Bucks County Court Records
Per Section 1.0 of the Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, court records are documents (like orders, opinions, judgments, and decrees) filed or indices and dockets created and maintained by a court or custodian. Bucks County court records exclude notes, correspondence, memoranda, drafts, and work products of judges and court personnel. The Bucks County District Courts handle about 130,000 cases annually. The Clerk of Court maintains records of these cases per the Bucks County Local Court Rules and makes them available to the public following the provisions of the law on the disclosure of Bucks County Public Records.
Are Court Records Public in Bucks County?
Yes. The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law allows for the inspection and duplication of court records during the regular business hours of the record custodian. Therefore, court records are open to the public in Bucks County. However, some court records or information in them are deemed confidential. The following court records/information are not available to the public:
-
Confidential Information
- Driver license numbers
- Social Security Numbers
- Financial account numbers
- State identification (SID) numbers
- Abuse victim's addresses and other contact information
- Minors' names and dates of birth, excluding juveniles charged as defendants in criminal cases
-
Confidential Document
- Financial Source Documents
- Minors' educational records
- Medical/psychological records
- Income and expense statement
- Agreements between the parties
- Children and youth services' records
- Marital property inventory and pre-trial statement
What Do Bucks County Court Records Contain?
The content of Bucks County court records differs by case type and court. However, individuals may be able to find the following information in a court record:
- Case number
- Commencement date
- Last filing date
- Case type and status
- PFA number
- Arrest and disposition dates
- Name of disposition judge
- Caption plaintiff and defendant
- Lis pendens indicator
- Judge's name and code
- Plaintiff's information (name, address, counsel, status)
- Defendant's information (name, address, counsel of record's name and address;
- Docket entries (sequence, filing date, docket text, filing ID
- Microfilms (date, roll, and frame)
- Date of birth, sex, eye and hair color, and race
- Statute, offense grade, and description
- Sentence date, type, and length
- Court orders and opinions
Where to Conduct a Bucks County Case Lookup
Case parties, attorneys, and the general public can conduct a case look up at the Bucks County Courts of Common Pleas or Bucks County District Courts. Cases appealed to the state courts can be found at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
How to Conduct a Bucks County Case Records Search
Bucks County has a central Docket Lookup portal where individuals can find case information filed at any court in the county. The tool links different case search options based on case types and courts. Individuals can also visit the Bucks County Justice Center to request case records. The requester must be prepared to provide a case number or case party name of the desired document. The record staff may require a small fee to complete the search. Per Section 6.0 of the Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, copies of court records can be, at most $0.25 per page unless otherwise provided by applicable authority.
Case parties can order a transcript of their court proceedings by filing a Transcript Order Form. This form can be filed online or obtained from the Official Court Reporter present for the proceedings. Transcript fees vary depending on the delivery method and processing time.
Bucks County Civil Court Case Records
Civil court case records contain information on non-criminal cases where one private party sues another to redress private or civil rights. Civil court case records can be retrieved online or in person. Online requesters can use the Civil Prothonotary Case Search and Docket Information tool to find desired records. The search parameters are by case number or case party. Individuals can enter specific information about the record to filter their searches. In-person requests can be made at the office of the Bucks County Prothonotary. The Prothonotary is the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas' Civil Division. Individuals can visit the office from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. In-person requesters must describe the desired records with specificity to enable the clerk to ascertain the record of interest.
Bucks County Criminal Court Case Records
Criminal court records comprise all criminal court proceedings maintained by the Bucks County Courts - the Bucks County District Courts process about 10,000 criminal cases annually. The Clerk of Courts Criminal Division is the custodian of criminal court records in Bucks County. The Criminal Case Search and Docket Information portal can be used to find criminal court case records online for free. A search can be conducted by appellate, attorney, calendar event, citation number, complaint number, date filed, docket number, incident number, organization, participant name, OTN, or SID. Alternatively, individuals can visit the Clerk of Court office to view or obtain copies of criminal case records. Requests should be made during office hours with sufficient information to facilitate the search of the desired records.
How to Get Court Records Online for Free
Many court records in Bucks County are publicly accessible via free online portals. To locate these portals, visit the Bucks County Courts' official page and click the "Docket Lookup" tool. Users will see the following docket information links that can be used to find court information:
- Civil Prothonotary Case Search and Docket Information: The search criteria include case number or case party name.
- Criminal Case Search and Docket Information: The search criteria are by appellate, attorney, calendar event, citation number, complaint number, date filed, docket number, incident number, organization, participant name, OTN, or SID
- Magisterial District Court Case Search and Docket Information: The search criteria are similar to that of the criminal case search portal.
- Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court Online Services: Users can log in as guests or create an account. Registered users must provide a username and password to log into the portal.
Courts in Bucks County
Below are the addresses of the courts in Bucks County:
Bucks County Justice Center
100 North Main Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
Phone: (215) 348-6700
Email: webmaster@buckscounty.org
Bucks County Courthouse
55 East Court Street
6th Floor, Administration Building
Doylestown, PA 18901
Phone: (215) 348-6265
Fax: (215) 348-6156
Email: registerofwills@buckscounty.org
