You can often look up part of someone’s criminal-record history for free, but there is no single free official U.S. database that contains every arrest, criminal charge, conviction, jail booking, warrant and federal case. The most effective no-cost method is to identify where the person lived or where the alleged case occurred, then search official court, jail, corrections and law-enforcement sources in that jurisdiction.
A practical 7-step free criminal-record lookup
If you know only a person’s name, resist the temptation to start with a random commercial “people search” website. Start by narrowing the geography.
Identify the person’s likely state and county
Use known residence, arrest location, courthouse, news report, citation or other reliable information to determine where a case would likely have been filed.
Find the official state court website
Look for a state judicial branch, judiciary, unified court system or administrative office of the courts website. Avoid assuming the first search result is official.
Search statewide court records if available
Many states provide a free name or case-number search. Coverage, historical dates and document availability vary significantly.
Search the county court or clerk
If there is no statewide search, use the county clerk, district clerk, circuit clerk or equivalent local court record system.
Check the sheriff or jail
A very recent arrest may appear in a county-jail roster before the criminal court case becomes easy to find.
Check the state corrections department
If the person was sentenced to state prison or remains under qualifying state supervision, the state DOC offender search may provide useful information for free.
Search federal records separately
State and county portals generally do not show federal prosecutions. Use PACER when federal court involvement is possible.
“Criminal record” can mean several different records
Law-enforcement event
Shows an arrest or custody action. It does not prove that charges were filed or that the person was convicted.
Filed criminal proceeding
Can show charges, hearings, pleas, dismissals, verdicts, sentences and other court events.
Case outcome
Indicates a finding or plea resulting in conviction, subject to later appeal, sealing or other legal action.
Local custody record
May identify current or recent detention, booking date, charges and bond information.
Corrections information
State DOC systems may show incarceration, facility assignment, sentence dates and supervision information.
Repository record
A state police, bureau of investigation or similar repository may maintain fingerprint-supported criminal-history information reported by justice agencies.
1. Search official criminal court records first
For many people, the most useful free source is the court system itself. State courts handle the vast majority of ordinary state-law criminal prosecutions.
State court websites may provide:
- party/name search
- case-number search
- criminal charges
- hearing dates
- case status
- disposition
- sentencing information
- public documents in some jurisdictions
Use USA.gov’s federal, state, territory, county and municipal court guide as a safe starting point for locating the correct government court system.
How to find the correct court without paying a records website
Search Google or another search engine using a precise government-focused query such as:
State search example
[State] judicial branch case search
Example structure: Minnesota Judicial Branch case search.
County search example
[County] clerk criminal case search
Example structure: Harris County criminal court records.
Look for official domains operated by:
- state judiciary / judicial branch
- county clerk
- district clerk
- circuit clerk
- superior court clerk
- municipal court
2. Check county jail and sheriff records for recent arrests
When an arrest happened recently, a jail or sheriff record may appear before the court case is indexed online.
Search the official county sheriff or detention website for:
- inmate search
- jail roster
- recent bookings
- current inmates
- custody search
- booking records
Depending on the jurisdiction, a free jail search may show the booking date, arresting agency, listed charges, bond, release status and scheduled court.
3. Search the state Department of Corrections for prison records
State corrections departments commonly provide free offender or incarcerated-person lookup tools.
These are useful when someone:
- is currently serving a state-prison sentence
- was previously incarcerated in state prison
- is on qualifying state parole or supervision
- has a state corrections identification number
4. Search warrants through the issuing court or agency
There is no reliable free nationwide public warrant database.
Warrant access varies by state and county. Official sources may include:
- county sheriff warrant search
- municipal police warrant search
- court case docket
- county or municipal court clerk
5. Check the state’s official criminal-history repository
Every state has a central identification/criminal-history agency, but public access varies. The agency may be called:
- State Police
- Department of Public Safety
- Bureau of Criminal Investigation
- State Bureau of Investigation
- Department of Justice
- Criminal Justice Information Services
Some states provide a free public search. Others charge a small fee, require consent, restrict access to convictions, or allow only the subject of the record to receive the full fingerprint-based history.
The FBI maintains an official State Identification Bureau directory for all states and participating U.S. jurisdictions.
Official criminal-history agency in every state
The names below come from the FBI’s State Identification Bureau listing. Use the FBI directory to reach the current state contact rather than relying on an unofficial background-check company’s state list.
| State | Official state criminal-history / identification agency |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Bureau of Investigation / Department of Public Safety |
| Alaska | Criminal Records and Identification Bureau, Department of Public Safety |
| Arizona | Arizona Department of Public Safety |
| Arkansas | Arkansas State Police |
| California | California Department of Justice, Bureau of Criminal Information and Analysis |
| Colorado | Colorado Bureau of Investigation |
| Connecticut | Connecticut State Police / Criminal Justice Information Systems |
| Delaware | Delaware State Bureau of Identification |
| Florida | Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Criminal Justice Information Services |
| Georgia | Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Crime Information Center |
| Hawaii | Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center |
| Idaho | Idaho State Police, Bureau of Criminal Identification |
| Illinois | Illinois State Police, Bureau of Identification |
| Indiana | Indiana State Police, Records Division |
| Iowa | Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigation |
| Kansas | Kansas Bureau of Investigation |
| Kentucky | Kentucky State Police, Criminal Identification and Records Branch |
| Louisiana | Louisiana State Police, Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information |
| Maine | Maine State Bureau of Identification |
| Maryland | Maryland Criminal Justice Information Systems Central Repository |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts State Police, State Identification Section |
| Michigan | Michigan State Police |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Criminal Information Center |
| Missouri | Missouri State Highway Patrol, Criminal Justice Information Services |
| Montana | Montana Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation |
| Nebraska | Nebraska State Patrol, Criminal Identification Division |
| Nevada | Nevada Department of Public Safety, Records/Communications/Compliance Division |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire State Police, Criminal Records Unit |
| New Jersey | New Jersey State Police, State Bureau of Identification |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Department of Public Safety, Law Enforcement Records Bureau |
| New York | New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services |
| North Carolina | North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation |
| Ohio | Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation |
| Oregon | Oregon State Police, CJIS Division |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Records and Identification |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Attorney General, Bureau of Criminal Identification |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Law Enforcement Division |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Bureau of Investigation |
| Texas | Texas Department of Public Safety, Crime Records Service |
| Utah | Utah Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Criminal Identification |
| Vermont | Vermont Criminal Information Center |
| Virginia | Virginia State Police, Criminal Justice Information Services |
| Washington | Washington State Patrol, Criminal Records Division |
| West Virginia | West Virginia State Police |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Department of Justice, Crime Information Bureau |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation |
Agency names, addresses, public-search rules and fees can change. Use the FBI State Identification Bureau directory to verify the current agency and then follow that state’s official instructions.
6. Look up federal criminal cases with PACER
Federal prosecutions are separate from state and county court systems. The official federal system is PACER.
PACER lets registered users search:
- U.S. District Court cases
- U.S. Court of Appeals cases
- bankruptcy cases
- a nationwide federal case index
Is PACER free?
PACER is technically fee-based, but through December 31, 2026 the federal judiciary charges $0.10 per page, with most individual documents capped at $3. If your total quarterly charges are $30 or less, those charges are waived.
PACER has announced that beginning January 1, 2027, the electronic fee will temporarily increase to $0.12 per page while the automatic quarterly waiver increases from $30 to $40.
Find a federal court caseCan you use the FBI to check someone else’s criminal record?
Generally, the FBI’s public Identity History Summary process is not a free public people-search database for looking up somebody else.
The FBI Identity History Summary is primarily a fingerprint-based process for an individual to review or correct their own record.
Official FBI information: Identity History Summary Checks .
How to search a common name without accusing the wrong person
A name match is only a lead. It is not proof of identity.
When the official portal permits it, compare:
- full legal name
- middle name or initial
- date of birth
- former / maiden names
- known aliases
- county or city
- case filing year
- case number
Try both current and former names
Court files may be indexed under the legal name used when the case was filed. A later marriage, divorce or other name change does not necessarily update the old case index.
Search likely neighboring counties
People frequently live in one county and are arrested or prosecuted in another. If geography makes sense, search the neighboring jurisdiction rather than assuming the home county has every record.
Why a free search may show no criminal record even when one existed
“No results” can mean several different things.
Wrong jurisdiction
The case may have been filed in another county, state or federal court.
Name mismatch
The system may use a former name, alias, full middle name or different spelling.
Older record
Historical cases may exist only in courthouse archives, microfilm or a legacy database.
Sealed record
Public access may have been restricted after sealing or expungement.
Pending data delay
A very recent arrest may not yet have produced a searchable court filing.
Access restriction
Juvenile, confidential or otherwise restricted information may not be publicly searchable.
Sealed and expunged records usually will not appear in an ordinary free search
Every state has its own rules for sealing, expungement, set-asides, nondisclosure or similar criminal-record relief.
A record that was once visible may disappear from a public court portal after a qualifying court order or automatic sealing process.
If your goal is to check your own record, use the official state criminal-history review process because some states allow the record subject to see information that ordinary public searches suppress.
Juvenile criminal records are commonly restricted
Juvenile delinquency records receive stronger privacy protection in many jurisdictions. A public court-search portal may suppress the person’s name, restrict documents or omit the case entirely.
Do not attempt to bypass juvenile-record restrictions through unofficial databases. If access is legally available, obtain it through the court or agency responsible for the record.
Do not use a free public-record search as a substitute for a compliant employment or tenant background check
This distinction matters because the legal rules can change when criminal-history information is used to determine someone’s eligibility for employment, housing, credit, insurance or another benefit.
The FTC explains that when an employer obtains a background report from a company in the business of compiling background information, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires disclosure, authorization and additional procedures before and after certain adverse employment decisions.
The EEOC also advises employers to treat arrest records differently from conviction records because an arrest by itself is not proof that the person committed a crime.
Official federal guidance: FTC — Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know .
Verify a criminal-record result before relying on it
Criminal-record databases can contain people with the same or similar names, incomplete dispositions, delayed updates and historical records that require interpretation.
Verify identity
Compare DOB, middle name, location and other available identifiers.
Open the actual court case
Do not stop at an arrest or booking listing.
Read the final disposition
Determine whether the charge was dismissed, resulted in conviction, acquittal or another outcome.
Check whether the record was later sealed or changed
A later court order, appeal, sealing process or correction can materially change what the older record means.
Free criminal-record searches: frequently asked questions
1. Can I really look up someone’s criminal record for free?
Often, yes, at least in part. Many state and county court portals, jail rosters and state corrections searches are free. However, there is no single free official nationwide database containing every criminal record.
2. What is the best free place to start?
Start with the official state judiciary or county court clerk where the person lived or where the alleged case occurred. Court records are usually the best source for determining how charges ended.
3. Can I search someone’s FBI record for free?
No. The FBI Identity History Summary process is not a public name-search tool for checking another person’s criminal record. It is primarily a fingerprint-based personal record-review process.
4. Are county jail searches usually free?
Many county sheriffs and detention centers provide free online inmate or booking searches, although availability and historical coverage vary by county.
5. Is PACER free for federal criminal records?
PACER is fee-based, but in 2026 users are not billed when total quarterly charges are $30 or less. Federal courthouse public-access terminals and federal court opinions are also available without PACER access charges.
6. Can I find warrants for free?
Sometimes. Some sheriffs and courts provide free warrant searches, but there is no complete nationwide public warrant database. Confirm current warrant status with the issuing court or agency.
7. Why did the court search show nothing?
Possible reasons include the wrong jurisdiction, a different name or DOB, a historical/offline case, a sealed record, juvenile confidentiality, or a case that has not yet been entered into the public system.
8. Can I use free court records to screen an employee?
Public records can be researched, but employment use can involve federal, state and local legal rules. If an employer obtains a consumer report from a background-screening company, the FCRA imposes specific obligations.
9. Does an arrest record mean the person was convicted?
No. An arrest is not proof of guilt. Find the related court case and review the final disposition before drawing a conclusion.
10. How do I search an old criminal case for free?
Start with the modern court portal, then contact the court clerk or courthouse archive if the case predates online coverage. Some courts permit free in-person inspection even when copies cost money.
Official U.S. resources for criminal-record research
- USA.gov — Federal, State, Territory, County and Municipal Courts
- FBI — State Identification Bureau Listing
- FBI — Identity History Summary Checks
- PACER — Federal Court Records
- PACER — Current Pricing and Free-Access Rules
- U.S. Courts — Federal Court Website Directory
- FTC — Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know
- EEOC — Criminal Records and Employment