Union County Police Records
Union County is located in central Pennsylvania along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. The county seat is Lewisburg, a historic borough that serves as the center of county government. Law enforcement is provided by several agencies: Lewisburg Borough Police serves the county seat, Mifflinburg Borough Police covers another population center, and the Pennsylvania State Police cover rural townships and unincorporated areas. The Union County Sheriff's Office handles civil process, court security, and warrant-related duties. This guide explains how to access Union County police records from each of these agencies, how to search court records online, and how to submit formal Right-to-Know requests.
Union County's mix of borough police departments and State Police coverage means that police records can originate from multiple agencies depending on where an incident occurred. Identifying the correct agency before submitting a records request will save significant time. This page breaks down each agency's jurisdiction, record-keeping responsibilities, and the procedures for requesting access to their records under Pennsylvania law.
Union County Quick Facts
Union County Police Records Overview
Police records in Union County are governed by Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law at 65 P.S. §§ 67.101-67.3104, which gives any person the right to request access to public records held by Pennsylvania government agencies. This includes incident reports and arrest logs generated by the Lewisburg Borough Police, Mifflinburg Borough Police, and the Sheriff's Office. Agencies must respond to RTK requests within five business days by granting access, denying access with a written explanation citing a specific exemption, or notifying you that a 30-day extension is needed.
The Criminal History Record Information Act (CHRIA) at 18 Pa.C.S. §§ 9101-9183 separately governs access to criminal history data held by courts and criminal justice agencies. Conviction records are generally public, while arrest records that did not result in conviction, juvenile records, and expunged records have additional statutory protections under CHRIA.
The image below is from the Union County official website, which provides links to all county department pages and contact information.
The Union County website is the best starting point for locating the RTK officer, Sheriff's Office contact, and links to the Clerk of Courts. All major county offices are located in Lewisburg.
Copy fees under the Right-to-Know Law are $0.25 per page for paper copies. Electronic delivery may be available at no charge or a reduced rate. If your Right-to-Know request is denied, you have 15 business days to appeal to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records at 333 Market Street, 16th Floor, Harrisburg, PA, reachable at 717-346-9903 or through openrecords.pa.gov.
Sheriff's Office
The Union County Sheriff's Office is located at 103 South Second Street, Lewisburg, PA 17837. The Sheriff is a constitutionally established county officer in Pennsylvania, responsible for civil process service, warrant execution, court security, prisoner transport, and administration of the county jail. The Sheriff's Office generates records in the course of these duties including returns of service on civil process, warrant documentation, and jail-related records.
Civil records maintained by the Sheriff include returns of service on civil complaints, writs of execution, sheriff's sale notices, and other court-ordered civil process documents. These records are public and can be requested from the Sheriff's Office at 103 South Second Street in Lewisburg. Contact the office to confirm current hours, accepted payment methods, and the preferred format for submitting a records request.
The Union County Sheriff also operates the county jail. Jail records including booking logs and inmate rosters may be available as public records. Contact the Sheriff's Office to find out whether an online inmate lookup tool is available and what procedure to follow for requesting jail records. Some counties post booking information publicly on their jail websites.
Warrant execution is a central function of the Sheriff's Office. Warrants are issued by the Union County courts, and the Sheriff's Office is responsible for serving and executing those warrants. If you need to confirm whether an active warrant exists for a specific individual in Union County, contacting the Sheriff's Office at 103 South Second Street, Lewisburg is a reasonable starting point. The office may be able to confirm basic warrant status, though not all warrant information is publicly disclosed.
The Sheriff's Office is a county agency subject to the Right-to-Know Law. You may submit a formal RTK request for Sheriff's Office records in writing, addressed to the Union County Open Records officer through the county courthouse in Lewisburg. The five-business-day response timeline applies, with the possibility of a 30-day extension for voluminous or complex requests.
Clerk of Courts Records
The Union County Clerk of Courts maintains all criminal case records for matters adjudicated in the Union County Court of Common Pleas. This includes felony and serious misdemeanor cases, appeals from the Magisterial District Courts, and related criminal court filings. Records held by the Clerk of Courts include criminal complaints, informations, plea agreements, trial records, sentencing orders, probation documents, and jury verdicts.
The Clerk of Courts office is located in the Union County Courthouse in Lewisburg. Contact the courthouse for current office hours, fee schedules for certified copies, and instructions for submitting a records request in person or by mail. Certified copy fees may differ from the standard RTK $0.25 per page copy fee depending on the type of certification required.
The Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System (UJS) Portal provides free online access to Union County court dockets. You can search by name, docket number, or other identifiers and review publicly available case information without visiting the courthouse. The portal covers criminal, civil, traffic, and other case types in the Union County Court of Common Pleas and the Magisterial District Courts. For most routine court history lookups, the UJS Portal is the fastest and most convenient option.
Criminal history records held by the Clerk of Courts are governed under CHRIA at 18 Pa.C.S. §§ 9101-9183. Conviction records are generally public, but pre-conviction records, juvenile records, and expunged records receive additional protection. Expunged records are removed from public access and will not appear in the UJS Portal or in response to a Clerk of Courts request.
When submitting a written request to the Clerk of Courts, include the defendant's full name, date of birth, and the approximate date or docket number of the case if you have it. This information helps courthouse staff locate the correct file quickly and reduces processing time.
Right-to-Know Requests
Union County has a designated Right-to-Know officer responsible for handling formal public records requests submitted to county agencies under 65 P.S. §§ 67.101-67.3104. To submit a Right-to-Know request to the county or any of its departments, contact the Union County Open Records office through the courthouse at 103 South Second Street, Lewisburg, PA 17837. The county's official website at unioncountypa.org provides current contact information for the RTK officer and may include a downloadable request form.
A valid Right-to-Know request must be in writing and must describe the records being sought with enough detail for the agency to identify and locate them. You are not required to state a reason for your request or provide personal identification in most circumstances. The agency must respond within five business days by granting the request, denying it with a written explanation citing the applicable exemption, or notifying you that a 30-day extension is needed.
The standard copy fee is $0.25 per page for paper copies. Electronic records may be provided at no charge or a reduced rate if they can be transmitted without significant burden to the agency. For large requests, asking whether electronic delivery is available can substantially reduce your costs.
Union County has multiple law enforcement agencies operating within its borders. Records requests for incidents handled by Lewisburg Borough Police should go to the Lewisburg Borough Police Department. Records for incidents handled by Mifflinburg Borough Police should go to that department. Records for incidents handled by PSP must be submitted to the Pennsylvania State Police. Sending your request to the wrong agency will cause delays, so identifying the correct agency before submitting is important.
If your Right-to-Know request is denied, you have 15 business days from the date of the denial to appeal to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records at 333 Market Street, 16th Floor, Harrisburg, PA. The OOR can be reached at 717-346-9903 or through openrecords.pa.gov. The OOR issues a binding final determination on all appeals, which can be further appealed to the Court of Common Pleas if you disagree with the outcome.
State Police Coverage
The Pennsylvania State Police Milton and Lewisburg Barracks provide law enforcement coverage in the rural townships and unincorporated areas of Union County that are not served by the Lewisburg Borough or Mifflinburg Borough police departments. PSP troopers respond to incidents in these areas, generate incident reports, and maintain records of their law enforcement activities.
PSP incident reports are state agency records and must be requested from the Pennsylvania State Police directly, not from Union County. You can submit a Right-to-Know request through the PSP Records Request portal on the Pennsylvania government website. The PSP has its own RTK officer, and the same five-business-day response timeline applies to PSP requests.
Vehicle crash reports for accidents investigated by PSP troopers in Union County cost $22 each. You can order a crash report through the PSP crash report request page. Provide the date and location of the crash and identifying information about the parties involved. Crash reports are typically available within a few weeks of the accident date.
Crime statistics for Union County are collected through the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting system. County-level and statewide UCR data is available from the Pennsylvania UCR website maintained by the Office of the Attorney General. These statistics provide a broader view of crime trends in Union County over time and by category.
PSP does not release records from active open investigations. If the case you are researching is still being investigated, the incident report and related case files will not be disclosed until the matter is closed or charges are formally filed. Contact the relevant PSP barracks directly for questions about a specific case status before submitting a formal request.
PATCH System
The Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History (PATCH) system provides statewide criminal background checks through the Pennsylvania State Police. A PATCH search costs $22 per request and covers all 67 Pennsylvania counties, including Union County. Results are drawn from the state's criminal history database maintained under 18 Pa.C.S. §§ 9101-9183 and include Pennsylvania conviction records, guilty pleas, and sentences imposed by the courts.
You can submit a PATCH request online through the PATCH overview page on the Pennsylvania government website. Searches are conducted by name and date of birth, and online requests typically return results quickly. Mail-in requests are also available for those who prefer that method, though they take longer to process.
PATCH results cover Pennsylvania convictions only. The system does not include arrests that did not lead to conviction, expunged records, federal criminal records, or records from other states. For a comprehensive background check that extends beyond Pennsylvania, additional requests to the FBI or to the relevant state criminal records agencies of other states may be necessary.
PATCH is widely used for employment screening, volunteer background checks, professional licensing, and tenant screening. Pennsylvania law requires PATCH checks for many categories of employees and volunteers who work with children, older adults, or other vulnerable populations. Bucknell University and other employers and organizations in Union County regularly use PATCH as part of their hiring and volunteer screening processes. Results are typically valid for one year for most licensing and employment purposes.
Sex Offender Registry
Pennsylvania's Megan's Law sex offender registry is maintained by the Pennsylvania State Police and is publicly searchable online at no charge. You can search for registered sex offenders in Union County, Lewisburg, Mifflinburg, or any specific address through the Pennsylvania Megan's Law website. The registry lists offender names, current addresses, photographs, and offense details for individuals required to register under Pennsylvania's sex offender registration statute.
Registered sex offenders residing in Union County are required to register with their local law enforcement agency. Depending on where in the county they reside, registration may occur with the Lewisburg Borough Police, the Mifflinburg Borough Police, or the PSP barracks covering their area. The registration frequency and duration depend on the offender's tier classification under state law, with higher-tier offenders subject to more frequent reporting requirements and longer registration periods.
The Megan's Law website allows you to search by name, zip code, county, or address. You can also register for email notifications to receive alerts when a registered sex offender moves into a specific area. This notification service is available free of charge through the PSP's Megan's Law portal and does not require creating a user account in most cases. The Megan's Law registry is updated regularly as new registrations are received and existing registrant information changes.
Nearby Counties
Union County is surrounded by several central Pennsylvania counties. If your records search involves activity near county lines or someone who may have operated in neighboring areas, these counties are worth checking as well.