The Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Jail Roster is a public resource that allows anyone to check who is currently in custody at the county correctional facility. LancasterPACourt.us provides access to publicly available information about current and recent inmates. Additionally, data can be obtained through the official website of the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, by visiting the facility in person, or by calling. The roster is maintained by the Lancaster County Department of Public Safety and serves as a transparency tool, enabling citizens to learn about the custody status of a specific individual, the charges filed, and the date of detention. The sheriff's office wanted persons page also allows checking for arrest warrants.
Search Current Inmates in Lancaster Jail
There are several ways to find information about an inmate currently in custody at Lancaster County Prison.
Online Search
- Visit LancasterPACourt.us to search publicly available court information related to inmates.
- Use the UJS case search portal of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania — here you can search by last name, case number, or OTN number.
- If the individual has been transferred to a state facility, check the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections inmate locator.
To start your search, you will need:
- The individual's full legal first and last name
- Booking number, if known
Juvenile offenders are not displayed in the public roster.
By Phone
Call Lancaster County Prison directly and inquire if a specific individual is in custody. Be prepared to provide the full name and date of birth.
In Person
Visit the facility during business hours and approach the public information window.
It may also be helpful to contact the Clerk of Courts office, located at 50 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA — this office maintains criminal records for the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas.
Find Lancaster Jail Booking Records Online
A booking record is created at the moment an individual is officially processed into a correctional facility. It is the first document that records the fact of detention.
During booking, the following information is generated:
- Unique booking number
- Date and time of intake
- Charges filed
- Arresting agency (e.g., Lancaster City Bureau of Police, state police, or sheriff's office)
- Basic personal details of the detainee
Access to these records online can be obtained through the facility's inmate roster or case search portal. If a record does not appear in the online system — which happens with older cases — submit an official public records request. Lancaster County accepts such requests via the online Open Records Request form. Contact information for the open records office can be found on the Right to Know page.
To check a criminal history at the state level, use the PATCH (Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History) system — it is the fastest way to obtain an official check.
Search the Lancaster Jail Roster by Last Name or Booking Number
The roster supports two primary search methods.
Search by Last Name
Enter the individual's last name in the search field. Add the first name if needed to narrow the results. A few tips:
- Check the spelling — even one letter mistake can yield no results
- Try spelling variations if the last name has non-standard transliteration
- If the system supports partial search, enter only the first few letters of the last name
Search by Booking Number
If you know the booking number, enter it directly. This method provides the most accurate result and eliminates confusion with individuals of the same name.
If the Search Yields No Results
The absence of a result does not always mean the individual was not detained. Possible reasons include:
- The individual has been released
- The data has not yet been entered into the system (delay between actual arrest and record appearance)
- The name was entered incorrectly or the individual is registered under a different name variant
- The individual has been transferred to a state facility — in such a case, check the PA Department of Corrections locator
If none of these options work, call the facility directly.
Jail Roster Updates and Search Limitations in Lancaster
The Lancaster County Prison inmate roster is updated periodically but not in real-time. There may be a delay of several hours to one business day between actual intake and record appearance in the online system.
Key limitations to be aware of:
- Recently arrested individuals may not yet appear in the system
- After release, the record typically disappears from the active roster — this is not an archive of all past bookings
- Data entry errors occur, so it's worth checking different spelling variations
- Juvenile records are not published
The roster only reflects the current custody status. For access to historical criminal records, contact the Lancaster County Clerk of Courts or the Archives Division, which maintains permanent court records from 1975. Court cases are also available through the UJS portal of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania.