Allegheny County Clerk of Courts Records

About the Allegheny County Clerk of Courts

In Allegheny County the clerk of courts role is split inside the Department of Court Records. The Criminal Division is the criminal clerk of courts. It maintains records for criminal cases filed in the county. The Wills/Orphans' Court Division is the estates and wills clerk. It accepts and keeps legal documents for the county's Orphans' Court. Together they cover the records that the Civil/Family page does not.

The criminal side is based at the courthouse on Grant Street. It keeps adult criminal dockets, informations, charges, bail, plea and sentence entries, probation, fines and costs, bench warrants, and summary appeals. The Wills/Orphans side ties to Orphans' Court in the Frick Building, and it keeps estate, trust, guardianship, adoption, civil commitment, and marriage records. The two contact cards show where to reach each division.

Summary appeals have their own counter. Those filings go to the Criminal Division in Room 114 of the courthouse at 412-350-5329.

The Criminal Division and What It Handles

The Criminal Division keeps the files for adult criminal cases in the Court of Common Pleas. That covers charges, pleas, dispositions, and sentencing records. It also runs summary appeals, which are appeals from traffic and other summary convictions. For docket lookups, the division points the public to the statewide case search. For copies of the actual filed papers, you work with the division directly.

The division does not handle civil suits, family cases, or estate matters. Those go to other parts of the Department of Court Records. It also does not run a full criminal history background check. A public docket shows one case at a time, while a statewide criminal history is a separate, regulated record held by the state police.

A few terms come up often in criminal records work. Knowing them makes a request easier.

Disposition

The outcome of a charge, such as guilty, dismissed, or withdrawn.

OTN

Offense Tracking Number, the state ID that links a person's charges across the system.

Summary appeal

An appeal from a summary conviction, filed in the Criminal Division within 30 days.

Certified copy

An official copy with a clerk's seal, accepted in court and by agencies.

The Wills and Orphans' Court Division

The Wills/Orphans' Court Division is the estates clerk. It accepts and keeps documents for the county's Orphans' Court. That work covers decedent estates, wills, trusts, guardianships, adoptions, and civil commitments. The division also handles marriage license documents and marriage records, which sit on the same DCR side as wills.

This division does not handle criminal cases or general civil suits. It is the place to open an estate, file a will, or pull an estate file. The county posts probate forms, Orphans' Court forms, fee schedules, and a Will Search Request Form through its Wills/Orphans resources. The list below shows the records this division keeps.

• Decedent estate files and letters testamentary or administration.
• Wills filed for probate and will search results.
• Guardianship records for minors and incapacitated persons.
• Adoption and termination-of-parental-rights records, handled with limited access.
• Marriage license documents and certified marriage records.

Adoption and civil commitment records carry tight access limits. Those files are not open public browsing the way an estate docket is. For deeper estate detail, see the Orphans' Court records page.

How to Request a Certified Criminal or Estate Copy

A certified copy carries a clerk's seal and is accepted in court. The steps differ a little by record type, but the path is the same. You find the case, pick the right division, then submit and pay. Criminal copies go through the Criminal Division, and estate or will copies go through the Wills/Orphans' Court Division. Follow these steps.

1. Find the docket number; for criminal cases the OTN or citation number also helps.
2. Pick the division: criminal copies through the Criminal Division, estate or will copies through Wills/Orphans.
3. Look up the docket first through the statewide case search to confirm the case details.
4. Submit the request in person or through the DCR e-filing and retrieval portal.
5. Pay the copy and certification fees, plus the records retention fee where it applies.
6. Pick up the certified copy or have it mailed.

For docket lookups before a copy request, use the Pennsylvania UJS case search. It holds criminal and Orphans' Court docket information for Allegheny County.

Allow time for processing, and bring an accepted form of payment. A mailed request can take longer than a counter visit, so include clear case details and a return address. For criminal copies, point staff to the exact docket or OTN. For an estate or will, a will search may need the Will Search Request Form before staff can locate the file.

Records Request Field Inventory

The DCR e-filing and retrieval system uses a set of portal actions rather than one paper form. You start with the action that fits your need, then log on to retrieve. The Wills/Orphans side adds payment-account logons for ACH and draw-down users. The table lists the main fields and actions you will use for criminal and estate requests.

Note: A public docket sheet from the statewide search is not a certified document, so a court or agency that needs proof will require a certified copy from the division.

Summary Appeals and Fees

A summary conviction can be appealed to the Criminal Division. The deadline is strict. You must file within 30 calendar days of the decision. The filing fee is $94, non-refundable, and paid by money order or cash. The division does not take personal checks for this. Summary appeals are filed at the Criminal Division counter in Room 114.

People who cannot pay the summary appeal fee have an option. The county says a person without financial resources may complete an In Forma Pauperis Petition in Room 114 and ask for a fee waiver. Bring proof of income, such as Social Security, disability, workers' compensation, unemployment, public assistance, or proof of full-time student status. It also helps to bring the magisterial district judge's name, the citation number, the conviction date, and the violation section number.

Other fees apply across these divisions. The county posts a criminal records cost and fee schedule, and a records retention fee attaches per filing. The table lists the sourced amounts found in this research; per-page copy and certification costs come from the published schedules, which are not listed here.

For the criminal record types that lead to many of these requests, see the arrest records page.

Expungement and the Clerk of Courts

The Clerk of Courts also plays a role in expungement. Pennsylvania separates expungement from Clean Slate sealing. To expunge, a person first orders a full arrest record from the state police, then petitions the Clerk of Courts in the county where the arrest happened. When the state police get a signed court order from the Clerk of Courts, they expunge the record.

Under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122, expungement can apply in set situations, such as nonconviction data, an unconditional pardon, or certain underage drinking convictions after age 21. So the Criminal Division here is part of the chain, even though the state police hold the central repository.

This office is distinct from the Civil/Family records page. For civil suits, family cases, and the broader office overview, see the Department of Court Records page.

Related Allegheny County Resources

For the Civil/Family records office, see the Department of Court Records. For arrest and criminal record detail, see arrest records. For wills and estates, see Orphans' Court records. For full case lookups, see court records.