Chester County Crime Numbers
Chester County recorded 642 violent crimes and 5,172 property crimes in 2017, the most recent year with crime data provided by the Pennsylvania Unified Crime Reporting System. These figures represent a 5.3% dip in violent crime rate and a 23.4% reduction in property crime rate between 2013 and 2017.
A closer look at 2017 crime statistics for Chester County reveals that there were 12 murders, 75 rapes, 136 robberies, and 419 aggravated assaults. Incidences of property crime include 681 burglaries, 4,260 larceny thefts, 204 motor vehicle thefts, and 27 arsons. Compared to 2013 figures, murder (140%), rape (1.4%), and arson (3.8%) rates rose in 2017. On the other hand, Chester County’s five-year crime trend indicates that there were fewer incidences of robbery (20.9%), aggravated assault (1.9%), burglary (45.3%), larceny theft (18.2%), and motor vehicle theft (25%).
Chester County Criminal Records
Background checks as well as incident and accident reports for Chester County are available from the various law enforcement agencies in the county’s cities and towns. The most populous municipalities of Chester County are the boroughs of West Chester and Phoenixville as well as the City of Coatesville. To obtain criminal justice records for these municipalities, contact their police departments.
For the Borough of Phoenixville, download, complete, and mail a Records Request Form to:
Chief Thomas S. Sjostrom
Open Records Officer
Phoenixville Police Department
351 Bridge Street
Phoenixville, PA 19460
For West Chester Borough, visit the Records Office on the 1st Floor of the West Chester Borough Municipal Building located at 401 E. Gay Street. The office opens to the public from Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Alternatively, call the Records Division at (610) 436-1320 or email records@west-chester.com. The West Chester Police Department charges $15 for each accident or crime report. The fee for other reports is $10 each while fatal accident reports cost $25 each and each CD of electronic records costs $25.
To obtain police reports from the City of Coatesville Police Department, visit its Admin Office at One City Hall Place, Coatesville. This office is open to the public from Monday to Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. You may also call (610) 384-2300 to contact the police department.
The Pennsylvania State Police maintains a central database of all registered sex offenders living in all counties of the state. By law, it makes this database available online as the Pennsylvania Sex Offender Registry. Access the Registry from the Pennsylvania Megan’s Law website and use its County Search feature to locate and find information about sex offenders living in Chester County. Filter your search result by choosing Chester from the list of Pennsylvania counties or clicking the county on the state map provided on the search page.
The Chester County jail is located at 501 South Wawaset Road, West Chester. To find information about the jail and its operations, including inmate payment and visitation schedules, call the prison at (610) 793-1510 or the Correctional Center at (610) 344-4222. The office will also facilitate a Chester County Inmate Search for interested and eligible persons.
Chester County Court Records
The Court of Common Pleas of Chester County hears most civil and criminal cases in the county. The Court has a number of specialized divisions including Family Court, Juvenile Probation, and Domestic Relations. Besides this court, there are also Magisterial District Courts serving various townships and boroughs of the county. Here are the contact information for all the courts in Chester County:
Chester County Court of Common Pleas – Clerk of Courts (Criminal)
Chester County Justice Center
201 W Market St, #1400, West Chester, PA 19380
Phone: (610) 344-6135
Fax: (610) 344-4465
Chester County Court of Common Pleas - Prothonotary (Civil)
Chester County Justice Center
201 W Market St, #1425, West Chester, PA 19380
Phone: (610) 344-6300
Fax: (610) 344-5903
Chester County Orphans' Court
Chester County Justice Center
201 W Market St, #2200, West Chester, PA 19380
Phone: (610) 344-6335
Fax: (610) 344-6218
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-1-02
1572 Paoli Pike, West Chester, PA 19382
Phone: (610) 430-1966
Fax: (610) 430-8641
This court serves the Borough of Malvern and the Townships of East Goshen, Easttown, Tredyffrin (Precincts E-1, E-2, M-1, M-5, M-6, W-3, and W-4), and Williston.
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-1-03
256 E Lincoln Hwy, Coatesville, PA 19320
Phone: (610) 384-3159
Fax: (610) 384-5163
This court serves the City of Coatesville (Wards 2 and 4) and the Borough of South Coatesville.
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-1-04
21 W Market St, #100, West Chester, PA 19382
Phone: (610) 344-6622
Fax: (610) 429-4644
This court serves the Borough of West Chester (Wards 1, 2, 4, and 5).
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-1-05
Highlands Corporate Center
615 Sands Court, Coatesville, PA 19320
Phone: (610) 380-3325
Fax: (610) 380-4774
This court serves the City of Coatesville (Wards 1, 3, and 5) and the Township of Valley.
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-2-01
347 Bridge St, Phoenixville, PA 19460
Phone: (610) 935-1503
Fax: (610) 935-7427
This court serves the Borough of Phoenixville and the Townships of Charlestown and Schuylkill.
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-2-03
601 Westtown Rd, #110, West Chester, PA 19382
Phone: (610) 436-5757
Fax: (610) 431-5755
This court serves the Townships of Thornbury, West Goshen, and Westtown.
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-2-07
75 E Uwchlan Ave, #110, Exton, PA 19341
Phone: (610) 524-7456
Fax: (610) 524-6341
This court serves the Townships of West Pikeland, Upper Uwchlan, and Uwchlan.
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-3-01
1130 Ridge Rd, Pottstown, PA 19465
Phone: (610) 469-1910
Fax: (610) 469-1913
This court serves the Borough of Spring City and the Townships of East Coventry, East Nantmeal, East Pikeland, East Vincent, North Coventry, South Coventry, Warwick, and West Vincent.
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-3-04
916 W Cypress St, Kennett Square, PA 19348
Phone: (610) 444-6330
Fax: (610) 444-6429
This court serves the Borough of Kennett Square and the Townships of Birmingham, East Marlborough, Kennett, Newlin, Pennsbury, and Pocopson.
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-3-05
305 S Third St, Oxford, PA 19363
Phone: (610) 932-4305
Fax: (610) 932-7649
This court serves the Borough of Oxford and the Townships of East Nottingham, Elk, Lower Oxford, New London, Penn, Upper Oxford, and West Nottingham.
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-3-06
4824 Horseshoe Pike, Honey Brook, PA 19344
Phone: (610) 273-3726
Fax: (610) 273-4392
This court serves the Boroughs of Elverson and Honey Brook and the Townships of Honey Brook, Sadsbury, Wallace, West Brandywine, West Caln, and West Nantmeal.
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-3-07
315 First Ave, Bldg 3, Parkesburg, PA 19365
Phone: (610) 857-5547
Fax: (610) 857-5841
This court serves the Boroughs of Atglen, Modena, and Parkesburg, and the Townships of East Fallowfield, Highland, Londonderry, West Fallowfield, and West Sadsbury.
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-4-01
Chesterbrook Village Shopping Center
500 Chesterbrook Blvd, Suite B3, Wayne, PA 19087
Phone: (610) 647-6533
Fax: (610) 647-6535
This court serves the Townships of East Whiteland (Wards 3, 4, 5, and 6) and Tredyffrin (Precincts E-3, E-4, E-5, M-2, M-3, M-4, M-7, W-1, W-2, and W-5).
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-4-02
231 Boot Rd, Downingtown, PA 19335
Phone: (610) 269-5250
Fax: (610) 269-5017
This court serves the Borough of__Downington and the Townships of Caln, East Caln, and East Brandywine.
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-4-03
Whiteland Business Park
748 Springdale Dr, #110, Exton, PA 19341
Phone: (610) 594-7728
Fax: (610) 594-7896
This court serves the Townships of East Whiteland (Wards 1 and 2) and West Whiteland.
Chester County Magisterial District Court 15-4-04
914 W Cypress St, Kennett Square, PA 19348
Phone: (610) 444-6338
Fax: (610) 444-4368
This court serves the Boroughs of Avondale and West Grove and the Townships of Franklin, London Britain, London Grove, New Garden, and West Marlborough.
To obtain Chester County Court Records for the various Magisterial District Courts in Chest County, visit or call the courthouses. Case records for the Chester County Court of Common Pleas are available online on the county’s Eagle Web Records Search portal. This database also holds all property records for the county.
Chester County Vital Records
The Office of the Prothonotary maintains all divorce records for Chester County. To obtain a copy of your Divorce Decree, visit or mail a request to:
Chester County Justice Center
Office of the Prothonotary
201 W. Market Street, Suite 1425
West Chester, PA 19380-0989
The office opens to the public from Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. If you opt for a mail request, include a stamped, self-addressed envelope and copy fee. The Chester County Prothonotary charges 25 cents for a regular copy of a divorce decree, $7 for a certified copy, and $23 for an exemplified copy.
The Register of Wills/Clerk of the Orphan’s Court issues and maintains marriage licenses in Chester County. Visit the Register’s Office at 201 W. Market Street, Suite 2200 to obtain a certified copy of a marriage license. The Register also accepts mail requests. To send one, start by downloading and completing an application for Certified Marriage Record. Mail this to:
Marriage License Department
Chester County Justice Center
201 W. Market Street, Suite 2200
West Chester, PA 19380-0989
The Register charges $15 for each certified copy of marriage license requested. Fee is payable in cash only for in-person requests. For mail request, pay with a credit card or money order made out to Clerk of the Orphans’ Court. Make sure to also include a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
Birth and death certificates for Chester County are available from the Division of Vital Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The Division accepts mail requests including completed Application for a Birth Certificate (also available in Spanish) or Application for a Death Certificate (Spanish). Send this application, along with photocopies of a valid ID and a check or money order covering fees, to:
Department of Health
Division of Vital Records
P.O. Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103
The fee for each certified copy of a birth or death certificate is $20. Make the check or money order payable to VITAL RECORDS.
How to Lookup Chester County Property Records
Interested persons may lookup Chester County Property Records through the office of the County Recorder of Deeds. While the office offers in-person and online request options for most records, only documents generated after 1994 can be accessed using the Recorder’s online records search database.
Inquirers are typically required to provide the owner's name, the book and page number of the document in order for their requests to be processed. For mail-in queries, inquirers must include a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check or money order covering the specified fee. These may be addressed to:
313 W. Market St,
Suite 3302
West Chester,
PA 19380
Phone: (610) 344-6330
Fax: (610) 344-6408
