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 28, 2026.
Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, has about 1.6 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Philadelphia 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: Philadelphia County public records, Philadelphia County arrest records, Philadelphia County warrants, Philadelphia County inmate search, Philadelphia County criminal records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Philadelphia County
Court cases from Philadelphia County are filed in the Philadelphia 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.
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 Philadelphia County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.phila.gov (page title: The Philadelphia Courts | First Judicial District of Pennsylvania), phone 215 686-7000, 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 Philadelphia County
Philadelphia reported 35,097 arrests to the FBI for 2025; the District Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas or the Magisterial District Courts.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at phila.gov/departments/philadelphia-district-attorneys-office (page title: Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office | City of Philadelphia), phone (215) 686-8000, 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 Philadelphia County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Philadelphia County criminal records, Philadelphia County divorce records, Philadelphia County DUI and Philadelphia County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Philadelphia County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Philadelphia County and Pennsylvania. These court pages from its Philadelphia County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Civil Docket Access (fjdefile.phila.gov)
- The Philadelphia Courts @ http://www.courts.phila.gov (fjdefile.phila.gov)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Philadelphia County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.phila.gov, phone 215 686-7000. Statewide, UJS Web Portal is the Pennsylvania courts' free statewide docket search.
Which court hears felonies in Philadelphia County?
The Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia County?
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 Philadelphia County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.