First: why are you checking?
- Personal safety (a date, a new neighbor, someone your family is involved with): you can search public court records yourself.
- Hiring (including a nanny or caregiver), renting, lending or insurance: the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires a consumer reporting agency, written disclosure, and the person's written permission (FTC). See how to background check a nanny legally.
Confirm identity first
Private search. Nobody is notified.
Where the records are
- County and state courts: most criminal cases are filed in the county where the offense happened. Many states have a statewide online case search; find yours in our state public records guides.
- Federal courts: PACER covers federal criminal cases (small per-page fees).
- Sex offender registries: NSOPW.gov searches every state for free. See how to check before a date.
- Custody status: the BOP inmate locator for federal prisoners and VINELink for many state and county facilities.
- State criminal history repositories: many states sell name-based checks through the state police or bureau of investigation, usually for a fee.
Reading what you find
- An arrest is not a conviction. Look at the disposition: dismissed, acquitted, convicted, pending.
- Match identity carefully: same name, same date of birth or age, same county.
- Sealed and expunged records are legally not public and should not appear.
- Online "instant criminal record" sites often miss counties and mix up people with similar names.