How to Look Up Someone's Criminal Record for Free
Updated: September 2026 · 175+ platforms searched
A Sydney photographer lost $30,350 to a man from Bumble whose assault and fraud convictions were public the whole time. This film is about why the verification in these cases only runs one way, and the two-minute name search that changes the order of events.
Quick Answer: How to Look Up Someone's Criminal Record for Free
Criminal cases are public court records, so you can look most of them up free: search the online case index for the county where the person lives or has lived, then the state court portal, PACER for federal cases, the national sex offender registry at NSOPW.gov, and inmate locators. The catch is that there is no single free national database; you search place by place.
This guide is for personal safety: checking a date, a neighbor, a contractor you will let into your home, or someone you met online. It is not for deciding whether to hire, rent to, lend to or insure someone. Those decisions are governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and require an FCRA-compliant screening company with the person's consent. None of the tools below, free or paid, may be used that way.
Step-by-Step: Free Places to Search
- Confirm who the person is. You need a full name, approximate age, and the counties where they have lived. Run their name, email or username through the free Lullar search above to find their public profiles and hometown clues.
- Search the county court or clerk of court. Most felony and misdemeanor cases are filed in county-level trial courts. Search "[county name] clerk of court case search"; many counties offer a free online index, and the rest will search in person at the courthouse.
- Search the statewide court portal if there is one. Some states put every county online in one place for free, for example Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (wcca.wicourts.gov), Pennsylvania's UJS Portal (ujsportal.pacourts.us) and Maryland Judiciary Case Search (casesearch.courts.state.md.us).
- Check federal cases on PACER (pacer.uscourts.gov). Federal crimes such as fraud, drug trafficking and weapons charges are not in county records.
- Search the sex offender registry at NSOPW.gov, run by the US Department of Justice. One search covers the registries of all 50 states, DC, US territories and Indian Country, by name or by a radius around an address.
- Check inmate locators. Each state department of corrections has an online locator, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator (bop.gov/inmateloc) covers federal inmates from 1982 to the present. Our guide on finding an inmate in jail or prison covers county jails too.
- Use VINELink (vinelink.com) to see whether someone is in custody and sign up for free alerts when their custody status changes. Coverage and data depend on the participating agency.
Spokeo turns a name, phone or email into age, current and past addresses and court records where available, drawing on 12+ billion US records.
Search on Spokeo →Costs: What Is Free and What Isn't
Most searching is free, but a few official sources charge small fees:
| Source | Covers | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| County court index | Cases filed in that county | Usually free online or at the courthouse; copies may cost extra |
| State court portals | Statewide trial courts (varies by state) | Free in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Maryland |
| PACER | Federal courts | $0.10 per page, capped at $3 per document (search results are not capped); fees waived if you run up $30 or less in a quarter; free on courthouse public terminals |
| NSOPW.gov | All state, territorial and tribal sex offender registries | Free |
| BOP inmate locator | Federal inmates since 1982 | Free |
| VINELink | Custody status at participating agencies | Free |
| State repository name checks | Convictions reported to the state | Paid: Florida FDLE $24 per name search; Texas DPS $3 per search credit |
On PACER, even a search with no matches bills one page ($0.10), but a casual user rarely gets near the $30 quarterly threshold.
Don't just read — try a search now
What Free Searches Miss
A clean result from free sources does not prove someone has no record. Watch for these gaps:
- Other counties and states. You only see the jurisdictions you search. Someone who moved may have a record two states away.
- Sealed, expunged and juvenile records. These are removed from public view by law and will not appear anywhere public, free or paid.
- Summaries, not full files. Portals show docket summaries that can lag behind the court. The official file is at the clerk's office.
- Name matches are not the same person. Common names return strangers. Confirm with date of birth, middle name or initial, and address history before you conclude anything. Texas DPS itself notes that only fingerprints positively confirm a match.
- Arrests are not convictions. Check the case outcome; charges are often dismissed or reduced.
When a Paid People-Search Report Helps
Paid people-search services aggregate court and arrest records from many counties into one report, which saves you from guessing where to search. Two we point readers to:
- Spokeo (founded 2006, Pasadena, California; 12+ billion records) is our pick when you first need to confirm who the person is. Search by name, phone, email or address to get their age, current and past addresses and relatives, plus court records where available. Those addresses tell you exactly which counties to check for free. Reviewers reported about $20–30 a month in September 2026; confirm at checkout.
- TruthFinder has the most criminal and traffic record detail of the major services, at about $28 a month (about $22 a month on a three-month plan).
Treat any report as a lead and verify important records at the court itself. See the best background check sites for 2026 for a full comparison.
Which Search to Use When
- Meeting a date or someone from online: confirm their identity with Lullar first, then NSOPW.gov and the county court where they live. Our background check before meeting guide has a full checklist.
- A contractor or handyman: county court search plus your state's contractor license lookup.
- A new neighbor: NSOPW.gov radius search around your address.
- You only have a phone number or email, or don't know where they have lived: Spokeo, then check those counties free.
- You want record detail across many counties: TruthFinder.
- Hiring, renting or lending: none of these; use an FCRA-compliant screening company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free national criminal record database?
No. The FBI's national criminal history database is not open to the public. For free searches you check county court indexes, state court portals, PACER for federal cases, NSOPW.gov for sex offenders, and inmate locators one by one.
How much does PACER cost?
PACER charges $0.10 per page, capped at $3 per document, though name-search results are not capped. If your charges total $30 or less in a calendar quarter, the fees are waived, and court opinions are always free.
Can I use a free criminal record search to screen a tenant or employee?
No. Employment, tenant, credit and insurance decisions fall under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and require an FCRA-compliant screening company, the person's consent and specific notices. People-search sites and do-it-yourself court searches are for personal use only.
Why doesn't someone's record show up in my search?
Common reasons: you searched the wrong county or state, the case is federal, the record was sealed or expunged, it was a juvenile case, or the name was entered differently. Confirm where the person has lived, then search those jurisdictions.
How do I know a criminal record belongs to the right person?
Match more than the name. Compare the date of birth, middle name or initial, and addresses in the court record against what you know about the person. Only a fingerprint check proves identity, so treat name-only matches as unconfirmed.
New techniques, new features, and in-depth guides — straight to your inbox. Free, unsubscribe any time.
Related Guides
- How to Find Someone's Marriage or Divorce Record Online (2026)
- Find Someone on Dating Sites by Email Free (2026 Guide)
- Best Free Username & People Search Tools (2026)
- How to Find Someone's Current Address (Personal-Use Guide 2026)
- How to Find Someone's Address to Serve Court Papers
- How to Find Someone's Age or Birth Year Online (Personal-Use 2026)
- How to Find Someone's Birthday (2026 Guide)
- How to Find Someone's Email Address (2026 Methods That Work)
Essential Guides
- Reverse Email Lookup (Free)
- Best People Search Tools 2026
- Find Dating Profiles
- Find Hidden Social Media Accounts
- Free Username Search
Instagram
Search People on Related Platforms
📎 Found this guide helpful? Link to it!
Copy this snippet to share on your website or blog: