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PA Criminal Record Check
Prepare a PA criminal-record check around the requested certificate, with the right identifiers and a traceable PATCH request.
Choose the Pennsylvania product by what the recipient actually requires
| Product or source | Current route / fee | Use it for — and do not confuse it with |
|---|---|---|
| PSP criminal history check (PATCH) | Pennsylvania State Police PATCH online or Form SP 4-164 by mail. $22; notarization is available for an additional $5. | A Pennsylvania law-enforcement criminal-history check. PSP says online and mail requests are checked against Pennsylvania law-enforcement criminal-history records only, not federal records. |
| PSP volunteer criminal history check | PATCH volunteer request online or Form SP 4-164A. Free; it cannot be notarized. | A volunteer PSP criminal-history product. Do not order the paid individual product simply because a background check is requested if the organization specifically requires the volunteer clearance. |
| PSP Individual Access and Review | Form SP 4-170 by mail only. $20; it cannot be notarized. See the PSP check types. | Personal access/review of your Pennsylvania criminal-history information. It is a separate purpose and submission path from a standard PATCH check. |
| Pennsylvania UJS court case information | UJS court case information provides free public docket information for criminal Common Pleas and Magisterial District Court cases. | A court-case locator/docket source. The judiciary expressly says court case information should not be used in place of a criminal-history background check from Pennsylvania State Police. |
| Purpose-specific child-related clearances | The Pennsylvania DHS clearances guidance says required clearances may include the PSP Criminal History Clearance, Child Abuse History Clearance, and FBI Criminal History Clearance, depending on the role. | A statutory/licensing clearance package. A basic PATCH result does not automatically substitute for every required child-related or fingerprint-based product. |
“Certified,” “notarized,” and “court-certified copy” are not the same request
PATCH offers notarization
The current PSP service page says the $22 individual criminal-history check can be notarized for an additional $5. If a recipient says “certified background check,” confirm whether it actually means this notarized PSP result.
Volunteer PATCH cannot be notarized
Pennsylvania lists the volunteer criminal-history check as free and not notarizable. If a volunteer organization asks for a specific clearance package, follow that requirement instead of trying to add a notarization option that PSP does not offer for the volunteer product.
A court-certified filing is a different document
A docket found through UJS identifies a court case. When a recipient needs the actual judgment, order, or another filed document with court certification, request that document from the court that holds the case rather than relabeling a PATCH certificate or web docket.
Federal fingerprints are purpose-specific
For DHS child-related purposes, the FBI fingerprinting guidance uses a service-code registration process and warns that an FBI result obtained through another department or entity is not portable for DHS purposes. The purpose code matters.
Order and track a PATCH request without losing the audit trail
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01
Pick the correct PSP request type
Choose standard individual, volunteer, or Individual Access and Review based on the recipient’s instructions and your purpose. The fees and notarization options differ.
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Submit through the correct channel
The PSP page identifies PATCH as the fastest route for the standard criminal-history check, while Individual Access and Review is mail-only.
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Keep the control number and request date
Pennsylvania says online request status can be checked at PATCH using the control number and request date. If a mailed request does not yet have a control number, PSP provides a phone option to obtain it.
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Treat an unfinished request as unfinished
Do not infer a criminal record from a processing status. Wait for the issued result or follow the official status/contact route rather than submitting duplicate paid requests without understanding the first request.
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Use UJS only when you need case-level detail
If the PATCH result or another document points to a particular court matter, use UJS case information to locate the docket, then contact the filing court for the exact court document if required.
Before sending a Pennsylvania result, match it to the purpose
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Employment or general screening
Confirm whether the recipient accepts the standard PSP criminal-history check and whether notarization is required.
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Volunteer role
Check whether the free volunteer PATCH product is the requested PSP clearance and whether other clearances are also required for the role.
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Personal record review
Use Individual Access and Review when the task is to inspect your own Pennsylvania criminal-history information through that specific PSP process.
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Child-related employment, foster/adoptive, or covered volunteer work
Review the DHS clearance set. Depending on the role, Pennsylvania may require PSP, Child Abuse History, FBI, and in some situations out-of-state clearances.
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Federal fingerprint requirement
Use the service code and agency route required for the purpose. The DHS FBI page specifically states that an FBI result from another department/entity is not portable for DHS purposes.
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Court document requirement
If the recipient wants a certified judgment, docket, or other filing, obtain the court document from the court rather than substituting a PATCH result or UJS screen.
Do not substitute one Pennsylvania record product for another
PATCH ≠ UJS docket ≠ purpose-specific clearance package
Pennsylvania’s own sources separate these products. PATCH is the State Police criminal-history route and is limited to Pennsylvania law-enforcement criminal-history records; UJS is public court case information; and DHS clearances can require multiple checks for covered child-related roles. Match the product to the recipient’s wording before paying, fingerprinting, or forwarding a document.