Connecticut criminal records are kept by several different government systems. The Connecticut Judicial Branch provides public case lookup information, the State Police Bureau of Identification handles official state criminal-history checks, local police departments maintain arrest and incident records, and the Department of Correction provides current inmate information. Knowing which record you need is the fastest way to avoid incomplete or misleading search results.
First, choose the Connecticut criminal record you actually need
Connecticut does not put every criminal-justice record into one public database. Court case information, arrest reports, official state criminal-history records, inmate records and erased records are handled differently.
Criminal court case
Use for pending cases, recent conviction information, court dates and criminal case status.
Official criminal history
Use for an official Connecticut criminal-history record check rather than relying only on the court website.
Arrest / incident record
Public arrest records and qualifying incident materials originate with the arresting law-enforcement agency.
Inmate record
Use for people currently incarcerated or otherwise included in Connecticut DOC’s public inmate system.
Criminal appeal
Appeals are searched through the Judicial Branch’s separate Supreme and Appellate Court case lookup.
Erased or pardoned record
Eligible records may disappear from ordinary public search because of statutory erasure or an Absolute Pardon.
Connecticut Criminal / Motor Vehicle Case Look-up
The Connecticut Judicial Branch provides a free Criminal / Motor Vehicle Case Look-up for public criminal and motor-vehicle case information.
The system separates criminal information into several useful search paths:
Pending cases
Search criminal and motor-vehicle matters that have not yet reached final disposition.
Convictions
Search criminal and motor-vehicle charges that resulted in conviction within the website’s display period.
Daily docket
Find criminal and motor-vehicle matters scheduled for court on a particular day.
Attorney / firm list
Search qualifying criminal matters associated with an attorney or law firm.
How to search a pending Connecticut criminal case
For a case that has not reached final disposition, start with the Judicial Branch’s pending-case search.
Open Criminal / Motor Vehicle Case Look-up
Choose the pending criminal case option rather than conviction search.
Search by defendant or docket number
A docket number is normally more precise than a common name and is useful when contacting the clerk later.
Confirm the court location
Connecticut criminal cases may be handled at different Superior Court locations and geographical area courts. Confirm that the location matches the event you are researching.
Review charges and upcoming activity
Read the docket information carefully and remember that pending allegations have not yet produced a final court result.
Contact the clerk when online information is insufficient
The Judicial Branch advises users to verify online information against the official record at the court where it was filed.
Connecticut’s online conviction search does not show every old conviction forever
This is one of the most important Connecticut-specific limitations. The Judicial Branch’s current case-display policy says criminal and motor-vehicle conviction information is generally displayed online for no more than 10 years after sentencing, unless a shorter display period applies under court rules.
For that reason, the Connecticut Clean Slate website itself says the Judicial Branch lookup may provide an overview of past convictions but is not an official Connecticut adult criminal-record search.
Find today’s or an upcoming Connecticut criminal court appearance
The Criminal / Motor Vehicle Case Look-up includes a daily criminal docket function. This can be useful when the question is not “what is someone’s history?” but rather “where and when is this criminal case scheduled?”
When reviewing a court-date result, verify:
- defendant name
- docket number
- court location
- scheduled date
- case status
- charge information
How to read a Connecticut criminal case result
| Field | What it usually tells you | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Docket number | The court’s identifier for that particular criminal case. | Use it when requesting files or contacting the clerk. |
| Pending case | The prosecution has not reached final disposition. | Do not describe a pending charge as a conviction. |
| Charge | The criminal allegation before the court. | Check the final outcome for each individual charge. |
| Disposition | The result of a charge or case. | Conviction, dismissal, acquittal, nolle or another result. |
| Nolle | The prosecutor has declined to proceed with the charge at that time. | Connecticut applies special erasure timing rules to nolled matters. |
| Sentence | Court-imposed consequence after qualifying disposition. | Confinement, probation, fine or other terms. |
Official Connecticut criminal-history records from State Police
Official statewide criminal-history record requests are handled by the Connecticut State Police Bureau of Identification (SPBI), part of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP).
Connecticut’s Division of Criminal Justice explicitly directs members of the public to the State Police for criminal-history information and to the Judicial Branch for case lookup.
Judicial Branch website
Best for: pending cases and publicly displayed conviction information.
Free and convenient, but the Judicial Branch says it is not an official criminal background check.
State Police criminal history
Best for: an official Connecticut criminal-history request.
Uses the State Police Bureau of Identification criminal-history process and applicable statutory fees.
Connecticut criminal-history request options and current fees
The current DESPP criminal-history request form lists several Connecticut-only search options.
| Request | Current fee | What it provides |
|---|---|---|
| Name / Date of Birth search | $36 | Connecticut-only search that reports whether a record exists; the standard form says it does not provide the actual record. |
| Connecticut conviction-history record by name/DOB | $75 | Provides a Connecticut criminal conviction-history record when one exists. |
| Connecticut conviction-history record by fingerprint | $75 | Fingerprint-based Connecticut conviction-history search. |
| State Police fingerprinting | $15 | Separate fingerprinting fee when prints are taken by Connecticut State Police. |
| Federal criminal-history component | $13.25 where legally available | Available only when authorized by applicable state statute or federal law. |
Fingerprint-based Connecticut criminal-history checks
Fingerprints are useful when identity certainty matters because they reduce the risk of confusing two people who share a name and date-of-birth pattern.
Connecticut State Police currently provides fingerprinting by appointment only, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding state holidays.
Local police departments may also provide fingerprinting, but availability, appointment rules and local fees vary.
Connecticut Letter of Good Conduct for immigration, visas or foreign adoption
Connecticut distinguishes a regular criminal-history request from a Letter of Good Conduct.
SPBI states that the normal criminal-history request form should not be used when the record is needed for purposes such as:
- visa applications
- immigration matters
- foreign adoption
- entering a foreign country
For those purposes, use Connecticut’s official DPS-181-C Letter of Good Conduct process.
Connecticut arrest records are public under specific rules
Connecticut General Statutes § 1-215 specifically defines a “record of the arrest” and makes qualifying arrest records public, subject to statutory exemptions and court sealing orders.
A public arrest record can include:
- name of the arrested person
- race and address
- date and time of arrest
- place of arrest
- offense for which the person was arrested
- arrest warrant application when the arrest was by warrant
- supporting warrant affidavit when publicly available
- official arrest / incident report for a warrantless arrest
Connecticut’s statutory definition also excludes juvenile arrest records, erased records and law-enforcement investigative files from the definition of the public “record of the arrest.”
How to request a Connecticut police or arrest record
When the record you need is held by a state or local police department rather than the court, request it from the agency that created or maintains the record.
Identify the arresting agency
Determine whether Connecticut State Police, a city/town police department or another agency made the arrest.
Identify the exact record
Ask for a specific arrest report, incident report, warrant application or other identifiable document.
Give useful search details
Include the person’s name, date, location, incident number and arrest number when known.
Expect lawful redactions
Victim information, witnesses, active prosecution details and sealed material may be withheld or redacted.
Connecticut arrest warrant information
Connecticut’s Judicial Branch criminal lookup provides access paths related to outstanding arrest warrants, while Connecticut law also makes certain warrant materials part of the public arrest record after an arrest, unless a court has ordered material sealed.
If an arrest was made pursuant to a warrant, the public “record of the arrest” can include the warrant application and supporting affidavit to the extent those materials are not sealed.
Connecticut inmate and correctional records
The Connecticut Department of Correction Inmate Search provides public information regarding qualifying people currently under DOC supervision.
Connecticut DOC states that the public information is updated daily but can change quickly.
The DOC public database does not include certain categories, including:
- people protected under Connecticut’s Youthful Offender statute
- specified offenders held for federal immigration authorities
Connecticut DOC Public Information Office
Connecticut Department of CorrectionPublic Information Office
24 Wolcott Hill Road
Wethersfield, CT 06109
Phone:
860-692-7780
Published phone hours:
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Connecticut Supreme Court and Appellate Court criminal cases
A criminal case that has been appealed moves beyond the ordinary Superior Court criminal lookup. The Connecticut Judicial Branch maintains a separate Supreme and Appellate Court Case Look-up.
Appellate case information can include:
- case status
- trial-court case information
- party and attorney names
- brief deadlines
- motion and order activity
- transfer activity
- transcript / exhibit information where applicable
Supreme Court or Appellate Court matter → Supreme / Appellate Case Look-up.
Getting official Connecticut criminal court records and copies
The online case lookup is useful for research, but Connecticut’s Judicial Branch warns that the website is not the official court record.
When an official, certified or complete court file is needed, contact the clerk of the Superior Court where the case was created and filed.
Before contacting the clerk, collect:
- defendant’s full name
- docket number
- court location
- approximate filing year
- specific document needed
- whether certification is required
Connecticut Clean Slate criminal-record erasure
Connecticut’s Clean Slate law allows qualifying older criminal convictions to be erased under statutory conditions.
The state’s current Clean Slate guidance says automatic erasure applies only to qualifying convictions imposed on or after January 1, 2000, and the underlying offense must also have occurred after that date for automatic erasure.
Current Clean Slate waiting periods
7 years
The current state guidance lists a seven-year waiting period from the date of the last qualifying conviction.
10 years
The current guidance lists a ten-year waiting period from the date of the last qualifying felony conviction.
The person must also have completed all sentence components, including qualifying incarceration, parole, special parole and probation.
Connecticut reports that Clean Slate erasures have resumed after earlier delays, and eligible records are continuing to be processed.
Connecticut Clean Slate informationWhat if an eligible Clean Slate record was not erased?
Connecticut provides a hearing process for people who believe an eligible post-2000 conviction should have been automatically erased but was not.
Request a current Connecticut criminal history
The state says the criminal-history record used for this process must be dated on or after January 1, 2024.
Complete the Clean Slate hearing form
Provide identifying information, docket/case information and the reason you believe the offense should have been erased.
Submit the record and hearing request
Connecticut accepts the Clean Slate hearing material through the DESPP process listed on the official Clean Slate website.
Connecticut Absolute Pardon: another path to criminal-record erasure
Not every conviction qualifies for automatic Clean Slate erasure. Connecticut’s Board of Pardons and Paroles offers an Absolute Pardon, which the Board describes as a full pardon that erases the applicable criminal history.
Current Board guidance states that a person may generally apply:
- 3 years after disposition of the most recent misdemeanor conviction
- 5 years after disposition of the most recent felony conviction
- only when there are no pending criminal charges or open cases
- only when the applicant is not currently on qualifying supervision
Absolute Pardon applications are currently submitted electronically through the Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Connecticut pardon eligibilityJuvenile and youthful-offender records have different access rules
Connecticut’s public criminal-record systems should not be treated as complete searches of juvenile or youthful-offender information.
Connecticut’s arrest-record statute specifically excludes juvenile arrest records from the ordinary public “record of the arrest,” and DOC says youthful-offender information is excluded from its public inmate database.
Connecticut State Police Bureau of Identification contact and map
State Police Bureau of Identification
Department of Emergency Services and Public ProtectionState Police Bureau of Identification
1111 Country Club Road
Middletown, CT 06457
Criminal-history phone: 860-685-8480
Fingerprint services
Appointment-based fingerprinting is currently offered Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m., excluding state holidays.
Fingerprint questions: 860-685-8270
Map: Connecticut State Police Bureau of Identification
The map is lazy-loaded so it does not block the page’s initial render.
Connecticut Supreme Court location
Connecticut Supreme Court Building
231 Capitol AvenueHartford, CT 06106
The Supreme Court and appellate system are separate from the ordinary Superior Court criminal-case lookup.
Federal criminal records in Connecticut
Connecticut state court searches do not include federal criminal prosecutions. Federal cases filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut are searched through PACER.
PACER requires an account and may charge fees for accessing federal docket documents.
FBI Identity History Summary
For your own nationwide fingerprint-based FBI criminal-history summary, use the FBI’s official Identity History Summary process instead of a Connecticut-only state check.
FBI Identity History SummaryEmployment and licensing checks are not always the same as a public search
Connecticut operates specific state and national background-check programs for authorized agencies, employers, licensing bodies, schools and other regulated users.
DESPP’s Connecticut Criminal History Request System (CCHRS) supports registered-agency searches, including authorized name-based and fingerprint-based processes.
Connecticut criminal-record search tips that save time
Use the Judicial Branch for cases
Pending criminal matters and recent convictions are easier to investigate through the court lookup than through a generic web search.
Do not mistake case lookup for a background check
Connecticut’s own Judicial Branch says the online case pages are not an official criminal background check.
Old conviction? Check SPBI
Online conviction display is generally limited to about 10 years after sentencing.
Use the docket number
It is usually much more reliable than searching a common defendant name.
Check for erasure
Clean Slate, statutory erasure and pardons can remove qualifying records from ordinary public view.
Arrest record? Ask the police agency
Connecticut law makes specified arrest records public at the law-enforcement level, subject to exemptions and sealing.
Check every disposition
A person can have several charges in one case, and those charges can end differently.
DOC custody is not always conviction
Connecticut DOC also holds people awaiting trial, so incarceration alone is not proof of conviction.
Verify October 2026 fees
SPBI currently warns that criminal-history fees will change effective October 1, 2026.
Connecticut criminal records: frequently asked questions
1. Is Connecticut criminal court case lookup free?
Yes. The Connecticut Judicial Branch provides free public online Criminal / Motor Vehicle Case Look-up services. The Judicial Branch cautions that the web information is not the official court record or a substitute for a criminal background check.
2. How far back do Connecticut criminal convictions appear online?
Connecticut’s Judicial Branch states that conviction information is generally displayed online for no more than 10 years after sentencing, unless a shorter court-rule display period applies.
3. How do I get an official Connecticut criminal-history check?
Request it through the Connecticut State Police Bureau of Identification within DESPP. The bureau offers name/date-of-birth and conviction-history search options, including fingerprint-based searches.
4. How much is a Connecticut State Police criminal-history check?
As of September 25, 2026, the standard DESPP form lists $36 for a Connecticut name/date-of-birth existence search and $75 for a Connecticut conviction-history record search. DESPP has announced rate changes effective October 1, 2026, so verify current fees for later requests.
5. Are Connecticut arrest records public?
Connecticut General Statutes § 1-215 makes specified records of an arrest public, subject to exceptions for matters such as protected victims, witnesses, active prosecution information, sealed material, juvenile records and erased records.
6. Where can I search Connecticut inmates?
Use the Connecticut Department of Correction Inmate Search. DOC warns that people in the system may include individuals awaiting trial as well as people serving sentences.
7. Why did an old Connecticut conviction disappear from online search?
It may have passed the Judicial Branch website’s normal display period, been erased under Clean Slate or another statute, been pardoned, or become restricted from public access. An official State Police record request may be more appropriate for historical criminal-history research.
8. How does Connecticut Clean Slate work?
Eligible qualifying convictions imposed and committed on or after January 1, 2000 may qualify for automatic erasure, subject to offense eligibility, completion of the sentence and waiting periods. Current state guidance lists seven years for misdemeanors and ten years for felonies.
9. Can a Connecticut pardon erase a criminal record?
Connecticut’s Board of Pardons and Paroles describes an Absolute Pardon as a full pardon that results in erasure of the applicable criminal record. Current general waiting periods are three years after the most recent misdemeanor disposition and five years after the most recent felony disposition, with additional eligibility requirements.
10. Does a Connecticut criminal-record search include federal cases?
No. Federal prosecutions are separate from Connecticut state-court records. Use PACER for federal court cases and the FBI Identity History Summary process for your own nationwide fingerprint-based FBI record.
Official Connecticut sources used for this guide
Criminal-record access rules, fees, display periods and erasure procedures can change. Verify important information with the original government source before submitting a paid request.
- Connecticut Judicial Branch — Criminal / Motor Vehicle Case Look-up
- Connecticut Judicial Branch — Case Look-up
- Connecticut State Police Bureau of Identification
- Connecticut Clean Slate — How to Access Criminal Records
- Connecticut Clean Slate Eligibility
- Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles — Absolute Pardon Eligibility
- Connecticut Department of Correction — Inmate Search
- Connecticut DOC — Inmate Information
- Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice — Criminal Records
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 14 — Freedom of Information Act
- Connecticut Secretary of the State — State Courts
- PACER — Federal Court Records
- FBI — Identity History Summary Checks