Philadelphia County Court Records

Philadelphia County is coextensive with the City of Philadelphia and operates within the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania—the only judicial district in the state that covers just one county. Court records in Philadelphia span criminal, civil, family, juvenile, and orphans court proceedings, and most are generally accessible to the public through a combination of online portals and in-person offices. Whether you need docket information for a pending lawsuit, a certified copy of a divorce decree, or documentation from an estate proceeding, several official channels can get you what you need.

Start with the resources maintained by the Pennsylvania judiciary. The Unified Judicial System (UJS) web portal offers free docket-sheet searches across multiple court levels, including Common Pleas criminal and civil divisions. The First Judicial District also runs its own electronic filing and docket-access platforms for civil, family, and orphans court matters. In-person searches can be conducted at the Office of Judicial Records or at the relevant clerk's office during regular business hours. For broader statewide information, PennsylvaniaCourts.us has links to public access policies, forms, and court directories.

How to Look Up a Court Case in Philadelphia County?

Philadelphia County court cases can be searched through multiple online systems, each covering a different court or division. Which system you use depends on the type of case.

Statewide UJS Portal (Criminal and Common Pleas)

Go to the UJS Portal Case Search.
Choose a search method: participant name, docket number, offense tracking number, police incident or complaint number, or State ID number.
For name-based searches, enter the participant's last name at minimum. Add a first name and date range to narrow results.
Select the docket type (CP for Court of Common Pleas criminal, MC for Municipal Court criminal, or MDJ for Magisterial District Judge).
Review the results table showing docket number, case caption, status, and filing date. Click a docket number to view the full docket sheet, including charges, bail information, disposition, and case events.

First Judicial District E-Filing Portal (Civil)

Visit the Civil Docket Access page.
Search by person name, company name, or docket number.
Results display the defendant's name, address, case number, and filing date. Clicking the case number reveals detailed docket entries and filings.

Family Court Dockets

Navigate to the Family Court Dockets page.
Search by party last name or case identification number.
Results include case descriptions, status, related cases, and scheduled events.

In-Person Searches

If you prefer to search records in person, visit the appropriate office during business hours and provide a case docket number, party name, or filing date to staff. The primary locations are:

Office	Address	Phone
Office of Judicial Records — Civil	City Hall, Room 284, Philadelphia, PA 19107	(215) 686-6652
Office of Judicial Records — Criminal	1301 Filbert St., Room 310, Philadelphia, PA 19107	(215) 683-7703
Family Court Clerk	1501 Arch St., 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102	(215) 686-4000
Orphans Court Clerk	City Hall, Room 415, Philadelphia, PA 19107	(215) 686-2230

Copy and Certification Fees (Office of Judicial Records)

Fees for Common Pleas records, effective November 12, 2025, are set under the OJR fee schedule:

Photocopies of records: $0.25 per page
Electronic records: $0.25 per page
Certification: $41.58 (includes first page; $4.20 per additional page)
Exemplification: $83.16 (includes first page; $4.20 per additional page)
Name search: $58.52
Non-party docket report: $5.50

Are Court Records Public in Philadelphia County?

Most Philadelphia court records are generally public. Access is shaped by the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (65 P.S. § 67.101 et seq.) and the Unified Judicial System Public Access Policy, effective January 1, 2022. Together, these frameworks create a presumption of openness for case records while identifying specific categories of information that must be kept from public view.

The UJS maintains a chart of records excluded from public access. Restricted categories include:

Sealed indictments and plea agreements
Unexecuted search warrants
Wiretap applications, orders, and final reports
Jury deliberation notes (destroyed after adjudication)
Child support payment records
Juvenile dependency and delinquency case records
Domestic violence affidavits and protection-order statements
Adoption records
Records containing Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, or other confidential personal identifiers

To access a sealed or otherwise restricted record, a requestor must petition the appropriate court—typically the Court of Common Pleas—and show that the interest in disclosure outweighs the reason the record was sealed or restricted. The Public Access Policy and the accompanying public access forms lay out those procedures in detail. Financial records maintained by the courts are separately covered by Rule of Judicial Administration 509.

Philadelphia County Criminal Court Records

Criminal cases in Philadelphia move through two court levels. The Municipal Court Criminal Division handles all initial arrests, misdemeanor trials, and preliminary hearings for felonies. Once a felony case survives a preliminary hearing, it moves to the Court of Common Pleas Trial Division Criminal for trial and sentencing.

Court Locations

Court	Address	Phone	Fax
Common Pleas Criminal Division	1301 Filbert St., Room 310, Philadelphia, PA 19107	(215) 683-7703	(215) 683-7713
Municipal Court Criminal Division	1301 Filbert St., Room 208, Philadelphia, PA 19107	(215) 683-7290	(215) 683-7293

Online Criminal Case Search

The UJS Portal offers free access to criminal docket sheets. A search returns case information, charges, bail status, disposition, incarceration status, and the name of the confinement facility when applicable. You can search by participant name, docket number, or police incident number.

Criminal History Reports via PATCH

Individual criminal history records are maintained by the Pennsylvania State Police through the Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH) system. To request a record:

Visit the PATCH website and accept the terms of use.
Select Individual Request and click Continue.
Enter the requestor's contact information and the subject's identifying details.
Submit payment of $22.00 per subject (online, non-refundable regardless of whether a record is found). As of April 2026, a 2% credit-card transaction fee applies to online requests.

For mail requests, download the criminal record request form, have it notarized, and mail it with a certified check for $27.00 payable to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository 164
1800 Elmerton Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17110-9758

In-Person Criminal Records

The Office of Judicial Records Criminal, at 1301 Filbert Street, Room 310, accepts in-person requests. Provide the docket number or party name and filing date to staff. Email inquiries may be directed to OJR_Criminal@courts.phila.gov.

Philadelphia County Civil Court Records

Civil disputes in Philadelphia are split between two courts based on the amount in controversy.

The Court of Common Pleas Trial Division (Civil) handles cases where the contested amount exceeds $12,000, as well as equity matters, lien filings, name changes, and appeals from Municipal Court and arbitration.

The Municipal Court Civil Division has jurisdiction over small claims ($12,000 or less), landlord-tenant evictions (unlimited dollar amount), and real estate and school tax cases up to $15,000.

Court Locations

Court	Address	Phone
Common Pleas Civil Division	City Hall, Broad and Market Sts., Room 284, Philadelphia, PA 19107	(215) 686-6654
Municipal Court Civil Division	1339 Chestnut St., Suite 1020, Philadelphia, PA 19107	(215) 686-2910

Online Civil Case Search

The Civil Docket Access portal allows free searches by party name or company name. Electronic copies of case filings are available for $0.25 per page plus a $5.00 convenience fee.

Filing Fees — Court of Common Pleas (effective November 12, 2025)

Commencement of action (arbitration, non-jury, petition): $349.23
Commencement of action with jury demand: $597.17
Lien as first filing: $116.69
Judgment by confession/from other jurisdiction: $167.51
Defendant's first filing: $169.54
Petitions/motions (subsequent): $67.68
Appeal to Common Pleas: $216.29
Adult name change petition: $349.23

An additional $21.00 per named defendant applies to any document filed to commence an action, per 71 P.S. § 2108(b.1).

Filing Fees — Municipal Court (Small Claims)

Per the Municipal Court filing fee schedule:

Claim Amount	One Defendant (Philadelphia)	One Defendant (Outside Philadelphia)
$0–$2,000	$94.75	$67.75
$2,000.01–$12,000	$116.75	$89.75

Additional defendant name: $5.50. Service within Philadelphia: $27.00 per address. Service elsewhere in Pennsylvania: $45.00 per address. Other Municipal Court fees include subpoenas ($3.30), certified copy of judgment ($29.70), and writs of possession ($6.60).

Philadelphia County Family Court Records

The Family Division of the Court of Common Pleas operates from 1501 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. It consists of two branches: Domestic Relations (covering divorce, paternity, custody, support, visitation, and domestic violence) and Juvenile (covering delinquency, dependency, termination of parental rights, and adoption). The general telephone number is (215) 686-4000, and payment and case inquiries can be directed to (215) 686-7466. The Clerk of Family Court on the 11th floor is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Online Search

The Family Court Dockets page lets you search by last name or case number. Results show plaintiff and defendant names, a case description, status, and upcoming events.

Filing Fees — Divorce (effective November 12, 2025)

Commencement of divorce action: $334.73 (includes base fee, automation fees, Family Court Facility Fund, law library, JCP/ATJ fee, Children's Trust Fund, Vital Statistics, and state tax)
Defendant's first filing: $144.54
Praecipe to transmit: $66.22
Motion for appointment of permanent master: $496.98

Filing Fees — Custody

First filing (custody, partial custody, or visitation): $108.13
Respondent's first responsive filing: $36.74
Subsequent custody petitions/motions: $42.68
Home investigation: $200.00
Psychological evaluation: $200.00

Protection from Abuse

Filing a protection-from-abuse petition is free to the plaintiff under the Protection from Abuse Act (23 Pa.C.S. § 6106). If the court grants the order, the defendant is assessed filing fees of $324.23, plus a surcharge of $100.00 upon adjudication of guilt. Contempt fines range from $300 to $1,000.

Marriage Records

Marriage licenses are issued by the Register of Wills, City Hall, Room 413. A regular license costs $90.00; a Quaker/self-uniting license is $100.00; and additional certified copies of marriage records are $25.00 each. Walk-in applicants are accepted until 3:15 p.m. Monday through Friday; appointments can also be made by emailing MLAppt@phila.gov. The marriage record search portal is publicly available to confirm a record's existence, but only persons named on the record or their authorized representatives may obtain certified copies.

Divorce Records

Certified copies of divorce decrees are available from the Office of Judicial Records at $41.58 per copy. Requests may be submitted online or in person. Requestors must be a party to the divorce, an immediate family member, or an authorized representative, and must present government-issued photo identification.

Birth and Death Records

The Pennsylvania Department of Health maintains birth and death records. Each certified copy costs $20.00, plus a $10.00 service fee for online orders. Birth certificates are processed through the Birth Certificate Processing Unit (approximately two weeks), and death certificates through the Death Certificate Processing Unit (approximately three weeks). For questions, contact the Division of Vital Records at (724) 656-3100 or (844) 228-3516 (toll-free), or use the online contact form.

Philadelphia County Probate Court Records

Probate matters in Philadelphia are handled by the Orphans Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas, with administrative support from the Register of Wills, who also serves as Clerk of Orphans Court. Common probate records include wills, letters testamentary, letters of administration, estate inventories, accountings, and inheritance tax documentation.

Key Offices

Office	Location	Hours	Phone
Register of Wills — Probate Dept.	City Hall, Room 180, Philadelphia, PA 19107	Mon–Fri, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.	(215) 686-6282
Register of Wills — Legal Dept.	City Hall, Room 177, Philadelphia, PA 19107	Mon–Fri, 8:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Orphans Court	City Hall, Room 415, Philadelphia, PA 19107	Mon–Fri, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.	(215) 686-2230
Inheritance Tax Dept.	City Hall, Room 177, Philadelphia, PA 19107	Mon–Fri, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Email: RowOnline@phila.gov (Register of Wills) | ocsupport@courts.phila.gov (Orphans Court)

Obtaining Probate Records

Probate records can be requested online or by completing the probate record request form and mailing it to the Register of Wills at City Hall, Room 180, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

Selected Probate Fees (from the Register of Wills fee schedule, effective September 26, 2022)

Probate filing fees are calculated on a sliding scale based on estate value. Each total includes the base fee, a 20% tax, a Family Court surcharge, and a fixed filing fee of $175.25. Examples:

Estate valued $0–$250: $189.25
Estate valued $1,000.01–$2,000: $224.25
Estate valued $10,000.01–$50,000: $385.25
Estate valued $50,000.01–$200,000: $490.25
Estate valued $200,000.01–$300,000: $595.25
First $1,000,000: $1,330.25

Additional probate-related fees include short certificates ($10.00 each), recording a will ($22.00), exemplified copies ($50.00), filing a caveat ($50.00), virtual probate ($125.00), and formal hearings ($100.00). Photocopies of probate files are $2.00 per page.

Orphans Court Docket Search

The Orphans Court Docket Access portal provides online search capability for estates, trusts, and guardianship cases filed with the Orphans Court Division.