Guide
How to Search County Records
Select Your County
Choose a county from the grid below to access that county's official public records portal, court system, and government offices.
Identify the Record Type
Decide what you need: court records, property deeds, vital records, business filings, or tax assessment records, each is held by a different county office.
Search Online or In Person
The UJS Web Portal provides free docket sheets for appellate, common pleas and magisterial district courts, county recorders of deeds offer online land records, and birth and death certificates are ordered online, by mail or at a Vital Records public office.
Pay Any Required Fees
A Pennsylvania birth or death certificate costs $20 per copy, plus $10 for online orders; recorders of deeds may charge 50 cents per page or $1.50 certified, and Right-to-Know copies run up to 25 cents a page.
Verify Identity if Required
Open records need no ID. Vital records applicants must be eligible, at least 16 in person or by mail and 18 online, and show valid identification; births open after 105 years and deaths after 50.
Guide
What Records Are Available
- Court RecordsCivil, criminal, family court, probate, traffic cases
- Property RecordsDeeds, mortgages, tax assessments, liens, transfers
- Vital RecordsBirth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates
- Business RecordsBusiness licenses, DBAs, UCC filings, permits
- Voter RegistrationRegistered voters, party affiliation, districts
- Tax RecordsProperty tax assessments, payment history, exemptions
Guide
Select a County in Pennsylvania
Back to Pennsylvania Public Records
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Straight answers
Pennsylvania County Public Records, questions
Are county records public information?
Yes. Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. 67.101 and following, presumes agency records open, with a response due within five business days. Court dockets, recorder of deeds documents and assessment data are open. The Department of Health releases birth records to the public 105 years after the birth and death records 50 years after the death; newer certificates go only to eligible applicants such as the person named, parents, siblings, spouses, children and legal representatives. Juvenile and sealed court files are closed.
How much do certified copies cost?
A certified Pennsylvania birth or death certificate costs $20 per copy regardless of quantity, a fee set under the Administrative Code of 1929, and online orders through mycertificates.health.pa.gov add a $10 service fee; fee waivers exist for members of the armed forces. Recorders of deeds may charge 50 cents per uncertified page and $1.50 per certified page, and under the Right-to-Know Law copies may cost up to 25 cents a page.
Can I search county records online?
The UJS Web Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us provides free docket sheets for the appellate courts, courts of common pleas and magisterial district courts, and PAeDocket offers the same search as a free app. County recorders of deeds, Franklin and Centre among them, provide online land records, and county assessment offices post parcel data. ePATCH, the State Police criminal history portal, runs name-based checks for a fee, and vital records are ordered online, by mail or at a Vital Records public office, not searched.
What identification do I need?
Open records need no ID. Pennsylvania birth and death certificate applicants must be eligible, at least 16 years old for in-person and mail applications and 18 for online orders, and must show or enclose valid identification. The UJS portal and recorder searches are open to anyone.
How long does it take to receive records?
Online vital records orders through mycertificates.health.pa.gov take approximately two weeks, and the Department of Health posts processing times for mail applications, with longer waits for genealogy, subpoena and power of attorney requests; walk-in service is available at its public offices. UJS portal and recorder of deeds searches are immediate.