Find Criminal Records in Forest County, PA
Forest County criminal records are maintained by the Clerk of Courts at the Forest County Courthouse in Tionesta, Pennsylvania. Forest County is one of the least populous counties in Pennsylvania, with approximately 7,000 residents spread across a heavily wooded landscape in the north-central part of the state. Despite its small size, Forest County maintains full court records through the Pennsylvania UJS Portal and participates in the PATCH background check system. This page explains how to search for Forest County criminal records using every available method.
Forest County Quick Facts
Forest County Clerk of Courts Office
The Forest County Clerk of Courts maintains all criminal case records for the Court of Common Pleas in Tionesta. The combined Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts office serves the county's small population from a single courthouse location. Staff can assist you in locating cases by name or docket number and can provide copies of docket sheets and filed documents.
Office hours in Forest County run Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The courthouse in Tionesta is closed on weekends and county holidays. Standard copy fees are $0.25 per page. Certified copies typically cost $5 to $15 depending on the document type. Bring a valid photo ID for in-person requests. Mail requests are also accepted with written case details and payment included.
Because Forest County is small, the volume of criminal cases is lower than in larger Pennsylvania counties. This can make in-person service quicker and more straightforward. The county website at co.forest.pa.us provides contact information and department listings for Forest County government offices. The Pennsylvania State Police maintain a strong presence in Forest County given the rural terrain.
All Forest County criminal records for the Court of Common Pleas are filed and stored in Tionesta. Records date back to the county's establishment. Older records may require additional retrieval time if stored in physical archives rather than the electronic system.
Search Forest County Court Records Online
The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Web Portal is the primary free tool for searching Forest County criminal records online. Visit ujsportal.pacourts.us to access the portal. You can search by participant name, docket number, OTN, or citation number and filter results to show only Forest County cases.
Forest County criminal cases use the county code 27 in the docket number format CP-27-CR-XXXXXX-YYYY. Searching by docket number gives the most direct result. Name searches are also effective given the county's small population. Each docket sheet available through the UJS Portal shows the charges filed, the arresting agency, preliminary hearing outcomes, all Common Pleas proceedings, the final disposition, and sentencing details for any conviction in Forest County.
The portal covers Magisterial District Court records for Forest County as well. MDJ courts handle preliminary hearings, summary offense citations, and small claims matters. These records are part of the same statewide search system and can be found through the UJS Portal alongside Common Pleas cases. Case data is typically updated within 24 to 48 hours of any court event.
PATCH Background Checks for Forest County
PATCH, which stands for Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History, is the official Pennsylvania State Police portal for criminal background checks. It draws from the statewide central repository and includes Forest County criminal records alongside records from all other Pennsylvania jurisdictions.
To run a PATCH check, go to epatch.pa.gov. A standard check costs $22. Adding notarization costs $5 more. Volunteer background checks using Form SP 4-164A are free but cannot be notarized. About 85 percent of "No Record" results are returned immediately via email. Records flagged for manual review take up to two weeks and are mailed to the requester. For questions about a pending PATCH request, call 1-888-QUERY-PA (1-888-783-7972).
PATCH reports include offense descriptions, statutory citations, dispositions, and sentencing information. The system only covers Pennsylvania law enforcement records. It does not include federal records or records from other states. Juvenile records are generally excluded unless the case was transferred to adult court.
Note: PATCH results reflect what the Pennsylvania State Police central repository contains. Records that were not fully reported to the repository, or that were later expunged or sealed, will not appear on a PATCH response.
What Forest County Criminal Records Include
Forest County criminal records from the Court of Common Pleas document every step of a criminal case. The docket begins with defendant identification, including full legal name, date of birth, and address. Each charge is listed with the Pennsylvania Crimes Code citation and the grade of the offense.
Beyond identification and charges, a Forest County criminal docket tracks the full case timeline. You can see the date of arrest, the Magisterial District Court preliminary hearing, and all proceedings at the Common Pleas level. Each hearing or event is dated with a brief description of what occurred. Attorney names, the assigned judge, and bail information are also included. The disposition section shows the final outcome, and for guilty verdicts or pleas, the sentencing section lists all penalties imposed.
Forest County criminal records are public records under Pennsylvania law. The Right-to-Know Law at 65 P.S. Section 67.101 governs public access to government documents. Court records are accessible to anyone. You do not need to be a party to the case to view docket information in Forest County.
Expungement and Sealing Records in Forest County
Pennsylvania's Clean Slate Act provides for automatic sealing of qualifying criminal records. In Forest County, as in all Pennsylvania counties, misdemeanor convictions may be automatically sealed after 10 years if the individual has remained conviction-free and paid all fines, costs, and restitution. Non-conviction records such as acquittals and dismissed charges are eligible for expungement on a shorter timeline.
To petition for expungement in Forest County, file the petition with the Court of Common Pleas in Tionesta. The court notifies the district attorney, who can object within a set period. If the court grants the petition under 18 Pa.C.S. Section 9122, the order directs the Pennsylvania State Police to remove the record from the central repository. The CHRIA, found at 18 Pa.C.S. Chapter 91, governs how criminal records are used, retained, and challenged in Pennsylvania.
Individuals who want to review their own criminal history can request an Individual Access and Review through PATCH by submitting Form SP 4-170 with fingerprints and a $20 fee. This allows you to see exactly what the State Police repository contains for your name. The Pennsylvania Courts website at pacourts.us has resources for navigating the expungement process in any county.
Police Records and Right-to-Know in Forest County
Criminal court records and police reports are two different things in Forest County. Court records are stored with the Clerk of Courts at the Tionesta courthouse. Police incident reports and arrest reports are held by the law enforcement agency that responded to the incident.
The Pennsylvania State Police handle most law enforcement activity in Forest County because it lacks a large municipal police force. Requests for state police records must go through the Pennsylvania State Police, which has its own Right-to-Know process. The agency's Open Records Officer processes those requests. For local borough departments, contact the specific department directly and submit a written RTK request to their Open Records Officer.
The Office of Open Records at openrecords.pa.gov provides guidance on the RTK process and forms for submitting requests. Agencies must respond within 5 business days with an answer or a notice that more time is needed. Requestors who are denied can appeal to the Office of Open Records for a formal determination.
Nearby Counties
Forest County is surrounded by other rural counties in north-central Pennsylvania. Each county maintains its own Court of Common Pleas for criminal records. The UJS Portal lets you search across all counties in one session.