Criminal searches

National search is a routine step in Checkr’s background checks. National search checks thousands of national databases and millions of records to find records that might require additional attention. National searches find information that is often incomplete, lacks identifying information, or doesn’t show the final disposition of cases. Checkr uses national search to find records that might have more detailed information and to determine where to search for criminal records.

The national criminal database contains records from various county and state agencies, covering almost one third of the United States. Data aggregators scour these county and state agencies’ records, continuously updating the database. National search is a pointer search, so it identifies only potential criminal records. Almost every criminal background check uses national search.

National search is included in Checkr’s Basic+ report package. National search is unavailable as a standalone search.

A national search is not the same as a federal search.

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.

The United States (US) federal courts have jurisdiction over the United States government, the Constitution, and federal laws. Federal courts try crimes under federal criminal law.

Federal records

Accessing federal records requires a federal record search. Federal criminal information is online, so in-court research is usually unnecessary. Most federal records redact all or most personally identifiable information (PII).

Some federal offenses include the crimes below:

• Bank robberies
• Child pornography (possession, production, trafficking)
• Crimes against federal employees
• Crimes committed on federal land
• Crimes that cross state lines
• Drug cases involving large distribution networks
• Other crimes outside state jurisdictions

County and statewide searches don’t return federal records.

Federal searches

Checkr first searches the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) database, the central repository for publicly accessible federal cases. PACER allows name-based searches but doesn’t allow searches using other identifiers, such as Social Security number or birth date. Checkr limits PACER searches to the states relevant to your candidate’s address history.

To ensure a comprehensive range of returned records, Checkr doesn't require a candidate’s exact name for the initial PACER search. What happens next depends on what PACER finds:

• At least 1 potential match: Checkr researchers conduct secondary federal searches for additional identifiers and review them.
  If a case doesn't meet Checkr’s PII matching criteria for inclusion in the report, Checkr’s Quality Assurance (QA) team reviews it further. If QA determines that identifiers are insufficient, they conduct additional public searches.
• No match: Checkr does a complete federal search, with no secondary searches.

Ordering

You can add federal search to a background check search package from the Checkr Dashboard.

Turnaround

Searches that find a record can take two to four days to complete. Searches that find no records finish almost immediately.

Candidate experience

The candidate provides the 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 consents in writing, 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.

A state search finds criminal records in a specific state. Adding a state search to a background search package can help find potential records outside of a candidate's current address.

State records

State records can vary in quality because many counties don't submit their data for complete statewide searches. 

State searches

Checkr recommends a county search as the primary search. You can then supplement with a state search when the state search includes most or all counties.

If a state search identifies an incomplete record, Checkr automatically adds a county search.

State searches can find the information below if publicly available:

• Case number
• Charge type (such as felony or misdemeanor)
• Charge
• Defendant’s name
• Disposition (such as guilty or dismissed)
• Disposition date
• Sentencing information

Unavailable states

Checkr doesn't order state searches for the states below, which don't have publicly available records:

• California
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• Ohio
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

US territories

If you add US territory search, state search includes the US territories below:

• American Samoa (AS)
• Guam (GU)
• Northern Mariana Islands (MP)
• Puerto Rico (PR)
• US Virgin Islands (VI) 

To add the US territory search, contact Checkr. Additional fees apply.

Ordering

You can order the county search and state search together.

Turnaround

If records are unavailable for a state search, contact Checkr to enable your account to skip the search. You decide whether to reorder a full or partial search when records are available.

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 consents in writing, Checkr starts the search.

If the state search requires a US territory search, the candidate provides the additional information below:

• Government ID
• Current address
• Address in territory
• Place of birth
• Mother’s maiden name

If you applied for a job and want to know your background check’s status, log in to the Checkr Candidate Portal.

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.

As part of a state search, you can add a United States (US) territory search to find potential records in the US territories below:

• American Samoa (AS)
• Guam (GU)
• Northern Mariana Islands (MP)
• Puerto Rico (PR)
• US Virgin Islands (VI)

Ordering

The US territory search is unavailable as a standalone search. To add the US territory search, contact Checkr. Additional fees apply.

Turnaround

Turnaround time varies depending on the US territory searched:

• Guam: 7-8 business days
• Puerto Rico: 4-5 business days
• US Virgin Islands: Less than 1 business day

The turnaround time starts after the candidate provides all information.

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
• Authorization for a background check
• Other state and required disclosures as applicable

After the candidate consents in writing, Checkr starts a pointer search. The candidate's postal code determines whether the US territories search happens.The candidate provides the additional information below:

• Government ID
• Current address
• Address in territory
• Place of birth
• Mother’s maiden name

If you applied for a job and want to know your background check’s status, log in to the Checkr Candidate Portal.

Review the differences between county searches, state searches, federal searches, and national searches.

County search

State search

Federal search

National search