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Pennsylvania Name Change Petition

In Pennsylvania an adult files a name change petition in the Court of Common Pleas, publishes notice in two newspapers, and files a search showing no judgments or liens. Attorney review available.

Introduction

A name change petition is the court document an adult files to legally change their own name, and once the judge signs the decree the new name becomes the person's legal name. In Pennsylvania you file the petition in the Court of Common Pleas of the county where you reside (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701). Pennsylvania has one of the more involved processes: your petition must give any residence you have had for the five years before filing, and before the court will decree the change you must publish notice in two newspapers of general circulation in the county and present an official search showing there are no judgments, decrees of record, or other liens against you (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701). After a hearing, the court may enter the decree if it is satisfied there is no lawful objection. Pennsylvania also limits who may change a name: a felony conviction blocks a change until two years after the sentence is completed, and certain violent or sexual offenses bar it entirely (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 702). After the decree is entered, you use certified copies to update Social Security, your Pennsylvania driver license, and other records. DocDraft builds your Pennsylvania name change petition from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.

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Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    In Pennsylvania a name change petition is filed in the Court of Common Pleas to legally change an adult's own name, and before the decree you must publish in two newspapers and show a search finding no judgments or liens against you.

  2. 2

    You file the petition in the Court of Common Pleas of the county where you reside (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701).

  3. 3

    Your petition must state any residence you have had for the five years before the date of the petition (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701).

  4. 4

    Before the decree, you must publish notice of the petition in two newspapers of general circulation in your county or a contiguous county; one of the two may be the county's official legal-notices paper (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701).

  5. 5

    You must present an official search of the proper county offices showing there are no judgments, decrees of record, or other liens against you, from each county you have lived in within the past five years (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701).

  6. 6

    A felony conviction blocks a name change until at least two years after you complete your sentence and are off probation and parole, and a conviction for certain violent or sexual offenses bars a change entirely unless you are pardoned (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 702).

  7. 7

    After the hearing, the court may enter a decree changing your name if it is satisfied there is no lawful objection, and you then use certified copies to update Social Security, your Pennsylvania driver license or ID, and other records. The filing fee is set by the court and a fee waiver is available.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Name Change Petition in Pennsylvania, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Name Change Petition guide walks through them.

Open the Name Change Petition guide

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IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF [COUNTY] COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA CIVIL ACTION

In re Petition for Change of Name of [CURRENT LEGAL NAME], Petitioner.

No. ______________

PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701)

Petitioner respectfully represents:

  1. Petitioner. Petitioner's present name is [CURRENT LEGAL NAME]. Petitioner is over 18 years of age and currently resides at [STREET ADDRESS], [CITY], [COUNTY] County, Pennsylvania.

  2. Residence history. Petitioner's residences for the five years before the date of this petition are: [LIST EACH ADDRESS AND COUNTY FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS], as required by 54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701. This petition is filed in the Court of Common Pleas of the county where petitioner resides.

  3. Requested name. Petitioner asks the Court to change petitioner's name from [CURRENT LEGAL NAME] to [REQUESTED NEW NAME].

  4. Reason. The reason for the requested change is [REASON, for example to use a name petitioner has long gone by, following a marriage or divorce, or to align petitioner's legal name with petitioner's identity].

  5. Good faith and eligibility. This petition is made in good faith and not to defraud any creditor or to evade any legal obligation, judgment, or criminal record. Petitioner is not barred from a name change under 54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 702, has no felony conviction within the past two years or is otherwise eligible, and has not been convicted of an offense that bars a change entirely.

  6. Publication. Petitioner will publish notice of the filing of this petition in two newspapers of general circulation in this county or a contiguous county, one of which may be the county's official legal-notices paper, as required by 54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701. [If publication would endanger petitioner, petitioner asks the Court to seal the record or waive publication for good cause.]

  7. Judgment and lien search. Petitioner will present an official search of the proper offices of each county where petitioner has resided within the past five years showing that there are no judgments, decrees of record, or other similar liens against petitioner, as required by 54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701.

WHEREFORE, petitioner asks the Court to hold a hearing and, if satisfied there is no lawful objection, to enter a decree changing petitioner's name from [CURRENT LEGAL NAME] to [REQUESTED NEW NAME].

Dated: [DATE]

[CURRENT LEGAL NAME], Petitioner

VERIFICATION

I verify that the statements in this petition are true and correct to the best of my knowledge, information, and belief. I understand that false statements are made subject to the penalties relating to unsworn falsification to authorities.

Dated: [DATE]

[CURRENT LEGAL NAME], Petitioner

Note: This is a Pennsylvania adult name change petition drawn from 54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Chapter 7. Pennsylvania sets the court (the Court of Common Pleas of the county where you live), requires publication in two newspapers and an official judgment and lien search, and limits changes for certain convictions. Confirm current forms, the newspapers approved for legal notice, and the filing fee with the court. For the generic template and other states, see the Name Change Petition hub.

Pennsylvania Requirements for Name Change Petition

Court of Common Pleas in Your County

An adult name change in Pennsylvania is filed in the Court of Common Pleas of the county where the petitioner resides (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701). This is the trial court of general jurisdiction in each Pennsylvania county; file in the county that is your home.

Five Year Residence History

The petition must state any residence you have had for the five years before the date of the petition (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701). Gather each prior address and county, because they determine where the required judgment and lien searches must be run.

Publish Notice in Two Newspapers

Notice of the petition must be published in two newspapers of general circulation in the county where you reside or a contiguous county, and one of the two may be the county's official paper for legal notices (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701). If publication would endanger you, ask the court whether it can seal the record or waive publication.

Official Judgment and Lien Search

You must present an official search of the proper offices of the county where you reside, and of any other county where you have resided within the five years before filing, showing there are no judgments, decrees of record, or other similar liens against you (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701). File the results with the court before the hearing.

Present Name, Proposed Name, and Reason

State your present name, the exact new name you are requesting, and the reason for the change. The court changes the name from your present name to the proposed name in its decree (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701).

Hearing and Decree

After publication and the required search, the court holds a hearing and may enter a decree changing your name if it is satisfied there is no lawful objection to granting the petition (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701).

Conviction Limits

A felony conviction blocks a change until at least two years after you complete your sentence and are off probation and parole, unless pardoned; a conviction for certain offenses, including murder, voluntary manslaughter, rape, aggravated assault, arson, kidnapping, and robbery, bars a change entirely (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 702).

Certified Copies After the Decree

After the decree is entered, order certified copies from the clerk and use them to update Social Security, your Pennsylvania driver license or ID, your passport, and other records. The filing fee is set by the court and a fee waiver is available if you cannot afford it.

Frequently Asked Questions

A name change petition is the court document an adult files in Pennsylvania to legally change their own name. You file it in the Court of Common Pleas of the county where you live, state your residence for the past five years, and ask for the new name (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701). After you publish notice in two newspapers and file a search showing no judgments or liens, the court holds a hearing and, if there is no lawful objection, enters a decree that makes the new name your legal name.

In Pennsylvania you file a petition in the Court of Common Pleas of your county, publish notice of the petition in two newspapers of general circulation, and present an official search showing there are no judgments, decrees of record, or other liens against you (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701). The court then holds a hearing and may enter a decree if there is no lawful objection. You use certified copies of the decree to update your records.

Usually yes, and in two papers. Pennsylvania requires notice of the petition to be published in two newspapers of general circulation in the county where you reside or a contiguous county, and one of the two may be the county's official legal-notices paper (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701). If publication would endanger your safety, ask the Court of Common Pleas whether it can seal the record or waive publication in your case; confirm the current safety procedure with the court.

Pennsylvania requires you to present an official search of the proper offices of the county where you live, and of any other county where you have lived within the five years before filing, showing that there are no judgments, decrees of record, or other similar liens against you (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701). This search protects creditors, and you file the results with the court before it will grant the change. It is a step most other states do not require.

An adult name change in Pennsylvania is filed in the Court of Common Pleas of the county where you reside (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701). This is the trial court of general jurisdiction in each Pennsylvania county. File in the county that is your home, because both the residence history you give and the newspaper publication are tied to the county where you file.

Yes. In Pennsylvania a felony conviction blocks a name change until at least two years have passed since you completed your sentence and you are no longer on probation or parole, unless you have been pardoned. A conviction for certain offenses, including murder, voluntary manslaughter, rape, aggravated assault, arson, kidnapping, and robbery, bars a name change entirely (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 702). The court notifies law enforcement when it grants a change for a person with a felony record.

Pennsylvania has you file in the Court of Common Pleas of the county where you reside, and your petition must state any residence you have had for the five years before the petition (54 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Section 701). The five-year residence history is used to run the required judgment and lien searches in each county you lived in, so gather your prior addresses before you file.

Once the Pennsylvania court enters the decree changing your name, order several certified copies from the clerk. Use them to update your Social Security record first, then your Pennsylvania driver license or ID, your passport, and then banks, employers, and other accounts. Each agency has its own process, but the certified decree is the document that proves your new legal name. Keep at least one certified copy for your records.