Schuylkill County Arrest Records Search
Schuylkill County arrest records are held at the Schuylkill County Courthouse in Pottsville. The county sits in the coal region of eastern Pennsylvania and was formed in 1811 from parts of Berks and Northampton counties. The Clerk of Courts maintains all criminal records for cases filed in Schuylkill County. You can search arrest records through the courthouse, the Unified Judicial System portal, and the statewide PATCH database. This page covers how each of these options works and what you can expect to find.
Schuylkill County Quick Facts
Schuylkill County Clerk of Courts
The Schuylkill County Clerk of Courts maintains all criminal court records for the county. The office is at 401 N. 2nd Street, Pottsville, PA 17901-2528. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Archives and Records Management are in the same building, which makes it easier to access both current and older Schuylkill County arrest records in one visit.
The Clerk of Courts office in Schuylkill County keeps records for felony cases, misdemeanors, and summary appeals. The Prothonotary, which is in the same courthouse, maintains civil court records. If you are not sure which office has what you need, call the courthouse first. Schuylkill County was formed in 1811, and historical records going back many years are part of the collection here.
The Schuylkill County records resource at schuylkillrecords.us lists courthouse details and available records. The image below is from that resource.
In-person inspection of Schuylkill County arrest records is free. Public access terminals are available at the courthouse for on-site searching. Copy fees are $0.25 per page for standard copies and $8 per page for certified copies. Bring your ID and any case details when visiting the Pottsville courthouse for Schuylkill County criminal records.
Note: The Clerk of Courts in Schuylkill County accepts Right-to-Know requests for records that fall under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, though many court records are governed by the court's own public access policy instead.
Schuylkill County Criminal Records and Arrest Data
Schuylkill County reported 2,474 crime-related arrests in 2022. The top offense categories that year included other assaults at 769 arrests, drug addiction offenses at 494 arrests, and DUI at 422 arrests. These numbers reflect the range of criminal matters that generate Schuylkill County arrest records each year.
The Schuylkill County Sheriff's Office is located at 401 North Second Street, Pottsville, PA 17901. The phone number is (570) 628-1440 and the fax is (570) 628-1014. The Sheriff's Office handles warrant-related matters and coordinates with local police departments and the state police on criminal cases throughout Schuylkill County.
Schuylkill County has several active municipal police departments, including Pottsville Police, Tamaqua Police, and Shenandoah Police. The Pennsylvania State Police cover rural sections of the county. All of these agencies report arrests to the PATCH system, so a PATCH search covers the entire county's law enforcement activity.
Online Court Records for Schuylkill County
The Unified Judicial System portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us is the main online tool for searching Schuylkill County arrest records. You can search by case type, participant name, case number, or filing date. The steps are: visit the UJS portal, select Case Search, click Search By, choose the case type, and enter the information you have. Basic searches are free.
The UJS portal covers both the Court of Common Pleas and Magisterial District Judge records for Schuylkill County. Criminal dockets show charges, hearing dates, and dispositions. You can also find civil case information through the same portal. Court calendars for Schuylkill County are published here as well.
If the online records are not current enough for your needs, visit the courthouse in Pottsville during business hours. Staff can help you search for a case. The courthouse has public access terminals for on-site searching of Schuylkill County criminal records.
PATCH Access for Schuylkill County Records
The Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History system covers all Schuylkill County arrest records that have been reported to the state. The standard fee is $22 per search. You can request a criminal history check online at epatch.pa.gov. Account creation is required on the PATCH website before you can submit a request.
For mail requests, use Form SP 4-164 and send it with payment to the Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository at 1800 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9758. You can also request a criminal history check by written application for $10 payable to the Pennsylvania State Police. Results from PATCH cover all Pennsylvania arrests tied to the person, not just Schuylkill County records.
Notarized copies of criminal history records are available from the State Police for an additional fee. The PATCH helpline at 1-888-QUERY-PA (1-888-783-7972) can help with questions about what is in the database or how to read a result. The Criminal History Record Information Act, 18 Pa.C.S. Section 9101, governs how these records are collected and shared.
Note: The PATCH system may not include very recent Schuylkill County arrests until the local agency enters the disposition data into the state repository, so a UJS portal search may show more current case information.
Right-to-Know and Record Access in Schuylkill County
The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law gives the public the right to request records from government agencies. The law is codified at 65 P.S. Section 67.101 and administered through the Office of Open Records at openrecords.pa.gov. You can submit a Right-to-Know request to the Schuylkill County Sheriff's Office or municipal police departments for arrest records in their custody.
Requests should describe the records you want in enough detail for the agency to locate them. Include the name of the person arrested, the approximate date, and any case number if you have it. The agency must respond within five business days. If access is denied, the agency must cite the specific exemption in the law. You can appeal a denial to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records.
Court records in Schuylkill County follow the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's public access policy rather than RTKL. These records are generally open to the public for in-person inspection at the courthouse. Some records may be sealed or contain redacted personal information per court rules. Most adult criminal records and Schuylkill County arrest records filed with the court are public documents.
The Pennsylvania State Police also publishes Public Information Release Reports with county-level arrest data. These are available at pa.gov/agencies/psp. These reports are useful for understanding broader crime trends in Schuylkill County and the surrounding coal region.
Nearby Counties
Schuylkill County borders Carbon, Luzerne, Columbia, Northumberland, Dauphin, Berks, and Lebanon counties. If an arrest happened near the border of one of these counties, the records may be filed there instead. Always verify the exact location of the arrest before deciding where to search.