Washington County Criminal Clerk
The Washington County Clerk of Courts is the criminal clerk for the county Court of Common Pleas. The official page lists Ray Phillips as Clerk of Courts and states that all criminal matters are maintained by the office. Motions or petitions that directly affect a criminal case are filed with this office. The Clerk of Courts also handles bail bonds, expungements, and criminal record searches for municipal police, Pennsylvania State Police, outside government agencies, and the Department of Public Welfare.
This office is not the civil clerk. Civil actions, divorce records, custody records, judgments, and liens route to the Washington County Prothonotary. Estates, marriage records, guardianships, adoptions, and Orphans' Court files route to the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court. For criminal records, the public docket is usually found through UJS first, while file-copy needs, expungement paperwork, and criminal filing questions belong with the Clerk of Courts.
Washington County Clerk of Courts
Clerk: Ray Phillips
1 South Main Street, Suite 1005
Washington, PA 15301
724-228-6787
Criminal case records, expungements, bail bonds, file requests, transcript requests, and related criminal filings.
Washington County Criminal Files
Washington County criminal records maintained by the Clerk of Courts include common pleas criminal charges, motions, petitions, pleas, dispositions, sentences, bail bond records, and expungement activity. Public docket sheets are searched through the Pennsylvania UJS Case Search. File copies, official criminal forms, and criminal-case filings that affect an open case are handled through the Clerk of Courts office.
Criminal matters often begin before a Magisterial District Judge. Preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings, summary cases, traffic citations, and some lower-court criminal matters are handled in Magisterial District Courts. If charges move forward, the Court of Common Pleas criminal record may show arraignment, motions, pleas, trial events, disposition, sentencing, bail, fines, costs, restitution, and later expungement or limited-access activity where public access allows it.
- Common Pleas criminal case files and docket activity.
- Motions and petitions that directly affect a criminal case.
- Bail bonds and criminal financial entries where public.
- Expungement filings and orders processed through the criminal clerk.
- Record searches for law enforcement and specified government agencies.
The manifest image tied to the Washington County Correctional Facility FAQ reflects a common criminal-record boundary: jail questions and criminal court file questions are related, but they are not the same record system.
A person may have a public criminal docket in UJS even when the county correctional facility does not release individual inmate records to the public.
Search Washington County Criminal Records
UJS Case Search is the main public search channel for Washington County criminal docket sheets. It can search by participant name, docket number, OTN, complaint number, incident number, citation number, and other search modes. The county's case-docket instructions direct criminal case users to UJS by selecting Case Information and Case Search. Recent entries may not appear at once, and UJS warns that docket sheets do not replace a Pennsylvania State Police criminal-history background check.
- Go to UJS Case Search and choose the search mode that matches the information available, such as Participant Name, Docket Number, OTN, or Complaint Number.
- Select Washington County or the relevant Court of Common Pleas or Magisterial District Court filter where the portal offers that option.
- Open the docket sheet and confirm that the party name, docket number, case type, and filing or event dates match the intended case.
- Review public docket entries for charges, bail, motions, pleas, disposition, sentence, costs, fines, restitution, or warrant activity.
- Contact the Clerk of Courts for file-copy questions, official forms, expungement paperwork, or criminal filings that must be submitted to the office.
| UJS field | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Participant Name | Person search | Useful when no docket number is known, including some warrant-related checks. |
| Docket Number | Direct case lookup | Best when a court notice, attorney, or prior search gives the exact number. |
| OTN | Criminal tracking number | Used in Pennsylvania criminal records and often tied to a charge event. |
| Complaint or Incident Number | Case-specific lookup | May help connect law-enforcement paperwork to court docket results. |
| Citation Number | Summary or traffic-related lookup | Used when a criminal or summary matter began with a citation. |
Washington County Criminal Forms
The Clerk of Courts page links several forms that match the office's criminal role. These forms should not be used for civil divorce records, civil judgments, or probate matters. When a filing changes the status of a criminal case, the docket number and case identity need to match the UJS docket and any court notice.
| Form or request | Office use | Record type |
|---|---|---|
| Clerk of Courts Fee Bill | Fee reference for criminal clerk matters | Criminal court records |
| Expungement Petition with Instructions | Request court-case expungement under the criminal rules | Criminal records |
| File Request Form | Ask for criminal file materials from the office | Criminal case file |
| Praecipe for Appearance | Enter appearance-related filing | Criminal case docket |
| Request for Transcript or Copy | Ask for a transcript or case copy | Criminal case record |
| Summary Appeal Form and Instructions | Appeal a summary conviction | Summary criminal or citation matter |
| Waiver of Appearance at Formal Arraignment | Handle formal arraignment appearance waiver | Common Pleas criminal case |
Note: The research found the official form links but did not fully inspect each PDF field, so form field labels are not restated as exact PDF text.
Request Washington County Criminal Copies
A criminal file-copy request should start with the docket number, defendant name, and the specific document needed. The official inventory found a File Request Form and a Request for Transcript or Copy on the Clerk of Courts page, but it did not locate exact per-page copy fees in the captured research. Users should confirm the fee with the Clerk of Courts before mailing payment or relying on a quoted amount from another source.
| Request field | Needed? | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Docket number | Best if known | Prevents confusion between people with similar names or multiple cases. |
| Defendant name | Yes | Identifies the criminal case participant. |
| Document requested | Yes | Examples include docket entries, orders, plea documents, sentence orders, or transcript copy requests. |
| Copy or transcript type | Yes | Separates ordinary case copies from transcript requests. |
| Return contact | Yes | Lets the office clarify fees, pickup, mail, or processing steps. |
Washington County Expungement Records
For criminal cases, expungement starts with the Clerk of Courts because the office processes expungements and maintains criminal case files. The official page links an Expungement Petition with Instructions. Pa.R.Crim.P. 790 controls court-case expungement procedure, and 18 Pa.C.S. section 9122.1 covers limited access for qualifying criminal-history information.
Expungement and limited access are not the same. Expungement is a court process that can remove records from public or criminal repositories when the law permits. Limited access restricts dissemination of certain qualifying criminal-history record information after statutory requirements are met, but it does not mean every record is destroyed. Eligibility can depend on whether the case was a summary matter, non-conviction, ARD, older misdemeanor, felony, or another category. The docket and Pennsylvania State Police record may both matter.
- Expungement
- A court process to remove eligible records from public or criminal repositories.
- Limited access
- A Pennsylvania record-shielding process that limits dissemination for qualifying criminal-history information.
- Disposition
- The result of a charge or case, such as dismissed, guilty plea, verdict, or sentence.
Washington County Clerk Fees
The research confirmed that the Clerk of Courts page links a Clerk of Courts Fee Bill, but the exact fee bill amounts were not captured in the source inventory. That means exact copy, transcript, filing, summary appeal, and expungement costs should not be guessed. Use the office page and direct office contact for current amounts before filing or requesting copies.
| Item | Verified detail |
|---|---|
| Clerk of Courts Fee Bill | Official fee-bill link exists on the Clerk of Courts page; exact amounts were not captured. |
| File Request Form | Official criminal file request form link exists. |
| Request for Transcript or Copy | Official transcript or copy request form link exists. |
| Expungement Petition with Instructions | Official expungement petition link exists. |
| Summary Appeal Form and Instructions | Official summary appeal form link exists. |
Washington County Criminal Support Offices
Criminal records often involve more than the Clerk of Courts. The Washington County District Attorney prosecutes criminal activity and identifies ARD, Fast Track, and Probation Without Verdict as programs or alternatives that can affect a criminal case. The Washington County Public Defender represents eligible indigent clients in felonies, misdemeanors, certain summary cases involving incarceration, juvenile petitions, indirect criminal contempt, and involuntary mental-health commitment matters.
The Public Defender research states that applications should be made at least seven business days before a hearing with proof of income and case paperwork. Applications are available at the Public Defender's Office, all Magisterial District Judge offices, and the Washington County Correctional Facility for inmate use. These details matter because a criminal docket search can show the case, but legal representation and eligibility are handled outside the Clerk of Courts file-copy process.
The Washington County inmate telephone page is a custody resource, not a Clerk of Courts docket tool.
That distinction helps keep criminal case records, jail communication rules, and attorney-client communication setup in their proper offices.
Washington County Criminal Court Context
Washington County was created in 1781 so residents west of the Monongahela River had closer access to courts and public offices. The first courthouse was a log structure built in 1787 in Basset, later renamed Washington. The current courthouse was completed in 1900 by the F. J. Osterling Company of Pittsburgh after the prior courthouse became strained by newer courthouse technologies, including telephones, electricity, and typewriters.
The Clerk of Courts works within that Court of Common Pleas system as the criminal record office for the 27th Judicial District. Appeals from minor courts, criminal cases that move beyond preliminary stages, bail and sentencing entries, and expungement orders all depend on accurate criminal dockets and file maintenance.
The Washington County court-history page is the source for the courthouse development image used in the clerk manifest.
The historic courthouse context is useful for criminal-record users who may need both online UJS access and an in-person filing office downtown.