Criminal Records Search: County, State & Federal

No. Criminal records exist at multiple jurisdictional levels: county courts and state agencies, the U.S. District Courts at the federal level, and certain federal agencies. A nationwide or multi-state criminal database does not cover every county in the United States. For employment or rental screening, pair a database search with an FCRA-compliant criminal records search to verify the current case status, and include formerly known names and aliases.

There are nine common types. The Nationwide Criminal Database is a non-FCRA multi-state locator that must be paired with an FCRA search. The County Criminal Court Search is FCRA compliant and verifies the current disposition at the courthouse. The Real-Time Statewide Criminal Search is FCRA compliant and pulls felony and misdemeanor records from state sources as of the previous business day. The USDC Federal Criminal Search is FCRA compliant and covers the 94 U.S. District Courts. The NSOPW search covers nationwide sex offender registries. The USA Patriot Act, OFAC and SDN search screens hundreds of government watchlists on a name-match basis. Wants and Warrants, OIG Exclusion Screening, and Real-Time Arrest Records round out the set; arrest records must not be used for employment or tenant eligibility decisions.

Database results are not FCRA compliant and can be incomplete or outdated. To use criminal record information for an employment or rental decision, you must verify the record at the county courthouse to confirm the current disposition and case details under FCRA guidelines. Our system routes county searches to the correct court researcher immediately on order rather than in an end-of-day batch.

It returns felony and misdemeanor records as of the prior business day directly from state sources such as the Office of the Courts, State Police, Department of Public Safety or State Law Enforcement Division. Reports can show the original arrest charge, the final prosecutor charge, the disposition and sentencing information. Results may include non-conviction arrest records and require careful review. Not all states are available and pricing varies by state.

Federal offenses are prosecuted in the United States District Courts and do not appear in county criminal court records. A USDC Federal Criminal jurisdiction search queries cases in any of the 94 federal district courts and commonly surfaces white-collar crimes and offenses that cross state lines. It complements, rather than replaces, county and statewide searches. Pricing is based per jurisdiction.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, non-conviction information such as arrests may generally be reported for seven years, while convictions have no federal time limit. However, several states and cities impose stricter limits and some restrict consideration of criminal history entirely until after a conditional offer. Check the reporting rules for the state and city where the applicant will work before making a decision.

Yes. For employment, tenant, volunteer or healthcare screening you must provide a standalone written disclosure and obtain the applicant’s written authorization before ordering a consumer report. If you intend to take adverse action based on the report, you must also follow the FCRA pre-adverse and adverse action notice process.

Database, watchlist and exclusion searches are human reviewed prior to release, so turnaround is normally within hours. Statewide and federal searches typically complete within same-day to two business days. County court searches usually complete within the same day to three business days, though timing depends on the individual courthouse and whether onsite research or a clerk request is required.