Civil proceedings in Pennsylvania's courts of common pleas. The prothonotary's duties generally include keeping, filing, and certifying the court's civil records, issuing process, and entering judgments in civil matters (PA Const. Sched. Art. 5, § 16(k); 42 Pa. C.S.A. §§2701 to 2738). Some other jurisdictions refer to this role as the Clerk of Court, but in Pennsylvania Clerk of Court typically refers to the chief clerk for criminal proceedings (PA Const. Sched. Art. 5, § 15; 42 Pa. C.S.A. §§ 2701 and 2751 to 2757). Civil litigants generally file documents in the court's Office of the Prothonotary (42 Pa. C.S.A. §§2731 to 2738), although some courts use a different title for the office where civil filings are made, such as Clerk of Judicial Records or Director of Office of Judicial Records (see, for example, Phila. Civ. R. 205.2(b)).

All filings in Pennsylvania's appellate courts. The prothonotary's duties include keeping and filing records in both civil and criminal matters (Pa.R.A.P. 3111 to 3115, 3301). The Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the Pennsylvania Superior Court each have three prothonotaries that accept filings in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg (Pa.R.A.P. 3502). The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania has one prothonotary that accepts filings in Harrisburg (Pa.R.A.P. 3702).