Family · Name Change
Adult Name Change in Pennsylvania
How to legally change your name as an adult in Pennsylvania: whether you must publish notice, the approximate court fee, whether a background check is required, and the steps. Cited to the statute or court.
The name-change process in Pennsylvania
The steps in order, whether publication or a background check applies, and the waivers.
| The process | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1. File the petition | File a petition for change of name with the Court of Common Pleas in your county, pay the filing fee, and the court sets a hearing date. |
| 2. Publish and run record searches | Publish notice of the petition and hearing in two newspapers of general circulation, one of which may be the county legal journal, and obtain searches from the Prothonotary (no judgments or decrees) and the Recorder of Deeds (no mortgages or liens). A safety waiver of publication is available. |
| 3. Hearing or approval | At the hearing you present proof of publication and the clean record searches. If satisfied there is no fraud or creditor evasion, the judge signs a decree granting the change. |
| 4. Certified copies and updates | Obtain certified copies of the decree and update Social Security, PennDOT, your passport, and other records. |
| Requirements and waivers | What it means |
|---|---|
| No fingerprints, but a judgment and lien search | Instead of fingerprints, Pennsylvania requires official searches showing no outstanding judgments, decrees, or liens against you. Some counties require searches covering every county you lived in during the prior five years. |
| Safety waiver of publication | If notice would jeopardize the safety of the applicant or their child or ward, the court waives publication and seals the file. |
| No fraud or creditor evasion | The change must not be sought to defraud creditors or others, which the record searches are designed to screen for. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps to start a name change in Pennsylvania. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- File in the Court of Common Pleas
File your petition for change of name in the Court of Common Pleas of your county, and the court will set a hearing date.
- Publish in two papers and run the searches
Publish notice in two newspapers, one of which may be the county legal journal, and get the Prothonotary and Recorder of Deeds searches showing no judgments or liens.
- Budget for the full cost
The filing fee is only part of it. Two-newspaper publication and the record searches add up, so ask the clerk for the total before you start.
- Ask for a safety waiver if at risk
If publication would jeopardize your safety or your child’s, ask the court to waive publication and seal the file.
Court forms, fees, and publication rules are set locally. This resource points to the court self-help or an attorney who can guide you.
→ Pennsylvania Bar Association — Find a LawyerThis is general legal information, not legal advice. Fees, publication, and background-check rules are set by local courts and change, so confirm the current requirements with your clerk or a licensed attorney.
The Pennsylvania name-change process in detail
Pennsylvania has one of the more demanding adult name-change processes, and its two defining features are publication and a record search. You file a petition with the Court of Common Pleas in your county, which sets a hearing date, and then you must publish notice in two newspapers of general circulation, one of which may be the county legal journal. In place of the fingerprint check that Texas and Florida require, Pennsylvania requires official searches from the Prothonotary and the Recorder of Deeds showing no outstanding judgments, decrees, or liens, which is how the state screens for creditor evasion; some counties want those searches to cover every county you lived in over the prior five years. At the hearing you present proof of publication and the clean searches, and the judge signs a decree. The real cost is well above the bare filing fee, because two-newspaper publication and the record searches are separate and county-priced, so the roughly $300-plus figure is only a starting point; confirm the total locally. A safety waiver of publication is available where notice would jeopardize the applicant or their child.
Common questions
Do I have to publish a name change in the newspaper in Pennsylvania?
Yes, in two newspapers of general circulation, one of which may be the county legal journal, unless the court grants a safety waiver and seals the file.
How much does a name change cost in Pennsylvania?
About $300 or more for the filing fee, but the real total is higher because two-newspaper publication and the Prothonotary and Recorder searches are separate, county-set costs. Confirm the total with your Court of Common Pleas.
Does Pennsylvania require a background check for a name change?
Not a fingerprint check, but it requires official searches showing no outstanding judgments, decrees, or liens against you, from the Prothonotary and the Recorder of Deeds.
How long does a Pennsylvania name change take?
Roughly eight to fourteen weeks, because publication, the record searches, and the scheduled hearing all add time.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.