County searches are one of the best ways to find criminal records. County courts can include the record types below:
- Every adjudicated trial
- Felony
- Infraction
- Misdemeanor
- Other violations
County records
County courthouses across the 3,200 counties in every state in the United States (US), contain county records. Because counties don’t report their records to the federal database, federal searches don’t find county records. A national search, which is a pointer to county or state records, often finds evidence of a county record.
County searches
County searches can find the information below if publicly available:
- Case number
- Charge
- Charge type (such as felony or misdemeanor)
- Defendant’s name
- Disposition (such as guilty or dismissed)
- Disposition date
- Sentencing information
Ordering
The Essential report package includes the county search. The county search is unavailable as a standalone search.
Turnaround
Because counties use various search methods, the turnaround time varies. Some counties return search results within the same day, but some can take longer.
If records are unavailable for a county search, contact Checkr to enable your account skip the search. You decide whether to reorder a full or partial search when records are available.
Many counties provide a public access terminal (PAT) for real-time records searches at the court. Some counties require that their court clerks do searches on Checkr’s behalf. These counties are usually slower to report results than others.
Candidate experience
The candidate provides the personally identifying information (PII) below:
- Birth date
- Email address
- Full name
- Phone number
- Social Security number (SSN)
The candidate then reads and acknowledges receipt of applicable forms and authorizations:
- A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
- Disclosure Regarding Background Investigation
- Other state and required disclosures as applicable
- Authorization for a background check
After the candidate signs the authorization form, Checkr starts the search.
If you applied for a job and want to know your background check’s status, log in to the Checkr Candidate Portal.