Find Criminal Records in Lehigh County

Lehigh County criminal records are maintained by the Clerk of Courts for the 31st Judicial District Court of Common Pleas in Allentown, Pennsylvania. With a population of approximately 375,000 people, Lehigh County is one of the larger counties in the Lehigh Valley region. Court records cover all felony and misdemeanor cases prosecuted in the county. You can search Lehigh County criminal records for free through the UJS Portal or request copies directly from the courthouse in Allentown. This page covers every method available to access Lehigh County criminal records.

Lehigh County Clerk of Courts

Lehigh County maintains separate offices for the Prothonotary and the Clerk of Courts, unlike many smaller Pennsylvania counties that combine these functions. The Clerk of Courts handles all criminal court records for the 31st Judicial District. The Prothonotary manages civil cases separately. This distinction matters when you need to know which office to contact for your specific records request in Allentown.

The Lehigh County Clerk of Courts maintains criminal case files dating back to 1812. The office provides same-day service for accessible records. Archived files take three to five business days to retrieve. Lehigh County also offers extended office hours compared to smaller counties and has implemented an e-filing system used by attorneys. Members of the public can still submit requests in person, by mail, or by phone.

Attorneys practicing in Lehigh County can subscribe to the Odyssey case management system for $300 per year to access expanded docket features and document viewing. Public access remains free through the UJS Portal for basic case information without a subscription.

Search Lehigh County Criminal Dockets Online

The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Portal is the primary free tool for searching Lehigh County criminal records online. The portal covers cases from the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas and all Magisterial District Courts serving Allentown and the surrounding municipalities. You can search by participant name, docket number, or OTN number.

Visit ujsportal.pacourts.us to begin a search. No account is required for basic public access. Results show the defendant's name, all charges filed with Crimes Code citations, hearing history, case status, and sentencing details. For Lehigh County specifically, the portal has records going back to at least the mid-1980s in electronic form, with older records available only in paper at the courthouse.

Docket numbers in Pennsylvania follow the format CP-XX-CR-XXXXXX-YYYY, where XX is the county code, CR indicates criminal, and YYYY is the year. For Lehigh County criminal cases, look for the Lehigh County code in the docket prefix. Searching by docket number returns the exact case without sorting through multiple results for common names.

Note: Active investigations, juvenile cases, and records sealed under Clean Slate are not accessible through the public portal. Contact the Lehigh County Clerk of Courts directly if you believe a record exists but cannot find it through the online search.

Pennsylvania PATCH for Lehigh County Records

Pennsylvania's PATCH system searches the statewide criminal history repository maintained by the Pennsylvania State Police. This is the official channel for licensing and legal purposes that require Lehigh County criminal history. A PATCH check covers all 67 Pennsylvania counties in one search at a cost of $22.00.

PATCH returns results for most no-record subjects immediately through the online portal at epatch.pa.gov. When a record is found, the results are mailed after manual review by trained staff, which takes two to four weeks. PATCH results reflect the criminal history information on file with the Pennsylvania State Police central repository at the time of the request.

The PATCH helpline at 1-888-QUERY-PA is available during business hours for questions about pending requests, system access, and result interpretation. Volunteers in Lehigh County can request free background checks using form SP 4-164A through the PATCH system, though these results are restricted to volunteer purposes and cannot be notarized.

Note: PATCH covers only Pennsylvania records. Federal criminal history and records from other states require separate checks through the FBI or the appropriate state agency.

Lehigh County Criminal Records Content

Criminal dockets from the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas contain a detailed history of each prosecution. The record begins with the charging document and continues through every court event until the case closes. Key information includes the defendant's identifying details, each charge with its specific Pennsylvania Crimes Code citation and offense grade, bail conditions, attorney assignments, and all hearing dates with outcomes.

Sentences shown in Lehigh County criminal records include jail or prison terms with minimum and maximum lengths, probation terms and conditions, fines, court costs, and restitution ordered for victims. ARD dispositions appear in the record as well. If a defendant completed the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program in Lehigh County, that outcome shows in the docket. Following successful ARD completion, the defendant may petition the court for expungement of the record under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.

Lehigh County Magisterial District Court records cover the earlier stages of most criminal cases. The MDJ level handles preliminary arraignments, bail hearings, and preliminary hearings before cases move to the Common Pleas court. Both MDJ and Common Pleas records are searchable through the UJS Portal and are part of the public record in Lehigh County.

Allentown and Lehigh County Police Records

The Allentown Police Department is the largest law enforcement agency in Lehigh County. The APD Records Division at 425 Hamilton Street in Allentown processes requests for police reports and incident records. Office hours run Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Phone inquiries go to 610-437-7723.

Standard police reports from Allentown cost $15 to $25 depending on the type and length. Accident reports are also available through the Records Division or through online vendors like CrashDocs. Mail requests should include a written description of the incident, the date and location, a copy of your ID, and payment. Processing takes five to ten business days in most cases.

Multiple other municipal police departments serve areas of Lehigh County outside Allentown. Each department handles its own records requests. Formal requests under Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. § 67.101, should be directed to the open records officer for the specific municipality that handled the incident. Body camera footage requests in Lehigh County follow the process under Act 22 of 2017.

Sealing Lehigh County Criminal Records

Pennsylvania's Clean Slate Act provides automatic sealing of eligible misdemeanor convictions after a ten-year crime-free period once all court costs and fines are paid. This process applies to qualifying Lehigh County records and is handled automatically by the administrative system without requiring a petition from the individual. The Lehigh County Clerk of Courts processes these sealings on a quarterly basis.

Once a Lehigh County record is sealed under Clean Slate, it no longer appears in public docket searches or PATCH results. The record remains visible to law enforcement, courts, and certain licensing boards under CHRIA, the Criminal History Record Information Act at 18 Pa.C.S. Chapter 91. CHRIA sets the rules for how criminal record information is stored and shared across Pennsylvania, including records from Lehigh County.

If you want to challenge a Lehigh County record for accuracy or pursue expungement, Pennsylvania courts have forms and instructions at pacourts.us. Expungement petitions must be filed with the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas. You can also submit a challenge to the PATCH system if you believe the central repository contains incorrect information about you.

Nearby Counties

Lehigh County is in the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania. These neighboring counties have their own courts and criminal records systems.

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