Luzerne County Criminal History and Court Records

Luzerne County criminal history records are maintained by the Clerk of Courts at the Luzerne County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The county is part of the 11th Judicial District. The Court of Common Pleas handles all criminal case filings for the county. Records are open to the public unless sealed by court order or exempt under state law. You can search Luzerne County criminal records free of charge through the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Web Portal or visit the courthouse in Wilkes-Barre in person during business hours.

Luzerne County Clerk of Courts and Criminal Records

The Clerk of Courts is the primary keeper of criminal court records for the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas. The office records, maintains, and processes all criminal case files. Duties include handling bail matters, processing motions and petitions, managing appeals to the Pennsylvania Superior Court and Supreme Court, and preparing prison commitments.

Luzerne County residents should be aware that the Luzerne County Sheriff's Department has cautioned the public about phone scams where callers impersonate law enforcement to extort money. If you receive a suspicious call from someone claiming to be law enforcement, do not send money. Contact the Sheriff's Office directly to verify any claims before acting.

The Luzerne County Government website provides contact information for county offices, departments, and court services. The site is the starting point for finding details on the Clerk of Courts, Prothonotary, Sheriff, and other offices at the Wilkes-Barre courthouse.

Luzerne County Criminal History Online Search

The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Web Portal is the free public tool for searching Luzerne County criminal court records online. Search by party name, docket number, offense tracking number, or police incident number. Results cover both the Court of Common Pleas and Magisterial District Courts in Luzerne County.

Docket sheets show the case number, filing date, party names, charges, hearing dates, assigned judge, attorney names, and final disposition. Recent entries may take a few days to appear after they are filed at the courthouse. The portal requires no registration and is available at all hours.

The UJS Portal Case Search provides free public access to Luzerne County criminal docket sheets and court case information for all court levels in the 11th Judicial District.

Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas civil court dockets extend back to the 1980s and are available online. Civil records are searchable as a guest. Civil case documents carry a retrieval fee of $0.35 per page, payable on a per-item basis. Bloomberg Law also carries Luzerne County civil dockets from 2008 to present for subscribers. For in-person requests, visit the Clerk of Courts at the courthouse in Wilkes-Barre during business hours.

Note: UJS Portal docket sheets are not certified background checks. They are informational tools and do not replace a formal PATCH result from the Pennsylvania State Police.

Luzerne County Magisterial District Courts

Luzerne County has multiple Magisterial District Courts located throughout the county. These courts process preliminary hearings for felony charges, summary offenses, DUI cases, third-degree misdemeanors, and civil claims within set dollar limits. Each MDJ court maintains its own dockets, which are searchable through the UJS Portal.

When a case passes the preliminary hearing stage in an MDJ court, it transfers to the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas. The full trial record, including all motions, plea agreements, verdicts, and sentencing, is created at the Common Pleas level. Both sets of records are public under Pennsylvania law and accessible online through the UJS Portal.

Contact Luzerne County Court Administration at the courthouse in Wilkes-Barre for specific MDJ office locations and judge assignments. You can also find MDJ contact details through the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts website.

Luzerne County PATCH Background Checks

The Pennsylvania State Police provides official criminal history background checks through the PATCH system (Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History) for Luzerne County and all of Pennsylvania. The fee is $22.00 per check, payable online at epatch.pa.gov by credit card or pre-registered bank account. Online results return immediately in most cases.

Mail-in requests use Form SP 4-164, sent to the Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository, RCPU, 1800 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9758. Mail results typically take two to four weeks. The Pennsylvania State Police is the only agency in Pennsylvania authorized to produce certified statewide criminal history background checks.

For inmate and incarceration records, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections provides an inmate locator for individuals in state correctional facilities. Contact the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for local jail inquiries. For municipal arrest records, contact the Wilkes-Barre City Police Department or the relevant borough or township police department where the arrest occurred.

The PATCH system run by the Pennsylvania State Police provides official certified Luzerne County criminal history background checks for $22 per request at epatch.pa.gov.

Luzerne County Right-to-Know Law and Public Records

Luzerne County agencies follow Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law, which has been in effect since January 1, 2009. This law presumes government records are public unless a valid exemption applies. Agencies must respond to written requests within five business days. Denials must be made in writing and identify the specific exemption.

Court records at the Luzerne County Courthouse are often accessible without a formal RTK request because they are part of the public court docket. The Clerk of Courts handles criminal files. The Prothonotary handles civil records. Exemptions include sealed court documents, active investigation materials, juvenile records, and personal information such as social security numbers and victim contact details.

Written RTK requests should be directed to the Open Records Officer at the Luzerne County Courthouse. Denied requests can be appealed to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. The OOR reviews the agency's basis for denial and may compel release of records where the exemption is not valid.

What Luzerne County Offense History Records Contain

Luzerne County criminal court records are public documents produced during the judicial process. They include the defendant's name, charges filed, docket numbers, file dates, hearing dates, the presiding judge, attorney information, and final disposition or sentence. Bail decisions and court orders issued throughout the case are also part of the record.

Certain information is protected from public view by Pennsylvania law. Protected categories include social security numbers, financial source documents, medical and psychological records, state identification numbers, juvenile records, and victim contact information. Expunged records are removed from public access after the court order is entered. Records sealed by court order are also unavailable through standard requests.

Arrest records differ from court records. Court records begin when charges are filed. Arrest records are held by the arresting law enforcement agency. Contact the Luzerne County Sheriff or the relevant local police department for arrest-level information not yet in the court system.

Note: Luzerne County has a complex judicial history. If you are researching older cases, some records may require an in-person visit to the courthouse as older filings may not be fully digitized in the UJS Portal.

Nearby Counties

Luzerne County is a large county in northeastern Pennsylvania. Records for cases filed in neighboring counties must be searched separately in each county's court system.

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