Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026.
State College, Pennsylvania, in Centre County, has about 41,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Centre County Court of Common Pleas and the Magisterial District Courts, and the file of each case, kept by the Prothonotary for civil cases and divorces and the Clerk of Courts for criminal cases, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, directory links and common questions.
Related guides: State College public records, Centre County court records, State College arrest records, State College warrants, State College inmate search, State College criminal records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from State College
In State College, the Centre County Court of Common Pleas hears felonies, civil cases, divorces, estates and juvenile matters.
Below it, the Magisterial District Courts take traffic tickets, summary offenses, small claims and preliminary hearings; Philadelphia has the Municipal Court instead.
Divorces go to the Court of Common Pleas, and the file stays with the Prothonotary.
The Prothonotary for civil cases and divorces and the Clerk of Courts for criminal cases keep the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Right-to-Know Law.
Looking Up a Case from State College
For Centre County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at civil.centrecountypa.gov/courts.civil.portal/CaseSearch (page title: Case Search | County Suite Portal), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Statewide, UJS Web Portal is the Pennsylvania courts' free statewide docket search.
The Pennsylvania court page SearchSystems verified is at ujsportal.pacourts.us/casesearch.
What Reaches the Court from State College
Together, the four agencies in Centre County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 518 arrests to the FBI that year; the District Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Centre County Court of Common Pleas or the Magisterial District Courts.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at centrecountypa.gov/366/District-Attorney (page title: District Attorney | Centre County, PA), phone (814) 355-6735, 106 East High Street, Room 302 Bellefonte, PA 16823, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other State College guides take the kinds of file one at a time: State College criminal records, State College divorce records, State College traffic tickets, State College DUI and State College property records.
More Official Court Pages for Centre County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Centre County and Pennsylvania. These court pages from its Centre County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Case Information (ujsportal.pacourts.us)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in State College?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at civil.centrecountypa.gov. Statewide, UJS Web Portal is the Pennsylvania courts' free statewide docket search.
Which court hears felonies in State College?
The Centre County Court of Common Pleas, which hears felonies, civil cases, divorces, estates and juvenile matters. The Magisterial District Courts take traffic tickets, summary offenses, small claims and preliminary hearings; Philadelphia has the Municipal Court instead.
Who keeps the court records in State College?
The Prothonotary for civil cases and divorces and the Clerk of Courts for criminal cases. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Pennsylvania?
Yes: UJS Web Portal, the Pennsylvania courts' free statewide docket search.
Is this the official State College website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.