Access Lehigh County People Search
Lehigh County is located in southeastern Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region. The county seat is Allentown, the third-largest city in the state. A people search in Lehigh County taps into public records from county courts, property offices, and state databases. The county government provides online access to many of these records through its official website. If you need to find a person or look up records tied to someone in Lehigh County, this guide covers the key tools and methods available to you right now.
Lehigh County People Search Guide
People search in Lehigh County starts with the county's public records systems. The Lehigh County official website is the main gateway. It links to courts, property assessment, tax offices, and other departments that hold searchable records. Allentown, as the county seat, is where most offices are located.
Lehigh County sits in the Lehigh Valley alongside Northampton County. The two counties share some regional services, but each maintains its own set of records. When running a people search, make sure you are looking at Lehigh County records and not a neighboring county. The Lehigh Valley area is densely populated, which means search results can return many matches for common names.
Public record access in Lehigh County follows the rules set by the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. This state agency oversees how agencies respond to record requests.
Lehigh County Court Records
The Lehigh County Courts include the Court of Common Pleas and several Magisterial District Courts. These courts handle all civil and criminal cases in the county. A people search through Lehigh County court records can show lawsuits, criminal charges, case status, and judgment details.
The Lehigh County government website is shown below, which serves as the starting point for court record searches in the county.
This site connects you to the courts, assessment office, and other departments that hold people search data.
The statewide UJS Portal is the primary online tool for looking up Lehigh County court cases. Enter a name and you get docket sheets, case summaries, and hearing dates. The tool is free and covers every county in Pennsylvania. For Lehigh County specifically, you can filter by court location to narrow results to the Lehigh Valley.
Civil cases in Lehigh County are filed through the Prothonotary. Criminal cases go through the Clerk of Courts. Both offices index records by party name, which supports a people search by last name or full name.
Note: Lehigh County court records are public, but sealed or expunged cases will not appear in search results.
Lehigh People Search by Property
The Lehigh County Assessment office handles property assessments for the entire county. This office determines the value of each parcel for tax purposes. Assessment records include the owner's name, property address, and assessed value. These records are public and can be searched by name or address.
Below is the Lehigh County Assessment page, a key tool for property-based people searches in the county.
Property assessment data ties a person's name to a physical location in Lehigh County.
Deed records add more detail. When property changes hands in Lehigh County, the transaction is recorded with the county recorder. Deed records show buyer and seller names, sale price, and legal description of the property. This information is open to the public and useful for confirming where someone lives or has lived in the Lehigh Valley.
Tax records from Lehigh County also support a people search. The county accepts credit and debit cards as well as eChecks for tax payments. Tax rolls list current property owners, which makes them a reliable source for up-to-date name and address data.
Lehigh County Criminal Search
Criminal records in Lehigh County are available through several channels. The UJS Portal shows court dockets for criminal cases filed in the county. For a more formal search, the PATCH system from the Pennsylvania State Police provides criminal history reports that include Lehigh County data and records from every other county in the state.
The Megan's Law registry lets you search for registered offenders in Lehigh County by name or zip code. Allentown and Bethlehem are the largest cities in the area, so many results will be tied to those locations. The registry is free and run by the State Police.
The Criminal History Record Information Act governs what criminal data is public in Pennsylvania. This law applies to all Lehigh County criminal records. Public criminal data includes court dockets. Restricted data requires a formal request through PATCH.
Search for People in Lehigh
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections runs an inmate search tool that covers state prisons. If someone from Lehigh County was sent to a state facility, you can find their record there. Search by name or inmate number. Results show current location, sentence details, and release dates.
Local jail records for Lehigh County are separate. They are maintained by the Lehigh County Department of Corrections, not the state. For those records, you would need to contact the county directly.
A thorough Lehigh County people search often combines local and state tools. Start with the UJS Portal for court data. Check property records through the assessment office. Then use PATCH or Megan's Law for criminal history. Each tool gives you a different piece of the picture.
Note: Bethlehem spans both Lehigh and Northampton counties, so records for Bethlehem residents may appear in either county's system.
Lehigh County Record Types
A people search in Lehigh County can pull from several record categories. The main types you may encounter include:
- Civil court filings and judgments
- Criminal case dockets and outcomes
- Property assessment and deed records
- Tax payment rolls
- Offender registry entries
- State prison inmate records
Civil records come from the Lehigh County courts. Property data comes from the assessment office. Criminal history comes from the state. Combining these sources gives you the most complete results for any Lehigh County people search.
Lehigh County Search Strategies
Allentown is the most common city in Lehigh County search results. Use the full legal name to avoid confusion with people in nearby cities like Bethlehem or Upper Macungie Township. A middle name or initial makes a big difference when many results come back.
The Pennsylvania Courts website provides background on how the court system works. Understanding the difference between the Court of Common Pleas and the Magisterial District Courts in Lehigh County helps you know where to look for specific types of records.
Try multiple search tools. The UJS Portal is the fastest for court cases. The county assessment site is best for property. PATCH is the most thorough for criminal history. No single tool covers everything, so a good Lehigh County people search uses at least two or three of these resources together.