Mercer County Registered Sex Offenders - Pennsylvania Megan's Law

Residents of Mercer County can search for registered sex offenders at no cost through the Pennsylvania State Police Megan's Law website at meganslaw.psp.pa.gov. The registry covers all municipalities in Mercer County, including Sharon, Hermitage, Farrell, Greenville, and the borough of Mercer itself. Searches can be run by name, zip code, municipality, or by a street address with a selected radius. No account is required and there is no fee. This page provides Mercer County residents with information about how the statewide registry works, what registration requirements apply to offenders in this county, and how to report non-compliance.

About the Mercer County Sex Offender Registry

Pennsylvania administers a single statewide sex offender registry under 42 Pa.C.S. Chapter 97. The Pennsylvania State Police manages this registry through its Megan's Law Section in Harrisburg. There is no separate Mercer County sex offender list maintained at the county level. Every person required to register who lives, works, or attends school in Mercer County appears on the same PSP-managed system available to all Pennsylvanians.

Each registered offender's record includes their full legal name and any known aliases, current residential address, year of birth, a photograph updated at least annually, the offense requiring registration, and the conviction date where available. The registry also shows the county and municipality where an offender works, if applicable. The system reflects the most current data available and updates the same day any change is processed by PSP.

The Mercer County government does not operate a separate county-level registry. All searches for Mercer County offenders go through the PSP Megan's Law website, and the results are consistent across all of Mercer County's 48 municipalities. Whether you are looking at Sharon, Sharpsville, Farrell, or a rural township in the southwestern part of the county, the same search tools and data apply.

Note: The Megan's Law website states that some information is provided directly by registrants, and PSP cannot always independently verify every detail in real time, though the database is updated daily as new information is received.

How to Search Mercer County Sex Offenders

Go to meganslaw.psp.pa.gov to begin your search. The site provides several options for finding registered sex offenders in Mercer County. The county search returns all offenders with a registered address anywhere within Mercer County. The municipality search narrows results to a specific borough or township, such as Hermitage or Greenville. The zip code search returns results within a selected postal code area.

The radius search is particularly useful for checking the area around a specific address. Type in any Mercer County address, including those in Sharon or Farrell, and select a radius between one and five miles. The search returns all offenders registered within that area and displays them on an interactive map. This method works well for checking the area around a school, a park, or a residential neighborhood. The same approach can be used for any address in the county at no charge.

A name search allows you to search for a specific individual across the entire state. Results can then be filtered by county to narrow them to Mercer County only. The PSP Megan's Law FAQ page answers common questions about what the search results mean and what the listed offense categories include.

Note: PSP cannot provide information beyond what is displayed on the public website, and the Megan's Law office does not process requests for additional records or background checks.

Mercer County and Pennsylvania Megan's Law

Mercer County sits in the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania, sharing a border with Ohio to the west and Lake Erie counties to the north. The county covers approximately 673 square miles and includes 48 municipalities ranging from the city of Sharon, the county's largest urban center, to small rural townships in the eastern and southern portions of the county. Sharon lies along the Shenango River and borders Farrell, forming a small urban cluster on the Ohio state line.

Pennsylvania's Megan's Law, now codified under SORNA (the Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act) at 42 Pa.C.S. Chapter 97, applies uniformly across all 67 counties including Mercer. Whether an offender lives in Sharon, Hermitage, or in a rural township like Pymatuning, the same reporting obligations, verification schedules, and public notification rules apply.

Mercer County residents can use the Megan's Law website to search by address, municipality, zip code, or name without creating an account or paying any fee.

Mercer County offenders who attend Thiel College, Westminster College in New Wilmington, or any other educational institution in the county must separately register their student status and campus address with PSP. This obligation applies regardless of whether the campus address is within the same municipality as the offender's home address.

Note: Offenders who cross the Pennsylvania-Ohio border and establish residency in Mercer County must register with PSP within three business days of arriving in Pennsylvania.

Sex Offender Tiers in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania classifies sex offenders into three tiers for convictions arising from offenses committed on or after December 20, 2012. Tier I is the lowest classification, covering offenses such as certain non-contact sexual crimes and some indecent assault charges. Tier I offenders register for 15 years and must verify their information once each year at an approved PSP site. The annual verification must be done in person.

Tier II covers a broader set of offenses including statutory sexual assault, sexual exploitation of minors, and certain trafficking-related crimes. Tier II offenders register for 25 years and must appear for in-person verification twice per year, spaced approximately six months apart. Tier III covers the most serious offenses, including rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and other violent sexual crimes. Tier III offenders register for life and must verify their information in person four times per year, roughly every 90 days.

Offenders whose convictions predate December 20, 2012 are governed by older rules and are categorized as either ten-year or lifetime registrants. Both older categories require annual verification. Sexually Violent Predators, designated after a court-ordered psychological assessment, face lifetime registration, quarterly verification, and active community notification regardless of their tier. The complete list of offenses in each tier is available on the PSP registration details page.

Note: Transient Mercer County offenders with no fixed address must verify their status in person with PSP every 30 days, regardless of their tier classification.

Mercer County Law Enforcement

Sex offender registration and Megan's Law compliance in Mercer County involves multiple agencies working in coordination. The Pennsylvania State Police operates the primary registration infrastructure, with PSP barracks serving Mercer County handling in-person verification appointments and processing address changes. The PSP Megan's Law Section in Harrisburg maintains the master database and investigates registration violations reported from Mercer County.

Mercer County offenders who fail to meet registration requirements or miss required verification appointments can face felony charges under Pennsylvania law.

At the local level, the Mercer County Sheriff's Office assists with Megan's Law compliance and can receive reports of non-compliance from county residents. The Sharon Police Department covers Sharon, the county's largest city, and coordinates with PSP on cases involving registered offenders within the city. Hermitage, Greenville, and several other municipalities maintain their own police departments. In areas without a local department, PSP provides primary coverage. Local police chiefs have the responsibility of participating in community notification procedures when a Sexually Violent Predator establishes an address within their jurisdiction.

Sex Offender Registration Requirements in Mercer County

Every registered sex offender living or working in Mercer County must keep their information current at all times. Any change to a registered address, employer, vehicle, phone number, email address, social media account, or internet identifier must be reported in person at an approved PSP site within three business days. Providing notification by mail or phone does not satisfy this requirement.

Mercer County residents benefit from knowing what obligations registered offenders must meet, since failure to comply is a felony under 42 Pa.C.S. Chapter 97.

Offenders whose offense date is on or after December 20, 2012 must provide advance notice of international travel. This requires an in-person visit to a PSP site at least 21 days before departure from the United States. At that visit, the offender must supply travel dates, destination countries, and lodging information if known. This obligation applies to all Mercer County offenders who fall under SORNA, regardless of which municipality they live in. Failure to report planned international travel is a separate felony violation.

Note: Mercer County offenders who become homeless or transient must immediately report that status to PSP and thereafter verify their location monthly until they re-establish a fixed address.

Community Notification in Mercer County

Active community notification in Mercer County applies specifically to Sexually Violent Predators and Sexually Violent Delinquent Children. Standard Tier I, II, and III offenders appear on the public Megan's Law website, but PSP does not conduct active flyer-based notification for those categories. The public registry search is the primary tool for residents checking on standard registrants.

When a Sexually Violent Predator establishes an address within Mercer County, the PSP Megan's Law Section distributes notification flyers to the law enforcement agency responsible for that area. The police department or PSP barracks covering that location then distributes flyers to all residences within 250 feet of the SVP's address, or the nearest 25 residences, whichever provides broader coverage. Schools within one mile of the address receive formal notice. Licensed daycare centers, preschool programs, and other child-serving facilities in the area are notified as well. Any colleges or universities within 1,000 feet of the SVP's address are included in the notification. The director of Mercer County children and youth services is always notified when an SVP moves into the county.

Mercer County residents can sign up for free email alerts through the Megan's Law website. The Community Tools section includes an Email Notifications feature that allows you to save up to five addresses and receive alerts whenever a registered offender moves within a five-mile radius of any saved address. This free service requires only an email address to set up and can be used to monitor your home, your children's school, or any other address in Mercer County.

Reporting Non-Compliance in Mercer County

If you believe a registered sex offender in Mercer County is not meeting their registration obligations, report it immediately. The PSP Megan's Law Section accepts reports at 1-866-771-3170, available around the clock. You can also submit a report through the online contact form on the Megan's Law website, or contact the Sharon Police Department or Mercer County Sheriff's Office directly if the concern involves a known offender in a specific municipality.

Pennsylvania law creates criminal liability for people who assist a non-compliant sex offender. Under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3130, any person who knowingly conceals a non-compliant offender, provides false information to investigators, or withholds information that would help locate the offender commits a felony of the third degree. This law applies throughout Mercer County and across all of Pennsylvania. If you have information about an offender who has moved without updating their registry record, call 1-866-771-3170 as soon as possible.

Note: If the Megan's Law website shows outdated or incorrect information for a Mercer County offender, contact the PSP Megan's Law Section at 1-866-771-3170 so the record can be reviewed and corrected.

Nearby Counties

Mercer County borders several other western and northwestern Pennsylvania counties, all of which use the same PSP Megan's Law registry for sex offender searches.

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