New York State Background Check

New York State background checks depend on the record product

New York has separate criminal-history products with different custodians and purposes. The Office of Court Administration Criminal History Record Search (CHRS) is a public court-record search. The Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Personal Record Review is an official fingerprint-based review of an individual's own New York criminal history record.

Personal Record Review cannot be used to obtain another person's rap sheet. DCJS records are nonpublic and are not obtained through the Freedom of Information Law or supplied to businesses selling background checks. Employment or licensing fingerprint checks require legal authority and the requesting organization's instructions. A New York result is not a nationwide or FBI clearance.

Order and interpret a New York CHRS search

OCA CHRS uses an exact match of first name, last name and date of birth. Middle initial is not a matching field. OCA charges $95 per CHRS search, and aliases or additional dates of birth are separate paid searches. Verify the submitted details before purchasing.

CHRS requests are available through Direct Access or mail, with no current in-person service. Direct Access public accounts use cards and allow up to five searches per request; corporate accounts can use ACH. Convenience charges are separate when applicable.

Mail requests require the current application, requester name, address, phone number, email for emailed results or a self-addressed stamped envelope for postal return, and payment by check or money order payable to N.Y.S. Office of Court Administration. Do not send cash. Send mail to CHRS Unit, Division of Technology and Court Research, 25 Beaver Street, Room 940, New York, NY 10004.

CHRS covers public criminal court records from County, Supreme, City, Town and Village courts, including pending felony/misdemeanor matters and convictions across New York courts. It is not all arrests. Historical coverage has limitations, including no Town/Village dispositions from May 1991 through 2002, limited Town/Village disposition coverage from 2002 through 2007, and county-specific historical start dates. CHRS excludes sealed, Family, Civil and Federal court information. CHRS is not a certified disposition.

CHRS may omit certain results under published restrictions, including noncriminal-only results, a sole misdemeanor conviction older than 10 years, and cases with no disposition inactive for five years unless an open warrant exists. Online No Results Found responses can appear immediately. Record-containing requests are reviewed and emailed after processing with next-business-day handling after receipt, not a guaranteed total arrival time. Use Direct Access RECEIPTS/status before repeating a paid request; contact [email protected] or 212-428-2943 for missing activity or technical issues. A no-result is not proof that no record exists. Recheck identity and coverage. For missing outcomes or certification, identify the originating case and request the originating court's Certificate of Disposition, recognizing that local copy or record fees may apply.

Request a DCJS Personal Record Review

DCJS Personal Record Review is a fingerprint-based request for an individual's own New York criminal-history record. It is not a public request and is not a product for obtaining another person's rap sheet.

Choose suppressed or unsuppressed review. Suppressed review omits sealed or suppressed information; unsuppressed review includes it. Each requires a separate request. IdentoGO appointments use service codes 15464Z suppressed and 15465F unsuppressed. Bring accepted identification. Contact IdentoGO at 877-472-6915 for the booking route. The New York fee is $17.50. Out-of-state center service is $57.45 effective February 2, 2026. Cards, checks, and money orders are accepted; checks and money orders are payable to Idemia.

If there is no nearby outside-state center, use the FD-258/local law-enforcement fingerprint route, enroll and pay $17.50 for Cardscan, print and sign the barcode confirmation, and mail the fingerprint card and signed barcode confirmation to Prints, Inc., IdentoGO NY Card Scan Operations, 100 Salem Ct., Tallahassee, FL 32301. DCJS mails a rap-sheet result or no-record result 3–4 weeks after receipt; no in-person pickup is available. The response includes challenge instructions. Review the response type before treating an entry as an error.

Use supporting records for corrections. Arrest errors require the arresting agency to send written changes to DCJS. Missing or wrong dispositions require the originating court's certified disposition sent to DCJS; an uncertified photocopy is not a substitute. For sealing mismatches, verify that the court file shows sealing, obtain certified sealing evidence, and submit the evidence through the DCJS correction process. Distinguish a CHRS court/transmission inquiry from a DCJS fingerprint-record challenge. Record Review contact: [email protected] or 518-457-9847 / 518-485-7675.

Confirm the required result before ordering

Confirm whether the recipient requires a public court search, fingerprint-based record review, certification, or another court document. Keep submission confirmations and compare the result with the recipient's required output.