Allegheny Criminal Records Search: Cases & Public Records

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Allegheny County, Pennsylvania records guide

Allegheny County criminal records are split between the Pennsylvania court system, the Allegheny County Department of Court Records, the Allegheny County Jail and Sheriff’s Office, and the Pennsylvania State Police. The fastest search depends on whether you need a criminal court docket, recent custody information, warrant information, a certified court document or an official Pennsylvania criminal-history background check.

County: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Main trial court: Court of Common Pleas Information checked: September 27, 2026
Quick answer: use the Pennsylvania UJS Web Portal for Allegheny County criminal docket sheets, the Allegheny County Department of Court Records for files and certified copies, the Allegheny County Jail for local custody questions, and PATCH when you need an official Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history background check.
Criminal court case Search Allegheny County Common Pleas and Magisterial District Court cases.
Use UJS →
Court file / copy Use the Department of Court Records for local case files and certified records.
County records →
Jail / custody Allegheny County Jail information and court/bail contacts.
Jail records →
PA criminal history Official Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history check.
Use PATCH →
Possible warrant Understand Allegheny County Sheriff’s warrant-verification procedure.
Warrant guidance →

Which Allegheny County criminal record are you trying to find?

A court docket, jail record, arrest record, warrant and Pennsylvania criminal-history report are different records. Start with the source that actually owns the information you need.

PA Courts

Criminal case

Use the Unified Judicial System portal for Common Pleas and Magisterial District Court docket information.

Allegheny DCR

Case file / certified copy

The Department of Court Records Criminal Division maintains Allegheny County criminal case files.

County Jail

Local custody

Use jail and county court resources for a person currently held in Allegheny County custody.

Sheriff

Warrant

The Sheriff’s Office handles warrant enforcement but follows strict rules about disclosing warrant status.

PA State Police

State criminal history

PATCH provides Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history checks based on Central Repository information.

PACER

Federal criminal case

Federal criminal cases in Western Pennsylvania are separate from Allegheny County state-court cases.

Arrest or filed charge is not proof of guilt. Always check the court disposition before treating a booking, criminal complaint or filed charge as a conviction.

How to search Allegheny County criminal records by name

Choose Participant Name

Use the participant-name search if you do not already know the docket number.

Select Allegheny County

Limiting the search to Allegheny County helps remove unrelated Pennsylvania results.

Enter the minimum useful name information

Pennsylvania Courts’ own search guidance recommends starting with a first name, last name and county rather than over-filtering the search.

Open the matching docket sheet

Compare the defendant, docket number, court, filing date and case status before assuming it is the correct person.

Read the disposition and sentence

Do not stop at the criminal charge. Review how each offense was resolved.

Best search method: if you already have a docket number, search by docket number instead of name.

Allegheny County Magisterial District Court criminal records

Not every criminal matter begins directly in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Pennsylvania’s Magisterial District Courts handle many preliminary criminal proceedings, along with traffic and non-traffic matters.

The UJS portal includes public Magisterial District Court docket information. This can be important when researching:

  • criminal complaints
  • preliminary arraignments
  • preliminary hearings
  • bail-related activity
  • summary matters
  • traffic cases
If the case later reaches Common Pleas: use the related Common Pleas docket for the later prosecution and final disposition.

How to read an Allegheny County criminal docket

Docket field What it tells you What to check
Docket number The court’s unique case identifier. Save it for file orders, courthouse research and future searches.
Charge The alleged offense filed in the criminal proceeding. A charge is not itself a conviction.
Grade Classification such as felony, misdemeanor or summary offense. Check whether the grade changed later.
Case status Whether the case remains active or has reached disposition. Review the most recent docket activity.
Disposition The result for an offense. Guilty, dismissed, withdrawn, acquitted or another result.
Sentence Court-imposed punishment or supervision. Confinement, probation, fines or other terms.
Check each charge separately. One criminal case can contain multiple counts with different dispositions.

Allegheny County Department of Court Records criminal files

The Department of Court Records, Criminal Division maintains the criminal case records for the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.

The division maintains:

  • criminal case documents
  • dockets
  • motions
  • summary appeals
  • expungement filings
  • bail-bond records
  • archived criminal records
  • court-ordered fines, costs and restitution records
Criminal records research

Allegheny County Courthouse — Room 220

436 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Criminal records questions / file orders: 412-350-5320

Do not expect case details over the phone. Allegheny County specifically states that case-related information will not be discussed by telephone.

How far back are Allegheny County criminal files kept at the courthouse?

Allegheny County currently keeps criminal files from the current year and the four prior years in Room 220 of the courthouse.

Older cases still exist, but the county says they must be ordered from a storage facility.

Older case missing from your courthouse visit? Call the Criminal Records office before traveling and ask about the process for ordering the file from storage.

Public computer terminals are also available in the courthouse for criminal-record research.

Get copies or certified Allegheny County criminal records

If you need the actual criminal case document rather than just a UJS docket sheet, request it from the Allegheny County Department of Court Records Criminal Division.

You may need a court copy for:

  • proof of final disposition
  • employment or licensing documentation
  • immigration or personal legal records
  • expungement proceedings
  • pardon applications
  • appeals
Do not use the county Open Records form for an ordinary Common Pleas case file. Allegheny County explicitly says court case files are generally open to the public unless sealed, and copies should be obtained through the appropriate court-record division instead.

Find an Allegheny County criminal court date

Pennsylvania’s UJS portal includes a Public Calendar Schedule for qualifying Criminal Courts of Common Pleas and Magisterial District Court cases.

This can help identify:

  • scheduled hearing date
  • court location
  • case event
  • related docket information
Open Pennsylvania UJS Portal

Allegheny County Jail records and custody information

The Allegheny County Jail is the county’s main local detention facility.

County Jail

Allegheny County Jail

950 Second Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Main phone: 412-350-2000
Inmate-record requests: 412-350-2635

The county directs people seeking criminal charges, court dates or bond information to Pennsylvania’s Judiciary Web Portal and county court resources.

Jail record vs. criminal case: the jail confirms local custody information. The UJS docket is the better source for filed charges and the court disposition.

Allegheny County arraignment, bail and preliminary-hearing information

Allegheny County directs questions about arraignment times, bail amounts, preliminary hearings and fingerprinting to the County Municipal Court.

County Municipal Court

Arraignment / preliminary proceedings

660 First Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA

Phone: 412-350-3240

The county’s published phone menu currently directs callers to options for arraignment times, bail amount, release information, preliminary hearings and fingerprinting.

Allegheny County warrant search and verification

The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office handles criminal fugitive and warrant functions, but its public-disclosure policy is unusually important: the Sheriff’s Office does not provide warrant status over the phone.

If you believe a warrant may exist for you, the Sheriff currently instructs people to appear in person at the Sheriff’s Office so their identity can be verified and a wants-and-warrants check performed.

Sheriff Warrant Office

Allegheny County Courthouse

436 Grant Street
Room 111
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Sheriff: 412-350-4700
24-hour Warrant Office: 412-350-4714

Important: the Sheriff’s FAQ states that a person who appears for a wants-and-warrants check and has an active warrant may be detained.

The Sheriff’s public site also publishes selected Most Wanted fugitives, but that page is not a complete public list of every Allegheny County warrant.

Pennsylvania PATCH criminal-history background checks

If you need a formal Pennsylvania criminal-history background check rather than one Allegheny County court case, use the Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH) service operated by Pennsylvania State Police.

PATCH checks Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository information. It does not automatically include federal or out-of-state criminal-history records.

Open Pennsylvania PATCH

UJS / Allegheny court search

Best for: a particular criminal court case.

Provides docket and court-case information.

PATCH

Best for: Pennsylvania criminal-history background checks.

Uses the Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository.

Current Pennsylvania criminal-history check fees

Request Current fee Use
Standard PATCH criminal-history check $22 General Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history background check.
Notarized criminal-history check $27 Includes the additional notarization charge.
Volunteer criminal-history check $0 Available for qualifying volunteer requests.
Individual Access & Review $20 Used by a person to obtain their own more complete Pennsylvania criminal record for review.
PATCH timing: some checks return immediately. Pennsylvania State Police says requests requiring additional review can take roughly two to four weeks.

Get your own complete Pennsylvania criminal record

If you need to examine your own Pennsylvania record for missing dispositions, non-convictions or possible errors, use the Pennsylvania State Police Access and Review process rather than an ordinary PATCH background check.

The current process uses Form SP 4-170 and costs $20.

Complete Form SP 4-170

Use the current Pennsylvania State Police Access and Review form.

Include identification

Include the identification and supporting material required by Pennsylvania State Police.

Include the current fee

Pennsylvania currently lists a $20 Access and Review fee.

Review every arrest and disposition

Use the Allegheny County docket and certified court documents to investigate any discrepancy.

Access and Review mailing address

Pennsylvania State Police
Central Repository – RCPU
1800 Elmerton Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17110-9758

Allegheny County criminal-record expungement

Pennsylvania law permits expungement in qualifying circumstances. The exact route depends on the disposition, offense, age, pardon status and other factors.

Pennsylvania State Police currently recommends beginning the standard expungement process by obtaining an Access and Review criminal record using Form SP 4-170.

Get your Pennsylvania Access and Review record

This provides the arrest and criminal-history information needed to identify the record accurately.

Identify the Allegheny County docket

Confirm the exact criminal case using UJS and the Department of Court Records.

Contact the Criminal Division

Allegheny County’s Criminal Division handles expungement filings and can provide local filing guidance.

Obtain the required court order

The record is not expunged merely because a request is submitted. Qualifying relief requires the appropriate legal process and order.

Allegheny County expungements

Department of Court Records

Allegheny County Courthouse
436 Grant Street
Room 114
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Expungement desk: 412-350-3271

Pennsylvania Clean Slate and limited-access records

Pennsylvania also uses limited access and Clean Slate procedures that can restrict qualifying criminal records from ordinary public view without necessarily destroying the underlying record.

Pennsylvania has expanded automatic sealing to additional categories over time. Current state guidance explains that qualifying non-convictions, summary offenses, certain misdemeanors and some qualifying non-violent drug felonies can receive limited public access when statutory conditions are met.

Sealed is not the same as erased. Criminal-justice agencies can retain access to information that is no longer available through ordinary public searching.
Why a case may disappear from UJS: limited-access status, Clean Slate treatment, expungement, sealing or another court restriction can make a formerly visible case unavailable to ordinary public users.

Allegheny County juvenile records follow different access rules

Juvenile delinquency matters are not handled like ordinary adult criminal records. Pennsylvania imposes additional confidentiality and access restrictions on juvenile information.

No public juvenile result does not mean no juvenile matter exists. Restricted access is part of the juvenile-record system.

Federal criminal records in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County

Federal prosecutions are separate from Allegheny County criminal cases. Allegheny County is within the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Federal dockets and court documents are generally searched through PACER.

For your own fingerprint-based nationwide FBI record, use the FBI Identity History Summary process.

FBI Identity History Summary

Allegheny County Courthouse criminal-record locations

Several criminal-record services are located in different rooms inside the courthouse, so going to the correct room can save time.

Service Location Phone
Criminal Records Room 220 412-350-6075 / 412-350-5320
Docket Counter Room 114 412-350-5321
Expungements Room 114 412-350-3271
Appeals to Superior Court Room 114 412-350-5321
DUI Offenses Room 222 412-350-6066
Fines / Costs Room 220 412-350-5311

Allegheny County Courthouse

436 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Criminal Division hours:
Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., excluding county holidays.

Map: Allegheny County Courthouse

The Criminal Records Division, Docket Counter, expungement services and Sheriff’s warrant office are located in the Allegheny County Courthouse complex.

Allegheny County criminal-record search tips

Tip 01

Use UJS before calling

County staff will not discuss case details by telephone, so search the docket first.

Tip 02

Use Allegheny as the county filter

It removes many unrelated Pennsylvania defendants with similar names.

Tip 03

Use the docket number

Once located, save it. It is the key identifier for court-file requests.

Tip 04

Older file? Order it first

Files older than the current year plus four prior years are stored off-site.

Tip 05

Check both court levels

Preliminary criminal proceedings can appear in Magisterial District Court before Common Pleas.

Tip 06

PATCH is not UJS

PATCH is a Pennsylvania criminal-history check; UJS is a court-case search.

Tip 07

Do not call the Sheriff for warrant status

The Sheriff’s Office explicitly refuses to provide warrant status over the telephone.

Tip 08

Search the final disposition

Never treat the complaint or initial charge as the final case outcome.

Tip 09

Missing case? Consider Clean Slate

Limited access, expungement or sealing can affect public visibility.

Allegheny County criminal records: frequently asked questions

1. Where do I search Allegheny County criminal court cases?

Use the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Web Portal. It provides public docket information for Allegheny County Common Pleas criminal cases and Magisterial District Court matters.

2. Is the Allegheny County criminal case search free?

Yes. Public UJS docket-sheet searching is free. Court copies, certified documents and some other services may involve separate fees.

3. Where are Allegheny County criminal court files kept?

The Department of Court Records Criminal Division maintains criminal files at the Allegheny County Courthouse. Current-year and four prior years of files are available in Room 220; older files must be ordered from storage.

4. Can I call Allegheny County and ask for details about a criminal case?

The county states that case-related information will not be discussed over the telephone. Use UJS for docket information or visit the Criminal Records office.

5. How do I find out whether I have an Allegheny County warrant?

The Sheriff’s Office does not provide warrant status by phone. It currently directs people seeking a wants-and-warrants check to appear in person at its courthouse office. The Sheriff warns that a person with an active warrant may be detained.

6. How much is a Pennsylvania criminal-history check?

Pennsylvania State Police currently charges $22 for a standard PATCH criminal-history check and $27 when notarization is requested. Qualifying volunteer checks are free.

7. Is PATCH the same as an Allegheny County court search?

No. PATCH searches Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository criminal-history information. UJS and the Allegheny County Department of Court Records provide court-case information.

8. How do I get my full Pennsylvania criminal record?

Use Pennsylvania State Police Form SP 4-170 for an Access and Review request. The current fee is $20 and the request is submitted by mail.

9. Can an Allegheny County criminal record be expunged?

Some records qualify for expungement under Pennsylvania law. Pennsylvania State Police recommends obtaining an Access and Review record first, then following the filing procedure through the court where the case occurred. Allegheny County’s Criminal Division handles local expungement filings.

10. Does an Allegheny County criminal-record search include federal cases?

No. Federal criminal prosecutions are separate from Pennsylvania state-court cases. Use PACER for federal court dockets and documents.

Official sources used for this Allegheny County guide

Editorial note: Criminal-Record.org is an independent informational resource and is not affiliated with Allegheny County, the Allegheny County Department of Court Records, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania or any other government agency. Public access can change because of Clean Slate restrictions, expungement, sealing, juvenile confidentiality, court orders and system updates. An arrest, booking or criminal charge should never be treated as proof of guilt.

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