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LIMITS ON PUBLIC ACCESS TO UNIFIED JUDICIAL SYSTEM CASE RECORDS
Subject Area
Record Description
Accessibility
Authority
Civil
Civil
Jurors Notes.
Complaints filed in magisterial district
courts.
Commonwealth Court
Child Line Registry Cases.
Criminal
Criminal
Juror's Address.
No Public Access.
Sealed affidavit of probable cause for a
search warrant.
Pa.R.C.P. No. 223.2.
Pa.R.C.P.M.D.J. No. 803.
Admin. Order No. 126 Misc.
Docket No. 3 (February 8,
2013).
Commonwealth v. Long, 922
A.2d 892 (Pa. 2007).
Pa.R.Crim.P. 211.
No Public Access. Collected and
destroyed post-trial.
No Public Access to the minor’s
name in a complaint. Minors shall
be designated by the initials of
their first and last name.
No Public Access to documents in
the case except Orders and
Opinions wherein the court shall
use initials of the minor child
involved rather than full name.
No Public Access while sealed.
The affidavit may not be sealed
for more than 60 days unless an
extension is received. Extensions
may not be longer than 30 days,
but an unlimited number of
extensions are available. Public
may access the affidavit after it
has been unsealed.
No Public Access until warrant is
executed.
A court may delay public access
for good cause for up to 72 hours.
In addition, a court may seal arrest
warrant information for a longer
period of time.
Criminal
Criminal
Unexecuted Search Warrant.
Arrest Warrant Information.
Pa.R.Crim.P. 212(A).
Pa.R.Crim.P. 513(C),
Pa.R.Crim.P. 513.1.
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No public access. Information
only accessible by the defendant,
counsel for the defendant, the
issuing authority or judge setting
bail, the attorney for the
Commonwealth, and the
department of probation or parole
preparing a presentence report
regarding the defendant.
No Public Access - the motion
and order are sealed.
No Public Access. Disclosure may
be granted to attorney for the
Commonwealth, defendant in a
criminal case, witnesses, law
enforcement personnel, and upon
motion when necessary.
No Public Access.
Pa.R.Crim.P. 556.2.
Pa.R.Crim.P. 556.10.
Motion filed by attorney for the
Commonwealth to present the matter to
an indicting grand jury and subsequent
order.
All indicting grand jury proceedings and
related documents.
Sealed indictments.
Pa.R.Crim.P. 556.11(E).
Sealed records concerning mental health
experts.
Sealed written statements pertaining to
protective orders.
No Public Access.
Pa.R.Crim.P. 569.
Pa.R.Crim.P. 573(F).
No Public Access. The entire text
of the statement shall be sealed
and preserved in the records of the
court to be made available to the
appellate court(s) in the event of
an appeal.
LIMITS ON PUBLIC ACCESS TO UNIFIED JUDICIAL SYSTEM CASE RECORDS
Subject Area
Record Description
Accessibility
Authority
Pa.R.Crim.P. 530(C).
Criminal
Information obtained from or
concerning the defendant by a bail
agency.
Criminal
Criminal
Criminal
Criminal
Criminal
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LIMITS ON PUBLIC ACCESS TO UNIFIED JUDICIAL SYSTEM CASE RECORDS
Subject Area
Record Description
Accessibility
Authority
Sealed plea agreement.
Juror qualification forms.
Juror information questionnaires.
Sealed verdict.
Notes taken by jurors.
Pre-sentence reports and related
psychiatric psychological reports.
Records revealing the names of human
trafficking victims.
Wiretap applications, final reports and
orders.
Names of minor victims of sexual or
physical abuse.
Pa.R.Crim.P. 590.
Pa.R.Crim.P. 625(A)(3).
Pa.R.Crim.P. 632.
Pa.R.Crim.P. 649.
Pa.R.Crim.P. 644(B)(7).
Pa.R.Crim.P. 703(A).
18 Pa.C.S. § 3019(a).
18 Pa.C.S. § 5715.
42 Pa.C.S. § 5988.
No Public Access.
No Public Access.
No Public Access. Questionnaires
are retained in a sealed file and
shall be destroyed upon
completion of the jurors' service,
unless otherwise ordered by the
trial judge.
No Public Access.
No Public Access.
No Public Access.
No Public Access, unless
otherwise ordered by a court in a
prosecution involving a victim of
human trafficking.
No Public Access except upon
showing of good cause before a
court of competent jurisdiction.
No Public Access. Records
revealing a victim's name are
sealed. A minor victim who is 18
years of age or older at the time of
the commencement of the
prosecution may waive this
protection and allow the court to
release the name of the minor
victim.
Criminal
Criminal
Criminal
Criminal
Criminal
Criminal
Criminal
Criminal
Criminal
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LIMITS ON PUBLIC ACCESS TO UNIFIED JUDICIAL SYSTEM CASE RECORDS
Subject Area
Record Description
Accessibility
Authority
Criminal
No public access. The court shall
not release the information to an
individual, noncriminal justice
agency or an internet website.
18 Pa.C.S. §§ 9121, 9122.1,
and §9122.2
Domestic Relations
18 U.S.C. § 2265(d)(3).
Any criminal history record information
related to the convictions of certain
offenses graded as a misdemeanor of the
first, second or third degree, or summary
more than 10 years old with completed
payment obligations, and dispositions
that are non-convictions.
Information regarding the registration,
filing of a petition for, or issuance of a
protection from abuse order in either the
issuing or enforcing State.
Social security number of any
individual subject to a divorce decree,
support order, paternity determination,
or acknowledgement of paternity,
which is required in all records of
those matters.
Child Support Records
Domestic Relations
Domestic Relations
No Public Access via internet
publication, if such publication
would be likely to publically reveal
the identity or location of the
protected party.
No Public Access.
23 Pa.C.S. §
4304.1(a)(3).
No Public Access, except for
PACSES dockets, court orders
and opinions.
42 U.S.C. §§ 654 (26)(A),
654a(d)(1)(A); 45 CFR §§
303.21(c)-(d), 307.13(a)(1);
23 Pa.C.S. §4304.1(d);
Sections 2.4 and 3.4 of the
Cooperative Agreement.
*New material
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(a) Subject to any inconsistent general
rules and to the supervision and
direction of the court, the domestic
relations section shall have the power
and duty to…
(10) Implement safeguards applicable
to all confidential information received
by the domestic relations section in
order to protect the privacy rights of
the parties, including...
(ii) prohibitions against the release of
information on the whereabouts of one
party or the child to another party
against whom a protective order with
respect to the former party or the child
has been entered; and
(iii) prohibitions against the release of
information on the whereabouts of one
party or the child to another person if
the domestic relations section has
reason to believe that the release of the
information may result in physical or
emotional harm to the party or the
child.
LIMITS ON PUBLIC ACCESS TO UNIFIED JUDICIAL SYSTEM CASE RECORDS
Subject Area
Record Description
Accessibility
Authority
Domestic Relations
No Public Access.
23 Pa.C.S. § 4305
(a)(10)(ii)-(iii).
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LIMITS ON PUBLIC ACCESS TO UNIFIED JUDICIAL SYSTEM CASE RECORDS
Subject Area
Domestic Relations
List of weapons ordered to be
relinquished by the defendant in an
action for protection from abuse.
Record Description
Accessibility
Authority
Domestic Relations
Juvenile Court
All records pertaining to a confidential
address for individuals participating in
the Office of Victim Advocate's
Address Confidentiality Program.
Juvenile Dependency and
Delinquency records.
*Landlord-Tenant
Domestic Violence Affidavit filed
with the court to stay the execution of
an order of possession.
Orphans' Court
Proceedings related to appointment of
guardianship for incapacitated persons.
No Public Access, except (A)
upon an order of the court granted
upon cause shown; (B) as
necessary, by law enforcement
and court personnel; or (C) after
redaction of information listing
any firearm, other weapons or
ammunition.
No Public Access, except for the
substitute address provided by the
Office of Victim Advocates.
No Public Access; except as set
forth in 42 Pa.C.S. § 6307,
Pa.Rs.J.C.P. 160 and/or
1160, including with leave
of court.
No Public Access to the Domestic
Violence Affidavit.
23 Pa.C.S. § 6108(a)(7)(v);
18 Pa.C.S. § 6105.2(f); see
also 18 Pa.C.S. § 6128(e).
23 Pa.C.S. § 6703(d); see
also 23 Pa.C.S. § 5336(b)(1).
42 Pa.C.S. § 6307;
Pa.Rs.J.C.P. 160, 1160.
Pa.R.C.P.M.D.J. § 514.1.
Shall be closed to the public upon
request of the alleged
incapacitated person or his
counsel. After the individual's
death his/her estate may access
the record of the guardianship
proceedings.
20 Pa.C.S. § 5511(a); In re
Estate of duPont, 2 A.3d
516 (Pa. 2010).
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March 2021
23 Pa.C.S. § 2908(F);
Pa.O.C.R. 15.7.
23 Pa.C.S. § 2915; see also
23 Pa.C.S. § 2906;
Pa.O.C.R. 15.7.
210 Pa.Code § 65.44.
18 Pa.C.S. § 3206(f);
Pa.O.C.R. 16.2 and 16.6.
Note also Pa.R.J.A. No.
2157 and Pa.R.A.P. 3801.
50 P.S. § 7111.
4 Pa.C.S. § 1518.2(b).
42 Pa.C.S. §§ 6303(c),
6307(c), and 6336(g).
LIMITS ON PUBLIC ACCESS TO UNIFIED JUDICIAL SYSTEM CASE RECORDS
Subject Area
Record Description
Accessibility
Authority
Orphans' Court
Orphans' Court
Records required for foreign adoption
decrees.
Adoption records.
No Public Access unless a court
order is granted upon good cause.
No Public Access unless
otherwise ordered.
The Court may order that parties’ names
in captions for appeals from divorce,
equitable distribution, custody,
visitation, or child support decisions be
initialized.
Applications of a minor for judicial
approval of decision to have an
abortion, under the Abortion Control
Act, as well as proceedings and the
name of the minor.
No Public Access to the names in
the caption. This does not apply
to the text of a circulation or
order of the Court.
No Public Access; sealed dockets,
and documents shall be
maintained in a closed file marked
"confidential" and identified by
case number only.
Limited Public Access in
compliance with the Mental
Health Procedures Act and
controlling case law.
Any party may request proceeding
and record to be sealed if in best
interest of any person or
Commonwealth.
No Public Access.
Records concerning persons in
treatment under the Mental Health
Procedures Act.
Court documents, rules, or orders in
Gaming Law proceedings.
Proceedings and records involving
juveniles charged with a summary
offense before the minor judiciary, the
Philadelphia Municipal Court or a
Court of Common Pleas.
*Superior Court
Orphans' Court (Family
Court in Philadelphia
County or Juvenile
Court Section of Family
Division in Allegheny
County Pa.R.J.A. 2157)
General
General
General
7 of 8 March 2021
LIMITS ON PUBLIC ACCESS TO UNIFIED JUDICIAL SYSTEM CASE RECORDS
Subject Area
Record Description
Accessibility
General
Transcript of proceedings in the
judicial districts within the Unified
Judicial System.
Authority
Pa.R.J.A. No 4014.
A court may order the person
preparing the transcript to redact
confidential, personal and/or
financial data and other identifiers
and information listed in Section
7.0 of the Case Records Public
Access Policy of the Unified
Judicial System.
Note: this may not be a complete listing; the public and court staff are directed to consult federal and state statutes, court rules or case law.
*New material
8 of 8 March 2021
