Obtain Free Allegheny County Records: Marriage, Arrests, Court

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Free Allegheny County Public Records Search

Access Allegheny County Records: marriage, divorce, warrants, arrests, probation, criminal, court, background checks, and all public records.

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There are various types of Allegheny County public records accessible for free, both online and in person. This public information includes criminal records, recent arrest reports, court proceedings, active warrants, probationer details, inmate or prisoner records, and background check reports. Many of these–along with property records and certificates of birth, death, marriage, and divorce–can be obtained at no cost through official channels.

Allegheny County government agencies provide these types of public records because they are required by federal law under The Freedom of Information Act and Pennsylvania’s Right To Know Law. As a result, residents can access various publicly available information as long as searchers know how to acquire it and which record custodians to check with.

Below is a comprehensive list of the types of public records in Allegheny County that can be retrieved and the specific steps needed to find them.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

How To Perform an Inmate Search in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

To find out if someone is in jail and get other inmate information online in Allegheny County, you will have to use either the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections’ Inmate and Parolee locator or a third-party search service, VineLink. Although Allegheny County operates its own jail, they do not have their own online option to search the jail roster.

The Department of Corrections Inmate Locator is an online directory for searching inmates in Pennsylvania.¹ You can search these Allegheny County public records–and statewide offenders–by inputting any of the below information:

• Name
• Inmate Number
• Gender
• Race or Ethnicity
• Citizenship
• Date of Birth or Approximate Age

You can also sort search results by any of these search criteria. To search all jail records within Allegheny County, you can select either the entire county or a specific jail within. Once you find an inmate, their basic information (e.g., age, race, date of birth, etc.) as well as where they are currently incarcerated will be displayed.

This tool can also come in handy if you want to find someone’s mugshot.

However, this resource has its limitations; it does not provide information on the charges brought against the individual or any information from arrest records.

Another option is to use Vinelink, a third party inmate search service.² You can use this tool to search for an inmate by either name (including a partial name search) or ID number and obtain basic information on the individual, their current custody status, and other custody details.

Any related records for this individual will be shown as well.

To check for inmate information in person or by phone, you can contact the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office by phone at 412-350-4700 or by email at [email protected].³ They may also be visited in person at the below address:

Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office
436 Grant St.
Courthouse, 111
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

There is just one jail–the Allegheny County Jail, that can be contacted at 412-350-2000. To request information in person, go to their only location at:

Allegheny County Jail
950 2nd Ave.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

Note: For the date of any Allegheny County bookings, you can call the jail at 412-350-3240 or the Arraignment Court at 412-350-3240. Make sure you have the individual’s name and any other pertinent information.

Finding Allegheny County Inmate Information Through Larger Cities’ Police Departments

Police reports and other valuable inmate information can be accessed by searching for Allegheny County arrest records through police departments operating in some of the county’s larger cities.

The largest city in Allegheny County is Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Police Department does not have an online public records repository, but you can request a police report for $15.00 by mail or in person. Requests can be made via the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Central Records and Reporting Unit (CRRU) at the below address:⁴

Pittsburgh Bureau of Police
Central Records and Reporting Unit
660 1st Ave.
Third Floor
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

Their hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM. To make a request, you will need to know the type of incident (including the report number) and provide a valid government-issued identification. For additional questions about records requests, you can contact them by phone at 412-255-2920.

As a larger city, the Pittsburgh Police Department has multiple locations. To contact them by phone or in person, here is some helpful contact information for their various locations:

Location	Address	Phone Number
Headquarters	1203 Western Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15233	412-323-7800
Police Zone 1	1501 Brighton Rd. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212	412-323-7201
Police Zone 2	2000 Centre Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219	412-255-2827
Police Zone 3	830 East Warrington Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15210	412-488-8326
Police Zone 4	5858 Northumberland St. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15217	412-422-6520
Police Zone 5	1401 Washington Boulevard Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206	412-665-3605
Police Zone 6	Special Deployment Division 312 South Main St. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15220	412-937-3051

If the individual you are searching for was arrested in another large city, you can use the contact information listed below to reach other local police departments in Allegheny County:

Police Department	Address	Phone Number
Penn Hills Police Department	102 Duff Rd. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15235	412-473-3056
Bethel Park Police Department	5100 W. Library Ave. Lower Level Bethel Park, Pennsylvania 15102	412-831-6800
Ross Township Police Department	1000 Ross Municipal Dr. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15237	412-931-9070
Monroeville Police Department	2700 Monroeville Blvd. Monroeville, Pennsylvania 15146	412-856-1111
McCandless Police Department	9955 Grubbs Rd. Wexford, Pennsylvania 15090	412-369-7992
Plum Borough Police Department	2000 Old Mine Rd. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15239	412-793-7400
West Mifflin Borough Police Department	1020 Lebanon Rd. West Mifflin, PA 15122	412-461-0600

How To Look Up Allegheny County Marriage Records and Divorce Records

There are several options available to interested parties for finding both marriage and divorce records online in Allegheny County. Public records in Allegheny County that involve marriages and divorces can be found by utilizing the resources described below.

Retrieve Marriage Records Through the Department of Court Records of the Wills and Orphans’ Court Division

Online, you can search the Allegheny County Department of Court Records Public Index for marriage records from 1996 to the present.⁵ This is the quickest way to check if someone is married in Allegheny County, as long as they were married in 1996 or later. This department is also the custodian of marriage records dating back to 1885; information will later be provided as to how you can access and request those records as well.

To find out if someone is married, this online search tool allows users to enter either party ‘s name (as listed on the marriage application). You must set a year range before searching for marriage records. The results will be displayed as a list of all Allegheny County marriage records that meet your search parameters, with the following information included:

• Marriage license number
• Names of both parties to the marriage
• The date the license was issued
• Date of marriage

There is also an option for requesting a copy of the marriage record online. Since marriage records are public information, you can request the marriage record of another person. There are three types of marriage records you can request:

• Plain Copy – This record can be used for historical or personal reasons but can not be used for official matters. The fee for a plain copy is $4.00.
• Triple Seal – You can select this type of record if you need to use it for any type of legal matter within Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and the entire United States. This type of marriage record costs $10.00 per copy.
• Apostille – This type of marriage document can be used for handling legal matters outside the United States (e.g., a foreign adoption). Each apostille marriage record costs $10.00.

If you’d like to search marriage records before 1996, the Department of Court Records charges a $4.00 search fee and requires completion of their online Pre-1996 Marriage Records Request Form.⁶

To request records of marriage in person, you will have to have (at least) one spouse’s complete name and the year of the marriage. To do so, go to the Allegheny County Wills and Orphans Division at the below address:

City-County Building
Marriage Records Department
424 Grant St., 1st Floor
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

Their office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM. If you have any additional questions about the specific process for requesting marriage records, the office can be reached by phone at 412-350-4180.

Access Details of Allegheny County Divorces via the Department of Court Records

You can search for Allegheny County divorce records through the Civil and Family Division Department of Court Records Electronic Filing and Retrieval System.⁷ To use this search tool, parties must register for an account online.

Once you create an account and log in, follow these steps:

1.  Navigate to the Civil and Family Division section.
2. Select “Case Search.”
3. Next, you have the option of choosing if you want to search by case number, filing date, or litigant name. (Unless you have very specific information, you will likely search by an individual’s name).
4. Next, select “Family Division” where it asks for the Court Type.
5. You’ll then have the option to select a particular case type. Select “Divorce” for this option.
6. Enter the individual’s name.
7. Select any additional information to further filter your results such as the party type (e.g., plaintiff, defendant) you are searching and the case’s current status or date range.

Once you complete your search and select an individual, you’ll be granted access to detailed divorce records. The records allow you to find out various information, such as who the party was that filed for divorce and when the divorce certificate was issued. There is also detailed information on any docket entries and events scheduled (e.g., court dates for hearings) related to the divorce.

Another way to search public divorce records is to go in person to the Civil and Family Division Department of Court Records.⁸ You can visit them in person at the below address:

Department of Court Records
Civil and Family Division
City-County Building
414 Grant St., 1st Floor
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

The Family Records Department is open from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. For any specific divorce records questions, you can also call them at 412-350-5729.

How To Track Down Criminal Records in Allegheny County

Interested individuals can perform a free criminal record check through the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania Web Portal.⁹ Several options are available for how to search their public criminal records, including:

• Individual’s Name
• State ID Number
• Attorney
• Citation or Complaint Number
• Date Filed
• Docket Number
• Incident Number

Once you select from one of these options, you can select “Allegheny” for the county to ensure you’ll only be shown Allegheny County criminal records. For docket type, you should select criminal. You can further narrow down your results by including any of the below:

• A filing date range
• Date of birth for the defendant
• Case status (e.g., active, closed, adjudicated, etc.)

Once you find the person you’re seeking, you can get a variety of information from these criminal records. When you look up someone’s criminal record–unlike an arrest record–you can get a more complete and final picture of an individual’s criminal history. Here, detailed case information such as the docket number and a detailed history of every event that has happened in their criminal case will be available.

The search tool provides you with a PDF of the docket sheet and case summary where you can find details about hearings, case status, specific information about how a case was disposed of, and the individual’s sentence.

If you require more information, the criminal record will also provide you with a list of relevant third parties to the case, including:

• District Attorney
• Defendant’s Attorney
• Judge
• Arresting Officer

When looking for an arrest record, you can use the criminal record to assist with your search as they provide the arresting agency and police complaint number. Information on the individual’s bail status, along with the specific criminal statutes that the person was charged with, are accessible as well. There is additional information contained in the criminal record that may be useful to your search, so take your time to thoroughly look through the details.

If you prefer to search records in person, you can do so at the Allegheny County Courthouse Records Room located at the below address:

Allegheny County Courthouse
Criminal Division – Records Room
436 Grant St.
Room 220
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

In-person records are available for the current year and the previous 4 years. To look up any older records. they will have to be brought out from the courthouse’s storage facility. You can also perform a free public records search using computer terminals available at the courthouse.

For any further questions regarding criminal records in Allegheny County, you can call 412-350-5320. Actual case-related information will not be provided over the phone, but general questions can be answered.

Find Criminal Records Throughout Pennsylvania Using State & Federal Resources

If you have thoroughly searched Allegheny County public records and had trouble finding exactly what you were looking for–or you simply want to broaden your search to check if someone has a criminal record in another county in Pennsylvania–you can utilize certain additional state and federal resources to perform your search.

Here are the online tools you can use to search Pennsylvania public records and federal databases for criminal records:

• Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania Web Portal – Use this tool if you’d like to search criminal records throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. You can search criminal records throughout the entire state or specify a particular county.
• Megan’s Law Website (PA Sex Offender Registry) – Provided by the Pennsylvania State Police, this database can be searched for information about registered sexual offenders in the state. Perform an offender search by county, name, or other search options.¹⁰
• Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) – The Federal BOP provides the option to search for inmates incarcerated in any federal prison throughout the United States.¹¹
• United States Sex Offender Registry – Similar to the Pennsylvania Sex offender registry, this tool lets you can expand your search for subjects convicted of sex crimes beyond Pennsylvania to any state in the United States.¹²

How To Conduct a Background Check in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

The steps you need to take to conduct a background check depend on what type of background check you need. The type of background check needed is based on either the type of information you are looking for, or the reason you need the information.

If you’d prefer to perform a general search on yourself or others for personal reasons, you can conduct a personal background check. A personal background check can be done without a formal request and can be used for any reason that does not violate a criminal statute.

To perform a personal background check, simply use the online search tools and resources that have been outlined throughout this article to gather and review public information on anyone in Allegheny County.

On the other hand, a professional background check is typically done for a specific purpose. Often, individuals will be asked to get a background check if they are applying for a new job or to rent an apartment. Various state and federal laws will also require a background check for requests to purchase a firearm or to work or volunteer with certain age groups (e.g. children and the elderly).

For a professional background check, some additional guidelines must be adhered to. First, if the background check is for someone else, you are required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act to get their consent.¹³ When you get a background check, you have to be careful how you use the information.

For instance, if you use the information for discriminatory purposes, the person may file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).¹⁴

If you want to request a background check in Allegheny County, you can do so through the Pennsylvania State Police.¹⁵ While Allegheny County has many options for accessing criminal records, they do not specifically provide background check services.

You can submit an online request for a background check through the Pennsylvania State Police.¹⁶ There are two options: a standard record check and a volunteer record check.

The cost for a standard background check is $22.00, plus an additional $5.00 if you want the record notarized; alternatively, the volunteer record check is free.

When you submit a request online, you must first indicate whether you’re submitting an individual request or company request. After you make this selection, it will ask you to provide the reason for the request. Some of the options are listed below:

• Adoption
• Foster Care
• Employment
• Visa

You’ll then be asked for your personal information, or–if this is a request from a company–information about the company and the person you are requesting a background check for. If you’ve submitted a request online, there is an option to check the status of your background check.¹⁷ To check your status, have the control number provided when you made your request and the request date ready.

You can also submit a request for a background check by mail. Here are the applicable forms depending on your request:

• Criminal History Request Form – Use this form to request an official Pennsylvania background check.¹⁸
• Criminal History Request Form for Volunteers – This form can be utilized if a volunteer background check is needed.¹⁹
• Individual Access and Review Request Form – This type of request is only available to the person listed on the record or their legal representative.²⁰ It cannot be used for employment reasons. A $20.00 fee applies.

Completed forms can be mailed, along with the applicable fee, to the below address:

Pennsylvania State Police
Central Repository – RCPU
1800 Elmerton Ave.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110

For additional assistance with requesting a background check, check out the Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History Help Page or call 888-783-7972.²¹

How To Check for Active Warrants in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

To perform a warrant search in Allegheny County, you can use the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office Non-Support Search Tool.²² This tool can be used to check if someone has a warrant–specifically for not complying with a court order from the family court.

Run a search via this tool by looking up an individual with a non-support warrant by name. A comprehensive list of individuals with warrants is available as well. Try the search resource to view someone’s mugshot, along with basic descriptive information (e.g. DOB, sex, height, etc.) about the individual.

Another more expansive option is to perform a criminal record search using the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania Web Portal. This tool provides a detailed list of case events and hearings for a particular individual’s criminal case. Check criminal records here to see if any court actions were taken to issue a warrant for the person’s arrest.

The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Warrant Office is the main repository for criminal bench warrants and warrants for Protections From Abuse Orders. While they provide an online search tool for non-support and law enforcement (the Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assisting Network), they do not provide a search tool for the general public to search all warrants.

If you have specific questions regarding Allegheny County warrants, you can contact them at 412-350-4700 or in person at the below address:

Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office
436 Grant St.
Courthouse, 111
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

How To Access Allegheny County Probationer Details Using Case Record Search Tools

To determine whether someone is on probation, you can look up case information through the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania Web Portal. This tool provides sentencing information and can indicate whether or not an individual was sentenced to probation. Simply perform your criminal record search and look for the sentencing information.

If the sentencing details do not specifically indicate probation, you can determine the likelihood based on what type of crime they committed. If it was a misdemeanor and they were sentenced recently, there is a higher likelihood that the individual is still on probation.

The Department of Corrections search tool provides information about individuals released from prison that are out on parole but does not specifically provide probation information. Individuals on parole are typically people that were sentenced to prison for a more serious crime and have now been released under court-ordered supervision.

If you have additional questions about probation, contact the County of Allegheny Criminal Division’s Adult Probation Department at 412-350-2320 or visit them in person from Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM at the below address:

Allegheny County Criminal Division
Adult Probation
564 Forbes Ave.
12th Floor
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

How To View Court Records in Allegheny County Using Online Case Search Portals

To perform an Allegheny County case search, a couple of options are available depending on what type of court records you’re looking to access. Here are the available online search tools for court records:

• Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania Web Portal – Allows online users to specifically search for Allegheny County judicial records for the following types of cases:
  • Civil
  • Criminal
  • Landlord and Tenant Cases
  • Traffic
  • Non-Traffic
  • Summary Appeal
  • Miscellaneous
•  Electronic Filing and Retrieval System – This tool is helpful for those who want to search civil and family cases in Allegheny County.

You also have the option to look up Allegheny County court records in person at the relevant courthouse. Here is the contact information for all courthouses in Allegheny County:

Court Type	Address	Phone Number
Civil Division	City-County Building 414 Grant St., Seventh and Eighth Floors Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219	412-350-5400
Criminal Division	436 Grant St. 534 Courthouse Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219	412-350-5500
Family Division	440 Ross St. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219	412-350-5600
Orphans’ Court	1700 Frick Bldg. 437 Grant St. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	412-350-5550
Magisterial District Courts	340 Frick Bldg. 437 Grant St. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219	412-350-5485
Pittsburgh Municipal Court	Municipal Courts Building 660 First Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219	412-350-6715

Note: Before you visit one of these courthouses to search for court records, it is good practice to contact them to determine their process for searching for records in person.

How To Locate Other Vital Records in Allegheny County: Birth & Death Certificates

You can find and request most birth and death certificates through the Pennsylvania Department of Health Vital Records Division.²³ Here, you can access birth and death records in all of Pennsylvania from 1906 to present.

To request a birth certificate or certificate of death, you must be one of the following individuals:

• Person listed on the certificate of birth
• Parent (including step-parent with appropriate identification)
• Spouse
• Sibling
• Child (including stepchildren)
• Grandparent or great grandparent
• Grandchild or great grandchild
• Power of attorney
• Attorney of the person on the birth certificate

For death records only, these additional individuals can make a request:

• Attorney or legal representative of the estate
• Representative of the decedent’s estate (responsible during the probate process)
• An individual that has a direct financial interest in the decedent
• Extended family members who can prove a direct relationship with the estate

The fee for each birth or death record is $20.00, with an additional $10.00 processing fee for online requests. Here are your options for requesting a birth or death record:

Online — You can request a birth or death record online through the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Online Vital Record Ordering System. Follow the prompts and provide the information requested. You will need to provide information such as date of birth or death, reason for the request, and personal information.

Mail — If you would like to make a request by mail, first complete either the Application for Birth Certificate or the Application for Death Certificate.^{25, 26} Mail the signed completed application, along with the application fee and a copy of your government-issued identification, to one of the below addresses:

Division of Vital Records
Birth Certificate Processing Unit
P.O. Box 1528
New Castle, Pennsylvania 16103

Division of Vital Records
Death Certificate Processing Unit
P.O. Box 1528
New Castle, Pennsylvania 16103

In Person — You can also submit your request in person by bringing your completed application to any of the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Public Offices. For Allegheny County, the closest office is at the address listed below:

Pennsylvania Department of Health
411 7th Avenue, Rm. 360
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

If you need older birth or death records for an ancestry search or other purpose, you can request them through the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh at the below address:²⁷

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Genealogy Department
4400 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213

Birth and death records dating back to 1870 are accessible here. For additional information on how to search these Allegheny County public records about birth and death events, you can call the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh at 412-622-3114.

How To Acquire Property Records Through the Allegheny County Division of Real Estate

If you want to check public records for property information, you can perform an online search through the Allegheny County Division of Real Estate.²⁸ They provide a couple of online search tools.

One resource is the Allegheny County Real Estate Portal, where users can search real estate property located in Allegheny County by either address or parcel number.²⁹ The tool provides you with various tax-related information as well as information about the property itself and its owner’s history.

It also allows you to view comparable properties and provides a map that shows a particular real estate’s property lines.

The Division of Real Estate also provides a Recorded Land Documents Search Tool to conduct searches for deeds and mortgages of properties in Allegheny County.³⁰ They also provide other information, such as:

• Block and lot maps
• Historic plat maps
• Property history cards
• Subdivision plans

To request property records in person or by mail, either send in a Request Form or visit the below address:

Department of Real Estate
County Office Building
Room 101
542 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

An Overview of Searching Allegheny County Public Records

There are many uses for various types of Allegheny County public information. If you are moving into the county, you may want to learn more about the neighborhood–including the property and the people that live there. Alternatively, you may have a legal matter to deal with and find a need for an official copy of your marriage record or birth certificate.

Fortunately, there are many ways to locate these documents. A summary of the tools and resources you can use when searching for these records is found here:

• Inmate Search – PA Inmate Locator (by county)
• Court Records – Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania Web Portal.
• Civil & Family (including divorce) Court Records – Electronic Filing and Retrieval System
• Marriage Records – Allegheny County Department of Court Records
• Vital Records (Birth & Death) – Pennsylvania Department of Health
• Property Records
  • Allegheny County Real Estate Portal
  • Recorded Land Documents Search Tool.

These tools can be an immense help and save you a lot of time when searching for Allegheny County public records.