SUBCHAPTER C
DISSEMINATION OF CRIMINAL HISTORY
RECORD INFORMATION
Sec.
9121. General regulations.
9122. Expungement.
9122.1. Petition for limited access.
9122.2. Clean slate limited access.
9122.3. Exceptions.
9122.4. Order to vacate order for limited access.
9122.5. Effects of expunged records and records subject to limited access.
9122.6. Employer immunity from liability.
9123. Juvenile records.
9124. Use of records by licensing agencies.
9125. Use of records for employment.
§ 9121. General regulations.
(a) Dissemination to criminal justice agencies.--Criminal history record information maintained by any criminal justice agency shall be disseminated without charge to any criminal justice agency or to any noncriminal justice agency that is providing a service for which a criminal justice agency is responsible.
(b) Dissemination to noncriminal justice agencies and individuals.--Criminal history record information shall be disseminated by the Pennsylvania State Police to any individual or noncriminal justice agency only upon request. Other criminal justice agencies may disseminate criminal history record information to any individual or noncriminal justice agency only as they deem necessary to carry out their law enforcement functions as otherwise allowed by this chapter. The following apply:
(1) A fee may be charged by the Pennsylvania State Police for each request for criminal history record information by an individual or noncriminal justice agency, except that no fee shall be charged to an individual who makes the request in order to apply to become a volunteer with an affiliate of Big Brothers of America or Big Sisters of America or with a rape crisis center or domestic violence program.
(2) Except as provided for in subsections (b.1) and (b.2), before the Pennsylvania State Police disseminates criminal history record information to an individual or noncriminal justice agency, it shall extract from the record the following:
(i) All notations of arrests, indictments or other information relating to the initiation of criminal proceedings where:
(A) three years have elapsed from the date of arrest;
(B) no disposition is indicated in the record; and
(C) nothing in the record indicates that proceedings seeking conviction remain pending.
(ii) All information relating to a conviction and the arrest, indictment or other information leading thereto, which is the subject of a court order for limited access as provided in section 9122.1 (relating to petition for limited access).
(iii) All information relating to a conviction or nonconviction final disposition and the arrest, indictment or other information leading to the arrest or indictment which is subject to a court order for limited access as provided for in section 9122.2 (relating to clean slate limited access).
(3) A court or the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts may not disseminate to an individual, a noncriminal justice agency or an Internet website any criminal history record information relating to a charge which is the subject of a court order for limited access as provided in section 9122.1 or 9122.2. Nothing in this paragraph shall permit a county clerk of courts or any other official to refuse access to criminal history record information related to convictions that have not been afforded limited access solely because one or more charges arising out of the same conduct or criminal episode have been afforded limited access, as provided in sections 9122.1 or 9122.2 or nolle prossed, withdrawn or dismissed.
(b.1) Exception.--Subsection (b)(1) and (2) shall not apply if the request is made by a county children and youth agency or the Department of Human Services in the performance of duties relating to children and youth under the act of June 24, 1937 (P.L.2017, No.396), known as the County Institution District Law, section 2168 of the act of August 9, 1955 (P.L.323, No.130), known as The County Code, the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), known as the Human Services Code, 23 Pa.C.S. Ch. 63 (relating to child protective services) or 42 Pa.C.S. Ch. 63 (relating to juvenile matters).
(b.2) Additional exceptions.--
(1) Subsection (b)(2)(ii) and (iii) shall not apply if the request is made under a court order:
(i) In a case brought under 23 Pa.C.S. Ch. 53 (relating to child custody) or 61 (relating to protection from abuse).
(ii) By an employer against whom a claim of civil liability has been brought as described under section 9122.6 (relating to employer immunity from liability) for purposes of defending against a claim of civil liability.
(2) Subsection (b)(2) shall not apply:
(i) To the verification of information provided by an applicant if Federal law, including rules and regulations promulgated by a self-regulatory organization that has been created under Federal law, requires the consideration of an applicant's criminal history for purposes of employment.
(ii) To the verification of information provided to the Supreme Court, or an entity of the Supreme Court, in its capacity to govern the practice, procedure and conduct of all courts, the admission to the bar, the practice of law, the administration of all courts and supervision of all officers of the judicial branch.
(iii) To the verification of information provided by a candidate for public office concerning eligibility under section 7 of Article II of the Constitution of Pennsylvania.
(iv) To the Department of Human Services for verification of information as required by law.
(c) Data required to be kept.--Any criminal justice agency which disseminates criminal history record information must indicate to the recipient that the information disseminated is only that information contained in its own file, the date of the last entry, and that a summary of the Statewide criminal history record information may be obtained from the central repository.
(d) Extracting from the record.--When criminal history record information is maintained by a criminal justice agency in records containing investigative information, intelligence information, treatment information or other nonpublic information, the agency may extract and disseminate only the criminal history record information if the dissemination is to be made to a noncriminal justice agency or individual.
(e) Dissemination procedures.--Criminal justice agencies may establish reasonable procedures for the dissemination of criminal history record information.
(f) Notations on record.--Repositories must enter as a permanent part of an individual's criminal history record information file, a listing of all persons and agencies to whom they have disseminated that particular criminal history record information and the date and purpose for which the information was disseminated. Such listing shall be maintained separate from the record itself.
(Dec. 14, 1979, P.L.556, No.127, eff. imd.; June 11, 1982, P.L.476, No.138, eff. 180 days; July 2, 1996, P.L.480, No.76, eff. 60 days; Dec. 21, 1998, P.L.1103, No.149, eff. 60 days; Oct. 28, 2002, P.L.888, No.129, eff. imd.; Feb. 16, 2016, P.L.10, No.5, eff. 270 days; June 28, 2018, P.L.402, No.56, eff. 365 days; Dec. 14, 2023, P.L.334, No.36, eff. 60 days)
2023 Amendment. Act 36 amended subsecs. (b) and (b.2)(2).
2018 Amendment. Act 56 amended subsecs. (b) intro. par., (b)(2) and (3), (b.1) and (b.2). See the preamble to Act 56 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to findings and declarations.
1996 Amendment. Act 76 amended subsec. (b) and added subsec. (b.1).
1982 Amendment. Act 138 amended subsecs. (a) and (b).
Cross References. Section 9121 is referred to in sections 9122.1, 9122.2, 9122.5 of this title; sections 314, 1206, 3305 of Title 4 (Amusements); section 3505 of Title 5 (Athletics and Sports); section 3705 of Title 22 (Detectives and Private Police); section 6344 of Title 23 (Domestic Relations); sections 2161, 6309 of Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure); section 2164 of Title 53 (Municipalities Generally).