How to Change Your Name in Pittsburgh

Last updated: June 2025

TL;DR: If you’re low-income, reach out the the Name Change Project (applications resume later in summer of 2025). Otherwise and also, you can reach out to Hugh Lane and private pro-bono lawyers like Stefan Dann or Liz Taylor.

If you don’t already have one, you can still get a PA Name Change Order. You can use this to change your name and gender marker on your PA documents (driver’s license, birth certificate, etc). You can change your name on your social security card but not your gender marker. Do not update your passport unless it will expire soon, and carry a copy of your name change order when traveling.

There isn’t just one copy of your legal name and gender that the government has, but several versions of it across multiple federal, state, and private institutions.

Federal

  • Social security card
  • Passport

State, i.e Pennsylvania

  • Birth certificate
  • Driver’s License / State ID
  • Voter registration

Private institutions

  • A bank (credit cards, bank accounts)
  • A university (even if you went to a state school)
  • Lenders (student loan providers, mortgage servicers, etc)
  • Scores of other businesses, like frequent flier accounts, your utilities company…

As of January 20th, 2025, Executive Order 14168 now prevents you from changing your gender marker on all federal documents, including passports and social security card. You can still update your name on federal documents. You can still update your gender marker on PA state documents.

Recommendation: How to get this done efficiently

Changing your name can take multiple months, with much of that time spent waiting. Starting multiple processes at the same time you should help you expedite this. As soon as you’re able to:

  • Reach out to pro-bono lawyers and legal aid organizations to help you with this process.
  • Ask your gender affirming care provider to write you a letter stating you’ve undergone transition
  • Obtain a fingerprint card using one of the providers we list; and then,
  • If you’re able to pay the $170.25 filing fee yourself, file your name change petition. If you cannot afford this, fill out the In Forma Pauperis form, or wait for a lawyer or legal aid organization to process your request for help.
  • If you are doing this process yourself, without the help of an attorney, you can also start to get judgment searches from all of the counties where you’ve previously resided in for the last five years.

We explain all of these steps in detail below. Once you’ve done these first actions, you’re waiting for various groups — lawyers, your provider, the court — to get back to you. You can then proceed by scheduling your hearing yourself, or receiving help in this step if you need it.

Where to start: Getting a legal name change order

Changing your name across varying institutions and levels of governments requires a name change order. This is a notarized document signed by a judge that confirms your legal name change. Acquiring this is the first and longest step in your name change process. Once you have your order, you purchase and send notarized copies of it to the places where you want to update your legal name, along with some paperwork.

While you can do all of this yourself, we recommend you find a pro-bono lawyer who will help you for free. If you’re low-income, reach out the the Name Change Project (applications resume later in summer of 2025). Otherwise and also, you can reach out to groups like Hugh Lane who also help with fees, and private pro-bono lawyers like Stefan Dann or Liz Taylor.

The steps for this are as followed, and are expanded upon below:

  1. Download or request forms (Petition for Name Change, optional IFP form)
  2. Obtain a fingerprint card
  3. File completed petition and submit fingerprint card
  4. Schedule the petition to be heard by the court and Advertise your Name Change Petition Hearing
  5. Obtain your Judgment Search
  6. Attend name change hearing
  7. Obtain Certified Copies of official documents

Download or request forms

Typically you request your name change forms from the City-County building. You can call them at 412-350-5729, email them at civilnamechanges@alleghenycounty.us, or visit them in person at 414 Grant Street (Department of Court Records, Civil & Family Division). You can also download all the forms you need from us, which might save you some hassle. These forms were last copied June 2025:

Download Petition for Name Change Form
Download In Forma Pauperis Form

  • Petition for Name Change: Contains instructions and forms for filing your petition. Completing and filing this with the Department of Court Records starts your name change process with the courts.
  • Petition for Leave to Proceed In Forma Pauperis: Optional. Request to have the court waive filing fees. Must provide information about your income and assets.

The Petition for Name Change form is outdated, despite the fact that we’re using the latest document the county provides. We thus recommend you supplement the instructions listed in the name change form with the information we provide below.

The Petition for Name Change form has all of the instructions you need. It costs $170.25 to file, but if you are unable to pay, download and fill out the In Forma Pauperis form to waive fees.

Obtain a fingerprint card

If you’re 13 or older, you must provide fingerprints for a background check to be conducted by the PA State Police, and you must have a physical copy of your fingerprints in ink. This means physically going to a provider (or scheduling a mobile service to meet you), paying if necessary, and leaving with a card with your fingerprint stamped into it.

Options (we called all of these locations in June 2025):

  • UPS Store in Oakland
    • Cost: $50
    • Contact: (412) 621-6261
    • Location: 3945 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
    • Hours: Monday through Friday, 9am to 5:30pm
  • Proof Positive
    • Cost: $40 for two cards
    • Contact: (724) 413-4553
    • Location: Mobile service.
    • Notes: Call to schedule a meeting + location.
  • Pennsylvania State Police Barracks
    • Cost: Free
    • Contact: (412) 299-1607
    • Location: 449 McCormick Road, Moon, PA 15108 (by the PIT airport)
    • Hours: Monday through Friday, 9am to 2pm (but call ahead)
  • John Godelwski (premierfingerprinting.com)
    • Cost: $45-50 in Pittsburgh
    • Contact: (412) 337-6004
    • Location: Mobile service.
    • Notes: This is a cop. You have to call to schedule to meet with him, and work on his schedule. Prices vary if he can drive to Pittsburgh to meet you or not.
  • Paul McComb (Pittsburgh Fingerprinting Services)
    • Cost: $40 for two cards
    • Contact: (412) 965-4030
    • Location: Mobile service.
    • Notes: This is a (former?) cop. Prefers texts for communication.

Unverified Options: (i.e listed on the Pittsburgh documentation, but they didn’t call us back yet)

Have you had a positive or negative experience at any of these services? Want a buddy to come with you to do your fingerprints? Email theginkgocollective@proton.me and let us know!

File completed petition and submit fingerprint card

If you’re an adult, use Form 1 in the above Petition For Name Change document. Minors use Form 2. Go to the Department of Court Records Civil and Family Division in the City-County Building (414 Grant Street, downtown Pittsburgh). If you walk in from Grant Street, it’s all the way back, through the metal detectors, at the end of the building.

Bring

  • Your fingerprint card (if 13 or older)
  • A completed Petition (Form 1 for adults, Form 2 for minors) and one copy
  • Three stamped envelopes. You can find the specifications for sizes and addresses in the Petition form.

There is a $170.25 filing fee, payable to the Department of Court Records. You can pay in cash or with a money order. If you cannot pay the fee, fill out the In Forma Pauperis form to waive fees (you will provide information about your income and assets).

The clerk will give you a General Docket number. Hold onto this (and take a photo of it) since you will track your case with it. Allegheny County has a case tracker you can use online with your docket number. The county will submit your fingerprints to the State Police, who will conduct a background check. Once that’s been done, you or your attorney will receive a letter with information on how to schedule your hearing date and proceed.

Have a criminal record? We spoke with the clerk who verifies background checks. Informally, he told us that he hasn’t seen anyone get turned away, and that he would only expect petitioners who have committed violent crimes or who are in prison to be denied.

In 2021, two transgender women with prior felonies were given their name changes by Christina Ward. Christina Ward is the current judge until 2034, and based on positive experiences we’ve had, we recommend you schedule with her.

Schedule the petition to be heard by the court

Unless you file a motion to waive this requirement, you must legally advertise the date and time of your name change hearing in Pittsburgh Legal Journal ($150 fee), and one other newspaper — like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ($165 fee), or the Pittsburgh City Paper ($105 fee). Again however, you can likely get this waived. Schedule with Judge Christina Ward, and file a motion to waive and seal. You will provide a reason as to why publishing your name change would endanger you. Here, you can appeal to arguments about experiencing transphobia. We’re working on uploading a sample document with how to phrase this language.

Judge Christina Ward has waived the requirement to publish name change orders, and, with an IFP form filled out, has waived the fee to get five notarized copies of your certified order.

Make a list of all counties you have lived in for the past five years, and get judgment searches for all of them. For Allegheny County, this costs $25. You can do this in person by going to the same Civil and Family Division office in the Department of Court Records. Go to the second floor and speak with the clerk there. You’ll get a certified copy. Alongside judgment searches for the other counties you’ve lived in, send this to civilnamechanges@alleghenycourts.us no sooner than 10 days of your scheduled hearing.

Attend name change hearing

Having gone to these hearings before, we can say they’re actually pretty fun. They’re almost exclusively the first of the month. There’s snacks provided, everyone claps (it’s true!), people start happy crying.

Obtain Certified Copies of official documents

After attending your hearing, go downstairs to the same Civil and Family Division office to obtain certified copies of your orders. You’ll need these, which are stamped and signed, to change legal documents like your driver’s license and social security card. 3-5 is a good number (sometimes offices will return your certified copy to you after processing). The fee for each copy is $20.

If possible, we recommend you go to the DMV first, and then to the Social Security Office, to now update your legal name on your driver’s license/state ID and social security card. Bring two notarized copies of your name change order for this.

Use your legal name change order to update your other documents

You should aim to update all of your documents at around the same time.

PA Driver’s License / PennDot ID

Why you need it changed: This is effectively your primary identification document, used for on-boarding you with new jobs, changing your birth certificate, and changing your social security card.

Requires: notarized name change order, visit to the DMV (🤮)

Cost: Getting a new ID card is a $40.50 fee

How to update:

  • Bring your notarized name change order and a completed form to the DMV. Additionally, fill out and bring Form DL-32 to update your gender marker — M)ale, (F)emale, (X)nonbinary
  • If you have a non-commercial driver’s license: use Form DL-80 if it doesn’t expire in next six months, DL-143 otherwise.
  • If you have a non-commercial learner’s permit: use Form DL-31
  • More info on name change | More info on gender marker change
Form DL-80
Form DL-32

PA Voter Registration

Why you might want it changed: If you want to vote using identification that has your new name on it.

Requires: Just a photo ID. Can be your Driver’s License / State ID, a student ID, an employment ID. Does not require a name change order.

Cost: Free

How to update: You can update your registration online, or download and mail a paper form.

Birth Certificate

Why you might want it changed: Your birth certificate is possibly handy in three places:

  1. Establishes employment authorization in an I-9. You don’t need your birth certificate though if you have a passport, or a social security number.
  2. Proves citizenship to get a state driver’s license. You cannot use a social security number for this. You can use a passport. You can still use a birth certificate with your old name, and provide your name change order to get a state driver’s license with your updated name.
  3. Proves citizenship to get a passport. If you do not have a U.S passport, you need a birth certificate to get one.

If you have a Puerto Rico birth certificate dated before July 1, 2010, it has been invalidated, and you will need to update it. If this applies to you, the information presented in our guide currently may be incomplete. More info.

Requires:

  • To change your name: legal name change order
  • To change your gender marker on a PA birth certificate: a letter from your gender affirming care provider stating you’ve undergone appropriate medical transition.

Cost: For a PA birth certificate, it’s $20

How to update in PA: Fill out a Request to Modify Birth Certificate Form. Mail the form, a check or money order for $20 made payable to VITAL RECORDS, your notarized name change order, and a letter from your care provider asserting that you’ve undergone medical gender transition to the following address:

Pa. Department of Health
Bureau of Health Statistics and Registries
ATTN: Birth Registry
555 Walnut St., 6th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1934

You may give the physician letter template below (copied from A4TE) to your provider.

PA Birth Certificate form
Physician letter template

How to update in another state: Every state is different. Find yours on the CDC’s Where to Write for Vital Records, and see what your requirements are.

Personal experience: Having already had a passport, a driver’s license, and not being born in PR, I have never needed to use my birth certificate for anything. I was able to update all of my other identifications without updating my birth certificate.

Social Security

Why you need it changed: If you want to use your updated name for taxes and onboarding with new employers (ie, filling out a W-4 form), you need an updated social security card. Your social security card can also be used for employment authorization (I-9 form).

Requires: notarized name change order, Driver’s License / State ID with updated name

Cost: Free

How to update: You can start to update your social security card online. Within 45 days of completing the online form, you must go in person to the a Social Security Office with your driver’s license / state ID, and your notarized name change order. Hours are 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday.

  • Downtown Location: 700 Grant St, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
  • East Liberty Location (by Home Depot): 6117 Station St, Pittsburgh, PA 15206

As of January 2025 you cannot change your sex with social security. When applying for Medicare, Medicaid, or Obamacare health insurance through the marketplace, use the sex that matches Social Security. Private health plans not purchased through the marketplace generally do not match their information with Social Security. 

More information: https://transequality.org/documents/know-your-rights-social-security

Personal experience: Filling out an I-9 or W-4, but don’t have your updated social security card? You can update your card in person and request a receipt for your new card. I got this done in a few hours, and my employer accepted that as proof for employment.

Passport

Currently, based on the informal advice of Pittsburgh lawyers we’ve reached out to, we do not recommend you update your passport unless it is expiring soon. Carry a copy of your name change order with you while traveling. More information.

You can still change your name on your passport, but know that it must match the name on your travel tickets. We’re reaching out to lawyers to see if doing this and using your old gender marker is advisable.

Various Private Businesses or Groups (Banks, Universities, etc)

Airlines: To travel internationally, you must travel with an unexpired passport with a name that matches the name on your travel tickets. Changing frequent flier accounts typically requires a legal name change order.

Banks

  • For PNC and Chase we can confirm you may just show up to any branch location in person with a notarized name change order. Other banks are likely the same.

Universities

Other Guides and Thanks