Pennsylvania Court Docket Search

Pennsylvania Court Docket Search

According to the provisions of the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law (RTKL) and the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System, citizens have access to court dockets.

A Pennsylvania court docket search is a search of public records for information about a specific case or cases in a particular court. Pennsylvania court records can provide important details about a case, including the nature of the charges, dates of filings, rulings handed down from the bench, and any other related documents. The RTKL allows anyone to request and obtain copies of these records or view the information in dockets as long as they are not restricted by law. Court dockets are short entries about pending and decided court cases. It carries information such as the names of persons involved, the type of case, the presiding court's hearing date, and more. Sometimes, a court docket may bear a list of documents filed in a case.

In Pennsylvania, these dockets are maintained and preserved by court clerks in the state and may be obtained by interested persons at the courthouse or online from a court's website.

Are Court Dockets Public Records in Pennsylvania?

Yes. Per the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's Access to Case Records Policy and 18 Pa. C.S. § 213.81, a court docket, classified as a case record under Section 1.0 (b), is considered a public record and thus available to interested persons. However, sealed dockets are not accessible to members of the public in Pennsylvania.

Where to Find a Court Docket in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, an individual can find information about a court docket on the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania's Case Information website or search for the docket on the applicable court's case access site (if one is provided).

Alternatively, one can also query the courthouse where a case was filed to find docket information.

How to Conduct a Pennsylvania Court Docket Search

Individuals interested in conducting a Pennsylvania court docket search can do so as follows:

• Visit the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania's Case Search site.
• Click the "Search By" dropdown menu.
• Select one of the 13 search options, such as a parcel number (for a court case involving property), an offense tracking number or complaint number, a case participant's name, an attorney's last name and Pennsylvania bar number, state identification number (SID), etc.
• Click "Search".

For each court case retrieved from the UJS site, a link to a downloadable docket sheet is provided to the requester.

The Pennsylvania judiciary also provides a secure web docket portal to obtain dockets that are not publicly accessible. Only registered users can access the secure portal by clicking "Login" in the top right corner of the page (new users can register to use the site). More information about accessing the secure web docket portal is available on the judiciary's help center page.

A person may also visit the court clerk's office where a case was filed to request a court docket. Some civil courts also accept mail and email requests.

Using Third-Party Sites for a Pennsylvania Court Docket Search

Certain private aggregate websites also disseminate court dockets, e.g., for cases of public interest. When using third-party sites for a Pennsylvania court docket search, care should be taken to verify case information or documents obtained against the official dockets maintained by the applicable court clerk's office (where the case was filed). This way, a researcher can guarantee the accuracy and completeness of case information retrieved from third-party sites.

What is the Purpose of a Court Docket in Pennsylvania?

Court dockets provide useful information to judicial personnel, case parties, attorneys, and citizens looking to find information about a court case scheduled to be tried in court. For interested members of the public, a court docket serves as a quick reference point, allowing them to obtain basic information about a case without requesting the case file. For example, one can find the name of the attorney representing a litigant, the location where a court hearing is scheduled to hold, the outcome of a hearing, and more on a court docket. Meanwhile, for the courts, the docket is a calendar used to manage caseloads effectively and track cases from filing to disposition.

What Do Court Dockets Contain Pennsylvania?

Court dockets in Pennsylvania contain the following details:

• The names of case parties and their addresses (city, state, and ZIP code)
• The docket number
• The date of filing
• The case type (civil, criminal, traffic, family, etc.)
• The attorney's name and address
• The presiding judge's name
• The dates, times, and locations of court hearings
• Court orders, judgments, and opinions
• The case status

Note that these are the general contents of a docket. The precise contents of a docket may vary from court to court or case to case.

What is a Court Docket Number in Pennsylvania?

After a case is brought to a Pennsylvania court, the court clerk's office assigns a docket number. The court docket number (also called a court case number), which may consist of numbers and alphabets, helps the clerk and other court officials to distinguish one case from another. The docket number usually reveals the following:

• The court handling a case (for example, MJ for Magisterial District Court, CP for Common Pleas Court, and MC for Municipal Court)
• The year a case was filed
• The type of case (e.g., TR for traffic case, SC for small claims)
• The sequential number of the case

How to Conduct a Court Docket Number Lookup in Pennsylvania

Individuals who want to conduct a court docket number lookup in Pennsylvania can follow these steps:

• Access the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania's Case Search site.
• Click the "Search By" dropdown menu.
• Select "Docket Number"
• Enter the docket number into the search box. (Additional search parameters like an event date range and event type are also available.)
• Click "Search".

People who do not know the court docket number can search for cases using other parameters (e.g., a party's last and first name). The search results contain the docket number.

An inquirer having a court docket number can also request a search from the issuing court clerk's office. Where a researcher does not know the docket number, the individual can provide the names of case participants, the date a case was filed, or other case details to the clerk's office.