Philadelphia Court Docket Records
Philadelphia operates a unique consolidated city-county court system, making it one of the most distinctive jurisdictions in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Municipal Court and the Court of Common Pleas together handle the full spectrum of civil, criminal, family, and traffic matters for residents and businesses throughout the city. Searching court docket records in Philadelphia starts at the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System web portal, where case filings, hearing dates, and disposition records are available to the public free of charge. This guide explains how each court works and how to locate the records you need.
Philadelphia Quick Facts
Philadelphia Court Docket Search
The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us is the primary tool for searching Philadelphia court dockets. You can look up cases using a party name, docket number, date of birth, or attorney bar number. The portal covers both the Philadelphia Municipal Court and the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, displaying docket entries, scheduled hearings, and case status in real time.
Philadelphia cases use a specific docket numbering format. Municipal Court dockets typically begin with "MC-51," while Common Pleas dockets begin with "CP-51." Knowing the correct docket number speeds up the search considerably. If you do not have a docket number, a name search filtered by Philadelphia County will produce a list of matching cases for review.
The UJS Web Portal is updated regularly, though some older paper records from prior decades may require an in-person request at the courthouse.
Most civil and criminal case types filed since the early 2000s are accessible directly from the portal without a visit to the clerk's office.
Note: Sealed, expunged, or protected records will not appear in portal search results regardless of the search method used.
Philadelphia Magisterial District Courts
Philadelphia does not use the standard Magisterial District Court structure found in most Pennsylvania counties. Instead, the Philadelphia Municipal Court performs many of the same functions, handling preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings for criminal cases, summary traffic offenses, and civil matters where the amount in controversy does not exceed $12,000.
The Philadelphia Municipal Court also operates a Traffic Division that adjudicates moving violations, parking disputes referred for court action, and related matters. Hearings are scheduled at the Criminal Justice Center at 1301 Filbert Street and at Traffic Court facilities throughout the city. Case records for the Municipal Court are searchable through the UJS portal under the "MC-51" docket prefix.
The Philadelphia Municipal Court publishes its own schedules and local rules, which differ in some respects from standard Magisterial District Court procedures used elsewhere in Pennsylvania.
Understanding which division handles your matter will save time when scheduling a hearing or requesting a case record.
Note: Preliminary hearings for felony and misdemeanor charges held in Municipal Court are later transferred to Common Pleas for trial proceedings.
Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas
The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas is the major trial court for the city and operates as part of Pennsylvania's 1st Judicial District. It is divided into multiple divisions: the Criminal Trial Division, the Civil Trial Division, the Family Court Division, and the Orphans' Court Division. Each division maintains its own filing protocols, forms, and scheduling systems, though all case records are centralized in the UJS portal.
The Criminal Trial Division handles felony and serious misdemeanor cases after preliminary proceedings conclude in Municipal Court. The Civil Trial Division manages disputes above the $12,000 jurisdictional ceiling of Municipal Court, including complex commercial litigation, tort claims, and real property matters. Family Court handles dependency, custody, support, and divorce proceedings. Orphans' Court oversees estate administration, adoptions, and guardianship matters.
The Philadelphia Courts website provides local rules, forms, filing guides, and contact information for each division of the Court of Common Pleas, which is an invaluable resource for attorneys and self-represented litigants throughout the city.
Criminal Court Dockets in Philadelphia
Criminal docket records in Philadelphia document each step of a criminal proceeding from the initial arrest through final disposition. A typical Philadelphia criminal docket will include the charges filed, bail conditions, preliminary hearing results, grand jury information if applicable, trial dates, verdicts, and sentencing details. All of this information is publicly accessible through the UJS portal unless the record has been sealed or expunged by court order.
Philadelphia criminal dockets are maintained under Pennsylvania's public records framework. The Supreme Court's case record public access policy, available at pacourts.us/public-records, governs what information may be viewed and what must be redacted. Certain identifying data such as Social Security numbers and financial account information is always withheld from public view in accordance with that policy.
For matters that did not result in conviction and where the individual has obtained an expungement order, records are removed from public access in the UJS portal. A petition for expungement must be filed with the appropriate court division and, once granted, is transmitted to law enforcement and court record systems for compliance.
Civil Court Dockets in Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Philadelphia civil court dockets cover a wide range of case types including personal injury suits, contract disputes, small claims, and complex commercial matters. Cases filed in Philadelphia Municipal Court's civil division involve amounts up to $12,000, while larger claims proceed directly in the Court of Common Pleas Civil Division, which has no upper jurisdictional limit for most matter types.
Civil docket entries include the complaint, responsive pleadings, motions, discovery orders, and final judgments. In Philadelphia, the Court of Common Pleas Civil Division has its own electronic filing system in addition to the UJS portal. The docket sheet accessible through the portal shows the full chronological history of filings and orders in each case, which is useful for tracking the current status of litigation.
Default judgments, liens arising from court judgments, and satisfaction of judgment filings are also reflected on civil dockets. Parties seeking to verify whether a judgment has been satisfied or to determine the outstanding amount of a court-ordered debt can review these entries in the UJS portal without charge.
How to Get Philadelphia Court Record Copies
Certified copies of Philadelphia court records can be obtained from the Clerk of Quarter Sessions for criminal matters or from the Prothonotary for civil matters. Both offices are located at the respective courthouse buildings in Center City Philadelphia. Requests can be submitted in person or by mail, and fees apply for certified copies at the standard rate of $0.25 per page plus a certification fee.
For many purposes, an uncertified printout from the UJS portal is sufficient and is available at no cost. If a certified copy is required, the requesting party should provide the docket number, the name of the case, and a clear description of the documents needed. Processing times vary depending on the volume of requests at the time of submission.
The Pennsylvania courts PATCH system at epatch.pa.gov allows attorneys and authorized users to access certain records electronically, though public users will generally rely on the UJS portal for no-cost access to docket information.
Note: Mail requests should include a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check payable to the appropriate clerk's office for the estimated copy fees.
Public Access Rules for Philadelphia Court Records
Pennsylvania's public access policy for court records is established by the Supreme Court and applies uniformly across all judicial districts, including Philadelphia. Under this policy, most civil and criminal docket information is available to the public, but certain categories of information are excluded from public access by rule.
Protected information categories include minor victims' names, mental health treatment records, financial account details, Social Security numbers, and records sealed by court order. Juvenile court records are generally confidential and not accessible through the public portal. Domestic relations records, including support and custody matters, have their own access restrictions that limit who may view certain filings.
The full public access policy is published at pacourts.us/public-records and includes detailed guidance on requesting access to restricted records where a legitimate legal basis exists. Any person who believes a record has been improperly withheld may file a formal request for review with the court's designated public access officer.
Philadelphia County Court Docket Records
Philadelphia County is coterminous with the City of Philadelphia, and the county-level Court of Common Pleas serves as both the city and county trial court for all major civil and criminal matters. The Philadelphia County court docket page provides additional detail on court structure, clerk contacts, and record access procedures.
Nearby Pennsylvania Cities
Residents of nearby cities search court dockets through the same UJS portal.