Guide
Where to Look in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania courts share one statewide portal, so a search can start there and with these state offices before going to the recorder of deeds of the county.
- UJS Portal, Pennsylvania courtsMagisterial district, Common Pleas and appellate court dockets statewide
- Department of State business record searchesSearch registered corporations, LLCs and their officers
- Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS)Licenses from nursing, real estate and other state boards
- PA DOC Inmate LocatorPeople in state prisons or under department supervision
- Pennsylvania Megan's Law websiteRegistered sex offenders, kept by the State Police
- Department of Health, Vital RecordsBirth and death certificates for eligible requesters
Guide
Court Records
While the UJS Portal covers most courts, records for the major county courthouses (Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, Lancaster, Chester, York, Berks, Lehigh, Dauphin) can also be queried locally for deeper civil action details or older archives not digitized by the state.
Common Mistake: looking for Philadelphia cases in a magisterial district search. Philadelphia has its own Municipal Court in place of magisterial district judges, so choose that court on the UJS Portal.
Guide
Corrections & Inmate Records
People Search Tip for Pennsylvania: the docket sheet on the UJS Portal lists every court event, the defendant address at the time and the attorneys, which helps build an address history.
Privacy Note: Pennsylvania's "Clean Slate" law automatically seals records for certain minor, non-violent offenses after a period of time. These will not appear on the public UJS portal.
Guide
Property & Tax Records
Pennsylvania has 67 counties, each with an elected recorder of deeds. There is no statewide deed search: most counties have their own searchable database or use the multi-county uslandrecords portal, which indexes deeds, mortgages and liens by name and address.
Property assessments are handled separately, by each county's Assessment Office. Counties such as Allegheny, Philadelphia, Montgomery, and York publish their own GIS-backed assessment portals where you can search by owner name and view assessed value, sale history, and parcel maps.
- Pennsylvania land records portal (uslandrecords)Deeds and mortgages of the counties that use this system
- Pennsylvania Recorders of Deeds Association, county officialsContacts of the elected recorder of deeds in each county
- State Land Records, Pennsylvania State ArchivesWarrants, surveys and patents from the colonial era on
Guide
More Pennsylvania Record Tools
Combine a people search with Pennsylvania-specific record searches for a complete profile. These companion directories are already live on PublicRecordCenter.com:
- Pennsylvania Public RecordsMain state directory, all record types
- About Pennsylvania RecordsCivic overview & public records law
- People Search GuideHow people-finding actually works
- Genealogy SearchFamily history & ancestry
- Vital RecordsBirth, death, marriage & divorce
- Judgments & LiensCivil judgments & debt records
Straight answers
Pennsylvania People Search, questions
How do I search Pennsylvania court cases by a person's name?
The Pennsylvania Judiciary Web Portal gives public docket sheets for the appellate courts, the courts of common pleas and the magisterial district courts. Its Case Search works by participant name, docket number, county and more.
How do I find someone in a Pennsylvania state prison?
The Department of Corrections Inmate and Parolee Locator covers state sentenced inmates and parolees, updated daily. Search by last name or inmate number. People in county jails or other states' prisons are not listed.
How do I check the Pennsylvania sex offender registry?
The Pennsylvania State Police run the Megan's Law website. Search registered sexual offenders by county, municipality, city, zip code, mile radius or name, and view non-compliant and transient offenders.
Can I run a Pennsylvania criminal record check on someone?
Yes. Request one on the State Police PATCH site or by mail with form SP 4-164. An individual check costs $22 and volunteer checks are free. Only Pennsylvania records are searched, not federal ones.
Who can order a Pennsylvania death certificate?
Apply to the Department of Health Division of Vital Records with valid identification. Applicants must be 18 or older and include a spouse, parent or step-parent, sibling or half-sibling, or child or step-child.
Where can I find old Pennsylvania death certificates?
The Pennsylvania State Archives holds original death certificates for 1906 to 1975 and sends uncertified copies on request. Records less than 50 years old are restricted and stay with the Division of Vital Records.
Where are Pennsylvania marriage and divorce records kept?
Marriage licenses since 1885 are held by the County Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court that issued them. Divorce records are kept by the Prothonotary of the county where the divorce was filed.
Is there unclaimed property in a person's name in Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania Treasury keeps a searchable unclaimed property database. It says 1 in 10 Pennsylvania residents has unclaimed property waiting for them.