Missouri criminal records are available through several different government systems. Missouri Case.net provides public court-case information, the Missouri State Highway Patrol Criminal Justice Information Services Division maintains the state’s central criminal-history repository, county and city law-enforcement agencies maintain arrest and jail records, and the Missouri Department of Corrections provides information about people who are or have been under state corrections supervision. The best search depends on whether you need a court case, statewide criminal history, recent arrest, incarceration record or information about an expunged case.
Which Missouri criminal record do you actually need?
Missouri does not treat “criminal record” as one universal file. Court information, state criminal-history data, arrest reports and corrections records are maintained separately.
Court case
Use Case.net for public case information, court dates, case numbers, docket entries and dispositions.
State criminal history
Use MACHS for an official Missouri open-record criminal-history search.
Arrest or incident record
Use the agency that made the arrest or created the incident report.
Current local custody
County sheriffs and local detention agencies generally maintain jail and booking information.
Prison / supervision
Search state incarceration, probation or parole information maintained by the Department of Corrections.
Registered sex offender
Missouri State Highway Patrol maintains the state’s public sex offender registry.
Search Missouri criminal court cases with Case.net
Missouri Case.net is the Missouri Judiciary’s official public case-information system.
Case.net provides public case information electronically from courts using Missouri’s statewide judicial case-management systems.
Open Missouri Case.netHow to search Missouri Case.net
Case.net provides several search methods, including:
- litigant name search
- case number search
- filing date search
- scheduled hearings and trials
Choose the strongest search method
Use the full case number when known. It reduces confusion between people who share similar names.
Search by litigant name when necessary
Enter the person’s name carefully and compare county, case type and other available information.
Open the case number
The Case Header identifies the court, parties, filing information and case status.
Review docket activity
Read filings, hearings, pleas, judgments, sentencing and other events in chronological order.
Check the disposition
Do not rely only on the original charge. Review how each count was finally resolved.
Can you see Missouri criminal court documents online?
Case.net can display public case information, but document access is more limited than basic docket access.
Missouri Courts explains that public users at courthouse terminals can access public documents through Case.net’s file viewer where those documents are available and not confidential.
If a document is not viewable remotely, contact the clerk of the court where the case was filed.
How to read a Missouri criminal case result
| Case item | What it generally means | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Unique court identifier. | Keep it for future court searches and records requests. |
| Charge | Criminal allegation filed or prosecuted. | Do not treat the charge itself as a conviction. |
| Case status | Whether the case remains active or has concluded. | Read later docket events for the actual resolution. |
| Disposition | How a charge was resolved. | Conviction, dismissal, acquittal or another disposition. |
| SIS | Suspended Imposition of Sentence. | Missouri treats SIS differently from an ordinary conviction record. |
| Sentence | Court-ordered punishment or supervision. | Jail/prison, probation, fines, restitution or other terms. |
Get Missouri Case.net case-update alerts
Case.net provides a Track This Case feature for eligible cases. It lets public users sign up for email notifications when qualifying activity occurs.
Find the case in Case.net
Search by name, case number or another supported method.
Open the Case Header
Select the correct case number from the search results.
Select Track This Case
Follow the prompts to receive qualifying future case-activity notifications.
Missouri State Highway Patrol MACHS criminal-history search
The Missouri Automated Criminal History Site (MACHS) is operated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol Criminal Justice Information Services Division, which serves as Missouri’s central criminal-history repository.
MACHS offers:
Personal-identifier search
Uses identifying information such as name, date of birth and Social Security number to search Missouri open-record criminal-history information.
Fingerprint-based search
Uses fingerprints for positive identification and for searches requiring fingerprint-based background checks.
Current Missouri MACHS criminal-history fees
| Search | Current fee | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Name-based search | $15 | Plus applicable electronic payment processing fee. |
| State fingerprint search | $20 | Separate fingerprint/vendor fees can apply. |
| FBI portion | $15 | Only for entities or purposes legally authorized for national checks. |
| IDEMIA service fee | $12 | Current fingerprint-capture vendor service fee listed by MSHP. |
| Notarized response | $5 | Additional fee when a notarized response is requested. |
Missouri open vs. closed criminal-history records
Missouri’s central repository distinguishes between open and closed criminal-history information.
Open records
MSHP says public name searches can include:
- convictions
- arrest information less than 30 days old
- prosecutor-filed charges awaiting final court disposition
- an SIS while the probation period remains active
Closed records
Examples identified by MSHP include:
- not-guilty outcomes
- nolle-prossed cases
- dismissed charges
- SIS records after successful completion of probation
- older arrests where charges were not filed within the statutory period described by MSHP
Missouri fingerprint criminal-history searches
The Missouri State Highway Patrol states that positive identification can only be assured through a fingerprint-based criminal-history search.
MACHS uses IDEMIA as Missouri’s fingerprint-services vendor for in-state electronic fingerprint capture.
People living outside Missouri can use an FBI FD-258 fingerprint card and follow MSHP’s out-of-state submission instructions when a Missouri fingerprint-based search is required.
Missouri arrest and incident records
Missouri’s Sunshine Law includes special rules for law-enforcement records, including arrest reports and incident reports.
An arrest report is generally a law-enforcement record concerning the arrest, detention or confinement and the charge associated with it.
For a specific arrest or incident, start with the agency that handled the event:
- county sheriff
- city police department
- Missouri State Highway Patrol
- other arresting law-enforcement agency
Request Missouri police records under the Sunshine Law
Missouri’s Sunshine Law is found in Chapter 610 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri. To request a public record, contact the governmental agency that created or maintains it.
Useful details to provide include:
- incident or report number
- person’s full name
- date and approximate time
- incident location
- specific document requested
- arrest number if known
- preferred electronic or paper format
Official Sunshine Law information: Missouri Attorney General — Sunshine Law.
Missouri county jail and booking searches
Missouri does not have one statewide public county-jail roster covering every local detention center. Booking and county-custody information is usually maintained by the sheriff or local jail.
Identify the county of arrest
Start with the county where the person was booked, not where the person normally lives.
Search the official sheriff or jail website
Look for Inmate Search, Jail Roster, Current Inmates or Booking Search.
Move to Case.net
Once charges are filed, search the court case to see the prosecution and disposition.
Missouri Department of Corrections offender records
The Missouri Department of Corrections provides an automated Offender Search for public use.
DOC information can concern people currently incarcerated or under Missouri corrections supervision. The department also makes certain information concerning former supervisees available through its Sunshine Law data files.
Missouri DOC states that public offender information can include items such as:
- present offense
- sentence and judgment
- county of conviction
- term of supervision
- probation/parole status
- custody or bond status
- parole or conditional-release information
- prior convictions
Missouri Sex Offender Registry
The Missouri State Highway Patrol maintains the official statewide Missouri Sex Offender Registry.
Searches can use information such as:
- first and last name
- date of birth
- city
- county
- ZIP code
- address
- distance from a known location
Missouri Court of Appeals and Supreme Court records
Missouri appellate criminal cases can be found through Case.net, while published decisions and pending appellate matters are also available through Missouri Courts.
Missouri has a Supreme Court and three Court of Appeals districts:
- Eastern District
- Western District
- Southern District
Missouri Courts provides public opinions, decisions, oral-argument schedules and appellate docket information.
Missouri appellate cases and decisionsGet official or certified Missouri criminal court records
Case.net is useful for public research, but the official court record is maintained by the clerk of the court where the case was filed.
Contact the clerk when you need:
- certified copies
- complete criminal court files
- older documents
- documents unavailable through Case.net
- official disposition records
Missouri criminal-record expungement under § 610.140
Missouri Revised Statutes § 610.140 permits qualifying people to petition a Missouri court to expunge certain arrest, plea, trial and conviction records.
Current general waiting periods
3 years
The current statute generally requires at least three years after completion of the authorized disposition.
1 year
The current statute generally requires at least one year after completion of the authorized disposition.
Other requirements include:
- satisfaction of fines and restitution
- no pending criminal charges
- no disqualifying new conviction during the applicable waiting period
- offense must not fall within statutory exclusions
- expungement must be consistent with public welfare and the interests of justice
Missouri Courts publishes an official Petition for Expungement form.
Missouri automatic expungement began under a new 2026 law
A major Missouri criminal-record change took effect on August 28, 2026.
New § 610.141 creates an automatic-expungement system for qualifying final convictions that meet the statute’s requirements.
Among other conditions, the statute generally requires:
- a qualifying final conviction
- completion of all court-imposed terms
- one year after final disposition for qualifying misdemeanors
- three years after final disposition for qualifying felonies
- no disqualifying new convictions during the applicable period
- no outstanding arrest or pending qualifying criminal charge when screened
Official statute: Missouri Revised Statutes § 610.141.
Wrong Missouri criminal record or mistaken identity
Missouri law provides procedures for correcting records caused by stolen or mistaken identity, and MSHP also supports record-review and challenge processes.
If the record may belong to someone else:
- obtain the relevant court case number
- compare date of birth and other identifiers
- obtain fingerprints when identity needs to be proven
- contact the source agency when its record contains the error
- contact MSHP CJIS when the central criminal-history record needs review
Missouri juvenile records have different access rules
Juvenile law-enforcement and court records are subject to stronger confidentiality protections than ordinary adult criminal cases.
Missouri Attorney General Sunshine Law guidance notes that juvenile peace-officer records are generally not open to inspection except as authorized by law or court order.
Missouri State Highway Patrol CJIS contact and map
MSHP Criminal Justice Information Services
Annex Building1510 East Elm Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101
CJIS:
573-526-6153
MACHS questions:
573-526-6312
Email:
machs@mshp.dps.mo.gov
Missouri State Highway Patrol CJIS Division
P.O. Box 9500Jefferson City, MO 65102-9500
MSHP also accepts qualifying public-record requests through its Custodian of Records process.
Federal criminal records in Missouri are separate
Missouri Case.net and MACHS do not replace the federal court system. Federal criminal prosecutions are generally searched through PACER.
For your own nationwide fingerprint-based FBI Identity History Summary, use the FBI’s official Identity History Summary process.
FBI Identity History SummaryPublic-record lookup vs. employment or licensing background check
Case.net is a public court-record research system. MACHS provides official Missouri criminal-history checks. Some employment, licensing, volunteer or regulated screening processes require fingerprint-based state and federal checks rather than a public Case.net lookup.
Missouri criminal-record search tips that save time
Start with Case.net for a known court case
It is free and often answers the case-status question without requiring a paid MACHS search.
Use the case number
It is more reliable than a common litigant name and makes court-copy requests easier.
Use MACHS for statewide history
Case.net searches court cases; MACHS searches Missouri’s central criminal-history repository.
Know open vs closed records
A public MACHS name search does not provide every closed criminal-history entry.
Recent arrest? Check the sheriff
Local booking information may appear before a criminal case is fully developed in Case.net.
Check for expungement
Missouri now has both petition-based and automatic-expungement mechanisms.
Use fingerprints to settle identity questions
MSHP says fingerprint matching is the reliable way to positively identify a criminal-history record.
Use DOC for prison/supervision
DOC information can include incarceration, probation, parole and prior-conviction information.
Always read the disposition
A charge, arrest or booking is not proof of a conviction.
Missouri criminal records: frequently asked questions
1. Is Missouri Case.net free?
Yes. Missouri Case.net provides free public access to qualifying court-case information from Missouri courts.
2. Can I search Missouri criminal cases by name?
Yes. Case.net includes a litigant-name search as well as case-number, filing-date and scheduled-hearing searches.
3. How much does a Missouri MACHS criminal-history search cost?
The current name-based MACHS search fee is $15 per person plus applicable payment-processing fees.
4. What is the difference between Case.net and MACHS?
Case.net searches Missouri court-case information. MACHS searches Missouri criminal-history information maintained by the Missouri State Highway Patrol central repository.
5. Does a public MACHS search show closed records?
Not generally. Public name searches return Missouri open criminal-history information. Closed records are released only when state law authorizes the requester to receive them.
6. Where can I search Missouri inmates?
Use the Missouri Department of Corrections Offender Search for people under state corrections jurisdiction. County jail records are generally maintained by local sheriffs or detention agencies.
7. Are Missouri arrest reports public?
Missouri’s Sunshine Law provides public-access rules for arrest and incident reports, subject to statutory confidentiality and investigative exceptions.
8. Can a Missouri criminal conviction be expunged?
Certain qualifying Missouri offenses can be expunged under § 610.140. Current general waiting periods are three years for an eligible felony and one year for an eligible misdemeanor, municipal violation or infraction after completion of the authorized disposition.
9. Does Missouri now have automatic expungement?
Yes. Missouri Revised Statutes § 610.141 took effect August 28, 2026 and creates an automatic-expungement framework for qualifying offenses that meet statutory conditions.
10. Does a Missouri criminal-record search include federal cases?
No. Federal prosecutions are separate from Missouri state courts. Use PACER for federal court cases and the FBI Identity History Summary process for your own nationwide fingerprint-based FBI record.
Official Missouri sources used for this guide
- Missouri Courts
- Missouri Case.net
- Missouri Courts — Pending Appellate Cases & Decisions
- Missouri Courts — Petition for Expungement
- Missouri State Highway Patrol — Criminal Record Checks
- Missouri Automated Criminal History Site
- MSHP — Public Records Requests
- Missouri Attorney General — Sunshine Law
- Missouri Department of Corrections
- Missouri DOC — Sunshine Law / Offender Data
- Missouri Sex Offender Registry
- Missouri Revised Statutes § 610.140
- Missouri Revised Statutes § 610.141 — Automatic Expungement
- Missouri Revised Statutes § 610.143
- PACER — Federal Court Records