How To Look Up A Criminal History For Free In Pennsylvania

You can look up a criminal history for free in PA using these simple websites!

Hi friends! It’s Jaimi, and we get this question a lot. People are led to believe that only those connected to the court system can look up a criminal history or that you might have to pay big bucks for it online.

Not true!

There ARE some nuances though, so I’ll explain as we go along.

First – you’ll need to know whether you’d like to look up a history on the Magistrate or Magisterial Level or in the Court of Common Pleas.

The Magistrate, also known as The Justice of the Peace or The District Judge, handles the following:

small claims
civil cases that are less than $12,000
landlord and tenant complaints
summary offenses (i.e. traffic tickets, disorderly conduct, etc.)
preliminary hearings

Some of these cases will be handled directly by the District Judge, but if a criminal matter has enough evidence to move forward, the case will move to the higher court, which is the Court of Common Pleas.

The Court of Common Pleas handles the following:

major civil and criminal cases
trials
appeals from lower (or minor) courts – such as District Courts
family and custody matters

Now is the time to head to:

https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch
Once there, you’ll need to Search by: “Participant Name.”
Next, type in the first and last name of whomever you’re searching for.
You’ll ALSO need the COUNTY you’re searching in, and the DOCKET TYPE you’re searching for. For docket type, use your newfound knowledge, listed above!