Start with the record you actually need
There is no single public website containing every criminal record in the United States. A court case, arrest record, statewide criminal-history report, county jail booking, prison record and FBI Identity History Summary are different records maintained by different agencies. The fastest search starts by identifying the record type and the jurisdiction that created it.
“Criminal record” can mean several different things
Before entering a name into a search box, decide what information you are actually trying to confirm. Government agencies create records at different stages of a criminal matter, and those records do not automatically contain the same information.
Criminal case record
Filed charges, docket entries, hearings, pleas, orders, disposition, sentencing information and public case documents.
Criminal-history record
Information assembled by a state criminal-history repository, often based on fingerprint and criminal-justice submissions. Public access rules differ by state.
Arrest record
Information created when a person is arrested. An arrest alone does not establish guilt or show how a later court case ended.
Booking / custody record
Current or recent jail custody, booking date, listed charges, bond information and release status, depending on local public-access rules.
Prison / supervision record
State or federal corrections information may show custody location, identification number, release information or supervision status.
Warrant information
Warrant access varies widely. Some jurisdictions offer public warrant searches; others restrict active warrant information.
A practical search order that avoids wasted time
When you are not sure where a record is located, use this sequence. It moves from the agency most likely to answer the question to broader or more specialized systems.
How to look up a state or county criminal court case
For most public-record research, the court case is the best place to understand what ultimately happened. State courts commonly handle felony, misdemeanor and other state-law prosecutions, while court structure and online availability vary by jurisdiction.
Identify the state and likely county
Criminal cases are generally filed where the alleged offense was prosecuted, not necessarily where the person currently lives.
Find the official judiciary or court clerk website
Prefer a state judicial branch, county clerk, clerk of court, district court, superior court or circuit court website over a commercial people-search site.
Use the strongest identifier available
A court case number is usually best. When name search is available, add date of birth, filing year, county, middle name or other supported filters.
Open the docket or register of actions
Do not stop at the charge description. Read the later entries to determine how the case progressed.
Find the disposition
Look for dismissal, acquittal, guilty plea, conviction, deferred outcome, sentencing or other final case action.
Contact the clerk when online records are incomplete
Older documents, certified copies, sealed material or records excluded from remote access may require direct contact with the court clerk.
State criminal-history records are different from court searches
Every state has an agency responsible for criminal identification or criminal-history functions, although public access, eligibility, fees and search methods vary significantly.
The responsible office may be called a:
- State Police criminal records division
- Bureau of Investigation
- Bureau of Criminal Identification
- Department of Justice criminal-history unit
- Department of Public Safety
- Criminal Justice Information Services repository
The FBI maintains an official State Identification Bureau listing covering states and participating U.S. jurisdictions. This is a useful starting point when you do not know which state agency maintains criminal-history information.
Find the official state repositoryWhat a state repository may require
Name-based search
Some states allow members of the public to search eligible criminal-history information using a person’s name and other identifiers.
Fingerprint-based search
Fingerprints provide stronger identity matching and may be required for a person’s own complete record or authorized background-check purposes.
Consent or restricted access
Some criminal-history information may be available only to the record subject, authorized entities or users who satisfy statutory requirements.
How to find recent arrest and booking records
If an arrest happened recently, the fastest source may not be the court. A local police department, sheriff’s office, county jail or detention center may publish public custody or booking information before a court case becomes easily searchable.
Identify the arresting agency or county
Determine whether the arrest was made by city police, county sheriff, state police or another agency.
Check the official sheriff or jail website
Look for sections named Jail Roster, Inmate Search, Current Inmates, Who’s in Jail, Booking Search or Detention Center.
Review listed charges carefully
Booking charges describe the reason for custody at that stage. They do not tell you the final outcome of the criminal case.
Follow the case into court
Once a court case is filed, use the official court system to follow charging decisions, hearings and final disposition.
Police reports and incident records
Police reports generally require a request to the law-enforcement agency that created the record. State public-records or open-records laws determine what must be disclosed, what may be withheld, how much copies may cost and whether an active investigation limits access.
Warrant information is highly jurisdiction-specific
There is no universal public nationwide arrest-warrant database for ordinary state and local warrants. Some sheriffs and courts provide public warrant-search tools, while other jurisdictions restrict active warrant information for law-enforcement or safety reasons.
If you are looking for warrant information, try this order:
- official court case-search system
- county sheriff warrant page
- county or municipal court clerk
- local law-enforcement records division
- state-specific official warrant resource, if one exists
- attorney or court contact if the matter concerns you personally
County jail, state prison and federal prison searches are separate
| Where the person may be | Best official source | Typical information | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| County or city jail | County sheriff / detention center | Booking date, listed charges, bond, custody status | Searching the state DOC too early |
| State prison | State Department of Corrections | Inmate ID, facility, sentence/release information where public | Assuming every jail detainee appears in DOC search |
| Federal custody | Federal Bureau of Prisons | Federal inmate name, register number, age, release/location information | Looking in state prison search for a federal inmate |
Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator
The Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator covers federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 to the present. Searches can be performed by name or identifying number.
BOP warns that a person shown as “Released” or “Not in BOP Custody” may still be in another criminal-justice system or under another form of supervision.
Search the Federal BOP locatorNationwide public sex-offender registry search
For public sex-offender registry information, the U.S. Department of Justice operates the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW).
NSOPW searches participating public registries from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and Indian Country. It is available without a membership fee.
How to look up federal criminal court records
Federal criminal cases are separate from state criminal cases. The federal judiciary’s official electronic public-access system is PACER.
PACER provides access to U.S. district, appellate and bankruptcy court records. For a federal criminal prosecution, the relevant case is normally found in a U.S. District Court.
Create a PACER account
Registration itself is free. A payment method can be supplied for prompt electronic access.
Search the specific federal court when you know it
This gives direct access to the court’s case information and is usually more efficient than a broad nationwide search.
Use the PACER Case Locator when you do not know the court
The nationwide index can return the party name, court, case number, filing date and closing date.
Open the docket
Review docket entries, orders, judgments and public documents. Some documents may be sealed, restricted or unavailable remotely.
PACER fees in 2026
| Access | Current rule | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| PACER case information | $0.10 per page | Search-result pages can generate charges even when no match is found. |
| Most individual case documents | Maximum $3 per document | 30-page cap generally applies to qualifying case-specific documents. |
| Quarterly usage | $30 or less is waived | Users are not billed when quarterly charges remain at or below the current threshold. |
| Federal courthouse viewing | Free to view | Public access terminals can be used at federal courthouses; printing may cost extra. |
Federal criminal documents that may not be available online
Federal courts can seal documents, and certain criminal, juvenile, investigative or privacy-sensitive records may be restricted. PACER also notes limitations on remote document availability for some older criminal cases, including documents filed before November 1, 2004.
If you locate the case but cannot obtain the needed material, contact the clerk’s office of the federal court where the case was filed.
Find a federal case with PACERHow to get your own FBI Identity History Summary
If you are trying to review your own FBI criminal-history information, use the FBI Identity History Summary Check process rather than PACER or a general FOIA request.
The FBI commonly describes this as an Identity History Summary or “rap sheet.” The service is fingerprint-based; the FBI does not provide a name-only Identity History Summary search.
Submit the FBI request
A request can be initiated electronically or through the FBI’s mail process.
Provide fingerprints
The FBI requires current fingerprints. Electronic applicants may use participating U.S. Postal Service locations where available or submit fingerprints using another accepted method.
Pay the FBI fee
The current FBI Identity History Summary fee is $18. Additional fingerprint-service or channeler charges may apply depending on the method used.
Review the result carefully
If information appears inaccurate or incomplete, use the FBI challenge process and, when appropriate, work with the state or agency that originally submitted the information.
Electronic request vs FBI-approved channeler
The FBI also publishes a list of approved channelers. A channeler can collect fingerprint submissions and transmit them electronically to the FBI, but the channeler may charge its own service fee.
Always confirm that a company appears on the FBI’s current approved channeler list before relying on that status.
Older criminal records may require an archive or courthouse request
Online court systems are convenient, but their electronic coverage is not unlimited. Older cases may predate modern case-management systems or may have been transferred to archival custody.
Older federal court records
The National Archives explains that federal court records less than about 15 years old are generally still maintained by the individual federal courts. Older permanently preserved court files may have been transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
National Archives court recordsFederal inmates released before 1982
The Federal Bureau of Prisons online locator focuses on federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 onward. BOP directs researchers seeking many older pre-1982 inmate records toward the National Archives.
How to read a criminal court result without misinterpreting it
| Term | What it generally means | What it does not automatically mean |
|---|---|---|
| Arrested | A law-enforcement agency took the person into custody. | That the person was convicted. |
| Charged | A criminal allegation was formally made. | That guilt was established. |
| Pending | The matter has not reached a final disposition. | That the defendant will be convicted. |
| Dismissed | A charge or case was dismissed. | That the original arrest record necessarily vanished everywhere. |
| Acquitted | The defendant was found not guilty on the relevant charge. | That all related public records are automatically erased. |
| Convicted | A judgment of guilt was entered through plea, verdict or other lawful process. | That every conviction remains publicly searchable forever. |
| Sealed / expunged | Access has been restricted or the record treated under a jurisdiction’s sealing law. | That every copy held by every agency was physically destroyed. |
Terminology and legal effects vary by state. When a result matters for a legal or eligibility decision, read the actual disposition and the law governing that jurisdiction rather than relying on a search-result summary.
If the search says “no records found,” check these things before stopping
A blank result can mean many things besides “this person has never had a criminal record.”
Wrong jurisdiction
The case may be filed in another county, city court, state or federal district.
Name variation
Middle initials, hyphenation, maiden names, aliases or spelling differences can affect a search.
Record is too recent
An arrest may exist locally before a court case is indexed in an online court system.
Record is too old
Historical files may be archived, paper-only or outside the online database’s coverage period.
Access is restricted
Juvenile, sealed, expunged, confidential or investigation-related records may be unavailable publicly.
Portal limitation
Some systems do not allow public name searches for every case type or status.
Sealed, expunged and juvenile records may not appear publicly
Criminal-record access is controlled by federal and state law, court rules and agency policy. A public website generally does not display every criminal-justice record an agency may possess.
Common reasons for restricted access include:
- court-ordered sealing
- statutory expungement
- automatic record sealing
- juvenile confidentiality
- active investigative restrictions
- victim or witness privacy protections
- protected personal identifiers
- special federal sealing rules
Federal courts also redact private information and may seal documents involving confidential, classified, investigative or juvenile matters.
What to do if a criminal record belongs to the wrong person or contains an error
Common names, aliases and incomplete identifiers can create mistaken matches. Always distinguish between an incorrect search match and an error in the government’s underlying record.
Save the identifying information
Record the court case number, arresting agency, repository number, date and exact item you believe is wrong.
Check the source record
If a third-party site is wrong, first compare its information with the official court or government source.
Contact the agency responsible for the incorrect data
A court error generally goes to the court; a state criminal-history error may involve the state repository; FBI information may need a formal FBI challenge and source-agency correction.
Provide supporting documents
Certified dispositions, expungement orders, identity documents or other official records can help an agency determine whether the information should be corrected.
The FBI says challenges to an Identity History Summary are free. Because much of the underlying information is submitted by local, state and federal agencies, correcting the source agency’s data can be an important step.
Public-record research is not automatically an employment or tenant background check
Looking at a public court docket for personal research is different from obtaining a consumer report to make an employment, housing, credit or other regulated eligibility decision.
The Federal Trade Commission explains that when an employer obtains a background report from a company in the business of compiling background information, the Fair Credit Reporting Act can require disclosure, authorization and additional procedures before and after certain adverse decisions.
Practical tips for finding the correct criminal record faster
Use the case number when possible
A case number is far more precise than searching a common first and last name.
Search the location of the case
Search where the offense was prosecuted, not only where the person currently lives.
Try name variations
Check full middle name, middle initial, former surname, maiden name and supported wildcard options.
Use dates to separate namesakes
Date of birth, filing year, age or incident date can prevent a serious mistaken identity.
Recent arrest? Start local
Sheriff’s offices and county jails may have information before the court portal does.
Read the disposition
Finding a charge is not enough. Determine how each charge ended.
Search state and federal separately
PACER does not search state courts, and a state court portal does not search federal cases.
Check archive coverage
If a case is old, find the database’s coverage dates before assuming the record is missing.
Prefer official sources
Court clerks, state repositories, sheriffs, corrections departments and federal agencies are better sources for verification than copied aggregator data.
Frequently asked questions about looking up criminal records
1. Can I look up criminal records for free?
Often, yes. Many state and county courts provide free public case searches, and many sheriff, jail and corrections systems offer free online lookups. State criminal-history reports may charge fees. Federal PACER access can generate per-page charges, although its quarterly waiver rules may result in no bill for low-volume users.
2. Is there one official nationwide criminal-record search?
No. Criminal records are distributed across state courts, state criminal-history repositories, local law-enforcement agencies, corrections departments and federal agencies. PACER covers federal courts only, and the FBI Identity History Summary is a separate fingerprint-based process for the record subject.
3. What is the best place to start a criminal-record search?
If you are looking for a public criminal case, start with the official court system in the state and county where the case was filed. If you need a statewide criminal-history record, identify that state’s official criminal-history repository.
4. Does an arrest record mean someone was convicted?
No. Arrest means a person was taken into custody. The related case may later be dismissed, result in acquittal, diversion, plea, conviction or another outcome. Check the final court disposition.
5. Can I order another person’s FBI criminal record?
Not through the FBI Identity History Summary process. The FBI provides that fingerprint-based record to the subject of the record. Public court records and state-authorized public criminal-history systems have separate access rules.
6. How much does an FBI Identity History Summary cost?
The FBI currently charges $18 for an Identity History Summary request. Additional fingerprint collection or approved-channeler fees may apply depending on how the request is submitted.
7. How do I find a federal criminal case?
Use PACER. Search the specific federal court if you know where the case was filed, or use the PACER Case Locator to search the nationwide federal index.
8. Why can’t I find an old criminal case online?
The case may predate the court’s online system, be archived, exist only in paper or transferred records, or be restricted from remote access. Contact the court clerk or relevant archive when the expected time period is outside online coverage.
9. Can sealed or expunged criminal records still appear somewhere?
The effect of sealing and expungement varies by jurisdiction. A court order may restrict public access without physically destroying every record held by every agency. Follow the law and official guidance for the jurisdiction involved.
10. Can I use a public criminal-record search to screen an employee or tenant?
Do not assume that a public-record search is a legally compliant consumer background report. Employment, housing, credit and other eligibility decisions may be governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act and additional federal, state or local requirements.
Official resources for deeper searches
- FBI — Identity History Summary Checks
- FBI — State Identification Bureau Listing
- PACER — Find a Federal Court Case
- PACER — Current Pricing and Fee Rules
- United States Courts — Federal Court Record Access
- National Archives — Historical Federal Court Records
- Federal Bureau of Prisons — Inmate Locator
- U.S. Department of Justice — National Sex Offender Public Website
- Federal Trade Commission — Background Check / FCRA Guidance