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  1. Allegheny County Court
  2. Allegheny County Arrest Records

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Arrest Records

Arrest records are the official documents generated when someone is taken into custody and booked by a law enforcement agency in Allegheny County (e.g., City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Allegheny County Police, or other municipal departments).

The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (RTKL), 65 P.S. §§ 67.101-67.3104, grants the public access to public records generated and maintained by government agencies, including arrest records, unless otherwise stated by law. This open records law supports the public interest goals of official transparency and accountability. Also, it reveals how government agencies and their personnel conduct their duties.

Under this law, requesters may submit a records request to inspect or copy Allegheny County arrest records, unless otherwise stated by law. However, the RTKL recognizes that other laws may regulate the disclosure of records. In Pennsylvania, the Criminal History Record Information Act (CHRIA), codified at 18 Pa.C.S. Chapter 91 (18 Pa.C.S. § 9101 et seq.), independently regulates the dissemination and release of criminal history record information.

Are Arrest Records Public Information in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania?

Under the Right-to-Know Law (RTKL), 65 P.S. § 67.101 et seq. (Pennsylvania’s open-records law), records held by a government agency are considered public unless the organization proves that an exemption applies. When another state or federal law restricts access, the RTKL gives way to other confidentiality statutes; the other laws control access.

Although records are generally public, some parts of the RTKL exempt certain Allegheny County arrest records from public disclosure. These include:

  • Criminal investigative records (65 P.S. § 67.708(b)(16))
  • Noncriminal investigative records (65 P.S. § 67.708(b)(17))
  • 911 records (65 P.S. § 67.708(b)(18))
  • Personal identification information (usually sensitive identifiers are redacted under RTKL § 708(b)(6)).
  • Records that may jeopardize personal security or public safety

In Pennsylvania, the release of criminal history record information is governed by the Criminal History Record Information Act (CHRIA), 18 Pa.C.S. § 9101 et seq. (Title 18, Chapter 91). Specifically, 18 Pa.C.S. § 9121 provides guidelines on when the custodian agency, such as the Pennsylvania State Police, may disseminate criminal history record information upon request, and it limits or conditions its dissemination to other criminal justice agencies.

Allegheny County Arrest Search

Individuals seeking arrest information in Allegheny County may locate it using the following state and federal resources:

Pennsylvania State Police (PSP)’s PATCH: The Pennsylvania State Police-maintained Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH) is the most effective way to confirm whether someone has a criminal history record in the state. Individuals may request self-checks (their state criminal history records). Landlords, employers, and the general public may request limited criminal history information on another individual by name.

UJS Web Portal: Using Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System Web Portal Case Search, requesters may conduct a statewide docket search for most Court of Common Pleas cases (felony cases and some later-stage proceedings). The platform also provides public access to the docket sheets of minor courts (magisterial district courts and Philadelphia Municipal Court). Requesters may search, view, and print docket sheets from these courts.

Note: Docket sheets are useful for case status and court events. However, they cannot be used as a substitute for a criminal history record check provided by the PSP.

PACER and BOP Inmate Locator: At the federal level, requesters may use the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) for federal court case and docket information. PACER is the primary public access system for searching for arrests that result in federal charges (e.g., investigated by federal agencies and prosecuted in federal court). Requesters may search and locate district, bankruptcy, and appellate case or docket information on this platform. If uncertain of the federal court the case is in, they may use the PACER Case Locator.

Requesters seeking arrest records of inmates held in federal facilities may use the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Inmate Locator service to find information on federal inmates held between 1982 and the present. They may conduct searches on the portal using criteria, such as name or BOP registry number.

Allegheny County Inmate Locator

As of January 2026, Allegheny County does not have an online inmate locator or jail roster. The county’s official jail pages, however, offer the public inmate information, guidance, and contact channels. Requesters needing basic custody details are expected to contact the jail directly. To begin, call the Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) at 412-350-2000 (Main Jail Phone) to confirm the location of a detainee and obtain arrest-related information. Requesters are expected to provide details, such as their complete legal name (and any known aliases), date of birth (if available), approximate arrest date and municipality, and any other identifier to expedite the search.

Alternatively, the information seeker may call the County Municipal Court line (412-350-3240) for information on arraignment or preliminary hearing times, bail amounts, fingerprinting details, and related data. After confirming the individual is in custody or obtaining an OTN, docket, or incident number, the requester may follow the criminal case (e.g., charges filed, hearings scheduled, dispositions) via Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System web portal case search.

Active Warrant Search in Allegheny County

In Allegheny County, an arrest warrant is a court order authorizing law enforcement to take a specific individual into custody.

Before issuing an arrest warrant, an issuing authority (in the Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania) must determine that there is probable cause to believe that the person in question has committed a crime. This process is based solely on sworn written affidavit(s) submitted with the criminal complaint.

Under Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 513(A), an Allegheny County arrest warrant may include:

  • The criminal complaint
  • The arrest warrant itself
  • Any affidavit(s) of probable cause
  • Other documents or information related to the case

In Allegheny County, the Sheriff’s Office does not provide warrant status information to callers. They may, however, conduct a "wants and warrants" check for interested persons who visit their office. The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office may detain individuals with outstanding warrants after such checks.

For online searches, individuals seeking information about arrest warrants may check the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office "fugitive" listing on its website. Authorized law enforcement and criminal justice agencies or officers may access criminal bench warrants issued by the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County. This information is available via authorized access to the National Crime Information System and the Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assisting Network (NCIC/CLEAN).

How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Allegheny

The following section explains the channels for finding free arrest records in Allegheny County.

Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System (UJS) Web Portal: This portal allows requesters to search for Public Web Docket Sheets. Searches cover case docket sheets for Magisterial District Courts and Criminal Courts of Common Pleas, which often reflect the arrest-to-case pipeline (charges filed, docket events, outcomes).

Practical limits: Dockets are summaries that exclude the complete arrest packet, such as police narratives, exhibits, and recordings. The portal (Public Web Dockets Sheets) may not contain older cases, depending on how far back historical data is available through the platform.

In-person Research at the Allegheny County Courthouse: Requesters may visit Room 220 (Allegheny County Department of Court Records) of the courthouse to research criminal documents for free. Using computer terminals available on the premises, they may research criminal files for the current year and the previous four years. Older records exist, but they have to be ordered from a storage facility.

Practical limits: Although these records are "free to research," inquirers may still have to wait for considerable periods for files to be retrieved from storage.

Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) requests to agencies: Inquirers seeking law-enforcement-maintained arrest records (e.g., arrest or incident reports) may request them under Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law process. These documents are subject to redactions, which are typically free of charge. However, an agency may charge for copies to redact documents securely.

Practical limits: Records that are free to request or view may be redacted or withheld under RTKL exemptions or other controlling laws. Also, most RTKL requests are not immediate; Pennsylvania agencies are typically expected to issue a final response within 5 business days. Furthermore, identity verification and providing adequate detail on the records may be necessary even if the inspection is free.

Allegheny Arrest Report

Arrest Record

An arrest record is a structured, summary entry generated when someone is taken into custody, booked in a police department, and processed through the jail system. This document explains the circumstances of someone’s arrest for unlawful activities. Arrest records are the type of information that appears in booking or custody systems, jail management systems, police logs, and court or case indexes.

Arrest records are reports detailing situations in which law enforcement took someone into custody for alleged unlawful activity. Typically, they contain details such as the suspect’s data, charges, booking information, and arrest circumstances.

Arrest Report

An arrest report is a narrative prepared by the arresting officer that explains the circumstances and observations leading to the arrest. This report is usually written in prose with attached materials. Typical content of an arrest report may include the officer’s account of events, observations, and actions; witness or victim statements (where included); evidence references; and probable-cause facts and context (sometimes in a separate affidavit, depending on the process).

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Allegheny

In Pennsylvania, "expungement" is handled primarily through the Criminal History Record Information Act (CHRIA), especially 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122, and is implemented through court procedures under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure. The following section discusses the main options for obtaining an expungement in Allegheny County:

Expungement of non-convictions

Under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122(a), individuals whose cases ended as not guilty, withdrawn, or nolle prossed may petition to expunge relevant arrest or case records. Expungement of non-conviction records may result in full expungement (where all charges in the case are non-convictions) or partial expungement (only non-conviction charges are targeted in a case with convictions and non-convictions).

Expungement after Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD)

Under Pennsylvania’s criminal procedure rule, the Allegheny County District Attorney may move a case into Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD). This program allows participants who complete the specified conditions (e.g., classes, community service, restitution) to have their cases closed without a conviction. Subsequently, they may petition to expunge the arrest record. However, admission into ARD is on a case-by-case basis. Usually, it favors offenders with limited or no prior records.

Expungement after Probation Without Verdict (PWV) (drug cases)

Individuals who successfully complete probation are not convicted under this special outcome for some drug cases. Since the drug law itself creates PWV, the expungement process for a PWV record follows the drug statute’s procedure, not just the general expungement rules.

Expungement of certain summary convictions (low-level cases)

Qualified persons in Allegheny County may choose the summary-case expungement pathway under Pennsylvania rules (Pa.R.Crim.P. 490). To qualify for the expungement of a summary conviction, the defendant is expected to remain free of arrest or prosecution for a period of time; the specific duration depends on their circumstances and the statute (e.g., 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122 and its conditions).

Expungement at age 70 and above

Under a narrow statutory provision at 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122, certain individuals who are 70 years of age or older and have been free of arrest or prosecution for the period specified in the law may have their records expunged.

Juvenile expungement

The courts may expunge arrest records arising from a juvenile case under a separate statute specifically designed for expunging juvenile records.

Clean Slate law

This law allows individuals to seal certain criminal records from public view, rather than have them erased. For petition-based limited access, those who do not qualify for expungement may ask a judge to place certain convictions into "limited access." This type of sealing means that most employers and members of the public cannot see it, though it remains visible to law enforcement and the courts. In contrast, certain eligible cases (that do not need an application if they qualify) are automatically sealed at set waiting periods. This procedure is the automated "Clean Slate" process outlined in 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122.2.

How Do You Remove Arrest Records From the Internet?

The process of removing arrest records from the internet involves reducing or eliminating online publication in two places: at the source website (where the record or mugshot is published) and from search results (so it is not displayed when a user searches the name).

Since most sites replicate information, it is advisable to start with the source and then move on to search engines. If the record in question qualifies for expungement, it should be removed from the Pennsylvania criminal history (with exceptions for law enforcement and court officials). This process does not automatically delete copies already posted online, but it provides official documentation to request updates or removals.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Pennsylvania does not have a statewide form for public arrest records. Arrest information often appears in several formats across police departments, courts, and agencies. Therefore, what an information seeker may see depends on where the arrest was handled and which system is being checked. In practice, public-facing arrests often appear in two places:

  • Police "blotter" or arrest log information, and
  • Public court docket sheets (which reflect what followed the arrest, such as charges filed and case outcomes).

Police blotter

This is an ordered listing of arrests, documented around the time of the incident, that may include (but are not limited to) the person’s identifying information and the alleged offenses.

The public-facing components of a blotter-style arrest record often include:

  • The person’s name (and sometimes other basic identifiers used by the agency)
  • The alleged offense(s) or charge description(s)
  • The date/time of the arrest event (common in blotter formats)
  • The arresting agency (commonly included in blotter-style summaries)

Public court docket sheets

Pennsylvania’s UJS Web Portal allows the public to access docket sheets for Magisterial District Courts, Criminal Courts of Common Pleas, and other courts.

Standard public-facing docket elements on this portal include:

  • Defendant or participant name and county or court
  • Docket number and related tracking numbers (e.g., OTN is a common search field)
  • Charges filed (offense listings) and the sequence of docket events (hearings, filings, dispositions)
  • Case outcome/disposition entries (e.g., withdrawn, dismissed, guilty, or not guilty) as shown on the docket