Dauphin County Criminal Records in Harrisburg
Dauphin County criminal records are maintained by the Clerk of Courts at the Dauphin County Courthouse in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Harrisburg is the county seat and the state capital of Pennsylvania. With a population of about 285,000 residents, Dauphin County is one of the larger counties in the state. The county was established in 1785. The Clerk of Courts keeps all felony and misdemeanor criminal case records from the Court of Common Pleas. You can search those records free online or request them in person at the Harrisburg courthouse.
Dauphin County Quick Facts
Dauphin County Clerk of Courts
The Dauphin County Clerk of Courts is George E. Hicks, Jr., an elected official who serves as the custodian of all criminal case records for the Court of Common Pleas in Harrisburg. The office is located at the Dauphin County Courthouse at Front and Market Streets in Harrisburg. The main phone line for criminal record inquiries is 717-780-6670. Email inquiries can be sent to clerkofcourts@dauphincounty.org.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Public access terminals are available inside the courthouse for self-service searches. Staff is also available for assisted searches for more complex requests. Dauphin County commits to a five-business-day response time for Right-to-Know requests and has an Open Records Officer available for formal submissions.
The Dauphin County government website at dauphincounty.org provides department contact information, online services, and links to the Clerk of Courts office. Copy fees are $0.25 per page for standard copies. Certified copies cost more and the fee varies by document type. For complex requests, contacting the office in advance is recommended.
| Office |
Dauphin County Clerk of Courts George E. Hicks, Jr., Clerk Dauphin County Courthouse Front and Market Streets Harrisburg, PA 17101 Phone: 717-780-6670 Email: clerkofcourts@dauphincounty.org |
|---|---|
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Website | dauphincounty.org |
Pennsylvania Criminal Background Checks from Harrisburg
Because Harrisburg is the state capital and home to the Pennsylvania State Police headquarters, the state's main criminal background check system is housed nearby. The Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History portal, known as PATCH, is managed by the Pennsylvania State Police. It is the official statewide system for checking criminal history records, including those from Dauphin County.
The PA.gov criminal history services page shown below provides a full overview of how to request a background check, what forms to use, what fees apply, and how to interpret the results. This is the official starting point for anyone who needs a formal criminal history check for Dauphin County or statewide.
The PA.gov criminal history page outlines all three request types: the standard check at $22 using Form SP 4-164, the free volunteer check using Form SP 4-164A, and the Individual Access and Review at $20 using Form SP 4-170. You can find all of this through pa.gov criminal history services.
The PATCH system itself is the online portal for submitting requests. It is shown below and is available at epatch.pa.gov. Dauphin County residents use this portal to submit checks and receive results. No-record responses come back immediately. Cases requiring manual review take two to four weeks and are mailed to the requester.
Access the PATCH portal directly at epatch.pa.gov. The system accepts credit card payments for online requests. Mail requests to the State Police must use certified check or money order payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
How to Search Dauphin County Court Records Online
The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Portal provides free public access to Dauphin County criminal court dockets. This system is operated by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts and covers all courts statewide, including those in Harrisburg. There is no fee to search the portal and no account is required.
To search for a criminal case in Dauphin County, go to ujsportal.pacourts.us and select the participant name search option. Enter the full legal name of the person you are looking for. Adding a date of birth narrows results for common names. The system returns all matching cases in Dauphin County with docket numbers, case status, and basic charge information. Clicking on a case opens the full docket.
Dauphin County docket numbers follow the format CP-22-CR-XXXXXX-YYYY, with 22 as the county code. Cases from Magisterial District Courts in Dauphin County use the MDJ prefix and are also searchable through the same portal. The portal covers preliminary hearings, summary offenses, traffic cases, and all Common Pleas criminal matters.
Note: The portal does not show juvenile records, expunged cases, or Protection from Abuse orders. Those records are sealed from public access under Pennsylvania law.
What Dauphin County Criminal Records Include
Criminal records from Dauphin County courts follow the standard Pennsylvania docket format. Each record includes the case docket number, defendant identification details, a full list of charges with statutory citations from Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, and the complete procedural history of the case from filing through resolution.
Dispositions in Dauphin County criminal cases may include a guilty plea, trial verdict, dismissal, nolle prosequi, withdrawal of charges, or entry into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program. ARD is a first-offender diversion program that results in dismissal upon successful completion and is available for certain nonviolent offenses in Dauphin County.
For cases ending in conviction, the sentencing record shows minimum and maximum incarceration terms, any probation conditions, fine amounts, court costs, and restitution orders. Dauphin County records also reflect any post-conviction proceedings including appeals filed with the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, PCRA petitions for post-conviction relief, and probation violation hearings.
Dauphin County records go back to the county's establishment in 1785, though older records are maintained in paper archives at the Harrisburg courthouse. Felony records are permanent. Misdemeanor records are kept for 20 years. Summary offense records are retained for three to seven years depending on the offense category.
Dauphin County Problem-Solving Courts
Dauphin County operates three problem-solving court programs. Drug Court serves individuals with substance use issues whose criminal cases are connected to their addiction. Mental Health Court serves defendants with serious mental illness who commit nonviolent offenses. Veterans Court serves military veterans whose offenses are connected to service-related trauma or mental health conditions.
These programs involve intensive supervision and treatment in exchange for modified criminal case outcomes. Records for problem-solving court participants are maintained through the Clerk of Courts office in Harrisburg. Successful completion of a program may result in reduced charges, suspended sentences, or dismissal of charges depending on the terms of each participant's agreement.
Records for Drug Court, Mental Health Court, and Veterans Court cases in Dauphin County appear on criminal dockets through the UJS Portal. The program type may be noted in the docket entries. Participants who successfully complete a program and then seek expungement of eligible charges must file a separate petition with the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas.
Expungement and Sealing in Dauphin County
Dauphin County residents can petition the Court of Common Pleas in Harrisburg for expungement under 18 Pa.C.S. Section 9122. Grounds for expungement include arrest without conviction, successful completion of the ARD program, summary convictions after five crime-free years, and certain provisions for individuals aged 70 or older. The petition is filed with the Clerk of Courts and the court schedules a hearing if the Commonwealth objects.
The Clean Slate Act creates automatic sealing of qualifying nonviolent misdemeanor convictions after ten years with no new convictions and all fines paid. This process runs quarterly through the court system without requiring any action from the individual. Once sealed, the record is hidden from public searches in Dauphin County but remains accessible to law enforcement and courts.
More information about both processes is available at pa.gov. Because Harrisburg is the state capital, many of the state agencies that oversee these processes have offices in Dauphin County.
Nearby Counties
Dauphin County sits at the center of south-central Pennsylvania. It borders Cumberland County to the west and Lebanon County to the east. Many state government workers and Harrisburg residents live across county lines, and criminal cases may be filed in a neighboring jurisdiction depending on where an offense occurred.