Clerk of Courts Role in Dauphin County Criminal Records
The Dauphin County Clerk of Courts is the local criminal record custodian for Court of Common Pleas criminal cases. The office is located at the Dauphin County Courthouse, 101 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101, and handles criminal filings, docketed orders, certified criminal copies, pleas, sentencing paperwork, and other records after a case reaches the Court of Common Pleas.
Use UJS Case Search to locate the public docket sheet, docket number, OTN, charge list, and status. Contact the Clerk of Courts for official copies or when the online docket is incomplete. County office information is available from dauphincounty.gov.
How to Search Dauphin County Criminal Court Records
Criminal records can begin in a Magisterial District Court and later move to the Court of Common Pleas. Newly arrested people may be processed through Central Booking and Night Court at 451 Mall Road, Harrisburg, while the public court docket appears under the issuing MDJ or the Common Pleas criminal docket.
- Search UJS Case Search by participant name, docket number, OTN, citation number, or police incident-related identifier when available.
- Select Dauphin County and the correct court type: Magisterial District Court for preliminary or summary matters, Court of Common Pleas for county criminal cases.
- Open the docket sheet and review the charge list, grading, statute references, bail entries, preliminary hearing history, and case status.
- For certified copies or complete case documents, contact the Dauphin County Clerk of Courts rather than relying only on the online docket.
- For fines, costs, restitution, or traffic-related criminal payments, use PAePay through the UJS portal when the case is eligible.
Charges, Pleas, Dispositions, and Sentences
A criminal docket may list one charge or many charges from the same arrest or complaint. Each charge can have its own statute, grade, offense date, disposition, and sentence result. A person may be charged, have charges amended or dismissed, enter a plea, proceed to trial, receive a sentence, or later return on a probation or parole violation.
| Record Item | What It Means |
|---|---|
| OTN | Offense tracking number that links a criminal event across police, MDJ, and court records. |
| Information | The formal charging document filed by the prosecutor in the Court of Common Pleas. |
| Plea | The defendant's response or negotiated case resolution, such as guilty, not guilty, or nolo contendere when applicable. |
| Disposition | The outcome of an individual charge, including guilty, dismissed, withdrawn, not guilty, or nolle prosequi. |
| Sentence | The penalty or order imposed, such as confinement, probation, fines, costs, restitution, or conditions. |
From Magisterial District Court to the Court of Common Pleas
Many Dauphin County criminal cases start before an MDJ with a preliminary arraignment, bail decision, or preliminary hearing. Summary cases and many traffic matters may remain at the MDJ level. Misdemeanor and felony cases can move to the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas after preliminary proceedings.
Central Booking and Night Court at 451 Mall Road is a processing point, not the final record custodian for a Common Pleas criminal file. If a person was recently arrested, jail and booking information may appear separately from the formal court record. For custody status, use the county inmate lookup resources; for the criminal file, use UJS and the Clerk of Courts.
District Attorney and Public Defender in Criminal Cases
The Dauphin County District Attorney is Francis T. Chardo. The District Attorney's Office is at the Dauphin County Courthouse, 2nd Floor, 101 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101, phone 717-780-6767. The office prosecutes thousands of cases each year before the Court of Common Pleas and appellate courts and coordinates with police agencies and victim/witness services. The DA's public resources include CRIMEWATCH and law-enforcement open records information.
The Dauphin County Public Defender is Mary Klatt, Chief Public Defender. The office is at the Dauphin County Administration Building, 2 South 2nd Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101, phone 717-780-6370. The office represents financially eligible people in criminal cases where counsel is constitutionally guaranteed and instructs applicants to apply five business days before a scheduled hearing when possible.
Bail, Warrants, and Rule 150 Hearings
Criminal dockets can show bail entries, bench warrants, revocation activity, failure-to-appear events, and later orders resolving those events. Dauphin County Criminal Court Administration notes that a person jailed on a bench or arrest warrant is entitled to appear before a judge within 72 hours of apprehension to determine bail pending the next court date under Rule 150 procedures described in the county research.
No confirmed official countywide public active-warrant list was documented. A warrant question should be checked through the issuing docket, the MDJ office, Criminal Court Administration, the Clerk of Courts, counsel, or the bail office as appropriate. The county's Court Notification Program provides text and email reminders to help prevent failure-to-appear warrants.
Court Costs, PAePay, Expungement, and Limited Access
Dauphin County criminal fines, costs, restitution, and payment plans may be payable through PAePay when the UJS portal marks the case eligible. PAePay accepts major card types and applies a non-refundable service fee. If an old case does not appear or payment fails, contact the office listed on the docket.
Public access has limits. Juvenile delinquency records, sealed records, expunged matters, limited-access criminal records, victim information, confidential personal identifiers, and some active investigative information may be hidden or redacted. A dismissed charge may still appear unless it is expunged or restricted by a court order or applicable Pennsylvania rule.
Background Check Considerations
Criminal dockets are public court records, but they are not the same as an FCRA-compliant consumer background report. Employers, landlords, lenders, insurers, and screening companies must follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act and any applicable Pennsylvania rules when using criminal history information for regulated decisions.
Important: Do not treat an online docket as proof of identity, conviction, or eligibility for any FCRA-regulated decision.