You have many options for how to find your docket number in Pennsylvania, including reviewing copies of filed documents, contacting the court directly, or searching for the docket number online.
Your docket number is the official filing number for your Pennsylvania case. It’s the identification number that makes it easy for clerks, court officials, lawyers, and you to pull your case documents. Having your Pennsylvania docket number handy ensures that you can quickly look up information about your case online. It also makes the process of reviewing your case with a criminal defense lawyer that much more efficient.
How To Find Your Pennsylvania Docket Number (the Easy Way)
If you already have copies of official case documents, you may already have your docket number — you just have to look. If you don’t have documents, you can take a variety of steps to look up the case number or have another court official look it up for you.
Here is how you can find your docket number in Pennsylvania:
Check Any Available Copies of Relevant Documents
The first step you can do to find your Pennsylvania docket number is to check any copies you have of official documents for your case. You may have a copy of the legal complaint, a subpoena from the court, or a motion. These documents usually have the docket number in the top corner to help with filing.
If you have copies of your case documents, check those first.
Ask Your Lawyer To Provide Your Docket Number
If you are working with a lawyer, they likely already have your docket number. Ask your lawyer to provide you the docket number to use as you need to or for copies of the documents you’re looking for. Your lawyer can also navigate the court filing system to efficiently find your docket number for you.
For a free legal consultation, call 215.515.3360
How To Find Your Pennsylvania Docket Number (the Less Easy Way)
If you don’t have any court documents and have not yet hired a lawyer, don’t worry, you can still get your docket number. It won’t be as easy as looking at a piece of paper but it’s not as complicated as you might fear. These are the steps to take:
Determine In Which Court Your Case Is Filed
If you don’t have any documents or a lawyer to support you, your first step in recovering your docket number would be to determine in which court the case is filed or being heard. Find out whether it was a local county court, a district court, or a state/commonwealth court. This will tell you which court system to search through or which court to contact.
Learn the Court’s Docket Numbering System
If you’re planning to look up your docket number using the court’s online filing system, it’s best to learn what their numbering system is. Courts may use unique filing systems, but many use letters that indicate the type of case (i.e. civil or criminal) and include numbers related to the date of filing. Additional numbers are used to indicate the order in which it was received.
Knowing the docket numbering system can help you verify the docket number matches the information you know about the case.
Know What Type of Case It Is
Courts often use different letters or systems to create docket numbers for each case type. So, a civil case will likely contain a different set of letters than a criminal case.
If your case involves minors, the record may not be public or accessible online. Knowing this ensures you take the most efficient steps in recovering your case information.
Access the Court’s Online Docket Filing System
Once you know where the case was filed and the information used in the docket number, you can find the court’s online filing system. Simply search for the specific court plus the phrase “docket” to make your search easier. Or, you can navigate to the court’s website and find the docket search function from the homepage.
Alternatively, you can visit the Pennsylvania Case Search for criminal and appellate cases, which has dockets in all Pennsylvania county courts, Pennsylvania’s Supreme, Superior, and Commonwealth courts as well as Philadelphia Municipal Courts.
On the docket search page, you have a variety of fields to input information about your case. Usually, the docket number is optional. But you can input other information, such as the date of filing, the type of case, the defendant and plaintiff names or case reference name, and more.
Call the Court Directly
Depending on the court, you may have to contact the court directly, such as over the phone or in person, for the docket number. You may need to provide a party’s name, next hearing date, filing date, and other relevant information that a clerk can use to find the docket number for you.
Get Legal Support in Your Pennsylvania Case Today
If you have an active criminal case in Pennsylvania, you could get the legal counsel and support of a local lawyer. At the Law Officers of M.J. Snyder, LLC, we offer free case reviews, whether you have your docket number or not. We can use other information about your case to find your docket number, pull your case, and help you build your defense. Contact our office today to get started.
