Montgomery County Arrest Records
Montgomery County arrest records are public documents held by the Clerk of Courts and the Court of Common Pleas in Norristown. The county is the second most populous in Pennsylvania, with a large network of local police departments and 30 Magisterial District Courts. If you need to find arrest or criminal case records for someone in Montgomery County, this guide covers every route available, from online docket searches to in-person requests at the courthouse.
Montgomery County Quick Facts
Montgomery County Clerk of Courts
The Clerk of Courts in Montgomery County is the official keeper of criminal case records for the Court of Common Pleas. Clerk Lori Schreiber has held this office since January 2020. The office maintains a computerized index and docket of every document filed in a criminal matter. Staff can help you locate records, pull case files, and provide copies during regular business hours.
The office is at Court House, 2 East Airy Street, 2nd Floor, Norristown, PA 19404. Free public access terminals are available on site. You can walk in and search by name or case number without any fee for basic lookup. Certified copies and paper copies carry a per-page charge. The office accepts requests in person, by mail, and in some cases through the county website. Call ahead to confirm what you need to bring before making the trip to Norristown.
The Montgomery County Clerk of Courts office page lists current hours, staff contacts, and forms you may need for your request. That page also has links to public record search tools maintained by the county.
The Clerk of Courts page shows the address, phone number, and public access options for Montgomery County criminal records in Norristown.
| Office |
Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Court House, 2 E. Airy Street, 2nd Floor Norristown, PA 19404-0311 |
|---|---|
| Hours | Monday through Friday, regular business hours |
| Website | montgomerycountypa.gov/307/Clerk-of-Courts |
How to Find Montgomery County Arrest Records
There are several ways to search for Montgomery County arrest records. Online tools handle most basic lookups. In-person visits are best when you need certified copies or want to review a full case file. Both methods are open to the public under Pennsylvania law.
The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us is the primary free tool for searching Montgomery County criminal dockets online. You can look up cases by party name, docket number, or filing date. The portal shows charges, hearing dates, dispositions, and court costs. All 30 Magisterial District Courts in Montgomery County are included, along with the Court of Common Pleas for the 38th Judicial District. Basic searches are free, and results are updated regularly.
Montgomery County also has a dedicated Public Record Searches page that links to online docket tools. That page explains what fields are searchable, including docket number, case caption, case status, filing date, and date of birth. The county's 30 Magisterial District Courts cover the entire suburban Philadelphia area, and their dockets are all accessible through the UJS Portal.
Note: When searching by name, try both the full legal name and any known variations to make sure you find all relevant Montgomery County arrest records.
Pennsylvania PATCH and Montgomery County Criminal History
The Pennsylvania State Police PATCH system gives you a statewide criminal history check that includes every arrest in Montgomery County going back years. PATCH stands for Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History. You submit a request and receive a report listing all arrests, charges, and dispositions recorded across the state for one person.
The fee for a standard PATCH check is $22. You can submit online at epatch.state.pa.us or by mail using Form SP 4-164. Mailed requests go to the Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Records and Identification. The report includes all Pennsylvania arrests, not just Montgomery County records. If you need a notarized copy, an extra fee applies. Many employers and courts in Montgomery County accept PATCH results as official criminal history.
Montgomery County has a large law enforcement presence. Norristown Police, Abington Police, and Cheltenham Police are among the local departments that feed arrest data into the statewide system. Pennsylvania State Police also patrol highways and cover some areas of the county. All of their arrest records flow into the PATCH database. The Pennsylvania State Police agency page is at pa.gov/agencies/psp.
The Pennsylvania UJS Portal provides free online access to criminal dockets from all 67 counties, including full Montgomery County arrest and case records.
Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Records
Montgomery County is in the 38th Judicial District. The Court of Common Pleas has five divisions: civil, criminal, family, juvenile, and orphans. Criminal Division records are what most people need when searching for Montgomery County arrest records tied to felony or serious misdemeanor charges. The Criminal Court Administrator is Michael Kehs, Esq., and the court has four full-time judges.
Cases start in one of the 30 Magisterial District Courts across Montgomery County. The magistrate handles arraignments, bail, and preliminary hearings. If a case is held for trial or bound over, it moves to the Court of Common Pleas Criminal Division. Every step of that process creates a public record you can search in the UJS Portal or request from the Clerk of Courts in Norristown.
The Deputy Court Administrator for Montgomery County is John Savoth, Esq. The court calendar shows upcoming hearings and can be found on the UJS Portal. Court records in the Criminal Division include charges, plea agreements, sentencing orders, and all filed motions. These records are open to the public under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law.
Note: Some juvenile records and certain sealed cases in Montgomery County may not appear in public docket searches. Contact the Clerk of Courts directly if you believe a record should exist but cannot find it online.
Inmate and Custody Records for Montgomery County
If someone has been sentenced to state prison after a Montgomery County conviction, their location is searchable through the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections inmate locator. Go to inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov to search by name or inmate number. The tool shows current facility, minimum release date, and sentence details for state-sentenced individuals.
For people held locally in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility while awaiting trial, contact the facility directly. The jail roster is separate from the state inmate database. Bookings at the county level are recorded by local law enforcement and flow into court records once charges are filed. The UJS Portal typically shows open cases for anyone recently arrested and charged in Montgomery County.
Right-to-Know Requests in Montgomery County
Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law lets any person request public records from government agencies, including Montgomery County courts and law enforcement offices. Arrest records, booking information, and criminal dockets are generally open to the public. A formal Right-to-Know request is one way to get these records when online tools do not have what you need.
To submit a Right-to-Know request in Montgomery County, write to the open records officer for the agency that holds the record. For court records, that is the Clerk of Courts at 2 East Airy Street in Norristown. For police records, contact the specific municipal department or the Pennsylvania State Police. The Office of Open Records at openrecords.pa.gov provides forms, guidance, and a directory of open records officers across Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Criminal History Record Information Act, found at 18 Pa.C.S. section 9101, governs how criminal records are maintained and who can access them. Under this statute, most adult criminal arrest records in Montgomery County are public. Expunged or limited access records are an exception and will not appear in standard public searches.
Cities in Montgomery County
Montgomery County covers a large suburban area west and north of Philadelphia. Lower Merion is one of the most well-known communities in the county, located along the Main Line corridor. Criminal cases from Lower Merion and other townships are handled through the Magisterial District Courts and the Court of Common Pleas in Norristown.
Nearby Counties
Montgomery County borders several other Pennsylvania counties. If you are searching for arrest records and are not sure which county to check, use the county where the arrest or court case occurred. Each county has its own Clerk of Courts and its own docket entries in the UJS Portal.