Blair County Announces Courthouse Changes and Closings

The Blair County Board of Commissioners at a reconvened Public Meeting, Friday, March 20, 2020 at 4:30 in the Public Meeting Room in the Blair County Courthouse, voted unanimously to close the courthouse to the public in an effort to minimize the COVID-19 exposure to the employees carrying out the essential functions of the courthouse operations.

Any non-county employees who were previously issued a county identification card (i.e. construction contractors, vendors, attorneys, abstractors) should be aware that these badges will no longer be accepted at the door for immediate entry. Badge holders who are not county employees will be asked to check in with the deputies at the front door stating the purpose of their visit and destination within the courthouse.

Deliveries to the courthouse and Highway Department will still be accepted using standard procedures. For delivery inquiries to the Courthouse please call (814) 693-3000. The Highway Department can be reached at (814) 693-3175.

Each Department has provided information on how to best contact them during this time:

Adult Parole and Probation will continue to supervise adults currently on supervision. Drug testing will continue at the discretion of the office. For additional information, contact your parole officer or the office at (814) 693-3190.

Assessment Office – Call (814) 693-3110. Most questions can be answered by phone, regular mail, and email at: [email protected]. Courthouse Online, a program where you can look up information about your property and its assessed value, will be free to the public on a temporary basis through April 30, 2020. Additional information is on the website at http://www.blairco.org/Dept/Assessment.

Blair Drug and Alcohol will not be accepting DUI Program applications in person at this time. Individuals should mail their application and their payment of $300 (check or money order). For additional information please contact Blair Drug and Alcohol Partnerships, 3001 Fairway Drive, Altoona, PA, 16602 or call (814) 381-0921.

Children, Youth and Families – Recipients of agency services should contact their caseworker as usual. Dependency Court events will occur as directed by the court. Reports of neglect and/or abuse can be made by contacting Childline at (800) 932-0313 or online using the public self-service portal at keepkidsafe.pa.gov, or directly to BCCYF at 693-3130.

Commissioner’s Office – Questions can be directed to the office at (814) 693-3030. Visit the county website http://www.BlairCo.org for additional information and updates.

Conservation District – The office is closed to the public until further notice. For information, e- mail [email protected] or call (814) 696-0877, Ext. 5. There will be a drop box located in the vestibule at the Conservation District office accessible from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday for deliveries and drop-offs. All group meetings and trainings are cancelled or postponed.

Controller – If you are a vendor, auditee, retiree or any other non-employee, please contact us at (814) 693-3040. If it is absolutely necessary to meet in person, we will schedule an appointment. Audits will be placed on hold and meetings with the auditor are temporarily suspended. If you have been given a deadline to provide information, that deadline is now extended for 10 business days. Email inquiries may be directed to Accounts Payable at [email protected]; general questions, direct to [email protected].

Cost and Fines – Payments can be made online through PAePAY website and by mail. Information can be found on the county website at http://www.Blairco.org or by calling (814) 693-3200.

Court Administration – The office will continue to assist with the essential functions of the court as described by the Supreme Court order. Court Administration will answer phone calls made to (814) 693-3050 to discuss court-related business. Additional information can be found on the http://www.BlairCo.org website.

Custody Office – Questions may be addressed by calling (814) 693-3205. Additional information is available on the county website at http://www.Blairco.org or e-mail [email protected]. All custody conferences are canceled, including intake, conciliation and pretrial conferences. New notices will be sent out for rescheduled conferences.

District Attorney – The office is closed to the public with the exception of any exempted hearings identified by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and hearings the president judge determines are necessary. When hearings are deemed necessary, the District Attorney’s Office will communicate directly to any necessary parties. Call (814) 693-3010 with questions.

Domestic Relations – Our office will remain staffed. However, all business will be conducted during regular business hours via telephone. For questions or to contact our office, please call (814) 693-3220 or email us at [email protected]. Payments may be made and filing a new complaint or modification may be done online at http://www.childsupport.state.pa.us

Election and Voter’s Registration – Call (814) 693-3287 or visit the websites http://www.votespa.com or http://www.blairco.org for additional information and on-line services.

Emergency Management and 911 Communications Center – The Emergency Operations Center has been activated to assist callers, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., for COVID-19-related questions. All non-emergency calls related to COVID-19 should go to (814) 940-5926 until further notice. This will keep emergency lines open for emergency calls. If you have an emergency, call 9-1-1. The county has asked that 9-1-1 NOT be called regarding local businesses not obeying the governor's order for non-life-sustaining businesses to close. Those calls should be directed to the Pennsylvania State Police or the local police department.

Fort Roberdeau National Historic Site/Blair County Park – Trails and open space remain open to the public for recreational activities. All other programs, events and activities are suspended. All buildings are closed. Please email Director Glenn Nelson at [email protected] or Karen Morrow, historic site assistant, at [email protected] with questions or call (814) 946-0048 for information.

GIS Department – Field visits have been suspended. Individuals with 9-1-1 addressing questions, concerns or requests should email [email protected] or call (814) 693-2535.

Juvenile Parole and Probation – The office will continue to supervise juveniles currently on supervision. Drug testing will continue at the discretion of the office. For additional information contact your parole officer or the office at (814) 693-3230.

Law Library is closed. Please call Court Administration for additional information at (814) 693-3050.

Magisterial District Justice Offices are closed to the public for walk-in payments. Payments can be made online with the PAePAY website and by mail. Call the MDJ location for additional information: Aigner: (814) 693-3210; DeAntonio: (814) 942-6421; Dunio: (814) 944-4371; Jones: (814) 941-4550; Miller: (814) 684-4617; Blattenberger: (814) 793-2495.

PFA Office – Any person in need of a Protection Order (PFA, PFI, or SVPO), should go to the local police department to file. It is suggested that BEFORE going to police, they first call the PFA office at (814) 693-0130, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For other hours, please call the Family Services Victim Services helpline at (814) 944-3585. Once you report to police, the filing process will begin, and calls to the PFA office cannot be made until after it is complete.

Prison – There is a temporary suspension of volunteer services, Inmate Visits and KIOSK services at this time. The Work Release program is postponed. Visit http://www.BlairCo.org/Dept/Prison for additional information.

Prothonotary – No court filing shall be accepted by the Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts by in-person delivery except for emergency matters. All filing with the Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts that would ordinarily be required to be made either in person or via United States Postal Service may be made via email at the following email address: [email protected] Each document filed shall be transmitted as a .pdf attachment. Scanned signatures will be accepted as originals. Each filing e-mail shall be copied to all person(s) to whom service copies would ordinarily be sent via United States Postal Service. The Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts will monitor the inboxes for the above email address regularly for the receipt of electronically filed documents. All documents received at the above email address after four o’clock p.m. (4 p.m.) shall be time-stamped for the following business day. Call (814) 693-3080 for additional information and fee schedule.

Clerk of Orphans' Court – Procedures are in place for filings of documents through the court. Filings are being accepted by U.S. Postal Service (payments enclosed) or by email. The email address is [email protected]

Marriage Certifications – Certified copies are available through a written request via U.S. Postal Service. Enclose payment of $8.50 for each certification.

Marriage License Applications – You must obtain your marriage license within 60 days of your planned ceremony. You are asked to wait until after April 3, 2020, or later to apply for your license. For those marriages that are scheduled to take place in early April, consideration will be given to waiving the three-day waiting period after application. You must make an appointment to apply for a license by calling (814) 693-3080.

Public Defender's Office – Clients are asked to call (814) 693-3255 to check the status of hearings scheduled through April 3, 2020. The courts are postponing or rescheduling most hearings. You will be notified by mail of the new dates when your hearings are rescheduled. Be sure the Public Defender's Office has current contact information on file. Applications for representation are available on the county's website.

Recorder of Deeds will process documents via e-recordings, United States Postal Service, UPS and Federal Express. If you have a specific need regarding a recording, you may contact the office at (814) 693-3095. Please see our website for instructions on e-filing through our approved e-recording vendors. http://www.blaircountyrecorder.com. There is no public access to search documents in the office at this time. Documents from 1942 to present are available online by visiting our remote access program at http://www.landex.com/webstore.

Register of Wills office will temporarily probate an estate on an emergency need basis and by appointment only, or other online options. Contact the office at (814) 693-3095 to schedule an appointment. Original documents must be mailed to us prior to your appointment for the above. All inheritance tax payments mailed to us must include a complete copy of the statement received from the Department of Revenue, the estate file number and the name of the decedent. Your receipt will be mailed to you by United States Postal Service. http://www.blaircountyrecorder.com

Sheriff – License to Carry Applications will be taken by appointment only. Call (814) 693-3100 for questions regarding other services of the Sheriff’s office.

Social Services is open by appointment only for essential business. At this time, we have not suspended any services. We are following all universal precautions as issued by the CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health. The Department of Social Services' phone number is (814) 693-3023. Our website is http://www.blairco.org/Dept/SocialServices/Pages/default.aspx. Please note as a new item in the menu section of our website is information regarding Behavioral Health Information for COVID-19 for the general public.

Tax Claim – Will be collecting delinquent taxes by appointment or by mail. Please call the office at (814) 317-2361.

Treasurers' Office will accept applications and tax payments by mail including hotel tax, tax collectors, applications for dog licenses, small game/bingo licenses. For more information, call (814) 693-3120.

Veteran’s Affairs is available by appointment only by calling (814) 693-3160.

Victim/Witness will still be working with the public in regards to the proceedings taking place at the various District Judge's Offices across the county. However, all other inquiries should be directed to (814) 693-3010, Ext. 1453.