State of Oregon Criminal Records: Criminal Records Guide

Oregon court records and criminal-history records are different

A criminal prosecution can create records in several systems. Knowing which agency owns the record prevents wasted searches and helps you interpret the information correctly.

Start with Oregon’s free online court-record search

The Oregon Judicial Department provides OJD Records and Calendar Search, which offers free online access to basic case information and court calendars.

The free system covers public information from Oregon circuit courts, the Tax Court, the Court of Appeals and the Oregon Supreme Court, subject to confidentiality restrictions.

Use OJCIN OnLine for more extensive statewide court searching

OJCIN OnLine is the official Oregon Judicial Case Information Network.

OJCIN includes the Oregon eCourt Case Information Network (OECI) for circuit and Tax Court records and the Appellate Case Management System (ACMS) for appellate matters.

OJD describes OJCIN as a subscription service covering public case information from all 36 Oregon circuit courts, plus Tax and appellate courts. It includes criminal, misdemeanor and felony cases as well as other case types.

How to read an Oregon criminal court result correctly

Oregon courts maintain a case register or log showing events in the case. OJD explains that these entries can include filed documents, hearings, trials, notices, judgments and reminders.

Online case information is not the same as a copy of the court document

OJD’s case-search guidance specifically distinguishes the case register from copies of documents filed in the court file.

If you need an indictment, judgment, sentencing document, motion, order or certified record, contact the circuit court that maintains the case.

Every Oregon circuit courthouse offers another search path

OJD states that each local circuit court has a free public-access terminal where users can look up information for most public cases.

Court staff may also be able to provide case information by telephone or email, although they cannot provide legal advice.

How to request another person’s Oregon State Police criminal history

Oregon State Police CJIS is the state’s central repository for criminal offender information. Oregon criminal-history information is generally confidential except where disclosure is specifically authorized by statute.

OSP provides an Open Record Request process under ORS 181A.245 for obtaining qualifying information about another person’s Oregon criminal history through a name-based search.

What an Oregon Open Record can report

OSP’s current Open Records Portal says the search covers criminal-history records resulting from arrests that occurred within Oregon.

The public Open Record can report:

• qualifying Oregon conviction records
• arrests less than one year old where there has been no acquittal or dismissal
• information found through a name-based Oregon repository search
• only information legally authorized for this form of public disclosure

Oregon Open Record criminal-history search currently costs $33

OSP currently lists the fee for an Oregon Open Record criminal-history request at $33 per request.

The fee is charged for processing the search and is generally non-refundable. OSP states that the $33 fee still applies even if no criminal record is located.

Oregon has a 14-day notice rule when you request someone else’s record

Oregon’s Open Record process has an unusual feature worth knowing before you submit the request: OSP must notify the person whose record is being requested and identify the requester.

The OSP Open Records FAQ also says the statutory 14-day waiting period cannot be waived, even if the subject has authorized the request.

After the waiting period, mailed-response delivery time depends on normal U.S. Mail delivery.

Use fingerprints when requesting your own complete Oregon record

If you need to see what Oregon State Police has associated with your own identity, use the Copy of Your Own Oregon Record process rather than the public Open Record process.

OSP describes this as a fingerprint-based search of the Oregon Computerized Criminal History Repository.

Oregon State Police public fingerprinting is offered in Salem

OSP currently provides public fingerprinting services at its Salem headquarters.

OSP also provides notary services for Copy of Own Record requests.

For arrest reports, contact the agency that created the record

An OSP criminal-history search is not the same thing as obtaining the police incident report, arrest narrative, body-camera record or local booking document.

If a city police department or county sheriff created the record, use that agency’s public-records process. If Oregon State Police created the requested record, use the OSP Public Records Request process.

OSP public-record request fees

OSP says ordinary public-record requests are priced case by case. There is currently no charge for the first 30 minutes of staff time. After that, the agency’s standard schedule lists:

• $25 per hour for clerical staff
• $40 per hour for managerial-level staff
• $75 per hour for professional-level staff

Oregon DOC has a separate offender search

The Oregon Department of Corrections provides an Oregon Offender Search for public information about people in Oregon state custody.

Oregon DOC also points users to its Adult in Custody lookup, where people can be searched using identifying information such as a name or Oregon SID number.

Need an official or certified DOC record?

Oregon DOC says official or certified offender records must be requested through its Public Records Center.

Oregon sex-offender information uses a separate public system

Oregon State Police maintains the state Sex Offender Registration program and provides a public online search for qualifying registry information.

OSP cautions that not every person convicted of a sex offense is necessarily required to register in Oregon, and not every registrant is necessarily displayed in the same way on the public-facing system.

Oregon criminal appeals are searchable separately

Oregon appellate records are handled through the Court of Appeals and Oregon Supreme Court. OJD provides free appellate record searching and more extensive access through ACMS/OJCIN.

If a criminal conviction was appealed, search the appellate case using the trial-court case number, party name or appellate case information where supported.

Oregon calls criminal expungement a “set aside”

Oregon Revised Statutes ORS 137.225 and related laws allow certain qualifying arrests and criminal cases to be set aside.

OJD’s statewide Criminal Set-Aside packet explains that when a qualifying record is successfully set aside, the court seals the criminal or contempt record and it no longer appears in official public court records, subject to limited exceptions.

Basic issues OJD tells applicants to review

• whether the offense is legally eligible
• whether the sentence and restitution requirements are complete
• whether the required waiting period has passed
• whether another disqualifying conviction occurred
• whether there are open criminal charges
• whether the record falls within an excluded offense category

OSP set-aside criminal-record check fee

Oregon court guidance currently identifies an OSP fee of $33 per case for the criminal-record check associated with a set-aside request. Confirm the current statewide packet before submitting payment because fees can change.

Juvenile records do not follow ordinary adult access rules

Juvenile matters have stronger confidentiality protections and generally should not be approached through the same workflow as adult misdemeanor and felony cases.

OJD’s statewide adult criminal set-aside packet also directs people who were minors at the relevant time to use the separate juvenile expunction procedures and forms.

Federal criminal cases in Oregon are not Oregon circuit-court cases

Federal prosecutions are maintained by the United States District Court rather than OJD. Search federal case information through PACER.

If you know the federal case was filed in Oregon, search the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. If you do not know the federal court, PACER’s Case Locator can search the nationwide index.

What to do if an Oregon criminal record appears wrong

Start by identifying which agency owns the incorrect information.

Public criminal-record research is not automatically a compliant employment background check

Oregon allows certain criminal-history access, but different laws can apply when criminal information is used for employment, licensing, housing or another regulated decision.

The public OSP Open Record process should not automatically be treated as a substitute for every fingerprint-based, statutory or Fair Credit Reporting Act background-check procedure.

Oregon State Police CJIS contact information

Oregon State Police Salem Headquarters map

This is the OSP location currently identified for public fingerprinting services. Verify current procedures before visiting.

Oregon criminal-record search tips that save time

Official Oregon sources used for this guide

• Oregon Judicial Department — Find a Case or Court Record
• Oregon Judicial Department — Records and Calendar Search
• Oregon Judicial Department — OJCIN OnLine
• Oregon Judicial Department — OJCIN Sign Up and Document Access
• Oregon State Police — Criminal History Record Checks
• Oregon State Police — Open Records Portal
• Oregon State Police — Open Records FAQ
• Oregon State Police — Public Records Requests
• Oregon Department of Corrections — Offender Search
• Oregon Department of Corrections — Public Records Center
• Oregon State Police — Sex Offender Registration
• Oregon Judicial Department — Criminal or Arrest Record Set Aside
• PACER — Federal Court Records