Start with free official sources before paying for a background check
You can often find a large part of your own public criminal-record history without paying a commercial background-check company. The practical approach is to search the official courts in places where you have lived or had contact with law enforcement, then check corrections and federal records where relevant. A truly comprehensive fingerprint-based record may still cost money because state repositories and the FBI use separate processes.
A free-first way to check your own criminal history
Before paying for any report, write down every state and county where you have lived, been arrested, received a criminal citation or appeared in court. Criminal records are decentralized, so knowing the jurisdiction is more useful than searching your name across random websites.
Which criminal-record checks can actually be free?
| Source | Usually free? | What it can tell you | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| State court website | Often, but not always | Filed criminal cases, charges, hearings and dispositions. | Some courts charge for name searches or documents. |
| County / local court | Often free to search | Local criminal cases and older court records. | Copies or certified records may cost money. |
| State corrections | Usually | Prison, offender or supervision information. | Not a full criminal-history report. |
| NSOPW | Yes | Public sex-offender registry information nationwide. | Only covers qualifying registry information. |
| Federal BOP | Yes | Federal inmate information from 1982 to present. | Does not replace federal court records. |
| PACER | Potentially | Federal district and appellate court cases. | Usage charges apply, but quarterly fees at or below the waiver threshold are not billed. |
| State criminal-history repository | Varies | Statewide official criminal-history information. | Many states charge a fee, especially for fingerprint review. |
| FBI Identity History Summary | No, normally | Your fingerprint-based FBI identity-history summary. | Current fee is $18; fingerprint costs may be additional. |
Step 1: check official state court records
For most people, court records are the best free starting point because they show whether charges were formally filed and, importantly, how the case ended.
The federal government’s USA.gov court directory links to federal, state, territory, county and municipal court resources.
Find your state court systemWhat to look for on the court website
- case search
- case lookup
- criminal case search
- party search
- online docket
- public court records
- court records search
- clerk case access
Step 2: search the county or city where the case happened
If the statewide court portal is incomplete, go to the court serving the county where the arrest or prosecution occurred.
Your current home address is not always the right jurisdiction. A case remains with the court where it was filed even after you move somewhere else.
Identify the county
Use old paperwork, citation information, arresting-agency information or the location where the event occurred.
Find the official court
Use the state judiciary or official local-government site to identify the county clerk, circuit clerk, district court, superior court or municipal court.
Search your full legal name
Try your current name and any former, maiden or legally changed name connected with the old case.
Read the final disposition
Do not stop at the charge. Determine whether it resulted in dismissal, acquittal, conviction, deferred disposition or another outcome.
Step 3: find your state’s official criminal-history agency
Every state has a central agency responsible for criminal-history identification. The agency may be called a State Police bureau, Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice or State Identification Bureau.
The FBI maintains an official State Identification Bureau Listing for all states.
Find your state criminal-history bureauFor the most accurate personal review
Look for wording such as:
- personal record review
- criminal-history review
- personal criminal-history request
- record challenge
- fingerprint-based record review
- right to review
Arrest records may be kept separately from the court case
An arresting police department or sheriff may have an arrest report, incident report, booking record or jail record that is separate from the later court file.
If you remember being arrested but cannot find the event in a court search, check the agency that made the arrest. It is possible for an arrest to occur without a criminal case ultimately being filed.
Check state prison or corrections records for free
If you have ever served time in a state prison or been under state corrections supervision, the official Department of Corrections may have a free offender-search system.
USA.gov provides links to state departments of corrections.
Find your state corrections departmentDepending on the state, public corrections information can include an offender number, facility, custody status, sentence information, supervision status or release information.
Check federal criminal cases separately
State and county court systems generally do not show federal criminal prosecutions. Federal district-court cases are available through PACER.
Search PACERCan PACER be free?
As of September 2026, PACER lists a charge of $0.10 per page, with most case-specific documents capped at $3 per document. However, PACER currently waives fees when your total usage is $30 or less in a quarterly billing cycle.
PACER also states that viewing records through public-access terminals at federal courthouses is free.
Current pricing: PACER Pricing.
Federal inmate records are free through the Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator is free and covers federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 to the present.
Search BOP recordsOlder federal prison records from before 1982 may require research through the National Archives rather than the current BOP locator.
The national public sex-offender search is free
The U.S. Department of Justice coordinates the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW).
NSOPW searches public sex-offender registry information supplied by all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and participating tribal jurisdictions. The site is available to public users at no cost and does not require membership.
Search NSOPWWhen you need your fingerprint-based FBI Identity History Summary
The FBI’s Identity History Summary Check is the federal fingerprint-based process commonly referred to as requesting your own FBI “rap sheet.”
This is different from searching public court records. The FBI uses your fingerprints to identify criminal-history information associated with you in its system.
Current FBI cost
The FBI currently charges $18 for an Identity History Summary request. The fee is the same whether you submit the request electronically or by mail.
Fingerprint collection can create an additional cost. Electronic applicants can submit fingerprints at participating U.S. Post Office locations after beginning the electronic request, or can follow the FBI’s instructions for mailing a completed fingerprint card.
Start an FBI electronic request Read FBI instructionsWhat if you cannot afford the FBI’s $18 fee?
This is an important exception for people searching specifically for a free way to see their own record.
The FBI says that if you are unable to pay the $18 Identity History Summary fee, you should contact the FBI before submitting the request to receive instructions for requesting a fee waiver.
Free court search vs fingerprint criminal-history report
| Feature | Court search | Fingerprint-based record |
|---|---|---|
| Identity method | Name / case number / DOB depending on court. | Fingerprints. |
| Cost | Often free to search. | Usually a fee; varies by agency. |
| Geographic scope | Specific court or jurisdiction. | Statewide or FBI system depending on request. |
| Case documents | Often available from the court. | Usually not a substitute for the full court file. |
| Best for | Checking known public cases and dispositions. | Confirming what a state repository or the FBI associates with your identity. |
For many people, the best approach is to do the free court searches first and request a fingerprint report only if they need broader confirmation or believe their identity may be associated with a record they cannot find through court searches.
Older criminal records may not be online
A clean online search result does not guarantee that an old record never existed. Courts adopted electronic systems at different times, and historical files can remain in paper, archived or legacy databases.
When an older case is missing:
- identify the court where the case was filed
- look for an archive or historical-record page
- contact the clerk’s records department
- ask whether public terminals contain older cases
- request an index search when available
- provide your former names and approximate case year
Sealed or expunged records may not appear in ordinary public searches
State laws determine how expungement, sealing, set-aside orders and similar record-relief procedures work. The effect is not identical in every state.
If a record disappeared after you received relief, that may be exactly what the applicable court order or statute was intended to accomplish for public access.
If an old case still appears when you believe it should have been sealed or updated, contact the court that issued the order and the state’s criminal-history repository.
The FBI specifically directs questions about sealing or expungement of nonfederal criminal-history information to the appropriate State Identification Bureau.
If an employer ran a background check, you may already have a free route to the report
If an employer uses a background-screening company and is considering adverse action because of information in the report, federal Fair Credit Reporting Act procedures can give you access to the report.
Before taking an adverse employment action based on a consumer background report, the employer generally must give you a copy of the report it relied on and a summary of your FCRA rights.
If the employer ultimately takes adverse action, you also have the right to dispute inaccurate information and request an additional free copy from the reporting company within 60 days of the decision.
What to do when your criminal record contains a mistake
Do not try to fix every problem through the same agency. The fastest correction usually starts with identifying where the inaccurate data originated.
Wrong or missing disposition
Contact the court clerk and obtain the official disposition or corrected court document.
State repository problem
Use the correction or challenge procedure provided by your State Identification Bureau.
FBI summary problem
Use the FBI Identity History Summary challenge procedure or work through the state agency that supplied the underlying information.
The FBI says there is no fee to challenge an Identity History Summary.
FBI record review and challengeIf the record belongs to someone else with your name
A name match does not prove that a criminal record belongs to you. This is especially important when you have a common name or share a birth year with another person in the same area.
Compare all available identifiers:
- full middle name
- date of birth
- former or maiden names
- county and state
- physical description where lawfully available
- known addresses
- case dates
- fingerprints for identity-based review
When you need a certified criminal court record
A free online docket is useful for research, but an employer, licensing board, immigration authority, attorney or other institution may ask for an official certified disposition or certified court document.
Online case result
Useful for locating the case number and understanding the public case history.
Uncertified document
A copy of the underlying filing or disposition without clerk authentication.
Certified copy
An authenticated court copy. Courts commonly charge a copy and/or certification fee.
The cheapest workflow is usually to search for the case number yourself first, then ask the clerk for the exact document rather than paying the clerk to perform a broad name search.
Free criminal-record search tips that prevent wasted searches
Start with where it happened
Jurisdiction usually matters more than your current address.
Search former names
Old cases may remain indexed under the name you used when the case was filed.
Save every case number
Case numbers make later copy requests and corrections much easier.
Read the disposition
Do not mistake an arrest or charge for a conviction.
Search county jail separately
County jail history may not appear in a state DOC locator.
Check federal records separately
State courts generally do not show federal criminal prosecutions.
Use the state bureau directory
The FBI’s State Identification Bureau list is the quickest way to find your state’s official criminal-history agency.
Ask about a fee waiver
If you cannot afford the FBI’s $18 fee, contact the FBI before filing the request.
Avoid unnecessary paid sites
First determine what the official courts and government databases already show for free.
Common questions about checking your own criminal record
1. Can I check my criminal record completely for free?
You can often search many public court, corrections and registry records for free, but there is no single free government database that guarantees a complete nationwide criminal-history report. Fingerprint-based state and FBI reports may charge fees.
2. What is the best free place to start?
Start with the official court systems in the states and counties where you have lived or had criminal-justice contact. Court records are often the easiest way to verify charges and final dispositions.
3. Is the FBI criminal-record check free?
Normally no. The FBI currently charges $18 for an Identity History Summary. If you cannot afford the fee, the FBI says to contact its Identity History Summary program before submitting the request for instructions on seeking a fee waiver.
4. How do I find the agency that keeps my state criminal record?
Use the FBI State Identification Bureau Listing. It identifies the central criminal-history agency for every state, such as a State Police bureau, Department of Public Safety or state investigative agency.
5. Can I search my federal criminal cases for free?
PACER normally charges for electronic case access, but current quarterly charges of $30 or less are waived. Federal courthouse public-access terminals also provide free access to court records.
6. Does a free court search show my entire criminal history?
No. A court search generally covers that court or jurisdiction. Cases in other counties, states or federal courts may require separate searches.
7. Why can I find an arrest but not a court conviction?
An arrest does not always lead to criminal charges or a conviction. Search the court that would have handled the matter and check the final disposition.
8. Can I see the same background report an employer used?
When an employer relies on a consumer background report and plans adverse action, federal law generally requires the employer to provide a copy before the decision. After adverse action, you can also request an additional free copy from the reporting company within 60 days.
9. What should I do if my criminal record is wrong?
Identify the source of the error. Court errors should be addressed through the court, state-history errors through the state’s criminal-history repository, and FBI summary errors through the FBI challenge process or the state agency that submitted the information.
10. Why does an old record no longer appear online?
The record may have been sealed, expunged, archived, removed from remote public access, or stored in an older court system. Contact the court or criminal-history agency if you need confirmation.
Official resources for checking your own record
- USA.gov — Federal, State, County and Municipal Courts
- FBI — State Identification Bureau Listing
- FBI — Identity History Summary Checks
- FBI — Electronic Identity History Summary Request
- USA.gov — State Departments of Corrections
- PACER — Federal Court Case Search
- PACER — Free and Low-Cost Access Options
- Federal Bureau of Prisons — Inmate Locator
- DOJ — National Sex Offender Public Website
- FTC — Employer Background Checks and Your Rights