Start with the right Pennsylvania record system
A Pennsylvania court docket, State Police criminal-history check, arrest report, county-jail booking and Department of Corrections record are not the same thing. Each is maintained by a different part of the justice system. The quickest search starts by identifying which record you actually need, then using the government database or office that maintains it.
Which Pennsylvania criminal record do you actually need?
Pennsylvania separates court information from criminal-history information. The Unified Judicial System itself warns that a public docket sheet should not be used as a substitute for a Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history background check.
Court case
Use for filed criminal cases, docket entries, hearings, case status, charges and dispositions available through Pennsylvania courts.
Criminal history
Use PATCH when you need an official Pennsylvania criminal-history background check rather than a single court docket.
Arrest information
Recent arrest, police-blotter and some local custody information may be held by the arresting department or county agency.
Local incarceration
County detention records are generally maintained locally and will not necessarily appear in the state Department of Corrections locator.
State inmate / parolee
Use the DOC locator for state-sentenced inmates and people supervised by the department.
Federal criminal case
Federal prosecutions are separate from Pennsylvania state-court cases and are searched through the federal PACER system.
UJS docket sheet
Shows the history of a particular Pennsylvania court case. It is primarily a court-record research tool.
PATCH background check
Searches criminal-history information maintained by the Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository under Pennsylvania criminal-history law.
Understand Pennsylvania’s criminal court structure before searching
Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System has several court levels. Knowing where a criminal matter sits can save a great deal of search time.
Minor courts
Magisterial district courts are the first level for many criminal proceedings. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh also have municipal-court structures.Common Pleas
Pennsylvania’s Courts of Common Pleas are the general trial courts and hear major criminal cases. They are organized into 60 judicial districts.Superior Court
The Superior Court hears many appeals from criminal cases decided in the Courts of Common Pleas.Supreme Court
Pennsylvania’s highest state court handles qualifying appeals and other matters within its jurisdiction.At the minor-court level, preliminary arraignments, bail decisions and preliminary hearings can occur before a case moves to the Court of Common Pleas. This is why one criminal matter can generate both a magisterial district court docket and a later Common Pleas docket.
How to search Pennsylvania criminal court cases online
The official Pennsylvania UJS Case Search provides free public access to docket sheets and other case information.
The portal includes public information for:
- criminal Courts of Common Pleas cases
- Magisterial District Court criminal cases
- traffic and non-traffic cases
- Philadelphia Municipal Court matters
- Supreme Court cases
- Superior Court cases
- Commonwealth Court cases
- public court calendars where available
Choose the correct search type
Search options vary by court and can include participant name, docket number, county, case status, case category and other supported identifiers.
Start broad, then narrow
If you only have a person’s name, begin there. When several people share the same name, use county, date, docket type or other available fields to narrow the results.
Open the docket sheet
Review the case caption, filing information, offenses, events, disposition and financial information that is available to the public.
Check the latest docket entries
The UJS warns that recent entries made by court filing offices may not appear immediately. When timing matters, confirm important information with the court itself.
Move to the paper court file if necessary
If the online docket does not provide a document you need, contact the court where the case was filed and ask about public inspection or a copy request.
How to recognize Pennsylvania court docket numbers
Docket numbers are often much more reliable than a name search. Pennsylvania court prefixes can also tell you which level of court created the record.
CP-##-CR-…
Criminal Court of Common Pleas dockets generally begin with CP. UJS gives CP-25-CR-0009999-2017 as an example.
MJ-…
Magisterial district court dockets begin with MJ. Court and case-type codes follow the prefix.
MC-51-…
Philadelphia Municipal Court cases use the MC-51 family of docket numbers.
How to read a Pennsylvania criminal docket sheet
A docket sheet is a chronological record of case activity. It can contain much more than a simple “guilty” or “not guilty” result, so read it from beginning to end.
| Section | What it can show | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Case information | Court, docket number, status and filing information. | Make sure you have the correct court and person. |
| Participant | Names of defendants, attorneys and other case participants. | Do not rely on a name alone for identity. |
| Charges | Offenses alleged or filed in the case. | A filed charge is not automatically a conviction. |
| Docket entries | Filings, orders and procedural activity. | Read later entries because the case can change over time. |
| Calendar events | Scheduled hearings and case events. | Dates can be continued or changed. |
| Disposition | How charges or the case were resolved. | Look separately at each count or offense. |
| Financial information | Costs, fines or other financial entries when publicly displayed. | Balances and payment status can change. |
PAeDocket: a faster mobile option for Pennsylvania court cases
Pennsylvania Courts also promotes PAeDocket, a free mobile application designed to make court docket searches easier on phones and tablets.
It can be useful when you need to quickly check a docket number, case status or court information while away from a desktop computer. For deeper research and public-record policies, the full UJS Web Portal remains the better starting point.
Visit the UJS Web PortalUse PATCH for an official Pennsylvania criminal-history background check
Pennsylvania State Police operates Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH) . The system checks information supplied by the requester against criminal-history records maintained by the Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository.
PATCH is the correct starting point when you need a Pennsylvania criminal-history response rather than the docket of one particular court case.
Open the official PATCH service
Use the Pennsylvania State Police service page or the official PATCH portal rather than a third-party background-search website.
Submit the identifying information requested
Enter the subject information carefully. Incorrect name or date information can affect matching and review.
Save the control number
PATCH uses a control number and request date to let requesters return and check the status of a criminal-history request.
Understand “Under Review”
An “Under Review” response does not mean that the person has a criminal record. It means Pennsylvania State Police needs to manually compare the submitted information.
Download or obtain the final result
Final PATCH results can be “No Record” or “Record.” PSP states that a manual review can take up to two weeks in some cases.
Current Pennsylvania criminal-history check fees
| Request type | Current fee | How to request | Useful detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual / standard criminal-history check | $22 | PATCH online or Form SP 4-164 by mail | Official Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history response. |
| Notarized standard check | $27 total | Standard fee plus $5 notarization | Useful when the receiving organization specifically requires notarization. |
| Volunteer criminal-history check | Free | PATCH or volunteer form | Volunteer checks cannot be notarized. |
| Individual Access & Review | $20 | Mail only using Form SP 4-170 | For reviewing your own full Pennsylvania criminal-history record. |
Fees can change. Confirm the current amount on the Pennsylvania State Police website before mailing payment or submitting an online request.
How to request your own complete Pennsylvania criminal-history record
A standard PATCH check is not the same as an Individual Access and Review. Pennsylvania law gives an individual the right to review the criminal-history information maintained about them and challenge inaccurate information.
Pennsylvania State Police describes Access & Review as a review of the individual’s entire criminal record, including convictions and non-convictions.
Download Form SP 4-170
Use the Pennsylvania State Police Access and Review form.
Complete the request for yourself
Access & Review is intended for the subject of the record rather than an ordinary third-party background inquiry.
Include required identification and payment
PSP’s current expungement guidance instructs requesters using SP 4-170 to include a copy of government-issued photo identification and a $20 certified check or money order.
Mail it to the Central Repository
Send the completed package to the Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository in Harrisburg.
Finding Pennsylvania arrest records and police information
Recent arrest information is often more local than statewide. The police department, Pennsylvania State Police barracks, county sheriff or detention facility involved in the event may hold information that does not appear in PATCH or the DOC locator.
A practical workflow is:
Identify the agency
Find the police department, PSP troop/barracks or sheriff involved in the arrest.Identify the county
The county tells you which Common Pleas court and county jail may be relevant.Check UJS
Look for public court proceedings connected to the arrest.Request local data
If you need the police record itself, follow that agency’s public-record procedure.Pennsylvania Right-to-Know requests for police and PSP records
Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law can be useful for government records, but criminal-law-enforcement records require extra care because investigative information is often protected.
For Pennsylvania State Police records, PSP publishes a dedicated Right-to-Know request process .
For a PSP request, the current instructions require the request to:
- be submitted in writing
- use the PSP or Office of Open Records form
- identify the requested records specifically
- include the requester’s name
- include a valid physical address
- meet Pennsylvania’s stated requester requirements
PSP accepts qualifying requests by mail, email, fax or in person according to its current published instructions.
Court record request
Court files are governed by Pennsylvania judiciary public-access policies. Contact the court or use UJS court-record forms.
Police / agency record request
Requests to a police department or executive-branch agency can fall under Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know framework and applicable criminal-record laws.
County jail records are separate from the Pennsylvania DOC locator
Pennsylvania does not place everyone held in every county jail into the Department of Corrections public locator. A person awaiting trial or serving time in a county facility may need to be searched through that county’s jail, corrections department or sheriff.
To find the correct local source:
- Identify the county of arrest or court case.
- Search the official county government website for jail, prison or corrections.
- Use the county’s inmate-search tool if one exists.
- If no public tool exists, use the published records or inmate-information contact.
- Cross-check the related court docket in the UJS Web Portal.
How to search for Pennsylvania arrest warrants
The Pennsylvania UJS has a Statewide Warrants application, but it is a secure service that is not available to the general public. It requires approved permissions.
For a public warrant inquiry, the practical route is usually:
- the court handling the criminal matter
- the relevant county sheriff
- the local or state police agency
- the public UJS docket for related case activity
Pennsylvania court rules can also delay or restrict public access to arrest-warrant information for legitimate legal reasons. If warrant status matters for an immediate legal decision, confirm it directly with the responsible court or law-enforcement agency.
Search warrants are different from arrest warrants
An arrest warrant authorizes the arrest of a person. A search warrant authorizes law enforcement to search a place or person and seize specified property or evidence.
Pennsylvania court access rules impose special restrictions on search warrants:
- an unexecuted search warrant is not publicly accessible
- a search-warrant affidavit can be sealed by a qualifying court
- a sealed affidavit is not publicly accessible while the seal remains in effect
- the record may become accessible after execution or unsealing, subject to court rules
Search Pennsylvania state inmates and parolees
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Inmate and Parolee Locator is the official state tool for locating state-sentenced inmates and department-supervised individuals.
Pennsylvania DOC states that locator information is updated daily.
Last name
A last name is enough to begin a search. Adding a first name can help with common surnames.
Inmate number
If known, an inmate number can provide a more precise match than a common name.
County detainees
People in county custody and people incarcerated in another state are not included in the PA DOC locator.
Was the Pennsylvania criminal case appealed?
Pennsylvania’s public UJS Case Search also includes appellate court information. This is useful when the trial-court docket shows an appeal or when you need to trace what happened after a Common Pleas judgment.
Superior Court
Handles many appeals from Pennsylvania criminal cases decided in Courts of Common Pleas.
Supreme Court
Pennsylvania’s highest court handles qualifying appeals and other matters within its jurisdiction.
Commonwealth Court
Mainly handles government and administrative matters rather than ordinary criminal appeals, but its cases are also searchable through UJS.
When searching an appellate matter, choose the appellate search option or use the appellate docket number.
How to get Pennsylvania criminal court documents and certified copies
Viewing a public docket sheet online is free. Obtaining an official paper copy, certified copy or a document that is not available online can require contact with the court where the case is maintained.
The UJS provides a statewide case-record request form for public-access requests.
Identify the court
Use the docket number to determine whether the record is in Common Pleas, a magisterial district court, Philadelphia Municipal Court or an appellate court.
Check online first
Docket sheets and some appellate documents may already be available without a copy fee.
Contact the custodian of the case file
For a Common Pleas criminal case this is usually the appropriate county court office. For a magisterial district court matter, contact that district court directly.
Ask what type of copy you need
An ordinary photocopy may be sufficient for research. A certified record is typically needed only when another agency or legal process specifically requires certification.
Copy fees
Pennsylvania judiciary public-access policies generally permit reasonable duplication fees. For applicable case-record copying, UJS policies state that photocopying or printing fees generally may not exceed $0.25 per page unless another legal authority establishes a different fee. Local fee schedules can apply.
Finding the correct Pennsylvania county criminal court
Pennsylvania has 67 counties but 60 judicial districts. The Courts of Common Pleas are the state’s general trial courts, and each county has a court structure connected to its judicial district.
Use the official Pennsylvania County Courts directory to locate the correct court office.
For a magisterial district court, use the official Magisterial District Judge directory .
Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository location
Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history mail requests and Access & Review requests use the Central Repository in Harrisburg.
Pennsylvania State Police — Central Repository
1800 Elmerton AvenueHarrisburg, PA 17110
PATCH help: 1-888-783-7972
Some mailed criminal-history forms use the extended mailing ZIP and repository unit designation. Follow the address printed on the current form you are submitting.
Pennsylvania Clean Slate and limited-access criminal records
Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate laws can prevent qualifying criminal-history information from appearing to the general public even though the underlying record has not necessarily been physically destroyed.
UJS Case Search specifically states that cases which are sealed, expunged or classified as limited access under Clean Slate are not visible to the public through Case Search.
Limited access
Restricts dissemination of qualifying criminal-history information. The record can remain available to criminal-justice agencies and certain other legally authorized users.
Expungement
A separate legal process that removes qualifying arrest or criminal-history information from ordinary criminal-history dissemination, subject to Pennsylvania law.
What Clean Slate can cover
Pennsylvania’s current statutes provide automatic or petition-based limited access for several categories of qualifying records. These can include some non-conviction dispositions, summary offenses, qualifying misdemeanors and certain additional qualifying offenses after statutory waiting periods.
Eligibility is not based on time alone. The type of offense, later convictions, restitution and statutory exclusions can all matter.
Official law: 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.2 — Clean Slate limited access .
How Pennsylvania criminal record expungement starts
Pennsylvania State Police publishes an official expungement workflow. PSP recommends beginning by obtaining your criminal record through the Access & Review process.
Request Access & Review
Complete Form SP 4-170 so you can see the Pennsylvania criminal-history record PSP maintains about you.
Review the full arrest and disposition history
Confirm the county, arrest details, docket numbers and disposition before starting a court filing.
Contact the Clerk of Courts in the relevant county
PSP directs requesters to the county where the arrest occurred for instructions on petitioning the court for expungement.
Follow the court process
Eligibility and filing procedure depend on the record and Pennsylvania law. A court order is required where the statute calls for judicial expungement.
What to do if a Pennsylvania criminal-history record is wrong
Pennsylvania’s Criminal History Record Information Act gives individuals the right to review their own criminal-history information and challenge inaccurate information.
If something appears wrong:
- Obtain your Access & Review record from Pennsylvania State Police.
- Identify the specific arrest, charge, disposition or identifying data you believe is wrong.
- Obtain supporting court documentation where possible.
- Challenge the inaccurate criminal-history information through the responsible criminal-justice agency.
- If the problem is a clerical error on a UJS web docket, use the court’s clerical-error correction process.
Are Pennsylvania juvenile criminal records public?
Juvenile records are treated differently from ordinary adult criminal cases. Pennsylvania’s public UJS Case Search specifically identifies juvenile cases as information that may not display in public search results.
Pennsylvania’s criminal-history laws also contain separate provisions for juvenile records. Do not assume that adult public-access rules apply to juvenile delinquency matters.
Using Pennsylvania criminal records for employment decisions
Pennsylvania courts explicitly warn that docket-sheet information should not be used in place of a criminal-history background check supplied by Pennsylvania State Police.
Pennsylvania’s Criminal History Record Information Act also regulates how employers may use criminal-history information. Under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9125, felony and misdemeanor convictions may be considered only to the extent they relate to suitability for the position, and an employer must provide written notice when a decision not to hire is based in whole or in part on criminal-history record information.
Federal criminal records in Pennsylvania
Federal criminal prosecutions do not appear as Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas cases. Pennsylvania is divided among the Eastern, Middle and Western federal judicial districts.
Use PACER for federal district, bankruptcy and appellate case records.
Search that court directly
PACER says specific-court case information is updated as records are filed.
Use PACER Case Locator
The nationwide index can identify the federal court and case number when you do not know where the case was filed.
FBI Identity History Summary
Someone seeking their own nationwide FBI Identity History Summary can use the FBI’s fingerprint-based Identity History Summary Check . The FBI’s current fee is $18.
Pennsylvania criminal-record search tips that save time
Use the docket number first
A docket number is usually much more precise than a common name.
Search both court levels
A criminal matter can begin in a minor court and later appear in Common Pleas.
Do not confuse UJS with PATCH
One shows court cases; the other provides PSP criminal-history checks.
Recent arrest? Search locally
Local police or a county jail may have useful current information before other systems update.
Check the final disposition
Charges alone do not tell you whether the person was convicted.
Try the county filter
Name searches become much easier when you know where the prosecution occurred.
A missing case may be restricted
Clean Slate, expungement, sealing or juvenile restrictions can remove records from public search.
County jail is not DOC
A county detainee may not appear in the Pennsylvania state inmate locator.
Confirm recent updates
UJS warns that newly entered court information may not appear online immediately.
Frequently asked questions about Pennsylvania criminal records
1. Is Pennsylvania court case search free?
Yes. The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System provides free public online access to qualifying docket sheets and case information through the UJS Web Portal.
2. Is UJS Case Search the same as a Pennsylvania criminal background check?
No. UJS provides court docket information. Pennsylvania State Police provides official Pennsylvania criminal-history checks through PATCH.
3. How much does a Pennsylvania PATCH criminal-history check cost?
Pennsylvania State Police currently lists a standard individual criminal-history check at $22. Notarization costs an additional $5. Eligible volunteer checks are free.
4. How do I get my complete Pennsylvania criminal-history record?
Request an Individual Access & Review using Pennsylvania State Police Form SP 4-170. The current fee is $20 and the request is submitted by mail.
5. Can I search Pennsylvania warrants statewide online?
Pennsylvania UJS has a Statewide Warrants application, but it is a secure service and is not available to the general public. Public warrant inquiries generally require the relevant court, sheriff or law-enforcement agency.
6. Why can’t I find a Pennsylvania criminal case that used to appear online?
A record may have become sealed, expunged or subject to limited access under Pennsylvania Clean Slate law. Juvenile cases and some other restricted records also do not appear in public Case Search.
7. Does the Pennsylvania DOC locator include county jail inmates?
No. Pennsylvania DOC states that people held in county facilities are not included. Search the appropriate county jail or corrections agency instead.
8. Are Pennsylvania police reports public under the Right-to-Know Law?
Not necessarily. Criminal investigative records can be exempt from public disclosure. Limited police-blotter information may be accessible even when a complete investigative report is not.
9. Can I get a certified Pennsylvania criminal court record?
Yes, when the record is publicly accessible and certification is available. Contact the court maintaining the case and confirm its current certification and copy fees.
10. Do Pennsylvania criminal record searches include federal cases?
No. Federal criminal cases use the federal court system. Search those records through PACER. A person’s own FBI Identity History Summary uses a separate fingerprint-based FBI process.
Official sources used to verify this guide
- Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania — Case Search
- Pennsylvania Courts — Public Records
- Pennsylvania Courts — Public Access Policies
- Pennsylvania State Police — Criminal History Background Check
- Pennsylvania State Police — PATCH Overview
- Pennsylvania State Police — Right-to-Know Requests
- Pennsylvania Department of Corrections — Inmate and Parolee Locator
- Pennsylvania State Police — Criminal Record Expungement
- Pennsylvania Crimes Code Chapter 91 — Criminal History Record Information
- 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.2 — Clean Slate Limited Access
- PACER — Federal Court Records
- FBI — Identity History Summary Checks