judiciary policies rather than normal executive-agency request practice.
Juvenile records, sealed records, expunged records, confidential identifiers, and secure docket content may be withheld from public view. Pennsylvania's 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122 controls expungement eligibility. If a traffic matter is tied to juvenile court, 42 Pa.C.S. § 6307 limits public access to child court files except as allowed. If an eligible criminal traffic record is expunged or limited, check both court and criminal-history channels after the order.
Armstrong County Traffic Record Payments
The research supports only a few fee facts for traffic-related record access. It confirms a UJS payment route for traffic tickets or court costs where eligible, but it does not give a fixed Armstrong County traffic fine schedule. It also provides UJS financial-record copy fees from the public-records forms page. Use the citation, court notice, UJS payment screen, or MDJ office for the actual ticket amount.
| Item | Amount or Rule | Source Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic ticket or court costs | Amount shown on citation, docket, court notice, or eligible UJS payment screen | No countywide fixed amount in the research file. |
| UJS financial-record photocopy | $0.15 per page for 11 or more pages | UJS public records forms page. |
| UJS financial-record CD | $5 each | UJS public records forms page. |
| MDJ office payment | Follow the citation or MDJ office instructions | Specific local payment methods were not captured in the research file. |
| State driver record | Use PennDOT or authorized state driver-record channels | No driver-record fee was provided in the assigned research. |