Criminal Records Search
County court, statewide and federal USDC criminal records — plus sex offender registry, government watchlist and exclusion screening. Every search is delivered under an FCRA-compliant process by US-based analysts, so results stand up when you have to defend a hiring or tenancy decision.
Is there one criminal records search that covers all criminal cases?
No.
Criminal records are held at four different jurisdictional levels, and no single source reaches all of them.
Please Read: A nationwide or multi-state criminal database is a locator, not a complete record set — it will not cover every single county in the USA. Building a defensible criminal search means combining the levels that match where your applicant has lived, worked and travelled.
Open an account today. Get immediate access.
Pay as you go, only for what you need. Services provided only for legitimate, credentialed business use. NO setup, minimum or monthly recurring fees for credit card customers.
County courts
The system of record for most felony and misdemeanor cases. Searched directly at the courthouse, one county at a time, to confirm the current disposition.
State agencies
Statewide repositories held by the Office of the Courts, State Police, Department of Public Safety or State Law Enforcement Division. Availability varies by state.
Federal U.S. District Courts
Federal offenses are prosecuted in the 94 U.S. District Courts (USDC) and never appear in county criminal court records.
Federal agencies & registries
Sanction, exclusion and watchlist sources — OIG LEIE, SAM, OFAC/SDN, USDA and the NSOPW sex offender registries. Supplemental, not a substitute for court records.
FCRA Tip
It is strongly recommended to include an FCRA-compliant criminal records search to verify and get the current status of a criminal case. In addition, you should search for formerly known names and aliases — records are filed under the name used at the time of the case.
Where criminal records actually live
USA criminal records sit in four different jurisdictional levels, each held by a different custodian. No single search searches all four — And a nationwide database is a locator, not a complete record set.
| Jurisdictional Level – Where the record is held | Status | Typical Turnaround | National Criminal Database Coverage – Non-FCRA Record Locator |
| County Criminal Courts – The court of record. Direct courthouse research, one county at a time confirms current disposition as of today | FCRA | 1-3 Business days Per County. Same day for some counties with online portals | Partial Coverage: Not every County reports, and hits may not be up-to-date or missing disposition |
| Statewide Repositories – Office of the Courts, State Police, DPS. Not all States make them available | FCRA | Same day in most cases. Some States that initially find hit(s) may take 1-5 business days for their own staff to review before release | Partial Coverage: Varies by State, many statewide repositories are not included |
| Federal USDC Districts White collar, fraud and interstate offenses that county courts don’t show. There are 94 US District Courts in the USA | FCRA | Same-day. Initial hit(s) may take 1-2 business days for team members to review as most USDC records contain no personal identifiers | No Coverage: Federal records don’t appear in a multi-state database or County records |
| OIG, LEIE, SAM, OFAC/SDN, USDA, NSOPW Sex Offender registries may or may not appear in an updated fashion at nationwide database. Supplemental, not a substitute for court records. | SUPP | Same day | Partial Coverage: Registries, exclusion lists may appear without personal identifiers |
No single search covers all four levels. Treat a nationwide database search as a record locator. Verify it at the county court level before you make any final decision.