Philadelphia Municipal Court Role
The State Court Structure Map identifies Philadelphia Municipal Court as one of the two courts that make up the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, along with the Court of Common Pleas. This is a local Philadelphia feature. In many Pennsylvania counties, magisterial district courts handle lower-court criminal, civil, traffic, non-traffic, and landlord-tenant matters. Philadelphia instead uses Municipal Court for most local lower-court functions.
The court handles every criminal arrest at the initial processing stage, conducts misdemeanor trials, and conducts preliminary hearings for felony cases. It also handles landlord-tenant, small civil, and code enforcement matters. Its Traffic Division handles moving violation citations. Parking, red-light camera, and speed-camera tickets are not Municipal Court traffic cases and should be routed to the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
Philadelphia Municipal Court
President Judge: T. Francis Shields
640 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-686-4175
Lower-court criminal, civil, landlord-tenant, and code matters
Municipal Court Traffic Division
800 Spring Garden Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Moving violation citation filings and public inspection
Hours from citizen guide: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Municipal Criminal Cases
Philadelphia criminal cases often start in Municipal Court. The research file states that Municipal Court has initial jurisdiction in processing every criminal arrest, conducts misdemeanor trials, and conducts preliminary hearings for felony cases. That means a recent arrest may first appear under a Municipal Court docket number. If the felony charges are held for court, the case later appears in Common Pleas with a CP docket number.
The public record consequence is direct. A single criminal incident may produce both an MC docket and a CP docket. The UJS docket sheet's cross-court docket number field helps connect them. For charge research, preliminary hearing status, misdemeanor disposition, and early court dates, check Municipal Court. For felony arraignment, motions, plea, trial, sentencing, and final Common Pleas disposition, check the Common Pleas docket too.
| Stage | Municipal Court Role | Common Pleas Link |
|---|---|---|
| Arrest processing | Initial criminal court processing and early docket creation. | May later connect to a CP docket if felony charges proceed. |
| Misdemeanor trial | Trial and disposition can remain in Municipal Court. | Appeal or related matters may involve Common Pleas. |
| Felony preliminary hearing | Determines whether charges are held for court. | Held-for-court felony cases move to Common Pleas. |
| Bench warrant entries | May appear after missed Municipal Court events. | Related CP entries can appear if the case moved forward. |
Landlord Tenant and Small Civil
Municipal Court also handles landlord-tenant, small civil, and code enforcement matters. The research file places those case types in the Municipal Court part of Philadelphia's lower-court structure. These records are separate from major civil cases in the Court of Common Pleas Civil Trial Division, which are searched through Philadelphia Civil Docket Access and handled by the Office of Judicial Records - Civil for official copies.
For public docket research, use UJS Case Search and select the court type or county criteria that fit Philadelphia Municipal Court. UJS public records information states that its public docket search covers magisterial district case categories, including civil, criminal, traffic, non-traffic, and landlord-tenant matters, and Philadelphia's Municipal Court is the city-specific lower-court counterpart for many of those functions. A civil party should still verify whether the matter is Municipal Court or Common Pleas before asking for certified copies.
Municipal Traffic Division Records
Moving traffic citations are handled by Philadelphia Municipal Court Traffic Division. The city traffic ticket page says the Traffic Division handles traffic tickets and hearings and that a person must plead guilty or not guilty within 10 days of receiving a traffic ticket. The same page states that the Traffic Division does not process parking, red-light camera, or speed-camera tickets. Those administrative and camera matters are handled by the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
Traffic Division filings and public inspection are at 800 Spring Garden Street. The citizen guide details in the research say the court is a limited jurisdiction court for moving violations only. Hearings are date and time certain. If a person fails to appear, a trial may be held in absence. Continuance requests must be in writing on the court-approved form. If judgment is entered and money is owed but cannot be paid in one lump sum, a monthly payment plan may be available.
| Record | Held By | Shows | Does Not Replace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court traffic record | Municipal Court Traffic Division and UJS | Citation, plea, hearing, disposition, fines, costs, payment status, and court events. | PennDOT driver history. |
| Driver record | PennDOT | License status, reported convictions, points, suspensions, and driver history. | Court docket or case file. |
| Parking or camera record | Philadelphia Parking Authority | Parking, red-light camera, speed-camera ticket status, payment, and dispute data. | Municipal Court moving violation docket. |
Municipal Court Search Channels
Municipal Court records are not all searched in one place. Criminal, landlord-tenant, small civil, and related Municipal Court docket sheets use UJS Case Search. Traffic payment and fine records use PAePay for many public payment searches. Traffic hearing listings use the First Judicial District's Traffic Division hearing list. The right channel depends on whether the user is checking a docket, a payment, a hearing date, or a court file.
| Channel | Best For | Important Fields |
|---|---|---|
| UJS Case Search | Municipal criminal, landlord-tenant, lower civil, and linked Common Pleas docket sheets. | Court type, county, docket number, participant name, OTN, complaint number, date filed. |
| PAePay | Fines, costs, restitution, payment plans, and Philadelphia Traffic Division payments. | Citation number, docket number, payment plan, person, organization, court type. |
| Traffic Division hearing list | Upcoming moving violation hearing lookup. | Last name, driver's license, or citation number. |
| Traffic Division counter | Public inspection, copying, written appeals, and certain court forms. | Citation number, party name, hearing date, and appeal form when applicable. |
Hearing and Payment Steps
The old Philadelphia Municipal Court Traffic Division payment page states that Traffic Division payments moved to the UJS portal starting January 23, 2025. PAePay instructs users paying Philadelphia Municipal Court - Traffic Division matters to search by citation number or person and choose Philadelphia Traffic Division as court type. This recent change is important because older links may no longer accept payment.
- Decide whether the matter is a moving violation, Municipal Court criminal/civil case, or parking/camera ticket.
- For Municipal Court criminal or civil dockets, search UJS by participant name, docket number, OTN, complaint number, or filing date.
- For Traffic Division payments, use PAePay and select citation number or person with Philadelphia Traffic Division as court type.
- For Traffic Division hearings, search the hearing list by last name, driver's license, or citation number.
- If judgment is entered and payment cannot be made in one lump sum, ask about a monthly payment plan.
- To appeal a Traffic Division decision, file a written appeal at Traffic Division within 30 days of the final order and pay the required fee.
Located traffic guide fees include a $35 notice of appeal to Court of Common Pleas per citation and a $12.50 nunc pro tunc petition. A nunc pro tunc petition asks the court to allow a late filing or late appeal. The court file is available for public inspection and copying at 800 Spring Garden Street, with a reasonable copy fee.
Municipal Court and Common Pleas
Municipal Court and Common Pleas are connected, but they are not the same court. Municipal Court is the first stop for every criminal arrest and many lower-court civil disputes. Common Pleas is the general jurisdiction trial court for felony criminal cases after preliminary proceedings, major civil cases, family matters, and Orphans' Court matters. A docket search should follow the case path instead of assuming that one court has every record.
Criminal path: Municipal Court processing › misdemeanor trial or felony preliminary hearing › held for court when felony charges proceed › Common Pleas arraignment, motions, plea or trial, disposition, and sentence.
Traffic path: Traffic Division citation › plea or hearing › judgment and payment › appeal to Common Pleas by written filing within the required time.
Civil path: Municipal Court landlord-tenant, small civil, or code matter › docket search in UJS › Common Pleas involvement only when the case type, appeal, or related claim moves beyond Municipal Court.
Note: Parking, red-light camera, and speed-camera tickets are separate Philadelphia Parking Authority records, not Municipal Court Traffic Division records.