Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System (UJS) portal is one of the most practically useful statewide court search tools in the country for name-based searching. A single free search returns docket-sheet results from all 67 counties' Courts of Common Pleas simultaneously — no county selection required. This is a meaningful advantage for any Pennsylvania search. The limitation is that the UJS docket sheets are summaries, not full case files; for complete case documents, the county-level Court of Common Pleas clerk must be contacted directly.
If you are comparing more than one state, you can also review our people search by state guides to understand how records differ across jurisdictions.
Key takeaways
- Pennsylvania's UJS statewide docket portal provides free name-based access to Court of Common Pleas case summaries across all 67 counties — one of the more searcher-friendly statewide court tools in the country.
- Philadelphia is both a city and a county (Philadelphia County), which means it has its own Court of Common Pleas operating as both the city and county trial court — no suburban county jurisdiction applies within city limits.
- Magisterial District Courts (MDJs) handle minor civil matters, summary offenses, and preliminary hearings — these are below the Court of Common Pleas tier and accessible through the UJS portal as well.
- Pennsylvania's Right to Know Law (65 P.S. § 67.101 et seq.) governs agency record requests, but court records are accessed through the UJS portal and county clerks, not through a Right to Know request.
How searches work in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania searches typically start with the UJS docket portal for a statewide name search that covers all 67 counties' Common Pleas courts and MDJ courts in one query. This surfaces county context and case summaries. For full case documents, contact the county-level Prothonotary (civil) or Clerk of Courts (criminal) in the relevant county directly.
In most searches, the most efficient sequence is UJS docket portal first for statewide context, then county-level clerk contact for full documents if needed. If you already know the city, our find someone by name and city guide can help narrow the search more quickly.
Industry insight
Pennsylvania's UJS portal is genuinely one of the best free court search tools in the country for a name-based starting point. A single search returns docket-sheet summaries from all 67 counties' Court of Common Pleas and all MDJ courts simultaneously — no county selection, no fee. The summaries show case numbers, charges, dispositions, and sentencing information. Most researchers should start here before doing anything else in Pennsylvania.
The limitation worth knowing is that the UJS portal shows docket sheets, not case documents. If the full complaint, sentencing memorandum, or civil filing content is needed, that requires contacting the relevant county's Prothonotary (civil) or Clerk of Courts (criminal). Philadelphia County has its own separate systems for civil and criminal matters that require direct contact with the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas rather than county-level clerk offices elsewhere in the state.
Common mistakes when searching by name in Pennsylvania
- Not using the UJS statewide portal first — it's free, covers all 67 counties simultaneously, and returns more useful context faster than any county-by-county approach.
- Expecting UJS docket sheets to contain full case documents — they show summaries only. Full case files require contacting the county Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts directly.
- Treating Philadelphia as a county when it is both a city and a county — Philadelphia County and the City of Philadelphia share the same boundaries, and there are no "Philadelphia suburbs" within Philadelphia County.
- Filing a Right to Know Law request for court records — the Right to Know Law does not cover judicial records. Court records are accessed through the UJS portal and county court offices.
Pennsylvania quick facts
- Population estimate (July 1, 2024): 13,078,751 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program)
- Number of counties: 67
- Largest city: Philadelphia (est. 1,576,251 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS)
- State capital: Harrisburg
Court statistics
Court levels
4 (Supreme Court, two intermediate appellate courts, Courts of Common Pleas, MDJ courts)
Intermediate appellate courts
2 (Superior Court and Commonwealth Court)
Judicial districts
60 (serving 67 counties)
Counties
67
Pennsylvania's trial court structure has two relevant tiers for records searches. Courts of Common Pleas (organized into 60 judicial districts serving 67 counties) handle felonies, major civil cases, domestic relations, and appeals from MDJ courts. Magisterial District Courts (MDJs) handle summary offenses, minor civil matters, and preliminary hearings for more serious charges. Both tiers are searchable through the UJS statewide docket portal. Pennsylvania has two intermediate appellate courts — the Superior Court (criminal and civil general appeals) and the Commonwealth Court (government-related matters) — which is unusual and worth knowing when tracking appellate history. For a broader overview, see our court record search guide.
Crime statistics
Violent crime rate (2024)
See note
Property crime rate (2024)
See note
Primary source
PA State Police, Crime in Pennsylvania (UCR dashboard)
Access model
Interactive dashboard — Pennsylvania's UCR data is published via queryable dashboard rather than a single-figure summary
Pennsylvania's crime data is published by the Pennsylvania State Police through the Crime in Pennsylvania system, which provides an interactive dashboard rather than a static statewide rate summary. For 2024, full-year dashboard data was not compiled into a single per-100,000 rate at time of publication — figures vary significantly by county, with Philadelphia and Allentown reporting substantially higher rates than suburban and rural counties. When running a criminal record search, the county-level UJS docket portal is more immediately useful than statewide rate data for establishing actual records context.
Public records law
Pennsylvania's public records framework is the Right to Know Law (RTKL), codified at 65 P.S. § 67.101 et seq. The Act requires agencies to respond to requests within five business days, with a possible 30-day extension. The Office of Open Records provides a free appeals process for contested requests. The RTKL applies to state agencies and local government bodies; the judiciary is subject to its own access rules through the UJS portal and court rules, not the RTKL.
Key exemptions relevant to people searches include: personal identifiers (Social Security numbers, medical information, home addresses of protected individuals) under § 67.708(b)(6); criminal investigative records under § 67.708(b)(16); and records exempted by other statutes. Court records are accessed through the UJS portal and county court offices — submitting a Right to Know request for a court case file will be directed to the court's own records access process rather than processed under the RTKL.
UJS docket portal and Magisterial District Courts
Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System public portal (ujsportal.pacourts.us) provides free name-based searches returning docket-sheet summaries for both Court of Common Pleas and Magisterial District Court matters statewide. Docket sheets show case numbers, charges, dispositions, and sentencing information — sufficient for establishing whether a record exists and which county handled it. For full case documents, the county Prothonotary handles civil cases and the Clerk of Courts handles criminal cases. Magisterial District Courts are particularly useful for summary offenses (the Pennsylvania equivalent of minor violations) and small civil claims that may not rise to Common Pleas level.
Official public record sources in Pennsylvania
| Agency | Records maintained | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PA Unified Judicial System (UJS) Portal (ujsportal.pacourts.us) | Docket-sheet summaries for all Common Pleas and MDJ courts statewide | Free, statewide, name-based. Returns summaries only — not full case documents. One of the best free first-stop tools for Pennsylvania searches. |
| County Prothonotaries and Clerks of Courts (67 counties) | Full case files: civil (Prothonotary) and criminal (Clerk of Courts) | Separate offices in each county. Full documents accessible here that UJS docket sheets do not provide. Philadelphia has its own systems distinct from other counties. |
| Pennsylvania State Police | Statewide criminal history (PATCH system); UCR crime statistics dashboard | PATCH (Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History) provides public name-based checks for a fee. More comprehensive criminal history than UJS docket sheets for sealed or expunged records status. |
| County recorder of deeds offices | Property records, deeds, liens, mortgages | Maintained county-by-county. Most Pennsylvania counties provide online access through county-specific recorder portals. |
For a broader overview of how these records are aggregated across multiple jurisdictions, see our public record search guide.
Population context
Pennsylvania's population is anchored by two major metros at opposite ends of the state: the Philadelphia metro in the southeast (Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, and Delaware counties — roughly 6.2 million people) and the Pittsburgh metro in the southwest (Allegheny County and surrounding counties — roughly 2.4 million people). The Lehigh Valley (Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Lehigh and Northampton counties) is the third-largest metro at around 800,000.
Between the two major metros lies a large expanse of rural and smaller-city Pennsylvania — Harrisburg (Dauphin County), Lancaster (Lancaster County), Reading (Berks County), and Erie (Erie County) — each with its own distinct character and records patterns. Lancaster County has a large Amish and plain community population whose members may not appear in digital records in expected ways. Erie County's proximity to Ohio and New York means cross-state address histories are relatively common. A name and relative search through the UJS portal is the most efficient starting point for any Pennsylvania search.
Example search scenarios in Pennsylvania
Searching by name and city
Run the UJS statewide docket portal first for any Pennsylvania name search — it covers all 67 counties simultaneously and surfaces the county context needed for any follow-up. Philadelphia is Philadelphia County; Pittsburgh is Allegheny County; Allentown is Lehigh County; Erie is Erie County. For full case documents, contact the relevant county Prothonotary (civil) or Clerk of Courts (criminal).
Checking court records
UJS docket portal for statewide summary context → county Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts for full documents → PATCH (Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History) for comprehensive criminal history including information not on docket sheets. MDJ court records are also accessible through the UJS portal for summary offenses and small civil claims. See our court record search guide for more detail.
Searching when the city is unknown
The UJS docket portal's statewide search makes it the ideal tool for unknown-city Pennsylvania searches — no county selection required, and results include county identifiers that establish geographic context for any follow-up.
Major cities in Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
Philadelphia (est. pop. 1,576,251 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS) is simultaneously a city and a county — Philadelphia County and the City of Philadelphia share the same boundaries. There are no separate suburban municipalities within Philadelphia County as there are in most Pennsylvania counties. Philadelphia's Court of Common Pleas is the busiest trial court in the state and operates its own civil filing system (Philadelphia Civil Court) and criminal filing system (Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center) that function somewhat differently from the county Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts model used elsewhere in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia records are accessible through UJS for docket sheets and through the Philadelphia court system directly for full case files.
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh (est. pop. 302,408 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS) is the county seat of Allegheny County and the largest city in western Pennsylvania. Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas records are accessible through UJS for docket sheets and through the county Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts for full documents. Pittsburgh's industrial legacy has left a stable long-term residential population in many neighborhoods, while the city's tech and healthcare sector growth in recent years has added a more mobile younger professional cohort.
Allentown
Allentown (est. pop. 126,347 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS) is the county seat of Lehigh County in the Lehigh Valley. Lehigh County and adjacent Northampton County (Bethlehem, Easton) together form the Lehigh Valley metro, and cross-county address histories are common for longtime Lehigh Valley residents. Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas records are accessible through UJS. The Lehigh Valley's significant Latin American population — with major Puerto Rican and Dominican communities — means name searches benefit from language-variation awareness for common Spanish surnames.
Erie
Erie (est. pop. 93,756 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS) is the county seat of Erie County in northwestern Pennsylvania. Erie County borders both Ohio and New York State, and the metro area has economic and residential ties to Ashtabula County, OH and Chautauqua County, NY. Cross-state address histories are more common for Erie County residents than for most Pennsylvania counties. Erie County Court of Common Pleas records are accessible through UJS.
Reading
Reading (est. pop. 95,112 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS) is the county seat of Berks County in southeastern Pennsylvania. Reading has one of the highest proportions of Hispanic or Latino residents of any midsize Pennsylvania city, reflecting significant Puerto Rican and Mexican community presence. Berks County Court of Common Pleas records are accessible through UJS. Reading's dense urban core and surrounding suburban Berks County create a population distribution where city and suburban records are both meaningfully active.
County systems in Pennsylvania
Philadelphia County
Philadelphia County (coextensive with the City of Philadelphia, est. pop. 1,576,251 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS) is the most populous county in Pennsylvania and generates the highest court filing volume in the state. Its Court of Common Pleas operates distinct civil and criminal divisions with their own procedures, partially separate from the county Prothonotary/Clerk model used elsewhere in Pennsylvania. UJS docket access covers Philadelphia, but full document access requires direct contact with the Philadelphia court system.
Allegheny County
Allegheny County (est. pop. 1,240,000 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS) contains Pittsburgh and is the second-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its Court of Common Pleas covers all civil and criminal matters for Pittsburgh and the surrounding suburban municipalities. Allegheny County's Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts provide online access that supplements UJS docket information. Allegheny County's 130 municipalities make it one of the most municipally fragmented counties in the country — knowing the specific municipality of residence helps target MDJ court searches within the county.
Montgomery County
Montgomery County (est. pop. 851,000 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS) is the second-most populous suburban county in the Philadelphia metro and borders Philadelphia County to the north and west. Montgomery County's Court of Common Pleas records are accessible through UJS and the county Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts portals. Many Montgomery County residents have prior Philadelphia address history, and vice versa — cross-county searching between Philadelphia and Montgomery is more common than in most PA county pairings.
Bucks County
Bucks County (est. pop. 652,000 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS) borders Philadelphia County to the north and New Jersey across the Delaware River. Bucks County's Court of Common Pleas is accessible through UJS. The county's NJ border creates cross-state address histories for residents who may have lived in Burlington or Mercer counties in New Jersey before moving to Bucks — a UJS search that comes up thin may warrant a NJ eCourts supplement for those subjects.
Lancaster County
Lancaster County (est. pop. 556,000 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS) contains Lancaster city and is one of the fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania. Lancaster County is home to a large Amish and Old Order Mennonite community whose members may not appear in standard digital records. For the broader Lancaster County population, UJS docket access and the county Prothonotary are the standard starting points. Lancaster's growth has brought significant in-migration from Philadelphia and Delaware Valley suburbs over the past decade.
Pennsylvania county guides
- Find Someone in Philadelphia County
- Find Someone in Allegheny County
- Find Someone in Montgomery County
Browse all county guides: People Search by County
Start Here: Enter Any Name To View Records
Best sites to review first
| Service | Why people use it | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Instant Checkmate | Useful for narrowing likely county before moving into PA's UJS or county clerk systems. | Quick first-pass searches |
| TruthFinder | Useful for broader report-style context that can include addresses, relatives, and public-record signals. | Expanded public-record context |
Frequently asked questions
What does Pennsylvania's UJS portal show and what does it miss?
Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System (UJS) portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us provides free name-based statewide docket-sheet summaries covering all Courts of Common Pleas and Magisterial District Courts across all 67 counties. Docket sheets show case numbers, charges, dispositions, and sentencing information. The portal does not provide full case documents — complaints, motions, transcripts, or exhibits. For full case documents, contact the county Prothonotary (civil) or Clerk of Courts (criminal) directly. Philadelphia County has its own separate processes for full document access.
What is the best way to find someone in Pennsylvania?
Start with the UJS statewide docket portal — it's free, covers all 67 counties simultaneously, and is one of the most useful first-stop tools for any Pennsylvania search. For full case documents, contact the relevant county Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts. For comprehensive criminal history, use PATCH (Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History). For Right to Know Law requests for agency records, submit to the relevant state or local agency — not to the courts.
Can I use these searches for jobs, housing, or insurance decisions?
No. The services discussed on this page are not consumer reporting agencies and the information here is not a consumer report. They should not be used for employment, tenant screening, insurance underwriting, credit, or any other purpose regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Related guides
Other state guides
