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$18 FBI Rap Sheet: Use Fingerprints to Find U.S. Criminal Records

Geometric fingerprint records title card

Start at the county court or state repository for the jurisdiction where the incident occurred. For a fingerprint-verified national record, request an FBI Identity History Summary for an $18.00 fee. Expect gaps: sealed records, juvenile files, and some older cases sometimes do not appear online, and name-only searches can return incorrect matches.

TL;DR:

  • County and state criminal records may be incomplete or missing older, sealed, juvenile, or unreported cases, requiring direct court contact for verification.
  • Fingerprint-based searches cost more but provide more reliable, verified results than name-only searches, especially for legal or employment purposes.
  • Public databases often exclude juvenile, sealed, or expunged records, and mugshots published vary by jurisdiction and case outcome.
  • The FBI Identity History Summary is the standard fingerprint-backed record for personal background checks and takes approximately 45 days for processing and disputes.
  • Cross-checking identifiers like date of birth, aliases, and addresses is essential to confirm record accuracy and avoid false matches.
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Table of Contents

Where criminal records are stored: county, state, and federal systems

No single database holds every criminal record in the country. Each level of government keeps its own files, and they rarely talk to each other.

Separate county state federal record repositories

County courts hold the original case dockets: charges, hearing dates, and final outcomes. For many misdemeanors and local arrests, the county clerk’s office is the only place that record will ever live. State repositories, often run by a state police or public safety agency, aggregate conviction and arrest data submitted by local agencies, but what gets reported and how searchable it is varies widely by state. Federal cases run through PACER and the FBI’s national systems, and not everything in those systems is open to the public.

A few common gaps trip people up:

  • Many counties never digitized older case files, so pre-2000s records may only exist on paper at the courthouse.
  • Some counties opt out of reporting to the state repository, leaving a hole in statewide searches.
  • Federal databases like NCIC are restricted to law enforcement, not the general public.

Because coverage is this uneven, a search that starts and stops at one state portal usually misses something. Our guide to looking up court records walks through why these systems stay disconnected and how to work around it.

How to search: a step-by-step method that avoids false matches

Running a reliable search means working from the most local source outward, and confirming identity at each step rather than trusting a name match alone.

  1. Identify the likely county. Start with the county where the incident happened and search the court clerk’s online docket or case search tool by party name or case number.
  2. Check the state repository or state police portal. Note whether the state allows a simple name-based lookup or requires fingerprints for an official report. Missouri, for example, offers both: a cheaper name-based search and a pricier fingerprint-based search that counts as a positive match.
  3. Search federal cases through PACER’s Case Locator if the matter involves a federal charge. Registration is required, and PACER charges per page viewed.
  4. Escalate to a fingerprint-based check when precision matters. A name-based search on a common name can pull up the wrong person entirely; fingerprints eliminate that risk and are required for most employment, licensing, or immigration purposes.

Costs track this same ladder. Missouri’s name-based search runs $16 while its fingerprint-based search runs $20 plus vendor fees, and that pattern holds in many states: fingerprint checks cost more but return a more complete, verified result. Processing times also differ: online name searches often return instantly, while fingerprint-based reports can take days to weeks depending on the agency.

Pro Tip: If you only have a name and rough location, narrow the likely jurisdiction with an address history or an identifier search before paying for a fingerprint-based report.

What public searches won’t show you: juvenile, sealed, and expunged records

Public portals are built to show finished, unrestricted cases, which means a meaningful slice of records stays invisible by design.

  • Juvenile records and most sealed or expunged cases are excluded from public court indexes; confirming whether a specific record qualifies usually means contacting the court clerk directly.
  • Mugshot publication rules vary by state and locality, and some jurisdictions restrict how booking photos can be republished once an arrest doesn’t lead to conviction, as seen in Texas’s privacy exceptions for mugshots.
  • A case marked “dismissed” or “nolle prosequi” often still appears in the index but with no conviction attached, which matters if you’re trying to judge what a record actually shows.
  • When a search result is ambiguous or incomplete, the state identification bureau or the court clerk is the only source that can give a certified answer.

How to request your FBI Identity History Summary (rap sheet)

For a national, fingerprint-backed record of your own history, the FBI’s Identity History Summary is the standard document. The process is specific and worth getting right the first time.

  • The fee is $18.00 per request, payable by credit card, certified check, or money order; personal checks and cash are not accepted.
  • You’ll need fingerprints, either submitted on an FD-258 card or collected via livescan, since the FBI requires positive identification and won’t process a descriptor-only search.
  • FBI-approved channelers can submit your request electronically, which typically moves faster than a mailed paper submission.
  • If no record exists, the FBI mails back a “no record” letter rather than an error message.

If you’re disputing what’s on your summary, expect a response time of about 45 days from the date the FBI receives your challenge. That timeline matters if you’re working against an employment or licensing deadline, so file corrections as early as possible.

How to verify a match and fix an error

Finding a record with the right name is only the first step. Confirming it’s actually about the person you’re researching takes a few more.

  1. Cross-check date of birth, known aliases, and middle name before treating any name-based hit as confirmed, since common names produce frequent false positives.
  2. Request certified copies from the court clerk whenever a record will be used for legal, employment, or licensing purposes; online portal results are convenience tools, not official documents.
  3. File a correction with the clerk or state bureau if a certified document shows a different disposition than what’s publicly listed.
  4. Use your FCRA dispute rights with the consumer reporting agency if an inaccurate record shows up on a background check used for employment or housing; CFPB guidance requires these agencies to use reasonable procedures for accuracy and to exclude sealed or expunged records entirely.

Keep a simple document folder for any dispute: the certified court record showing the correct outcome, the inaccurate report, and a written description of the discrepancy. Our piece on checking your own background before an employer does cover this process in more detail.

Pro Tip: Send dispute documentation to both the state repository and any reporting agency that published the error. Fixing one source without the other leaves the mistake alive somewhere else.

Our take on searching criminal records responsibly

We think the biggest mistake people make is trusting a single name-based hit as proof. Common names produce false matches constantly, and sealed or expunged records sometimes vanish from one database while lingering in another. When a finding carries legal or financial weight, a certified court document or an FBI summary beats any online search. And once you’ve confirmed something real, treat it carefully: a record someone was never convicted on can follow them unfairly if it’s shared without context.

— Max

How PeoplePages helps you search and verify records faster

Our platform is designed to streamline the county-by-county guesswork described above by aggregating public records across jurisdictions and cross-checking identifiers like name, age, and location to reduce false matches before results appear.

Personpages

  • The Crime & Court Records unlock gives a consolidated view of available criminal and court history.
  • The Full profile report adds employment history, addresses, and other identifiers that help confirm you’ve found the right person.
  • Our email and phone lookups can narrow a jurisdiction when all you have is a contact detail and a name.

If you’re an individual checking on a new contact, a landlord screening a tenant, or an employer doing initial diligence, start a search on our main platform to see what’s available before deciding whether you need a certified, fingerprint-backed record on top of it.

This article is general information, not a substitute for advice from a qualified lawyer. Consult a qualified legal professional about your own circumstances before acting on anything here.

FAQ

Is there a free website to check someone’s criminal record?

Several free tools exist for basic county or state lookups, but coverage is inconsistent and free aggregator sites can include outdated or incomplete information. For anything with legal weight, confirm results against the county clerk or a certified FBI summary.

Are Nebraska criminal records public?

Nebraska, like most states, makes many court records and criminal history information available through public access systems, though sealed, juvenile, and certain restricted records stay excluded. Checking directly with the relevant county court or the state’s criminal history repository gives the most accurate picture for a specific case.

How do I view mugshots in Missouri?

Mugshot access and publication rules vary by state and by individual agency policy, and some jurisdictions limit republishing booking photos tied to arrests that didn’t result in conviction. Contacting the specific Missouri sheriff’s office or county jail that handled the booking is the most reliable way to confirm availability.

What’s the difference between a criminal history report and a court case record?

A criminal history report, like the FBI’s Identity History Summary, compiles fingerprint-backed arrest and conviction data into one national document. A court case record is the original docket from the specific court that handled the case, showing filings, hearings, and the final disposition in detail.

Do I need fingerprints to check my own record?

Fingerprints aren’t required for a basic name-based search through a county or state portal, but they are required for an FBI Identity History Summary, since the FBI won’t issue a summary based on a name alone. Name-based searches also carry a higher risk of false matches on common names.

Sources

For certified requests and formal disputes, go directly to the FBI’s Identity History Summary page, CFPB’s background-check guidance, and your state’s criminal justice information bureau or court portal.