Pennsylvania Expungement, Limited Access & Court Record Removal

Pennsylvania's Two-Track Record Relief System: Expungement and Limited Access

Pennsylvania offers two distinct forms of criminal record relief under the Criminal History Record Information Act (CHRIA), and understanding the difference between them is essential before taking any action.

Expungement - 18 Pa. C.S. § 9122

Expungement in Pennsylvania results in the physical destruction of the criminal record. It is the more complete form of relief - after expungement, the record should no longer exist in any government database. However, Pennsylvania's expungement eligibility is significantly narrower than most people expect. Conviction expungement is limited to:

• Arrests that did not result in conviction (no waiting period)
• Summary offense convictions - after 5 years with no intervening conviction
• Cases completed through ARD (Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition)
• Individuals age 70 or older who have been conviction-free for 10 years
• Individuals who have received a pardon from the Governor

Misdemeanor and felony convictions generally cannot be expunged in Pennsylvania without a gubernatorial pardon - which is why limited access becomes the primary pathway for most people. Learn more about expungement vs. record sealing on our blog.

Limited Access (Clean Slate) - 18 Pa. C.S. § 9122.1

Limited access, enacted as part of Pennsylvania's Clean Slate Act, is an automatic sealing mechanism. It does not require a petition - it occurs automatically when all eligibility conditions are met. Under limited access, qualifying records are removed from PATCH (the public background check database) and restricted so that only criminal justice agencies and certain authorized entities can access them. Limited access does not destroy the record, and it operates separately from the UJS (Unified Judicial System) docket portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us.

PATCH vs. UJS Portal - Pennsylvania's Two Separate Record Systems

The single most important concept for Pennsylvania residents trying to remove their record online is understanding that Pennsylvania operates two completely separate record systems - and clearing one does not clear the other. For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Courts.

PATCH - Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History

PATCH is the Pennsylvania State Police's online criminal background check system, accessible through the PSP website. When an employer, landlord, or individual runs a background check through PATCH, they are querying the PSP criminal history database. Limited access sealing under § 9122.1 removes qualifying records from PATCH - meaning a standard PATCH search will no longer return the sealed record.

This is a significant benefit: most commercial employers and landlords who run background checks through official channels will not see a properly sealed record in PATCH. However, PATCH is not the same as the court docket system, and private background check companies that have previously obtained PSP data may retain unsealed copies independently. Learn more about court record removal on our blog.

UJS Portal - ujsportal.pacourts.us

The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us is the public docket system for Pennsylvania courts. It displays case dockets from courts of common pleas, magisterial district courts, and other Pennsylvania judicial bodies. This system is separate from PATCH and is managed by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC), not the Pennsylvania State Police.

Limited access sealing does not automatically remove cases from the UJS portal. The UJS portal may continue to display docket entries - including charges, dispositions, and sentence information - even after PATCH sealing is complete. To address UJS portal visibility, a separate request must be made to the AOPC or to the specific court, supported by documentation of the limited access or expungement order. Learn more about background check reports on our blog.

Why Pennsylvania Court Records Persist Online After Sealing or Expungement

Even a complete Pennsylvania expungement or Clean Slate sealing leaves multiple online sources that continue to display your record. Each requires separate action. For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Legislature.

ujsportal.pacourts.us

The UJS portal is heavily indexed by Google and displays detailed docket information including charges, hearing dates, and dispositions. Google frequently serves UJS portal pages directly in search results when someone searches for a name. Limited access sealing does not automatically restrict UJS portal access - this requires direct outreach to the AOPC with documentation of the sealing or expungement order. Processing can take 4 to 8 weeks, and Google may continue to cache previously indexed UJS pages for months after the portal restricts them.

PSP Criminal History and PATCH

After a properly processed expungement or limited access sealing, the PSP PATCH database should no longer return the sealed record for standard public background checks. However, commercial background check companies - including large national screening services - may have obtained Pennsylvania criminal history data prior to the sealing and stored it independently. These companies must be contacted directly with copies of the sealing or expungement order.

Data Broker and Aggregator Sites

Pennsylvania is the fifth most populous state, and Pennsylvania court records are indexed by a very high volume of national data aggregators including Spokeo, BeenVerified, TruthFinder, Intelius, Whitepages, and dozens of others. These sites compile criminal profiles from UJS portal data and PSP criminal history information. Neither expungement nor limited access sealing has any legal effect on these third-party sites - each must be contacted individually with opt-out requests.

Philadelphia and Allegheny County Portals

Philadelphia Courts and Allegheny County Courts maintain some of their own court-facing systems in addition to the statewide UJS portal. Philadelphia Municipal Court and Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas records may appear in Philadelphia-specific searches as well as on the UJS portal. Coordinated removal requires checking both the county-specific systems and the statewide UJS portal to ensure complete coverage.

How to Remove Pennsylvania Court Records from Google and Data Broker Sites

After obtaining a Pennsylvania expungement or limited access sealing order, the following steps address the online dimension of your record. Pennsylvania's two-system structure means more steps than most states - but each step is necessary.

1. 1
   Obtain your expungement or limited access sealing
   For expungement under § 9122, file your petition in the court of conviction with appropriate documentation. For limited access sealing under § 9122.1, verify whether automatic sealing has already occurred by running a PATCH check - the Pennsylvania State Police processes automatic sealings on a rolling basis. If your M1 misdemeanor requires a petition under § 9122.1(b), file the petition in the court of conviction. Keep certified copies of all orders for use in subsequent removal steps.
2. 2
   Confirm PATCH is updated
   Run a PATCH background check on yourself through the Pennsylvania State Police website to verify the sealed record no longer appears. Allow 6 to 10 weeks after the expungement or sealing order for PATCH to process the update. If the record still appears in PATCH, contact the PSP directly with a copy of the court order. Note that PATCH confirmation does not mean the UJS portal has been updated - these are separate steps.
3. 3
   Request UJS portal docket restriction
   Contact the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) and the clerk of the court of conviction with documentation of your expungement or limited access order to request restriction of the UJS portal docket entry. This step is separate from PATCH sealing and requires separate processing. Allow 4 to 8 weeks for the UJS portal to restrict access. Confirm by searching ujsportal.pacourts.us directly for your name and case number after the expected processing time.
4. 4
   Audit Google results and request de-indexing of UJS portal pages
   Search Google for your name, county, charge, and year in multiple combinations. Document all URLs showing your record, particularly any ujsportal.pacourts.us pages. Once the UJS portal has restricted the specific docket pages, submit those URLs to Google's Outdated Content Removal Tool (removals.google.com) to de-cache them. Google may continue to display cached UJS portal pages for weeks or months after the portal restricts access - active removal requests accelerate this process significantly.
5. 5
   Submit opt-out requests to data broker and aggregator sites
   Submit removal requests to Spokeo, BeenVerified, TruthFinder, Intelius, PeopleFinder, Whitepages, MyLife, and all others showing your record. Pennsylvania's population and court data volume means records are often indexed by a higher number of aggregators than smaller states. Each site has a separate process - most require documentation of the expungement or sealing order. Set reminders to recheck every 90 days, as profiles can be repopulated from cached UJS portal data and other secondary sources.
6. 6
   Use Google's Personal Information Removal Tool for remaining results
   For URLs other than UJS portal pages - such as data broker profiles, news articles from Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, or other outlets, or legal databases - use Google's Personal Information Removal Tool (myaccount.google.com/delete-services-or-account) after the source page has been removed or restricted. This tool is appropriate for pages that Google continues to surface in search results after the underlying source content has been updated or removed.

Attorney vs. Reputation Management: Which Do You Need in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania's two-track record system means both professional services are often needed - in sequence. The legal track must come first, and it is more complex in Pennsylvania than in most states.

When a Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Attorney Is Essential

• You need to file a petition for expungement under § 9122 or petition-based limited access under § 9122.1(b)
• Your eligibility under Clean Slate is uncertain - particularly if you have an M1 misdemeanor or are unsure whether your offense falls within the exclusion list
• You are seeking a gubernatorial pardon as a prerequisite to felony expungement
• You are addressing a federal charge, which operates entirely outside Pennsylvania's state record relief framework

When Reputation Management Is the Right Tool

• Your PATCH sealing is confirmed but your record still appears on ujsportal.pacourts.us and in Google results
• Your offense is categorically excluded from expungement and limited access (most felonies) but you need to manage online visibility
• Data broker profiles are being populated from UJS portal data or cached PSP records even after the official databases have been updated
• News archives from Pennsylvania media outlets are surfacing your record and not responding to individual removal requests

Frequently Asked Questions - Pennsylvania Court Records