Bradford County Criminal Records and Case Lookup

Bradford County is located in north-central Pennsylvania, with Towanda as the county seat. The county borders Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wyoming counties. The Bradford County Court of Common Pleas handles major criminal cases filed in the area, and the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts office maintains criminal and civil court records. This page explains how to find Bradford County criminal history records, court case information, and official background check resources.

Bradford County Clerk of Courts and Criminal History Records

The Bradford County Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts office is the official record-keeper for the Court of Common Pleas. Tammy Hart serves as Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts, a role she has held since April 2000 and was elected to in 2024. The office maintains both criminal and civil court records. Criminal and juvenile court records fall under the Clerk of Courts function. Civil records, including divorces, custody matters, protection from abuse orders, support matters, judgments, and liens, are maintained under the Prothonotary function.

The office is located at 301 Main Street, Towanda, PA 18848. Phone is 570-265-1705 and fax is 570-265-1788. Standard business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Fees vary for different filings and document types. Contact the office before filing to confirm the current fee schedule. Forms available include civil forms, criminal forms such as the Record Abuse History Form, and family court forms including PFA petitions and custody packets.

Note: Documents purchased through the Bradford County Prothonotary Web Viewer carry a charge of $0.25 per document to view, with other fees collected through the Value Payment Systems platform.

Bradford County Criminal History Online Search

The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Case Search portal provides free public access to Bradford County criminal court dockets. The statewide portal covers the Court of Common Pleas and the four Magisterial District Courts in Bradford County, located in Troy, Sayre, Towanda, and Wysox. Search by participant name, docket number, case number, offense tracking number (OTN), or state ID number to retrieve case information.

The UJS portal returns charge details, hearing dates, case status, disposition information, and sentencing data. Updates occur regularly, though brand-new filings may take a short time to appear. The PAeDocket mobile app offers the same search on Android and Apple devices at no cost. The Bradford County Web Viewer also offers civil case access online, though it is optimized for Internet Explorer and may not work in all modern browsers.

The Bradford County Prothonotary office at 301 Main Street in Towanda is the primary point of access for local court records.

Bradford County Criminal Background Checks via PATCH

The Pennsylvania State Police PATCH system (Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History) is the official source for formal criminal history background checks covering Bradford County. The portal at epatch.pa.gov charges $22 per request, payable online by credit card. Results come from the statewide criminal history repository and reflect records from all 67 Pennsylvania counties, including Bradford.

Mail requests are accepted using Criminal History Request Form SP 4-164. Send the completed form and fee payment to: Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository - RCPU, 1800 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9758. Mail requests take longer to process than online submissions. The PATCH system provides the most complete and authoritative criminal history record available in Pennsylvania.

Bradford County Court Structure and Districts

The Court of Common Pleas in Bradford County is the primary trial court for criminal, civil, orphans' court, and family court matters. It is located at 301 Main Street, Towanda, PA 18848. Magisterial District Courts provide the first level of contact in the criminal justice system, handling preliminary hearings, summary offenses, traffic citations, and small civil matters up to $12,000.

Bradford County has four Magisterial District Courts serving different parts of the county. They are located in Troy, Sayre, Towanda, and Wysox. Records from these courts are available through the UJS Web Portal. The Orphan's Court handles probate and estate matters separate from criminal and civil proceedings. The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts provides oversight of the court system and maintains the UJS Web Portal for public record access.

Electronic case information available through the portal includes case number, dates, case type, judge, plaintiff and defendant information, docket entries, charges with statute and grade, disposition details, and case financial information.

Bradford County Arrest Records and Correctional Facility

Arrest records in Bradford County are held by the arresting agency. Municipal police departments and the Pennsylvania State Police serve different areas of the county. For arrest records, contact the agency that made the arrest. The Bradford County Correctional Facility is located at 15927 Route 6, Troy, PA 16947, and can be reached at 570-297-5047. This facility houses individuals awaiting trial or serving shorter sentences in Bradford County.

For individuals housed in state correctional facilities, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections provides an inmate locator service. State police accident reports are available online 14 days after a crash and cost $22 per copy from the Pennsylvania State Police at pa.gov/agencies/psp.

Bradford County Criminal Records and Right-to-Know Law

Court records in Bradford County are public under Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law and the Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System, with certain exceptions. Records that are sealed or expunged are not available to the public. Confidential information not subject to public access includes case party agreements, social security numbers, driver's license numbers, financial source documents, juvenile educational records, psychological and medical records, SID numbers, child and youth services records, marital property inventories, and victim contact information.

Written requests for records can be submitted to the appropriate open records officer. The Bradford County Clerk of Courts is the point of contact for criminal court records. Denied requests can be appealed to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. Agencies must respond to Right-to-Know requests within five business days or the request is deemed denied by operation of law.

Bradford County Court Contact Information

Nearby Counties

Bradford County shares borders with five counties in north-central and northeastern Pennsylvania, each with separate court offices and record access procedures.

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