Butler County Criminal Records and Court Dockets
Butler County is located in western Pennsylvania, northwest of Pittsburgh. It is part of the 36th Judicial District. The Court of Common Pleas in Butler handles all felony criminal cases for the county. Felony Records are maintained by the Clerk of Courts at 124 W. Diamond Street. You can search these records online or visit the courthouse in person. This page explains how the process works, what information the records contain, and what state law says about access and sealing. No fee information is covered here.
Butler County Quick Facts
Butler County Court of Common Pleas
The Butler County Court of Common Pleas sits at 124 W. Diamond Street in the city of Butler. All felony criminal cases in the county are filed here and remain on record with this court. The court is the trial-level court for the 36th Judicial District, covering Butler County alone.
Two separate offices hold records within the courthouse. The Clerk of Courts is responsible for criminal case files. The Prothonotary handles the civil side. These offices are distinct. If you are looking for a felony case, the Clerk of Courts is where you start. Tammy Thibodeau serves as Clerk of Courts, and Kelly L. Ferrari serves as Prothonotary.
Mailing address for the Clerk of Courts is P.O. Box 1208, Butler, PA 16001. The physical street address is 124 W. Diamond Street, also in Butler. Sarah Edwards is the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court, reachable at 724-284-5348. The county's main government website is at butlercountypa.gov.
| Office | Clerk of Courts |
|---|---|
| Officer | Tammy Thibodeau |
| Address | P.O. Box 1208, 124 W. Diamond Street, Butler, PA 16001 |
| Prothonotary | Kelly L. Ferrari |
| Prothonotary Address | Butler County Government Center, Butler, PA 16001 |
| Register of Wills | Sarah Edwards |
| Register Phone | 724-284-5348 |
| District | 36th Judicial District |
| County Website | butlercountypa.gov |
| Clerk of Courts Page | butlercountypa.gov/393 |
The image below is from the Butler County Clerk of Courts page, which lists office details and procedures for accessing court records.
This page covers the Clerk's role in criminal matters, explains how to reach the office, and provides links to related court forms.
Note: The Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary serve different functions; contacting the wrong office can delay your request, so confirm which office holds the record type you need before calling.
Searching Butler County Felony Records
The fastest way to search Butler County Felony Records is through the statewide UJS portal. The UJS Case Search at ujsportal.pacourts.us covers all 67 Pennsylvania counties, including Butler. No account is needed. The search is free and open to the public at any time.
You can search by the defendant's name and date of birth, by docket number, or by offense tracking number (OTN). Name searches work best when combined with a date of birth, since common names can return many results. Docket numbers give a direct hit if you have one from a court document or a prior search.
For in-person access, go to the Clerk of Courts at 124 W. Diamond Street. Staff can help you locate a file by name or number and explain how to request certified copies. Mail requests are accepted at the P.O. Box 1208 address. Include as much identifying information as possible to help staff locate the correct file quickly.
The Pennsylvania Courts statewide page for Butler County at pacourts.us has updated contact information and links to local resources. It is a useful starting point if you are unsure which office to contact.
What Butler County Felony Records Contain
A felony docket sheet from Butler County is a detailed document. It records every event in the case from the moment charges are filed. Each entry is date-stamped and labeled by type of action.
The key elements found in a typical felony docket include the defendant's full name and date of birth, each charge listed by statute and grading, the arresting agency and docket filing date, the assigned judge and prosecuting attorney, bail amount and any conditions, a log of all court dates and their outcomes, and the final disposition with sentencing details if the case is closed.
Verdicts appear in the disposition section. You will see entries for guilty plea, trial verdict, or non-conviction outcomes like nolle prosequi. Sentences are logged with start dates, probation terms, or incarceration lengths as applicable. For open cases, the docket shows the next scheduled event and current case status.
These records are public documents. Any person can view them through the UJS portal without logging in. The data updates as clerks enter new court activity, so the portal generally stays current within a short window of actual court events.
Note: Docket sheets reflect what was filed and adjudicated; they do not indicate guilt or innocence for charges that were withdrawn or nolle prossed.
Pennsylvania Criminal History Checks
Court dockets and criminal history records are not the same thing. The UJS portal shows every case filed in court, including dismissed charges and cases with no conviction. A criminal history check through PATCH reflects the state's central repository of conviction data.
PATCH is run by the Pennsylvania State Police. The portal is at epatch.state.pa.us. Name-based searches return results quickly. Fingerprint-based searches are more thorough and are used when accuracy is critical. The Pennsylvania State Police at psp.pa.gov explains both options and walks through the request process.
The legal framework for criminal history records is the Criminal History Record Information Act, codified at 18 Pa.C.S. § 9101 and related provisions. Under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9121, certain requesters have defined access rights based on their relationship to the subject or their purpose. The statute at 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122 addresses what information may be disseminated in a criminal history record and limits the use of certain older or minor conviction data.
Using both the UJS portal and PATCH together gives the most complete picture. Court dockets show the full case history. PATCH reflects convictions that are part of the official state record. Each source has limits, and neither alone captures everything.
Record Sealing and Expungement in Butler County
Pennsylvania's Clean Slate 3.0 took effect on February 12, 2024. It is the latest expansion of the state's automatic sealing program. Low-level felony convictions can now be automatically sealed after a 10-year crime-free period. Misdemeanor convictions qualify after 7 years. Summary offense convictions are automatically sealed after 5 years under the original Clean Slate provisions that predate the 2024 update.
Automatic sealing removes a record from public view in the UJS portal and from most non-law-enforcement searches. The record still exists in the court system. It remains accessible to law enforcement, certain licensing boards, and other authorized parties defined by statute. The person whose record is sealed does not need to take any action for automatic sealing to occur.
When a record does not qualify for automatic sealing, a person can petition the Court of Common Pleas directly. In Butler County, that petition is filed with the Clerk of Courts at 124 W. Diamond Street. The filing triggers a notice period for the District Attorney, who may object. If there is no objection or the court overrules it, the record is sealed or expunged by court order.
More serious felony convictions that are not eligible for sealing may still be addressed through the pardon process. The Board of Pardons at bop.pa.gov handles pardon applications. A granted pardon can allow a subsequent petition for expungement. The Office of Open Records at openrecords.pa.gov is the state authority for questions about record access rights under Pennsylvania law.
Note: Inmate records held by the Department of Corrections are separate from court records; use the DOC Inmate Locator to find current incarceration status, which is not affected by sealing.
Right to Know Law in Butler County
The Pennsylvania Right to Know Law is found at 65 P.S. § 67.101. It establishes a general presumption that records held by government agencies are public. Court records in Butler County fall within this framework. Most felony case dockets and related filings are open to inspection during normal court hours without a formal request.
Some records are excluded from public access. Juvenile delinquency files are not public. Mental health records attached to criminal proceedings are protected. Victim personal identifying information is shielded in certain cases. Any record sealed by court order, whether through Clean Slate, a court-granted petition, or expungement, is not accessible through public channels. Grand jury materials remain sealed until they are incorporated into a public court filing.
The following image is from the Pennsylvania Courts page for Butler County, which provides statewide court resources alongside local contact details.
This page links to UJS search tools, local court contacts, and forms needed for various court processes in Butler County.
To make a formal Right to Know request for Butler County records, submit a written request to the county's designated open records officer. The law requires a response within five business days, with extensions possible under defined circumstances. If the request is denied in whole or in part, the requester may appeal the decision to the Office of Open Records. The OOR then reviews the denial and issues a binding determination.
For direct record access, visiting the Clerk of Courts in person is often the most efficient route. Staff can confirm what is available, walk you through the copy process, and note any restrictions that apply to a specific case or document type.
Nearby Counties
Butler County borders several counties in western Pennsylvania. Felony Records for those counties are held by their own clerks and searchable through the same UJS portal used for Butler County cases.