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Request a Background Check

For a Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance, please visit the PA Child Abuse History Clearance website.

For questions or issues regarding your Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance or your Keystone Login, please call the Department of Human Services at 877-343-0494.

For a Pennsylvania State Police (PATCH) Criminal Background Check, go to:

Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH)

and fill out the online form. For questions regarding your PA Access to Criminal History request (PATCH), please call the PATCH helpline at 888-783-7972.

Checking the Status of a Request

If you have submitted a criminal history request (PATCH) online:

  • Make sure that you have the control number and the date that you requested your PATCH check. If you mailed your request in, you will need to call 888-783-7972 , option 1, to obtain your control number.
  • Go to Record Check Status
  • Enter the control number, date of request and your name as it was entered when you submitted the request.
  • Once entered the information will display in one of four ways:
    1. Record – Click on the blue control number to take you to your Certificate
    2. Request Under Review – The request has been added to our queue and will be worked on chronologically. This does NOT mean there is a record.
    3. No Record – Click on the blue control number to take you to your Certificate
    4. No Items Found – This means that you have entered something incorrectly when searching for your request.

Submit a Request by Mail

Download a PA Access to Criminal History form

Mail the completed form along with money order or certified check, payable to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If you have any questions regarding the form, please call 888-783-7972, option 2.

Download a PA Access and Review form

These checks search records in the PSP Central Repository only. Additional records may exist from other criminal justice agencies. To access and review records found in the PSP Central Repository, use:

Fees

  • SP4-164 - $22; Standard record check request. Only this type of request can be notarized.
  • Notary Fee - $5; optional, available for standard record check requests.
  • SP4-164A - Free; VOLUNTEERS ONLY
  • SP4-170 - $20; Individual Access and Review.

Submit a copy with a money order or certified check, payable to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Mail to:

Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository - RCPU
1800 Elmerton Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17110-9758

For assistance call the PATCH help line at 888-783-7972, option 1.

Additional Information

Overview of the Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH)
Glossary of terms used in PATCH