PA State Police Background Check

Choose the right Pennsylvania request

Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history checks use Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History, or PATCH. They compare submitted information with the PSP Central Repository and cover Pennsylvania law-enforcement criminal-history records, not federal history. A court docket, an FBI check, and the separate Department of Human Services Child Abuse History Certification are different products. Follow your employer, volunteer program, or receiving agency’s checklist.

Individuals normally use the non-registered PATCH route and select Submit a New Record Check. The overview reserves registered-user billing for organizations that regularly request checks. Up to ten checks can be submitted in one online session; that does not make a group session a single paid individual request.

Standard, volunteer, and personal-review fees

A standard check is $22, with an optional $5 notarization charge, for $27 total. Volunteer checks are free and cannot be notarized. Use SP 4-164 for a mailed standard request or SP 4-164A for the volunteer route. The linked standard form says international-adoption requests must be notarized and mailed.

Personal Access and Review uses SP 4-170 by mail for $20 and cannot be notarized. It is a separate own-record review product, not an employment clearance. The form limits eligibility to the subject or authorized legal representative. Do not choose it simply because it is cheaper than the ordinary $22 request.

Prepare identifiers and submit accurately

The currently linked SP 4-164 asks for requester contact information and the subject’s name, maiden name or aliases, date of birth, sex, race, and Social Security number. Follow the form’s instructions and use accurate identifiers; do not guess missing details. The mailed form warns that illegible or incomplete submissions may be returned unprocessed.

Standard mail requests go to Pennsylvania State Police, Central Repository–164, 1800 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9758. The form takes certified checks or money orders payable to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and states the fee is nonrefundable; do not send cash or a personal check. Online payments accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express.

Save the control number and obtain the certificate

Retain the control number, request date, and subject name exactly as entered. Use Record Check Status to retrieve the response. For Record or No Record, open the linked control number and the certificate or Certification Form link. A status screen alone is not the completed certificate the recipient may require.

Request Under Review indicates manual processing and does not establish a criminal record or conviction. No Items Found means the status-search information was entered incorrectly according to PSP; recheck your saved details before assuming the original submission disappeared. For a mailed request’s control number, call 888-783-7972 and choose option 1.

Published processing and delivery instructions differ

Some online No Record responses can arrive immediately. For reviewed requests, the main service page and non-registered-user instructions give two to four weeks, while other overview paragraphs say within two weeks. Use the longer published range for planning and ask the helpline about an urgent deadline; an immediate initial status is not a guaranteed final response.

The overview tells online users to print both Record and No Record certificates, but its glossary also says Record responses will be mailed. The mail form separately says results go to the requester. For an online request, retrieve and save the available certificate rather than waiting solely for post; ask PSP to confirm any mailed or notarized delivery your request requires.

Get help with an incorrect or incomplete response

The PATCH helpline is 888-783-7972, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Have the request identifiers ready and describe the exact problem. If the history shows a case without its later outcome, keep the court disposition available. PSP handles its repository response; the court handles its underlying filing and orders.

For a full personal record needed to examine an expungement, PSP describes mailing SP 4-170 with $20, government photo identification, and representation documentation when applicable. The full arrest record is mailed back. Any petition for expungement then goes through the appropriate county Clerk of Courts; buying Access and Review does not itself remove a record.

Read the final response within its limits

A Pennsylvania No Record response is bounded by the submitted identity and the repository searched. It is not a nationwide clearance, proof that no police incident occurred, or a certified copy of a particular judgment. Conversely, a Record response requires reading its actual dispositions rather than assuming each listed arrest ended in conviction. Obtain the underlying court order when that is the evidence your recipient needs.