Philadelphia County Criminal Court Records

Philadelphia County criminal court records are maintained by the Office of the Clerk of Courts at the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert Street in Philadelphia. As a consolidated city-county and Pennsylvania's most populous jurisdiction with roughly 1.6 million residents, Philadelphia operates the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, a distinct court system from the rest of the state. Criminal records here cover proceedings from the Philadelphia Municipal Court, which handles misdemeanors and preliminary felony hearings, and the Court of Common Pleas Criminal Division, which handles felony trials and major misdemeanor cases. This page explains where to find Philadelphia County criminal records, how to request copies, and what resources are available for online docket searches.

Philadelphia County Clerk of Courts Criminal Division

The Office of the Clerk of Courts in Philadelphia is responsible for the preservation and maintenance of all criminal and juvenile records in the county. The office staffs all criminal and delinquency courtrooms daily, updating criminal and juvenile dockets by recording the disposition of every court proceeding. This includes entering notations for continuances, scheduling conferences, bail modifications, bench warrants, motions made orally, and narrative dispositions. The Clerk also generates paperwork consistent with case dispositions and handles service and distribution of documents to required justice partners.

Since April 2010, the Clerk's office has operated under a team system. Each team covers a zone of courtrooms within the Criminal Justice Center. High-volume courtrooms are staffed with two clerks. Specialty Courts, including the DUI Court, Drug Treatment Court, and Mental Health Court, have specially trained clerks assigned to them. This structure allows the office to handle the volume of criminal cases that come before Philadelphia's courts each year. The office operates under the jurisdiction of the President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas and the Board of Judges of the First Judicial District.

Note: The Clerk of Courts office handles records requests for both the Court of Common Pleas Criminal Division and the Philadelphia Municipal Court Criminal Division. Both can be reached through OJRCriminal@courts.phila.gov or by calling (215) 683-7700.

Philadelphia Municipal Court Criminal Records

The Philadelphia Municipal Court has jurisdiction over misdemeanor offenses and handles most preliminary hearings in felony cases. Located at the Criminal Justice Center at 1301 Filbert Street, the Municipal Court is where criminal defendants in Philadelphia first appear in court. The court handles a large volume of cases each year, reflecting the size and density of the city.

Municipal Court criminal records show the full history of a case handled at that level, including the initial charges, arraignment, any hearings held, and the final disposition. Cases that are held for court at the preliminary hearing stage are transferred to the Court of Common Pleas. When that happens, both the Municipal Court docket and the new Common Pleas docket become part of the complete case record. Both are accessible through the UJS Portal and through the Clerk of Courts office.

Philadelphia's courts built the Criminal Justice Center between 1991 and 1994. The seventeen-story steel frame building at 1301 Filbert Street houses both the Municipal Court and the Court of Common Pleas for criminal matters, bringing all criminal proceedings under one roof in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Criminal Court File Security Unit

The File Security Unit within the First Judicial District serves as the central repository for all active Common Pleas Court and Municipal Court criminal records in Philadelphia. The File Management sub-unit maintains the extensive file library and assembles court records for daily judicial proceedings. All records are tracked through the CPCMS electronic bar-scanning system, which identifies the date, location, and personnel who received each record. This system ensures that files can be located quickly as cases move through the busy Philadelphia court system.

When court files are not immediately available, the File Security Unit conducts a thorough search. If the original file cannot be located, staff prepare reconstructed files so that court proceedings can continue without delay. The unit can be reached at (215) 683-7532, (215) 683-7533, or (215) 683-7534.

The Criminal Listings Unit is located in Room 206 of the Criminal Justice Center and can be reached at (215) 683-7003 with fax at (215) 683-7015. This unit oversees all case inventory management for the Criminal Trial Division. Trial commissioners assigned to this unit preside in courtrooms throughout the Criminal Justice Center and at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. They handle bench warrant hearings, Gagnon I hearings, traffic court appeals, pre-trial conferences, special release hearings, probation and parole payment plan hearings, and formal arraignments.

Note: Trial commissioners in Philadelphia's Criminal Listings Unit review and assign criminal cases to judges and perform administrative functions that support proper case flow through the system.

Search Philadelphia Criminal Court Records Online

Philadelphia County offers two main online resources for criminal court records. The First Judicial District's public access portal is at courts.phila.gov/publicaccess. This Philadelphia-specific resource provides direct access to case information from the First Judicial District's systems. The statewide UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us also includes Philadelphia County records alongside cases from the rest of the state.

Both portals allow name and case number searches. The Philadelphia public access portal is often faster for Philadelphia-specific cases because it draws directly from the First Judicial District's CPCMS system. Results include the full docket history for both Municipal Court and Common Pleas cases. You can see charges, court dates, bail information, and case outcomes. Printing docket sheets is free at both portals.

For certified copies of any docket sheet or court order, submit a request by email to OJRCriminal@courts.phila.gov, call (215) 683-7700, or visit Room 310B of the Stout Center. The First Judicial District's Public Access Fee Schedule sets the fees for certified and uncertified copies. Responses are completed as promptly as possible given the volume of requests the office handles.

Official Philadelphia Criminal History Background Checks

For an official statewide criminal history report that includes Philadelphia County records, use the Pennsylvania State Police PATCH system at epatch.pa.gov. The fee is $22. PATCH searches the statewide criminal history database assembled under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9101-9183 and returns a certified report covering arrests and dispositions from all reporting agencies in Pennsylvania. Phone assistance is available at 1-888-783-7972.

Philadelphia is one of the largest contributors to the statewide criminal history database given the volume of its court activity. A PATCH report for a person with Philadelphia County cases should reflect that history. However, PATCH covers only what has been submitted to the state database. For the most detailed view of a specific Philadelphia case, the UJS Portal and the First Judicial District's public access system are better tools. See pa.gov for more information on the PATCH request process.

Note: A PATCH report is a statewide criminal history record, not a court-issued document. For certified copies of specific court records from Philadelphia County, contact the Clerk of Courts directly.

Philadelphia County Expungements and Clean Slate Records

Pennsylvania's Clean Slate Act at 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.1 provides automatic sealing of eligible criminal records statewide, including Philadelphia County. Qualifying misdemeanor convictions are sealed after ten conviction-free years. Summary offense convictions are sealed after five years. The process is automatic and applies without any filing by the individual. Once sealed, records are removed from public-facing searches including the UJS Portal and the Philadelphia public access system.

Petition-based sealing under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.2 provides a path to sealing records not covered by automatic sealing. Petitions are filed with the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Full expungements are available for dismissed charges, acquittals, and other circumstances set out in Pennsylvania law. Philadelphia also has a high volume of cases resolved by diversion programs, ARD, and other alternatives to conviction. These resolutions may qualify for expungement or sealing under specific provisions of the law. The Clerk of Courts and the Pennsylvania Courts website both have information on the process.

Cities in Philadelphia County

Philadelphia County is a consolidated city-county. The City of Philadelphia and Philadelphia County are the same entity. All criminal cases for the county are filed at the Criminal Justice Center at 1301 Filbert Street. There are no separate municipalities within Philadelphia County that have their own courts.

Philadelphia is the only municipality in Philadelphia County. The consolidated city-county structure means all criminal court activity takes place through the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania at the Criminal Justice Center.

Nearby Counties

Philadelphia County borders three other Pennsylvania counties. Each handles its own criminal court records separately. Use the links below if you need records from a neighboring jurisdiction.

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