Criminal Record Checks by State: Not all are Created Equal
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: No statewide criminal check available.Alaska: No statewide criminal check available.Arizona: No statewide criminal check available.Arkansas: A signed authorization from the subject is needed.California: A signed authorization from the subject is needed. You also need to be an approved vendor by the state of California; 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 by mail.Indiana: Available online.Iowa: Available online, but only released 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 by mail.Louisiana: No statewide criminal check available.Maine: Available online.Maryland: Available online.Massachusetts: Available by mail.Michigan: Available online.Minnesota: No statewide criminal check available.Mississippi: No statewide criminal check available.Missouri: Available by mail.Montana: Available online.Nebraska: Available online.Nevada: A signed authorization and fingerprints from the subject are needed.New Hampshire: No statewide criminal check available.New Jersey: Available by mail.New Mexico: A signed authorization from the subject is needed.New York: Available by mail.North Carolina: Available via third-party.North Dakota: No statewide criminal check available.Ohio: Fingerprints from the subject are needed.Oklahoma: Available by mail.Oregon: Available online.Pennsylvania: Available online.Rhode Island: No statewide criminal check available.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 needed.Washington: Available by mail.Washington D.C.: A signed authorization from the subject is needed.West Virginia: A signed authorization and fingerprints from the subject are needed.Wisconsin: Available online.Wyoming: No statewide criminal check available.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!
