Chester County Criminal Clerk
The Chester County Clerk of Courts handles criminal filings for Court of Common Pleas cases. The current official/contact listed in the research is Caroline Bradley, Clerk of Courts. The office is in the Chester County Justice Center in West Chester and publishes regular weekday counter hours. This is the office for common pleas criminal docket records, sentencing orders, criminal financial obligations, appeals, and certified criminal copies.
The criminal clerk role starts after distinguishing the case from other county records. Civil lawsuits, judgments, liens, divorce records, and custody filings belong with the Chester County Prothonotary. Estate, guardianship, and marriage-license matters belong with the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court. Summary and preliminary criminal matters may begin in Magisterial District Court before moving to Common Pleas.
Chester County Clerk of Courts
Clerk: Caroline Bradley
201 W. Market St., Suite 1400
West Chester, PA 19380
610-344-6135
Fax: 610-344-4465
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Chester County Criminal Duties
The Clerk of Courts keeps the court record after criminal charges are filed into the Court of Common Pleas. A criminal case file is broader than an arrest or charge summary. It may include the criminal complaint, information or other charging document, pleas, docket entries, motions, sentencing orders, probation terms, costs, restitution, bail entries, appeal entries, and criminal financial obligations.
- Maintain Common Pleas criminal filings and docket records.
- Process criminal sentencing orders and appeal filings.
- Track criminal financial obligations for many court cases.
- Provide criminal certified copies through office procedures.
- Coordinate public docket access with statewide UJS records.
Criminal charges may first appear at the Magisterial District Court level, especially around preliminary arraignment or preliminary hearing events. Once a case reaches Common Pleas, the Clerk of Courts becomes the key local criminal records office.
Request Chester County Criminal Copies
Certified criminal copies may be needed for appeals, immigration matters, licensing, employment review, expungement, limited-access petitions, or proof of disposition. A UJS docket sheet can show public case data, but it does not replace an official certified copy from the record-holding office.
- Search UJS Case Search for the docket number, caption, OTN, charge, and disposition details.
- Confirm whether the requested document is a public criminal record, a restricted record, or a document requiring party status or a court order.
- Contact the Clerk of Courts with the docket number, party name, document type, copy type, and delivery preference.
- Pay the current office fee if required, then obtain the plain copy, certified copy, or instructions for a mailed response.
The Clerk of Courts also connects to payment research because PAePay may show many fines, costs, restitution, and balances. PAePay is not a full criminal case-file system, but it can help users verify court financial obligations.
Chester County Criminal Request Fields
Criminal copy requests work best when the request names the exact case and document. UJS search fields can help collect the identifiers before calling or visiting the Clerk of Courts. If the case involves juvenile material, sealed records, expungement, limited access, protected victim data, or a court order restricting access, the office may not release the record to the general public.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Docket number | Strongly recommended | Use Common Pleas docket format from UJS when possible. |
| Defendant name | Yes | Include date of birth only if the office asks for identity narrowing. |
| OTN or complaint number | Helpful | Useful for matching criminal records across stages. |
| Document type | Yes | Examples include sentencing order, disposition, docket, appeal filing, or certified copy. |
| Delivery method | Yes | Ask about counter pickup, mail, or other office-approved delivery. |
| Requester contact | Usually yes | Mailing address, phone, or email helps with fee and status questions. |
Criminal Fees and Balances
The official research did not locate a specific Clerk of Courts copy-fee table. Users should confirm current copy, certification, and mailing costs with the Clerk of Courts before sending payment. Criminal financial balances are a separate issue. Many fines, costs, restitution, and payment-plan details may be checked or paid through PAePay when the case is eligible.
| Item | Where to confirm |
|---|---|
| Plain criminal copy | Confirm with Clerk of Courts. |
| Certified criminal copy | Confirm with Clerk of Courts. |
| Criminal financial obligation | Check PAePay or contact the office. |
| Appeal or filing cost | Confirm with the office before filing. |
| Mailing cost | Ask when requesting mailed copies. |
For state and federal custody checks tied to criminal matters, the manifest assigns official federal and Pennsylvania sources to this page. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is separate from Chester County criminal court.
That federal source is useful only when the user's case is a federal bankruptcy matter, not a Chester County Common Pleas criminal case.
Public Criminal Record Limits
Public criminal docket records are governed by Pennsylvania judiciary access policy and criminal-history rules. The research identifies the Criminal History Record Information Act, expungement under 18 Pa.C.S. 9122, and limited access under 18 Pa.C.S. 9122.1 as key Pennsylvania authorities. Public docket data may still omit sealed, expunged, juvenile, protected victim, or sensitive personal information.
- Criminal History Record Information Act - dissemination and use of criminal-history record information.
- 18 Pa.C.S. 9122 - Pennsylvania expungement categories and process.
- 18 Pa.C.S. 9122.1 - limited access rules for certain criminal history information.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator is one custody source for federal prisoners, not Chester County jail custody.
County criminal dockets, county custody, state custody, and federal custody are different systems, so the name alone may not identify the correct record holder.
Online and In-Person Access
Start most Chester County criminal record checks with UJS Case Search, then use the Clerk of Courts when the public docket is not enough. UJS can show docket numbers, captions, charges, dispositions, sentence entries, hearing events, costs, and related public case fields where available. The public docket may not include the document image needed for court, agency, or legal use.
In person, the Clerk of Courts counter can address criminal certified copies, office-specific copy procedures, appeal filings, and criminal financial questions. By mail, include the docket number, defendant name, document type, date range, certification need, contact information, and payment instructions requested by the office.
Some criminal-record users also need to distinguish a court record from a registry record. The Pennsylvania State Police Megan's Law registry is a state registry source, not a Clerk of Courts case file.
Registry information and criminal docket information answer different questions, so both should be verified with the correct official source.
Note: A court charge record can change as charges are amended, dismissed, reduced, or resolved by plea or trial.