ACT 34 – PENNSYLVANIA ACCESS TO CRIMINAL HISTORY (PATCH)
In order to comply with Pennsylvania legislation (ACT 153), your position requires that
you secure a new Act 34 Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH) every 60
months.
You are required to provide original documentation of this clearance by the
expiration date provided to you by Human Resources. Due to this stringent
timeline, you are required to initiate the process to obtain this clearance as soon as
possible. Failure to provide this information within the specified time frame or
unsatisfactory and/or discrepant results may disqualify you from further employment,
up to and including termination.
Once you receive your official Act 34 PATCH report, you will be required to provide
this to your Human Resources office or to your department manager.
ACT 34 – Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH)
The cost of this clearance is $8.00 and must be paid by credit card through the online application process. No cash or personal
checks will be accepted. Carefully review the following information:
1. Go to https://epatch.state.pa.us/ and select Submit a New Record Check, located on the bottom left-hand side of the
webpage, to initiate the application.
2. When completing the application, make sure to note the following:
Select Employment as the Reason for Request
To receive your clearance accurately and quickly, please enter all information, including Social Security Number
3. Once the application is submitted, make sure to save the Control Number that is provided. This number is the main
record for retrieving the clearance and should be stored in your personal records.
**Important Notice: The ACT 34 PATCH certification form MUST be printed or saved immediately; once you close out of the
results, you will have no further access to the document. Please be advised that we cannot accept a receipt or invoice in place of
the actual certification form (as shown above), and you will be required to purchase a new $10 clearance if the original
document is not saved.
Once the application has been submitted, results may be returned in two methods.
METHOD 1 – RESULTS POSTED IMMEDIATELY ONLINE
Once the application has been submitted, if the status states No Record, your results have been completed and are posted
online. To print a copy of the results:
Click on the link under the Control #
Click on Certification Form, located at the bottom of the webpage
Print out the webpage to turn into your Human Resources office or to your department manager
METHOD 2 – RESULTS NOT POSTED IMMEDIATELY
Once the application has been submitted, if the status states Request Under Review, your results are still being processed
and will take two to four weeks to be returned. Results can be listed as under review for a variety of reasons: common name,
previous criminal history, etc. To monitor the status of your request:
Go to https://epatch.state.pa.us/ and select Check the status of a Record Check, located on the bottom left-hand side
of the webpage
Enter the following information to retrieve your request: Control Number, First Name, Last Name, Date of Request
▫ Please note: this information must be entered exactly as you listed on your original application
If the results indicate No Record, your Act 34 clearance has been completed:
▫ Click on the link under the Control #
▫ Click on the Certification Form, located at the bottom of the webpage
▫ Print out the webpage to turn into your Human Resources office or department manager
This is an example of the
Act 34
Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History
If the results indicate Record, your Act 34 clearance will be mailed to the address you provided:
▫ Once you receive the document, you must turn in your clearance and rap sheet forms to your Human Resources
office or department manager
