Allegheny County Jail

Bail is first set by a local judge at the preliminary arraignment, a brief hearing held soon after booking. For arrests inside the city of Pittsburgh, and for some kinds of cases from the rest of the county, that judge sits at Arraignment Court. It is in the Municipal Courts Building, 660 First Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-3240. That court never closes, so it runs through nights, weekends and holidays.

Other suburban cases may go to the magisterial district judge (MDJ) who serves the town where the arrest happened. Call Arraignment Court to learn which judge has the case.

Across Pennsylvania, this hearing usually takes place within about six hours of the arrest. The person hears the charges, gets a copy of the complaint and is told of the right to a lawyer. The judge then sets bail and a date for the preliminary hearing. For someone still in custody, that hearing must be held within 14 days. For someone who got out, the limit is 21 days (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540).

State court rules give judges five ways to let someone go before trial (Pa.R.Crim.P. 524). Only the last one asks for money up front:

• Release on recognizance (ROR). Freedom comes from a signature alone: a pledge to attend every hearing.
• Nonmonetary conditions. That pledge plus conditions, such as reporting to Pretrial Services on a schedule or a stay-away order.
• Unsecured bail. No money changes hands today, but a missed court date makes the person liable for a set dollar figure.
• Nominal bail. A token sum, such as $1, with a person or group standing behind the defendant as surety.
• Monetary bail. The judge names a dollar figure that must be secured. Here a judge can let the family put down 10 percent in cash.

Extra rules can come with any of these. Here, a Common Pleas judge in Motions Court decides on pretrial electronic monitoring, and its fees depend on income. A judge may also make an evaluation by the jail's Behavioral Assessment Unit a condition of bail. Questions about pretrial supervision go to the Pretrial Supervision Unit at 412-350-4735.

Each judge picks the number for that one case. The money must be reasonable, and the judge must weigh what the person can truly afford (Pa.R.Crim.P. 528). The judge also weighs things like the person's job history and past record (Pa.R.Crim.P. 523), how serious the charge is, and whether they came to court in past cases. So two people with the same charge can get very different bail.

When 10 percent bail is allowed, here is what a family would hand over, counting the $50 filing fee the county adds to every bond:

• $1,000 bail: $100 deposit plus $50, so $150 in all
• $5,000 bail: $500 deposit plus $50, so $550
• $10,000 bail: $1,000 deposit plus $50, so $1,050
• $50,000 bail: $5,000 deposit plus $50, so $5,050

If the judge orders straight cash bail, the whole amount is due. To learn the real figure in a case, call Arraignment Court at 412-350-3240 or search the person's name on the free UJS case search portal, where each docket sheet shows what kind of bail was set and how much. The Pretrial Services Bail Unit at 412-350-4732 can explain how bail was set.

Money for a bond goes to a court bond counter, and the jail at 950 Second Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 lets the person out once the paperwork reaches it. Here is the order to follow:

1. Phone the jail at 412-350-2000. Read off their legal name and birthday. Ask staff for the DOC number and charges.
2. Check the bail amount and type with Arraignment Court at 412-350-3240.
3. Wait until the person has been arraigned and processed. The counters take bond money only after that.
4. Pick the counter that is open: the Bond Counter in the Courthouse during weekday business hours, or the Municipal Courts Building after hours.
5. Bring the exact amount plus the $50 filing fee, and carry a photo ID. Keep the receipt in a safe place.
6. Expect the release to take about three hours after the jail gets the bond paperwork.

The person's own jail account balance can go toward bail as well. Ask the jail's Cashier's Office at 412-350-2264 how to do it.

Two counters take bail money in person, and one state website takes cards. Each works a bit differently:

• Bond Counter, Department of Court Records: 436 Grant Street, Room 114, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-6063. Open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Municipal Courts Building: 660 First Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, through Arraignment Court at 412-350-3240. Use it from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, plus every hour of Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
• Online: the jail's intake page tells families they can arrange bond payment through the state court web portal. The county takes part in PAePay Bail. It takes ATM cards and Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. It adds a 2.75 percent service fee that is never refunded, and each payment can be $20,000 at most. A bail company acting as surety can't use it and must deal with the court or jail directly.

For a case filed at a suburban magisterial district court, call that office before you drive there. Ask whether it accepts bail for the case and what form of payment it takes. Phone numbers for each office are on our court page. Magisterial District Court Administration, 437 Grant Street, Room 340, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-5485, can also point you to the right one.

Cash works at both bond counters, as do money orders and cashier's checks, in the exact amount. The $50 filing fee is charged on every bond. Planning to pay some other way? First call the Bond Counter at 412-350-6063 before you go. Never send cash in the mail.

Pennsylvania also lets bail be secured in other ways (Pa.R.Crim.P. 528):

• Real estate in Pennsylvania with enough clear value. Start with Pretrial Services at 564 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Manor Building, 4th floor), 412-350-4732.
• Bearer bonds or other negotiable securities. Call the Department of Court Records at 412-350-6065.
• A surety bond written by a state-licensed bondsman or an insurance-backed surety firm.
• A card payment online through PAePay Bail, with its 2.75 percent fee.

Think hard before you sign as the depositor. The clerk must tell you in writing what you are agreeing to. If you sign as a surety, you can owe the full bail, not just the 10 percent, if the person misses court (Pa.R.Crim.P. 535).

Pennsylvania allows commercial bail bonds. A bondsman covers the whole bail and charges you for it. That charge, the premium, is never refunded. The rules come from 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 5741-5750:

• Each bondsman needs an insurance producer license from the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.
• Before writing bonds in a county, the bondsman must file the license and an insurer's power of attorney with that county.
• State law sets no top price on the premium. The old cap ended in 2015, so get the fee and any collateral terms in writing.
• No one may charge you a fee merely for steering you to a bondsman, and bondsmen may not drum up business inside a courthouse (42 Pa.C.S. § 5749).
• If the person skips court, the bondsman's forfeit comes due 91 days after notice. If the person is back within six months, the bondsman pays a $250 fee instead (42 Pa.C.S. § 5747.1).

Before signing, have the bondsman prove both the license and the county filing. For questions about using a bond in a case here, call Pretrial Services at 412-350-4732.

A bail order covers just the case it was set in. Any of the following can stop a release that bail alone would allow:

• Another open case or warrant. A different county, a Family Division matter or a Pittsburgh city magisterial warrant each needs its own answer. The Family Division warrant line is 412-350-3204.
• A probation detainer. County Adult Probation can ask that the person stay in. Its main office is at 564 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Manor Building, 12th floor), 412-350-2320.
• State parole. The Western Division office is at 134 Enterprise Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, 412-365-3540.
• A federal or ICE hold. State bail has no effect on these federal holds.
• A bail condition not yet met. An ordered evaluation or monitor set-up can come first.

Release timing matters too. People released on a bond usually walk out within three hours after the jail gets the paperwork. Other releases can take up to 48 hours from midnight of the day the order is sent. Before you pay, call the jail at 412-350-2000 and ask about detainers or other open cases.

Almost everyone in Pennsylvania can get bail. The state constitution (Pa. Const. art. I, § 14) and 42 Pa.C.S. § 5701 allow only two exceptions:

• the charge carries a possible death sentence or life behind bars as its maximum, or
• no conditions other than jail would protect the public and any victim.

In both cases, the proof must be "evident" or the presumption "great". In Commonwealth v. Talley (2021), the state Supreme Court said this is a real test. The prosecutor has to bring evidence at a hearing and convince the judge. Suspicion alone won't do.

The prosecutor who asks for no bail or high bail is the District Attorney's Office, 436 Grant Street, Room 303, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-4401. The defense lawyer answers that request at the hearing.

Bail is not locked in. A defense lawyer can ask for a change in two main ways:

1. Pretrial Services review. The lawyer sends a Bail Review Request Form to Pretrial Services. An answer comes within three business days. A hearing there costs the family nothing.
2. A motion to a Common Pleas judge. The lawyer files a written request in the Court of Common Pleas, often heard in Motions Court.

Give the lawyer job records, the home address and a frank figure the household can manage. Offering rules like check-ins or monitoring can ease the judge's worries.

Pretrial jail time is capped by a rule too. After 180 days locked up since the complaint, minus any delay the defense itself caused, the defense may then seek nominal bail by motion (Pa.R.Crim.P. 600). People held without any right to bail are left out of that rule.

Pretrial Services is at 564 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Manor Building, 4th floor), 412-350-4732.

The county Public Defender takes clients who can't afford a lawyer. Its income limit is 175 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, and its help is free. Each client signs a sworn statement about money, as the Public Defender Act requires (16 P.S. § 9960.1 and following). Act 34 of 2023 brought the first state money for county defender offices.

• Office of the Public Defender: 542 Forbes Avenue, Suite 400, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-2400. Alternative number: 412-350-2401. The county's Public Defender page has an online application.
• Someone in jail waiting for a preliminary hearing can ask the defender intake staff at the jail.
• Youth cases: the juvenile defenders answer at 412-350-3504.
• Conflict cases: when the defender can't take a case, the Office of Conflict Counsel may. It is at 564 Forbes Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-4850.
• Hiring a lawyer: the county bar's Lawyer Referral Service is at 412-261-5555.

Most criminal court work happens downtown, a few blocks from the jail:

• Allegheny County Courthouse (Court of Common Pleas, Fifth Judicial District), 436 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-5410. Felony and misdemeanor cases are tried here. The Criminal Division office is Room 534, 412-350-5500, open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Municipal Courts Building (Pittsburgh Municipal Court and Arraignment Court), 660 First Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-6715. City cases start here.
• Magisterial district courts. There are 46 of these local offices, each serving a group of towns or city wards. Magisterial District Court Administration, 437 Grant Street, Room 340, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-5485, can tell you which one has a case.
• Family Law Center (juvenile cases), 440 Ross Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-5600.
• Joseph F. Weis, Jr. U.S. Courthouse (federal charges), 700 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-208-7500.

Every district court office, with its address, phone and towns, is listed on our court page.

Hold on to your bond receipt. After the case is fully over and every court date was kept, the county mails a refund check to whoever posted the money. The check is the bail minus the $50 filing fee and a processing fee. Under state rules, the deposit should go back within 20 days of the final end of the case (Pa.R.Crim.P. 535).

• Refunds come by check only. If you move, update your address in person at the Bond Counter, 436 Grant Street, Room 114, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, and bring photo ID.
• For refund questions, call 412-350-5239. Alternative number: 412-350-6063.
• If the person posted bail in their own name, the court can apply that deposit to fines, costs and restitution.
• Skipping court puts the whole bail at risk, not only the 10 percent paid, and the judge can issue a bench warrant.

Missed a date by mistake? On a weekday, the person can walk in to Pretrial Services, 564 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Manor Building, 4th floor), by 8:30 a.m. Some bonds can be put back in place the same day. The visit can take up to four hours.

At release, the jail pays back what is left in the person's account. Part comes as cash and the rest as a check. The Discharge and Release Center on Level 1 of the jail, 950 Second Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, helps with the trip home. It is open Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Staff there can offer bus tickets, clothing, naloxone, referrals and a phone to arrange a ride. The discharge coordinator is at 412-350-2231.

While the person is still inside, family can pick up their property only if the person says yes. Call 412-350-2267 between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. Then come to the front lobby between 1:45 and 2:00 p.m. that same day. Our jail account money page covers deposits, limits and the balance left at release.

Federal charges filed here belong to the Western District of Pennsylvania, a U.S. District Court. It meets in the federal courthouse named for Joseph F. Weis, Jr., 700 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-208-7500. County bond counters have no part in a federal case.

• Release turns on a detention hearing, where a federal judge picks jail or home and attaches conditions (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• A report from U.S. Pretrial Services helps the judge decide. Its office is at 700 Grant Street, Suite 3330, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-395-6907.
• Someone who can't pay for federal defense gets help from the Federal Public Defender, 1001 Liberty Avenue, Suite 1500, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, 412-644-6565.
• Until trial, U.S. Marshals keep custody, often renting space in a local jail. Ask where at 700 Grant Street, Room 2360, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-644-3351.
• Sentenced people move into federal prison, where the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator can find them.

The immigration case runs on its own track, and money posted here for the state charge leaves it alone. Here is the usual order:

1. Immigration officers put their request in writing on Form I-247A, the detainer itself.
2. It is a request to hold them for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. In Galarza v. Szalczyk (2014), the federal appeals court that covers Pennsylvania said a detainer is only a request. Any county keeping a person only because ICE asked may be liable for that call itself. That is why every county jail writes its own detainer policy. Ask this one about its policy at 412-350-2000.
4. ICE in Pennsylvania works from the Philadelphia Field Office, 114 N. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164.
5. Once ICE has the person, search the ICE Online Detainee Locator by A-number. Without one, try the full name with the home country.

Talk with an immigration lawyer before paying bail on someone with a detainer.

Pennsylvania sentences have a minimum and a maximum, and the maximum decides the place (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762). If the top end is below 2 years, the person stays in the county jail. A top end of 5 years or longer means state prison. In the middle band, 2 to 5 years, state prison is the norm unless the jail, the prosecutor and the sentencing judge all approve keeping the person here.

• State prisoners start with an intake stay for testing and sorting, which lasts weeks to months. After that they move to a prison matched to them.
• Find them with the DOC inmate locator.
• The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is at 1920 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, 717-728-2573.
• Visit our Pennsylvania state prisons page for details on every prison.

Under the Juvenile Act (42 Pa.C.S. § 6301 and following), juvenile court hears most cases against people under 18. Youths are held apart from adults, in juvenile detention, and their case is kept off the public court portal.

Some cases start in adult court instead. These include murder, and certain violent crimes in which a youth aged 15, 16 or 17 used a deadly weapon (42 Pa.C.S. § 6302). The defense can ask to move such a case to juvenile court.

• Juvenile Probation: 550 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-0210, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call its intake unit at 412-350-0170 to ask where the youth is held and when court is.
• Juvenile public defenders: 412-350-3504.

Two layers of courts split the work:

• Magisterial district courts and Pittsburgh Municipal Court. These local courts decide summary offenses, the lowest grade, such as most traffic citations and disorderly conduct. They also sign warrants, hold the first bail hearing and run the preliminary hearing in bigger cases.
• The Court of Common Pleas. Once a local judge finds enough evidence, every misdemeanor and felony moves up here for trial or a plea. People convicted of a summary offense can appeal here too and get a brand-new trial.

Each Pennsylvania crime carries a grade, and the grade caps the sentence. The ceilings are (18 Pa.C.S. §§ 1101, 1103-1105):

• Summary offense: no more than 90 days; fine as high as $300
• M3 (third-degree misdemeanor): 1 year; $2,500
• M2: 2 years; $5,000
• M1: 5 years; $10,000
• F3 (third-degree felony): 7 years; $15,000
• F2: 10 years; $25,000
• F1, the worst felony grade: 20 years; $25,000

The main courthouse and its record offices sit on Grant Street, a short walk from the jail.

• Allegheny County Courthouse, 436 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-5410. Open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Common Pleas judges hear misdemeanor and felony cases in this building.
• Criminal Division office, Room 534 of the Courthouse, 412-350-5500, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Court Arraignment Office, which runs formal arraignments, is in Room 519, 412-350-5290.
• Department of Court Records, Criminal Division (the county's clerk of courts), Rooms 114, 220 and 222 of the Courthouse. Criminal records: 412-350-6075. Docket counter: 412-350-5321. Fines and costs: 412-350-5311. Expungements: 412-350-3271.
• Court Administrator, 437 Grant Street, Room 300, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Frick Building), 412-350-4640.
• Family Law Center, for juvenile matters, 440 Ross Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-5600.

The Criminal Division also runs special treatment courts: Drug, DUI, Mental Health, Veterans, Domestic Violence and Sex Offense courts. A defense lawyer can ask whether a case fits one of them.

Yes. The city's Municipal Court works from the Municipal Courts Building, 660 First Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Regular offices are open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Main line and Criminal Division: 412-350-6715
• Non-Traffic Division: 412-350-6710
• Traffic Division: 412-350-6720
• Arraignment Court, open 24 hours every day: 412-350-3240. It handles first hearings for city arrests and some county cases, plus complaints, warrants, bail and emergency abuse orders.

Twelve magisterial district offices also serve the city, each covering certain wards.

• 05-2-27, Wards 4, 16 and 17: 900 Sarah Street, Suite 208, Pittsburgh, PA 15203, 412-481-0616
• 05-2-28, Wards 1, 2, 3 and 5: One Hope Square, 1901 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-261-2660
• 05-2-31, Wards 8, 10 and 11: 5815 Bryant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, 412-404-5914
• 05-2-35, Wards 7 and 14: 5741 Beacon Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217, 412-521-9288. Court sites list more than one address for this office, so call before you go.
• 05-2-36, Wards 15 and 31: 4301 Murray Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217, 412-521-7782
• 05-2-38, Ward 19: 736 Brookline Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15226, 412-343-1188
• 05-2-40, Wards 21 through 25: 421 East Ohio Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, 412-321-0788
• 05-2-42, Wards 26 and 27: 3880 Perrysville Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15214, 412-321-0116
• 05-3-10, Wards 6 and 9: 4211 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, 412-681-1558
• 05-3-12, Wards 12 and 13: 514 Larimer Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, 412-241-1165. State court pages show a different address, so phone ahead.
• 05-3-13, Wards 20 and 28: 22 Wabash Street, Suite 101, Pittsburgh, PA 15220 (lower level), 412-331-9828
• 05-3-14, Wards 18, 29, 30 and 32: 2213 Brownsville Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15210, 412-884-1511

Outside the city, 34 magisterial district courts each cover a set of boroughs and townships. The case goes to the office for the town where the arrest or crime happened. They are grouped by area below.

North Hills and Ohio River towns

• 05-2-01, Avalon, Bellevue, Ben Avon, Ben Avon Heights, Emsworth, Kilbuck and Ohio Township: 660 Lincoln Avenue, 2nd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15202, 412-761-8770
• 05-2-02, Ross Township: 439 Perry Highway, Pittsburgh, PA 15229, 412-931-3205
• 05-2-03, Etna, Millvale, Reserve and Shaler: 1007 Mount Royal Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15223, 412-487-7630
• 05-2-12, Bradford Woods, Marshall, McCandless and Pine: 9500 Brooktree Road, 2nd Floor, Wexford, PA 15090, 412-366-2221
• 05-3-02, Aleppo, Bell Acres, Edgeworth, Franklin Park, Glenfield, Haysville, Leet, Leetsdale, Osborne, Sewickley, Sewickley Heights and Sewickley Hills: 190 Ohio River Blvd, Leetsdale, PA 15056, 724-266-7179
• 05-3-04, Hampton, Richland, West Deer and nearby towns: 2060 Saxonburg Boulevard, Gibsonia, PA 15044, 724-265-2380

Allegheny River valley

• 05-2-04, Aspinwall, Blawnox, Fox Chapel, Indiana Township, O'Hara and Sharpsburg: 1205 Main Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15215, 412-784-8555
• 05-2-05, Brackenridge, East Deer, Fawn, Harrison and Tarentum: 1010 Broadview Boulevard, Brackenridge, PA 15014, 724-224-5555
• 05-2-32, Oakmont and Plum: 10101 Saltsburg Road, Plum, PA 15239, 412-793-2727
• 05-3-03, Cheswick, Frazer, Harmar, Springdale Borough and Springdale Township: 721 Gulf Lab Road, Cheswick, PA 15024, 724-274-4800

East suburbs

• 05-2-06, Penn Hills and Verona: 85 Universal Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235, 412-731-0100
• 05-2-07, Monroeville and Pitcairn: 339 Old Haymaker Road, Suite 1500, Monroeville, PA 15146 (Parkway Building), 412-372-1125
• 05-2-08, Braddock Hills, Chalfant, Churchill, Forest Hills and Swissvale: 21 Yost Boulevard, Suite 100, Forest Hills, PA 15221, 412-646-1837
• 05-2-10, Wilkinsburg: 907 West Street, Suite 101, Wilkinsburg, PA 15221, 412-241-6529
• 05-2-11, East McKeesport, North Versailles, Trafford and Wall: 371 Lincoln Highway, North Versailles, PA 15137, 412-824-3862
• 05-2-47, Braddock, Duquesne, East Pittsburgh, North Braddock and Turtle Creek: 10 Duquesne Plaza, Duquesne, PA 15110, 412-824-6201

Mon Valley

• 05-2-13, McKeesport: 687 O'Neil Blvd, McKeesport, PA 15132, 412-664-4612
• 05-2-14, Dravosburg, Rankin and nearby towns: 2629 Skyline Drive, West Mifflin, PA 15122, 412-466-1503
• 05-2-15, Homestead and Munhall: 510 East Eighth Avenue, Munhall, PA 15120, 412-461-5977
• 05-2-26, Elizabeth Borough, Elizabeth Township and Forward: 2611 Hayden Boulevard, Suite 3, Elizabeth, PA 15037, 412-382-3050
• 05-3-05, Lincoln, South Versailles and Versailles: 1985 Lincoln Way, White Oak, PA 15131 (Rainbow Village Shopping Center), 412-672-3916
• 05-3-09, Clairton, Glassport, Liberty and Port Vue: 461 Miller Avenue, Clairton, PA 15025, 412-945-3193

South Hills

• 05-2-16, Jefferson Hills, Pleasant Hills and South Park: 343 Old Curry Hollow Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, 412-653-2102
• 05-2-17, Baldwin Township and Castle Shannon: 5301 Grove Road, Suite M-201, Pittsburgh, PA 15236 (Castle Village Shopping Center), 412-885-2111
• 05-2-18, Baldwin Borough and Brentwood: 5001 Curry Road, Unit 2, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, 412-714-8354
• 05-2-19, Dormont and Mount Lebanon: 680 Washington Road, Suite B-103, Pittsburgh, PA 15228, 412-561-4415
• 05-2-20, Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair: 2414 Lytle Road, Suite 200, Bethel Park, PA 15102 (Hiras Professional Building), 412-835-1661

West suburbs and airport area

• 05-2-21, Bridgeville, Collier and South Fayette: 295 Millers Run Road, Bridgeville, PA 15017, 412-221-3353
• 05-2-22, Green Tree, Heidelberg and Scott: 301 Lindsay Road, Carnegie, PA 15106 (Scott Township Municipal Building), 412-276-7887
• 05-2-23, Carnegie, Crafton, Ingram, Pennsbury Village, Rosslyn Farms and Thornburg: 136 Bradford Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15205, 412-921-5559
• 05-2-25, Coraopolis, Crescent, Moon and Neville: 923 Fifth Avenue, First Floor, Coraopolis, PA 15108, 412-262-3881
• 05-2-43, Kennedy and Robinson: 5624 Steubenville Pike, McKees Rocks, PA 15136, 412-787-5000
• 05-3-06, McKees Rocks and Stowe: 104 Linden Avenue, McKees Rocks, PA 15136, 412-331-3414
• 05-3-17, Findlay, McDonald, North Fayette and Oakdale: 8052 Steubenville Pike, Oakdale, PA 15071, 724-695-2070

Can't spot your town, such as Whitehall, West Mifflin, Edgewood or West View? Magisterial District Court Administration, 437 Grant Street, Room 340, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Frick Building), 412-350-5485, will tell you which office covers it.

Soon after booking, usually within about six hours, the person goes before a judge for the preliminary arraignment. For city arrests, and some others, this happens at Arraignment Court in the Municipal Courts Building, 660 First Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-3240. In those few minutes:

• the person hears each charge and gets the criminal complaint on paper
• the judge explains the right to counsel, free counsel included
• bail and any release rules are set
• a preliminary hearing date is fixed (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540)

Nobody pleads guilty or not guilty yet. When a case starts by a mailed summons instead of an arrest, bail may be set later, before the preliminary hearing. Anyone held at the jail can ask the public defender's intake staff there for help right away.

Summary charges, like a minor retail theft citation or a traffic ticket, are tried by the local district judge. A misdemeanor goes through a preliminary hearing and then to the Court of Common Pleas, where it ends in a plea, a trial or a program.

• DUI. At the general level, a first or second offense is graded as a misdemeanor, and the jail term can reach six months (75 Pa.C.S. § 3803). A fourth offense becomes a felony. Anyone 18 or older charged with DUI here must get a CRN evaluation, which is a drug and alcohol screening, in the county of arrest.
• Ignition interlock. The court's interlock program is at 5300 Perry Highway, Pittsburgh, PA 15229, 412-931-6107.
• ARD. Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition is a second-chance program, mostly for first offenders, and first DUI cases often qualify. Offers come only from the District Attorney, and a judge must sign off (Pa.R.Crim.P. 310). After the classes, fees and supervision are done, the charge is dismissed and can be expunged. Eligibility rules are on the District Attorney's ARD page; for program questions, call the Pretrial Services ARD Unit at 412-350-4632.
• Appeals. A summary conviction can be appealed to Common Pleas for a fresh trial. Ask the district court how many days you have.

1. Preliminary arraignment. Bail and a hearing date are set within hours of arrest.
2. Preliminary hearing in front of the local judge, inside 14 days when the person is jailed and 21 days when free (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540). Here the prosecutor needs a prima facie case: basic evidence of a crime and of the person's likely role in it. Weak cases are dismissed. The defense may choose to skip this hearing.
3. The information. This is the written charging paper from the District Attorney, which can differ from the first complaint.
4. Formal arraignment in Common Pleas, usually 6 to 8 weeks later here. The person gets the charges in writing and enters a plea.
5. Pretrial conference, where many plea deals are made.
6. Trial before a judge alone or a jury of 12. Guilt must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, and a jury verdict must be unanimous.
7. Sentencing, often up to 90 days after a plea or verdict. Probation staff write a report first, and the judge uses the state sentencing guidelines.

Appeals go to the Superior Court and then the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Top-grade charges bring tighter limits at almost every step:

• No bail in some cases. Bail can be denied if the top penalty is death or life, or if nothing short of jail would protect the public. Under Commonwealth v. Talley (2021), the prosecution carries that burden with real evidence.
• Murder sentences. The law allows death or a life term for first-degree murder, a life term for second-degree, and as much as 40 years for third-degree (18 Pa.C.S. § 1102).
• Teens in adult court. Youths 15 and up accused of murder, or of some violent crimes using a deadly weapon, start in adult court (42 Pa.C.S. § 6302).
• Victim voice. Victims can speak up about bail, plea deals and the sentence.
• Bail sureties. A person who signs for someone's bail must report a broken stay-away or protection order to police within 24 hours (42 Pa.C.S. § 5750).

Domestic violence and sex offense cases may be sent to the Criminal Division's special courts for those charges.

• District Attorney's Office (prosecutor): 436 Grant Street, Room 303, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-4401. It prosecutes criminal cases in the county courts.
• Office of the Public Defender: 542 Forbes Avenue, Suite 400, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-2400. Alternative number: 412-350-2401. Help is free for people whose income is at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Applicants sign a sworn money statement (16 P.S. § 9960.1 and following).
• Office of Conflict Counsel, when the defender can't take a case: 564 Forbes Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-4850.
• Lawyer Referral Service of the county bar, for hiring privately: 412-261-5555.

The defender's Appeals Division is at 412-350-2403. Since Act 34 of 2023, Pennsylvania sends state grants to counties for this kind of defense.

The fastest tool is the statewide UJS Web Portal case search, which is free and works without signing up.

1. Choose a search by participant name, then enter the last name, first name and county. A docket number works too.
2. Open the docket sheet. It lists charges, bail, court dates and the courtroom.
3. Check again in a day or two, since new entries can take time to show.

Youth matters, sealed files and expunged records never appear there, and a docket can't tell you where someone is jailed. For help by phone, call the Department of Court Records docket counter at 412-350-5321, the Court Arraignment Office at 412-350-5290, or the district court that has the case.

The Sheriff's Office serves Common Pleas bench warrants. City and town police and constables serve others. Warrant checks happen in person at the Sheriff's Office, 436 Grant Street, Room 111, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-4700, and anyone found wanted is held. Lists: Sheriff's Most Wanted, Firearms Related, Priority Non-Support and all fugitives; State Police Ten Most Wanted (tips 800-472-8477); U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted; FBI wanted. To clear a bench warrant, come with a lawyer to Pretrial Services, 564 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, by 9:00 a.m. on a weekday. Records: Department of Court Records, 436 Grant Street, Room 114, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-6075.

This county is part of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Its hearings take place in the Weis courthouse (Joseph F. Weis, Jr. U.S. Courthouse), 700 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-208-7500.

• Prosecutor: U.S. Attorney's Office, 700 Grant Street, Suite 4000, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-644-3500.
• Defense: Federal Public Defender, 1001 Liberty Avenue, Suite 1500, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, 412-644-6565.
• Jail or home: pretrial release is decided at a detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142). U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, 700 Grant Street, Suite 3330, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-395-6907, prepares a report for it.
• Custody: deputy marshals house people charged in federal court and get them to court on time. Reach the U.S. Marshals Service at 700 Grant Street, Room 2360, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-644-3351, to find out where the person sleeps tonight.
• After sentencing: the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator shows the prison.

Court dates go ahead on schedule. Where a detainer matters most is release day.

1. ICE agents send in their detainer request on Form I-247A.
2. This request seeks a hold of up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)), so agents can collect the person.
3. The Third Circuit appeals court decided Galarza v. Szalczyk in 2014. It found that ICE detainers only ask and cannot force a jail to hold anyone. A county that keeps someone on that basis alone can be liable, so each county jail writes its own approach. Ask this jail about its rules at 412-350-2000.
4. ICE in this state answers to its Philadelphia Field Office, 114 N. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164.
5. Track a transfer on the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

The longest possible term in a sentence, its maximum, decides where it is served (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762). A person whose maximum is under two years stays at the county jail. A maximum of five years or more sends them to the state. For a maximum of two to five years, state prison is usual, though the county jail, prosecutor and judge can agree to keep the person local.

• Every new state prisoner is first screened and classified, a process of weeks or months, before being assigned a home prison.
• Search the Pennsylvania DOC inmate locator.
• Department of Corrections main office: 1920 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, 717-728-2573.
• Letters to any state prisoner go to a central mail center: Smart Communications/PA DOC, the person's name and inmate number, the prison's name, PO Box 33028, St Petersburg, FL 33733.
• Learn about each prison on our Pennsylvania state prisons guide.

Probation from a county sentence is run by Adult Probation, 564 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Manor Building, 12th floor), 412-350-2320.

Youth cases belong to the Family Division of the Court of Common Pleas, at the Family Law Center, 440 Ross Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-5600. Under the Juvenile Act (42 Pa.C.S. § 6301 and following), anyone under 18 is treated as a child, and the case is kept off the public UJS portal. Detained youths stay at a juvenile center, kept apart from adults.

• Juvenile Probation: 550 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-0210, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For where a youth is held, call intake at 412-350-0170.
• Free defense: the juvenile unit of the Public Defender, 412-350-3504.
• Adult court: at 15 or older, a murder charge goes straight to adult court, as do certain listed violent crimes involving a deadly weapon. Moving it back to juvenile court takes a defense request.

Under the Crime Victims Act (18 P.S. § 11.101 and following), victims have the right to be told about key steps in the case. They can comment on bail, on plea changes in injury and burglary cases, and on the sentence. They can also seek restitution.

• DA Victim Advocate Unit: 436 Grant Street, Room 303, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-350-2424, victimadvocate@alleghenycountyda.us.
• Custody status line run for victims by the DA's office: 412-392-8582.
• PA SAVIN, the state's free release and transfer alerts: VINELink Pennsylvania or 866-972-7284 (TTY 866-847-1298). Sign-ups stay private from the person in custody.
• Victims Compensation Assistance Program: money toward costs a crime caused, such as treatment, therapy, missed wages or a funeral, 800-233-2339.

A word for the accused person's relatives: stay away from the victim, and carry no notes or words between them. That contact can violate the bail order.