How to Search Berks County Court Records Online

Most Berks County court cases can be looked up online for free, and you do not need an account to do it. Two tools cover almost everything: the Pennsylvania court system's statewide portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us, which handles criminal, traffic, landlord-tenant, and district-court cases, and the Berks County Prothonotary's docket search at prothy.countyofberks.com, which handles civil lawsuits, judgments, and liens.

Which one you use depends on the kind of case. Criminal charges and cases that started before a district judge live on the statewide portal. Civil disputes, unpaid-debt judgments, and property liens live in the county Prothonotary's system. This guide walks through both, plus how to get a certified copy and what you cannot find online.

The statewide portal: criminal and district-court cases

The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System (UJS) web portal is the single best place to start. It is free, it does not ask you to log in for a basic search, and it covers every county. It pulls in cases from the Courts of Common Pleas and from the magisterial district judges, the local courts that handle small claims, landlord-tenant disputes, traffic tickets, and the first stage of criminal cases.

To look up a case:

1. Go to ujsportal.pacourts.us and choose a search type. "Participant Name" finds cases by a person's name; "Docket Number" finds one exact case if you already have its number.
2. For a name search, enter the last and first name. You can narrow the results by county (choose Berks) and by date.
3. Open the case you want from the results list.
4. Click the docket sheet to open it as a PDF. The docket sheet is the official summary of the case: the charges or claims, the parties, every filing, and the outcome. Save or print it for free.

A docket number tells you where a case sits. Berks County Common Pleas criminal cases read CP-06-CR-#######-YYYY (the 06 is Berks County); district-court criminal cases read MJ-#####-CR-#######-YYYY. You do not need to know the format to search by name.

Civil cases, judgments, and liens: the Prothonotary

The Prothonotary is the county's clerk for civil court records. Its online docket search covers lawsuits between people or businesses, money judgments, mortgage foreclosures, and state, federal, and municipal liens. The search is free at prothy.countyofberks.com.

To use it, open the site and pick a category from the menu on the left:

• General/Miscellaneous: civil lawsuits and most filed actions.
• Judgement: whether someone has a money judgment against them, which is what you would search before a sheriff sale or to see if a debt was reduced to judgment.
• Federal Tax: federal tax liens recorded against a person or property.

Enter a name to see matching cases, then open a case to read its docket. This is the county's own system, separate from the statewide portal, and it has gone offline for stretches. If it is down or slow, the Prothonotary's office will look up a case for you in person at the courthouse.

Criminal case files: the Clerk of Courts

The Clerk of Courts keeps the official files for criminal cases in the Court of Common Pleas, the level a serious case reaches after a district judge sends it forward. For looking up a criminal case, the office points the public to the same statewide portal, ujsportal.pacourts.us. For a full certified copy of a criminal file, or for records that are not online, contact the Clerk of Courts directly (details below). To understand where a criminal case is in the process, see our guide to what happens after an arrest in Berks County.

What you will not find online

Some records are kept off the public internet by law:

• Sealed and expunged records. A case sealed under Pennsylvania's Clean Slate law, or erased by expungement, disappears from the public portal. If you sealed or cleared a record and it no longer shows up, that is the system working. See our guide to expungement and Clean Slate.
• Juvenile and dependency cases, which are confidential.
• Many family court records. Docket entries for divorce, custody, and support may appear, but the documents inside are restricted; get those from the office in person with proof you are a party.

In person and certified copies

You can view records and get certified copies at the courthouse at 633 Court Street in Reading. A certified copy is one the office stamps as a true copy, which courts, banks, and agencies require; a plain printout from the online portal is not certified.

• For civil records, the Prothonotary's office is on the 2nd floor. Phone 610-478-6970; open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Plain copies cost $0.25 per page; a certified copy costs $10. Checks are payable to "Prothonotary of Berks County."
• For criminal records, the Clerk of Courts is on the 4th floor. Phone 610-478-6550; open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For a records request by email, write coc@berkspa.gov.

Bring the case name or docket number if you have it. Staff can look up a case by name, but the search is faster when you know the number from the online portal.

FAQ

Are Berks County court records free to look up online?

Yes. Searching and reading docket sheets on the statewide portal and on the county Prothonotary's site costs nothing, and neither requires an account for a basic search. You only pay if you order a certified copy or printed copies from the office.

How do I look up someone's criminal charges in Berks County?

Search their name on ujsportal.pacourts.us, set the county to Berks, and open the docket sheet for the case. It lists the charges and how each was resolved. Remember that sealed or expunged cases no longer appear.

Why can't I find a case I know exists?

Common reasons: the case was sealed or expunged and is no longer public; the name is spelled differently than you searched; or you are looking in the wrong system, for example searching the Prothonotary's civil site for a criminal case. Try the statewide portal and check the name spelling.

Can I see divorce or custody records?

You can usually see that a case exists and its docket entries, but the filings themselves are restricted. To get documents from a family case, go to the Prothonotary's office in person as a party to the case.

Do I need a lawyer or a paid service to search court records?

No. The official state and county tools above are free and public. Paid "background check" sites repackage the same public records and are not the court's official source.

Sources

• Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System web portal — statewide free case search (criminal, civil, traffic, district court).
• Berks County Prothonotary — civil records office; online docket search at prothy.countyofberks.com.
• Berks County Prothonotary Fee Bill, effective August 1, 2026 — copy and certification fees.
• Berks County Clerk of Courts — criminal Court of Common Pleas records.

Prothonotary's Office: Berks County Courthouse, 633 Court Street, 2nd Floor, Reading, PA 19601; 610-478-6970; Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Clerk of Courts: 633 Court Street, 4th Floor; 610-478-6550; Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.