Criminal record checks are crucial to the insurance and law industries for many reasons. Someone with a rap sheet longer than the Declaration of Independence, including insurance fraud charges, can easily be discredited in terms of their claim after acquiring the record from the state using a simple request. Some states utilize quick and easy online systems, while others require requests to be sent in via mail, but unfortunately, many states do not release criminal records at all or without fingerprints and/or a signed authorization from the subject.
Here is a detailed, alphabetical list of our processes for conducting criminal checks in all 50 states (and Washington D.C.):
Please note, when a state’s process says, “No statewide criminal check available,” we mean that there is no public criminal record access. Some of these states are closed-record states or require approved vendors, and some states we have yet to receive requests for, as we always research methods to obtain the records.
Alabama: A signed authorization from the subject and fingerprints are required. Alaska: No statewide criminal check available. Arizona: No statewide criminal check available. Arkansas: A signed authorization from the subject is required. California: A signed authorization from the subject is required. You also need to be an approved vendor by the state of California, as they will not allow third-party requests. Colorado: Available online. Connecticut: Available by mail. Delaware: No statewide criminal check available. Florida: Available online. Georgia: Available online. Hawaii: Available online. Idaho: Available by mail. Illinois: Available online. Indiana: Available online. Iowa: Available online, but will only release arrest information within the last 18 months. A signed authorization from the subject is needed for a complete criminal record. Kansas: Available online. Kentucky: Available online. Louisiana: No statewide criminal check available. Maine: Available online. Maryland: Available online. Massachusetts: Available online. Michigan: Available online. Minnesota: Offenses, courts of conviction, dates of conviction and sentencing information within the past 15 years is available online. However, a signed authorization from the subject is required to obtain a full criminal background check. Mississippi: A signed authorization from the subject is required. Missouri: Available online and by mail. Montana: Available online. Nebraska: Available online. Nevada: A signed authorization and fingerprints from the subject are required. New Hampshire: No statewide criminal check available. New Jersey: Available online and by mail. New Mexico: A signed authorization from the subject is required. New York: Available online. North Carolina: Available via third-party. North Dakota: Available via mail. However, if we do not provide a signed authorization from the subject, the subject will be notified. This is left up to the client’s discretion. Ohio: Fingerprints from the subject are required. Oklahoma: Available by mail. Oregon: Available online. Pennsylvania: Available online. Rhode Island: A signed authorization from the subject and a copy of the subject’s driver’s license are required. South Carolina: Available online. South Dakota: No statewide criminal check available. Tennessee: Available online. Texas: Available online. Utah: No statewide criminal check available. Vermont: Available online. Virginia: A signed authorization from the subject is required. Washington: Available online. Washington D.C.: A signed authorization from the subject is required. West Virginia: A signed authorization and fingerprints from the subject are required. Wisconsin: Available online. Wyoming: A signed authorization and fingerprints from the subject are required.
It must also be noted that each state has different policies, different time frames of recorded records, and pricing. And finally, each state will only have criminal records for crimes committed in said state. For example, if the subject lives in New Jersey but committed a crime in Pennsylvania, searching New Jersey’s criminal records will not give you any crimes committed out of state.
When in doubt, please do not hesitate to give us a call and discuss each state’s policies and requirements!