For Pennsylvania applicants, how must PA criminal background checks be obtained?

• A. Automatically submitted by the Pennsylvania State Police
• B. Obtain via Pennsylvania State Police via epatch.pa.gov
• C. Not required for Pennsylvania residents
• D. After licensure

Answer: (B)

In Pennsylvania, the official way to obtain a state criminal background check for licensure or applications is through the Pennsylvania State Police using the PATCH system, accessed at epatch.pa.gov. You initiate the request yourself in this online portal, and the resulting report is the state background check you’ll submit with your application or have sent to the licensing board as required. It isn’t automatically submitted by the police, and it’s a required part of the licensure process rather than something you do after you’re licensed. The PATCH system is the exact method used for these checks, making this option the correct one. Some license processes may also require FBI fingerprinting in addition to the state check, but the primary channel for the state background check is PATCH via epatch.pa.gov.