Search Centre County Traffic Court Records
Centre County traffic court records are searched through Pennsylvania UJS Case Search and paid or reviewed through PAePay when the ticket is eligible. UJS allows searches by Citation Number, Participant Name, Docket Number, Complaint Number, OTN, Incident Number, County, Judicial District, and MDJS Court Office. PAePay lets the public securely pay traffic tickets, court costs, fines, or restitution for Pennsylvania Common Pleas and Magisterial District courts when payment is allowed.
The citation number is the cleanest search key because it points to a specific ticket. A name search can work, but it may return multiple people or older cases. Filtering by Centre County, Judicial District 49, and the MDJ office shown on the citation reduces false matches. DUI and serious motor-vehicle offenses should be treated as criminal cases because they can move beyond simple traffic-ticket handling.
- Read the citation for the Magisterial District Court office, deadline, plea instructions, and citation number.
- Search UJS or PAePay by citation number first. Use participant name or docket number only when the citation number is unavailable.
- Filter by Centre County, Judicial District 49, or the MDJS Court Office listed on the ticket when those fields are available.
- Review the charge, statute, plea or disposition, payment status, hearing dates, and court contact details.
- Pay online only if the portal permits payment, or contact the MDJ court to plead not guilty, request a hearing, or resolve missing information.
The assigned PAePay image shows the payment and court-cost portal tied to Pennsylvania traffic tickets.
PAePay is a payment and lookup path for eligible tickets, but a contested ticket still belongs with the issuing Magisterial District Court.
Centre County Traffic Courts
Traffic citations in Centre County are usually handled by the Magisterial District Court for the location where the citation was filed. Centre County's minor judiciary includes six District Judge offices. District Judges handle summary offenses, motor-vehicle criminal costs, borough and township ordinances, warrants, bail, and preliminary hearings. The Court of Common Pleas may become involved when a traffic matter is appealed, when a DUI or serious motor-vehicle offense becomes a criminal case, or when a related criminal case moves from preliminary proceedings to Common Pleas.
| Court | Traffic Cases Handled | Address |
|---|---|---|
| 49-1-01, Donald M. Hahn | Traffic, summary, and related lower-court matters for listed State College districts | 131 South Fraser Street, State College, PA 16801 |
| 49-2-01, Casey M. McClain | Traffic and summary matters for College Township North/West, Ferguson, Halfmoon, and Patton areas | 1524 West College Avenue, Box 11, State College, PA 16801 |
| 49-3-02, Kelley Gillette-Walker | Traffic and summary matters for Bellefonte, Howard, Milesburg, Unionville, and surrounding townships | 3555 Benner Pike, Suite C, Bellefonte, PA 16823 |
| 49-3-03, Allen Sinclair | Traffic and summary matters for Philipsburg, Port Matilda, Snow Shoe, and western or northern townships | 118 Enterprise Drive, Philipsburg, PA 16866 |
| 49-3-04, Gregory M. Koehle | Traffic and summary matters for Centre Hall, Millheim, Penns Valley, and nearby townships | 2795 Earlystown Road, Centre Hall, PA 16828 |
| 49-3-05, Steven Lachman | Traffic and summary matters for State College districts near the Pugh Street Parking Garage | 121 South Pugh Street, State College, PA 16801 |
When the ticket does not make the district clear, the county's Magisterial District Court Finder can identify the correct office from an address and city.
Centre County Traffic Search Fields
Traffic search fields overlap with general UJS docket fields, but citation searches have their own practical order. Citation Number is best when available. Participant Name can help if the ticket is missing, but common names may need a filing-date range or the MDJ office. The County and Judicial District filters keep the search focused on Centre County rather than all Pennsylvania traffic records.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search By | dropdown | Yes | Choose Citation Number, Participant Name, Docket Number, Complaint Number, OTN, Incident Number, or another available option. |
| Citation Number | text | Conditional | Best field for Centre County traffic tickets because it identifies the specific citation. |
| County | dropdown | No | Select Centre to limit the search to Centre County cases. |
| Judicial District | dropdown | No | Select Centre or Judicial District 49 when available. |
| MDJS Court Office | dropdown | No | Use the district shown on the citation or identified by the MDJ Finder. |
| Date Filed Start / End | date | No | Narrows older tickets and common-name results. |
What Centre County Traffic Records Show
A Centre County traffic court record can show the citation, charge, statute, court, plea, disposition, fine, costs, hearing or payment status, and related docket events. Some records also show complaint number, docket number, incident number, OTN when the matter becomes criminal, bail, warrants, restitution, or payment-plan events. The court record is case-focused. It does not replace the PennDOT driver record, and it may not show the final license consequence in the same way PennDOT does.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Citation Number | The ticket identifier used for UJS or PAePay traffic lookup. |
| MDJ Court | The Magisterial District Court office assigned to the citation. |
| Charge / Statute | The offense description, Pennsylvania statute, and grading when shown. |
| Plea or Response | Whether the case has a payment, guilty plea, not-guilty plea, hearing request, or other court response. |
| Hearing Date | The listed court date, preliminary event, or next scheduled action. |
| Disposition | The outcome of the citation or charge, including guilty, dismissed, withdrawn, or other court action when public. |
| Fines and Costs | Amounts owed, payment status, restitution if any, and PAePay eligibility when displayed. |
| Warrant or Bail Event | Public docket notes for bench warrant, bail, or failure-to-appear activity when applicable. |
Contest Centre County Traffic Tickets
The practical workflow starts with the citation instructions. A ticket may allow online payment through PAePay, but paying can act as a plea or case resolution depending on the citation and court instructions. If the ticket is not payable online, if the person wants to plead not guilty, or if a hearing is required, contact the Magisterial District Court shown on the citation. Keep the citation number, name, date of birth, and case or docket number ready.
Do not use payment status as the only measure of driver-license impact. PennDOT separately keeps reports on offenses and convictions it receives from courts and police. A paid traffic case can still lead to points, suspension, or other driver-record consequences if the law requires reporting. DUI, serious motor-vehicle offenses, and matters with possible incarceration should be treated as criminal cases. Related criminal filings are handled through the Court of Common Pleas and are covered in the Centre County criminal court records page.
Note: If a ticket shows a hearing date or mandatory appearance, call the MDJ court before assuming online payment resolves it.
Traffic Court Records Access Rules
Traffic court records are public court records when they are not sealed, restricted, or confidential under judiciary policy. The Pennsylvania UJS Case Records Public Access Policy controls public access, redactions, and confidentiality for case records. The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law applies to many government records, but traffic case records follow court case-record access rules. Criminal-history record rules under CHRIA are separate from a public citation docket.
Juvenile traffic or criminal matters may be restricted under 42 Pa.C.S. § 6307. Expungement of eligible Pennsylvania records is governed by 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122. A public traffic search should not be used as proof that no sealed, expunged, delayed, or courthouse-only record exists.
Centre County Traffic Records vs Driver Records
The court traffic record and the state driver record are different files. The court record starts with the citation and follows the case through the Magisterial District Court or Court of Common Pleas. The driver record is maintained by PennDOT's Bureau of Driver Licensing and reflects license history, convictions reported by courts or police, points, suspensions, and related driver-status information. A court can mark a citation closed while PennDOT still maintains driver-record consequences.
| Record Type | Source | What It Shows | How to Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court traffic record | UJS, MDJ court, PAePay, or Court of Common Pleas | Citation, charge, statute, court, plea or disposition, fine, costs, hearing date, and payment status | Search UJS or PAePay, or contact the issuing Magisterial District Court |
| PennDOT driver record | PennDOT Bureau of Driver Licensing | License history, convictions reported by courts or police, points, suspensions, and driver status | Use PennDOT Individual Driver Records or the Pennsylvania driver-record request service |
The assigned PennDOT Individual Driver Records image shows the state driver-record portal rather than a Centre County court docket.
Use PennDOT when the issue is license history, points, suspension, or a certified driver record, not when the issue is the ticket's court docket.
The assigned Pennsylvania driver record request image supports the same distinction.
Driver-record requests can confirm what PennDOT has posted after the court reports a conviction or other reportable action.
Centre County CDL and DUI Records
Commercial drivers should check both the court record and PennDOT record because a Centre County citation can have licensing consequences beyond the local docket. The research confirms that PennDOT receives offense and conviction reports from courts and police. CDL issues may depend on reportable convictions and license status, so the court docket alone may not show the full driver-record effect.
DUI and serious motor-vehicle offenses are not simple traffic tickets. Centre County research identifies a DUI Court for repeat DUI offenders who face a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 90 days incarceration and need structured substance-use treatment and intensive supervision. DUI cases can route into criminal court, where the record may show criminal charges, bail, pleas, sentencing, probation, fines, costs, and treatment-court activity.
Expunging Centre County Traffic Records
Traffic records may be affected by expungement or limited access only when Pennsylvania law permits it. Expungement removes eligible records under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122, including certain summary convictions after required waiting periods and other eligible dispositions. Limited access hides qualifying criminal records from public view while allowing criminal justice agencies to retain access. Eligibility is case-specific, so the safer path is to use the court that handled the citation, UJS forms, the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts when a Common Pleas criminal case exists, or legal counsel.
A driver-record correction is a different issue. If the court record is accurate but PennDOT's driver file appears wrong, the correction path runs through PennDOT's driver-record process. If the court docket itself is wrong, contact the issuing Magisterial District Court or filing office with the docket number, citation number, and supporting documents.
Centre County Traffic Record Fees
Centre County traffic citation payment depends on the fine, costs, restitution, and court entries tied to the case. The research did not provide a Centre County traffic-copy fee schedule for each MDJ office, so local copy fees should be confirmed with the court that holds the record. PennDOT driver-record fees are separate and are listed on the DL-503 driver-information request form.
| Item | Amount or Source |
|---|---|
| Traffic ticket fines and costs | Shown by the citation, UJS, PAePay, or the issuing Magisterial District Court when eligible |
| Basic, 3-year, 10-year employment, full history, or document copy driver record | $15 through PennDOT DL-503 |
| Certified driver record or certified document copy | $47 through PennDOT DL-503 |
| Court copy or certification fee | Confirm with the issuing MDJ court or the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts for Common Pleas records |