How to Search Pennsylvania Public Records

Pennsylvania's court, criminal, vital, property, voter, and licensing records are maintained across state agencies and the 67 counties listed below. Use the tabs to filter by record type, or jump directly to any source.

  • Courts: The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania sits at the top of the system; trial-court business is handled by the Court of Common Pleas (60 judicial districts), Magisterial District Courts. Most courts publish dockets and case lookups online.
  • Criminal history: The state's criminal-history repository handles official background checks. Fees and procedures are set by the state agency — see the linked official source.
  • Vital records: Birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates are issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (Bureau of Health Statistics & Registries) and may also be available locally.
  • Property & recorded documents: Maintained at the county level by the Assessor, Recorder, or Clerk's office.
  • Business filings: The Secretary of State (or equivalent) operates the official business-entity search.
Population
13,078,751
Households
5,246,700
Median Income
$73,824
Median Home Value
$240,500

Vital Records Databases

27 official Pennsylvania vital records sources.

Vital Records

05/05/00 FRI 10:47 FAX 412 350 5260
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Allegheny County Courts · General Information · Local Rules - Civil · Local Rules - Family · Local Rules - Orphans' Court · Local Rules - Criminal · Pennsylvania Courts · Child Support Lien Search · Protection From Abuse Database · Disciplinary Board of PA Supreme Court ·
Berks County - Genealogy
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Birth Records (County of Berks- 1894-1906) Name, year recorded, place of birth, parents' names, father's occupation · Birth Records (City of Reading- 1876-1906) Name, date of birth, place of birth, parents' names, father's occupation, physician/midwife's name ·
Berks County, Pennsylvania Genealogy • FamilySearch
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Berks County Courthouse 633 Court ... 610-478-3380 Register of Wills: 610-478-6600 Berks County Website County clerk has birth and death records 1894-1905 , marriage records from 1885, and probate records from 1752 Prothonotary ...
Berks County - Genealogy
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Marriage Records (County of Berks-1885 thru present)- You will receive a copy of the actual marriage listing:
Death Records | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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Learn how to research death records in Pennsylvania and view the available indices for state-issued death certificates
Help Recorder of Deeds Page
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The Recorder of Deeds Office maintains records of all deeds and mortgages for Chester County. You may search the records by instrument or by name. The navigation bar at the top of the Recorder of Deeds main screen displays a list of the main menu items within this section.
Birth, Death, & Marriages | Chester County, PA - Official Website
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Guide to Birth Records · Guide to Death Records · Guide to Marriage Records · The indexes provided above are the product of the Chester County Archives and Record Services. They are available in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. To download Adobe Acrobat Reader please visit the Adobe site.
Contact - Dauphin County Public Access
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Additional Resources: Please click here for Court Related forms Please click here for the Local Rules of Court Please click here for Magisterial District Online Forms Please click here for Prothonotary Forms Please click here for the Pro Se Litigant Self Help Center
CASE CAPTION CIVIL CASENOCV 20 52, a3;(/95
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Divorce Proceedings | Representing Yourself | Learn | Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania
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This office is called the Prothonotary or Office of Judicial Records. There are procedural rules that govern divorce proceedings. Those rules instruct on who must do what and where and when at different stages of a divorce proceeding. The rules are the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure (Pa.R.Civ.P.) and can be found in Title 231, Chapter 1920 and Chapter 1930 of the Pennsylvania Code.
Welcome to Lackawanna County, PA
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The Register of Wills Office, the Clerk of Orphans’ Court and the Marriage License Bureau all house extensive records dating as far back as 1878 for wills and October 1885 for Marriage Licenses. All files are located on site and are public information (with the exception of Adoption records).
FAQs • How can I obtain a copy of my divorce decree?
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Divorce decrees can be obtained by contacting the Prothonotary’s Office which is located at 50 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA . They can be reached by telephone at 717-299-8282. You can also conduct a search for civil court records which includes divorce decrees.Civil Court Record Search
Lawrence County Federated Library System
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Ellwood City Library 415 Lawrence Ave.Ellwood City, PA 16117724-758-6458www.ellwoodcitylibrary.com F.D. Campbell Memorial Library209 Hillsville RoadBessemer, PA 16112724-667-7939fdclibrary.org New Castle Public Library207 E. North St.New Castle, PA 16101724-658-6659www.ncdlc.org Outreach Services ...
Marriage License Search
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Montgomery County Viewer · Register of Wills • Marriage License Search · This screen is designed to help you search for the case(s) you are looking for. You may search on one field or multiple fields. When doing a name search, type in as much of the name as you know.
Marriage License Search
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Montgomery County Viewer · Register of Wills • Marriage License Search · This screen is designed to help you search for the case(s) you are looking for. You may search on one field or multiple fields. When doing a name search, type in as much of the name as you know.
Disclaimer - Family Division Domestic Relations - Docket Search
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In this sense, the reproduced data cannot be considered for official use. Any person requiring dockets for official use must obtain them from the Clerk of Family Court, 11th Floor, 1501 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, or Customer Service, 8th Floor, 1501 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
Welcome to Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
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Divorce · Custody · Share this page · × · Copy and paste this code into your website. <a href="http://schuylkillcountypa.gov/government/prothonotary/divorce_custody_information.php">Your Link Name</a> Share this page on your favorite Social network · Facebook · Twitter ·
https://www.co.schuylkill.pa.us/Offices/Archives/a...
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The Schuylkill County Archives opened its doors in the Spring of 1988 . It represented, for the first time, a central depository for all of the County's government records. The archives were designed to hold approximately 10,000 cubic feet of records. It was built as an addition to the courthouse ...
(|)York County Archives
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The Archives always welcomes the public to use the County's records. LOCATION: 150 Pleasant Acres Road York, PA 17402 717-840-7222 phone Email: archives@yorkcountypa.gov Get Directions HOURS: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Closed all government holidays More Information
Find a Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records
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Search or browse cemeteries and grave records for every-day and famous people from around the world. ... Please select a location with GPS coordinates indicated by a map icon() to continue. Please select a cemetery indicated by a Find a Grave icon() to continue. ... When searching in a cemetery, use the ? or * wildcards in name fields. ? replaces one letter. * represents zero to many letters. E.g. Sorens?n or Wil* Search for an exact birth/death year or select a range, before or after.
Allegheny County Cemetery Addresses
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Adath Israel (in Kether Torah), Hoffman Rd., Millvale, PA 15209 (412) 621-7918 Adath Jeshurun, Roland Rd., Allison Park, PA 15101 (412) 361-0176 Agudath Achim, Newport & Sherwood Rds., Forest Hills, PA 15221 (412) 241-4677 Ahavath-Achim, Green Oak Dr., Kennedy Twp., PA (412) 331-7302 Ahavath-Achim, Newport & Sherwood Rds., Forest Hills, PA 15221 (412) 823-9200 All Saints (Braddock Catholic), 1560 Brinton Rd., Braddock, PA (412) 271-5950 All Saints, Carnegie, PA 15106 (412) 276-2462 / 348-4415 Allegheny, 4734 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201-2999, (412) 682-1624 Allegheny County Memorial…
Philadelphia Area, Pennsylvania Obituaries
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Find obituaries for people from across the Philadelphia metro area, and join us in celebrating their lives and legacies. ... Connect with your classmates to honor alumni and teachers. Temple UniversityUniversity of PennsylvaniaDrexel UniversityWest Chester UniversityLa Salle UniversitySaint ...
Register of Wills | Westmoreland County, PA - Official Website
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• Marriage Licenses: Processing applications and issuing marriage licenses for couples intending to marry in Westmoreland County, as well as providing certified copies of marriage licenses (may be required for Real ID) • Adoption Records: Maintaining records for adoption matters, though access may be restricted as per legal guidelines.
Get archival birth, death, and marriage records | Services | City of Philadelphia
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The Register of Wills keeps records for marriages after December 31, 1885 . Visit the City Archives in person, or complete a birth, death, or marriage record application and mail it to: City Archives 548 Spring Garden Street Philadelphia, PA 19123
Vital Records - Pennsylvania: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide - Research Guides at Library of Congress
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Based on the date of the vital event (birth, death, marriage, divorce), determine whether you are seeking a state, territory, county, or parish level record . If the record you are seeking has been digitized, you can access it online, through ...
Death Records | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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Original death certificates for 1906–1975 are available at the State Archives . You can request an uncertified copy of a death certificate using the vital records request form.
Vital Records - Pennsylvania: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide - Research Guides at Library of Congress
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Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1775-1991 External This collection includes civil marriage records created in Pennsylvania counties . The records include registers, affidavits and marriage licenses.

Pennsylvania Counties

67 Pennsylvania counties are indexed on SearchSystems.net — top 28 counties shown below. Browse the full directory or click any county for local court, sheriff, recorder and assessor links.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pennsylvania's official criminal-history repository is operated by the state law-enforcement agency. Free public access to a complete criminal history is generally not available; an official background check typically requires fingerprints and a fee. County-level court records can be searched at no cost through individual court websites.

Pennsylvania's court system is headed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Trial-court business is handled by the Court of Common Pleas (60 judicial districts), Magisterial District Courts. Many Pennsylvania courts publish docket searches and case lookups online — see the Court Records tab above for direct links.

The Pennsylvania Secretary of State (or equivalent agency) operates the official business-entity search. You can typically search corporations, LLCs, LPs, and other registered entities by name or registration number. See the Licenses or Business tab above.

The Assessor determines property values for tax purposes. The Recorder (or Clerk-Recorder) records deeds, mortgages, liens, and other property documents. Some county offices combine these roles, others keep them separate. Check the specific county page for details.

Pennsylvania vital records (birth, death, marriage, divorce certificates) are issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (Bureau of Health Statistics & Registries) and, in many cases, by local county clerks. Fees and ID requirements are set by the issuing agency.

Most county-level property and recorded-document searches are free for basic information through the Assessor or Recorder website. Certified copies of deeds typically have a per-page fee. Direct links are in the Property Records tab above.

The Pennsylvania sex offender registry is maintained by the state law-enforcement agency under the Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification Act. The registry is searchable by name, ZIP code, or address.

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