Arrest Records in Montour County
Montour County arrest records are maintained through the Columbia-Montour Courts system in Danville, Pennsylvania. Montour is the smallest county by area in Pennsylvania and shares its judicial district with Columbia County. Despite its small size, the county has a full public records system for criminal cases. This page explains how to search Montour County arrest records online, in person, and through the statewide PATCH criminal history database.
Montour County Quick Facts
Columbia-Montour Courts and Montour County Records
Montour County is part of the 26th Judicial District, which it shares with Columbia County. The combined court system is called Columbia-Montour Courts. The Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts for this district is an independently elected public official who maintains both civil and criminal records for the Court of Common Pleas. President Judge Honorable Gary E. Norton oversees the district.
The Prothonotary office at 29 Mill Street, Danville, PA 17821 handles all court filings and record requests. The phone number is 570-271-3012. Criminal records from Montour County go through this office, which indexes every document filed in a case. You can request records in person during business hours. The office handles everything from recent arrest dockets to older historical records. Local rules of judicial administration govern how records are kept and released in the 26th Judicial District.
The Columbia-Montour Courts Prothonotary page has current information on filing procedures, fees, and how to submit record requests. Digital media exhibits are accepted on USB, CD-ROM, or DVD under the court's exhibit rules. Records are filed within five business days after any court proceeding.
The Columbia-Montour Courts website covers the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts functions for both Montour County and Columbia County criminal records.
| Office |
Columbia-Montour Courts Prothonotary / Clerk of Courts 29 Mill Street Danville, PA 17821 Phone: 570-271-3012 |
|---|---|
| Judicial District | 26th Judicial District (shared with Columbia County) |
| Website | columbiamontourcourts.com |
Searching Montour County Arrest Records Online
The best free tool for searching Montour County arrest records online is the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Portal. Go to ujsportal.pacourts.us and search by participant name, case number, or filing date. The portal shows criminal dockets from both the Court of Common Pleas and the Magisterial District Courts serving Montour County.
Montour County dockets show the charges filed, hearing dates, and final dispositions. Traffic court records from the local district courts are also searchable. Court calendars for upcoming hearings are published on the portal. All basic searches are free. For copies of actual case documents, you need to contact the Prothonotary office in Danville directly. The shared 26th Judicial District means some results may also include cases from Columbia County, so review the county listed on each docket carefully when searching Montour County arrest records.
Note: Montour County is a small jurisdiction, so the number of active cases at any one time is lower than in larger counties. If a record does not appear online, contact the Danville office to check whether it is in a format not yet loaded to the portal.
PATCH Criminal History Check for Montour County
Pennsylvania's PATCH system covers arrest records from every county in the state, including Montour. The fee is $22 per check. You can submit requests online at epatch.state.pa.us or by mail using Form SP 4-164.
Montour County has limited municipal police coverage. Danville Police and the Pennsylvania State Police are the primary law enforcement agencies that generate arrest data for the county. The State Police provide coverage for most of the rural areas in Montour County. All arrests by these agencies are recorded in the statewide system and show up in a PATCH report. Notarized copies of criminal history reports are available for an added fee if you need them for legal or official purposes.
The Pennsylvania State Police maintains this system statewide. Their agency page is at pa.gov/agencies/psp. A PATCH report covers all Pennsylvania arrests, not just Montour County, so it gives you a complete picture of someone's criminal history in this state.
Pennsylvania Courts Public Records Access
The Pennsylvania Courts website provides a broader public records resource that covers Montour County along with all other courts in the state. Visit pacourts.us/public-records to find guidelines on requesting court records, understanding what is public, and which records may be restricted under state law.
The Pennsylvania Courts public records page explains access rules under state law and links to the UJS Portal for online docket searches across all 67 counties including Montour County.
Under the Pennsylvania Criminal History Record Information Act at 18 Pa.C.S. section 9101, adult criminal arrest records are generally public. Expunged records are the main exception. If a record has been expunged under Pennsylvania law, it will not appear in standard public searches, including searches for Montour County arrest records through the UJS Portal or PATCH.
Right-to-Know Requests in Montour County
Any person can request public records from Montour County government agencies under Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law. Criminal dockets, arrest records, and court files are generally open to the public. Formal requests give you a legal path to records that may not be available online.
To submit a Right-to-Know request for Montour County court records, write to the Prothonotary at 29 Mill Street, Danville, PA 17821. For police records, direct your request to the Danville Police Department or the Pennsylvania State Police barracks that covers Montour County. The Office of Open Records at openrecords.pa.gov has a standard request form and a directory of open records officers. The Right-to-Know Law is found at 65 P.S. section 67.101 and sets clear deadlines for agencies to respond to your request.
Historical records at the Prothonotary office in Danville go back to the county's founding. Common Pleas dockets from as far back as 1850 are on file. Older records may need more time to locate and copy, so plan ahead if you need historical Montour County arrest or court records.
Note: The Department of Corrections inmate locator at inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov can tell you whether someone convicted in Montour County is currently in state custody and which facility holds them.
Nearby Counties
Montour County is a small county in central Pennsylvania bordered by several other counties. Each neighboring county keeps its own set of arrest records and criminal dockets. If you are not sure which county to search, check the address where the arrest took place.