Pennsylvania Background Check


Conduct a thorough criminal background check in Pennsylvania by searching criminal history, Pennsylvania court records, find current past addresses, check Pennsylvania prison, jail inmate records, and Pennsylvania department of corrections records. Also check Pennsylvania professional licenses and other credentials.



Free Background Check in Pennsylvania

Why does PATCH exist?

Its purpose is to better enable the public to obtain criminal history record checks. The repository was created and is maintained in accordance with Pennsylvania's Criminal History Information Act contained in Chapter 91 of Title 18, Crimes Code. This Act also directs the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) to disseminate criminal history data to criminal justice agencies, non-criminal justice agencies and individuals on request. Criminal justice agencies can access all of an individual's criminal history record information (CHRI). Requests made by noncriminal justice agencies and individuals are subject to edit criteria contained in the law.

The PATCH web site is available for registered and non-registered users wishing to acquire criminal history information on individuals. Users must agree to abide by all sections of the Criminal History Record Information Act and all terms stated forthwith.

There is a $10.00 non-refundable fee for each request, regardless of outcome. Payment is accepted by credit card or by billing a pre-established account. Customers will be charged for misspelling, duplicate submissions and other user errors.

All customers must have a valid email address in order to receive vital information from the PATCH administrators. Businesses may apply for a PATCH account. If a business customer application is approved, an account will be established and a user name and password will be emailed to the customer. All registered users are responsible for the security of their user identification and password. It is also the responsibility of the registered user to maintain accurate information in PATCH relating to their account.



What Is an Pennsylvania Background Check?

An Pennsylvania Background Check offers a comprehensive search in public records for:

  • Vital records, like births, deaths, marriages, and divorces
  • Current contact information and previous addresses
  • Criminal records, convictions and prison records or sex offender registration
  • Civil court filings, like civil judgments
  • Tax liens and bankruptcies
  • Records of real estate ownership and registered assets
  • Professional and business licenses

Pennsylvania background check is available through the state or through premium data aggregation services who conduct public record data searches and provide you with a report.. Each state, and sometimes each county, has different rules on how much information is available and who can access background check data. Therefore a background check may still not contain every record about a person, however in most cases it is very thorough. Most premium background check services use multiple databases of public records in order to provide you with their background reports.



Learn More About Background Checks