Find Criminal History in Arizona
Arizona keeps criminal history data at state and local levels. Want to search criminal history in Arizona? You can check state files at the Department of Public Safety or look up court cases online for free. County courts hold case info for every charge filed in that area. City police keep arrest logs from their own calls. Most court data is public. You can find it with just a name or case number.
Arizona Criminal History Quick Facts
State Resources for Arizona Criminal Records
The Arizona Department of Public Safety runs the Central State Repository for all criminal history in Arizona. Under A.R.S. § 41-1750, DPS gets reports from all law enforcement groups in the state. Every arrest gets sent to this one office. Every charge, too. Every court result goes there as well. DPS keeps these records in a state file for each person. This creates a full view of criminal past in Arizona.
One key point to know is that Arizona DPS cannot run checks for most people who ask. The law says DPS can only do background checks for certain groups. State agencies can ask. Schools can ask. Health care groups that have the right to ask can get checks. But a private boss or a person on their own cannot just call DPS and ask for someone else's criminal past. Need a check for a job or a permit? You must use a third party service or ask the person to get their own file from DPS and give it to you.
County Court and Sheriff Records
Every county in Arizona has a Superior Court. These courts hear felony cases. They also hear some high level misdemeanors. The Clerk of Superior Court in each county keeps all the files for these cases. If a crime was charged as a felony, the case file is at the county Superior Court. These files are public unless a judge sealed them under the new Arizona sealing law. You can visit the Clerk office in person to look at files. Ask for copies. Request a search if you do not know the case number.
Copy fees are the same across most Arizona counties. You pay 50 cents per page for plain copies. Need a certified copy? That costs 30 to 35 bucks for each doc, plus the per page fee. Some counties also charge a search fee if you do not have the case number. They need to look it up by name. The search fee is often between 17 and 30 bucks. Always call ahead to ask what forms of payment they take. Ask if you need to fill out a form first.
Pima County also has its own portal. Go to ecrpublic.sc.pima.gov/ to search Pima cases. Both of these big counties in Arizona offer better local access than going through the state system alone.
Sheriff offices keep arrest and booking records in Arizona. These are not the same as court case files. An arrest record shows when a person was taken into custody. It shows what they were charged with at the time. It shows where they were held. Some arrests never lead to charges. Some lead to charges that later get dropped. The Sheriff records unit in each county can provide copies of arrest reports, booking logs, and jail records. Each county has its own process for requesting these files. Most charge a small fee.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office accepts public records requests at mcso.org/about-us/other-mcso-public-records. They also have a specific form for incident reports. Go to mcso.org/i-want-to/request-a-report for that. They take up to 30 business days to process requests. They only accept cash, money order, or business checks.
This online form from Maricopa Sheriff makes it easy to submit requests for Arizona criminal history documents held by the county.
In Pima County, you can request reports online. Go to pimasheriff.org/forms-reports/request-incident-report through the Sheriff website. Want jail booking info? Use pimasheriff.org/forms-reports/obtain-jail-report instead. They charge five bucks for up to 20 pages of records. Smaller counties have less robust online tools. Many still use phone or mail requests for arrest records. Always check with the Sheriff records unit in the county where the arrest took place.
Note: Each county in Arizona has its own process, so contact the local Sheriff office before submitting a request.
City Police and Municipal Court Access
Most cities in Arizona have their own police force. They have a municipal court, too. City police handle arrests for crimes that happen within city limits. Municipal courts hear traffic cases. They hear misdemeanor charges that are not serious enough for Superior Court. If a person was arrested by Phoenix Police, for example, you would ask Phoenix Police for the arrest report.
Municipal courts charge a research fee for most record requests. Under A.R.S. § 22-404, the minimum research fee is 17 bucks per request. This is in addition to copy fees. If you walk in and use a public terminal to look up a case yourself, there may be no fee. But if you ask the clerk to search for you or pull a file, expect to pay the research fee. Always ask about fees before you submit a request to any municipal court in Arizona.
Types of Criminal Records in Arizona
Arrest records show when and where a person was taken into custody. They list the charges at the time of arrest. Not all arrests lead to charges. Some do. Some do not. An arrest record does not prove guilt. It just shows that law enforcement detained someone. These records are made by the arresting agency. They are stored by that agency and the county jail if the person was booked.
Court records are separate from arrest records in Arizona. A court case file has all the legal docs filed in a criminal case. This includes the charging document. It has motions. Orders from the judge. Plea agreements. The final judgment. If a case went to trial, the file may have transcripts and evidence logs. Court files show what actually happened in the legal process. They show if a person was found guilty, not guilty, or if the case was dismissed. This is different from an arrest record, which only shows the initial charge.
Sealed records are a newer thing in Arizona. As of January 2023, people can petition to seal certain criminal records under A.R.S. § 13-911. Sealing hides a record from public view. The record still exists. But most people cannot see it. The person whose record was sealed can still access it. Certain agencies like police and courts can still see it for specific reasons. But employers, landlords, and the general public cannot see a sealed record when they do a search. There is a waiting period of 2 to 10 years after a sentence ends before you can ask to seal a record in Arizona. Not all crimes are eligible for sealing.
Expunged records are different from sealed records in Arizona. Only marijuana offenses from before late 2020 can be expunged. This falls under A.R.S. § 36-2862. Expungement means the record is destroyed. It is gone. Even the person whose record was expunged cannot get a copy of it. This is rare. It only applies to old pot cases that are now legal under state law.
Set aside convictions are very common in Arizona. Under A.R.S. § 13-905, a person who has finished their sentence can ask the court to set aside the conviction. The court order says the conviction is set aside. The person is released from all penalties. But the record stays public. It just has a note that says "set aside." This does not hide the record like sealing does. It just shows that the person completed their sentence and the court gave them this relief. Many people do this to help with jobs and housing in Arizona.
Who Can Access Arizona Criminal History
Most criminal records in Arizona are public. Courts follow the public records law. This law says that court files are open unless a judge has sealed them or a law says they are private. Juvenile records are private by default. See A.R.S. § 8-208 for more on that. Adult records are public unless sealed. Anyone can ask to see them. You do not need to be a party to the case. You do not need to say why you want them. Just ask and pay the fee if there is one.
Free options include the state court case lookup. This lets you search by name for no cost. You can also go to a courthouse and look at files on a public terminal for free in most counties. Maricopa and Pima have free online dockets. DPS offers a free Record Review process if you want your own file. These are all no cost ways to get basic criminal history info in Arizona.
Paid options in Arizona include document downloads from eAccess. These cost ten bucks per doc. Certified copies from a Clerk office run 30 to 35 bucks per doc plus 50 cents per page. Municipal court research fees are at least 17 bucks. Want a full background check from a private company? They charge their own fees. These can range from 20 to 100 bucks or more depending on what they search.
Processing times vary across Arizona. Online searches are instant. Document orders from eAccess are also instant once you pay. Mail requests to DPS take about 15 days. Sheriff records requests can take up to 30 business days in Maricopa County. Court record requests depend on how busy the clerk office is. Some can fill a request the same day. Others may take a week or two if they have to pull files from storage or if they have a backlog of requests.
Correcting Errors in Criminal Records
If you find a mistake in your DPS criminal history file, you can ask DPS to fix it. Call the Criminal History Records Section at (602) 223-2222. Request the Record Review Packet from psp.azdps.gov. Fill out the form. Get your prints done. Mail it in. DPS will send you a copy of your file in about 15 days.
If something is wrong in your Arizona criminal history, write a letter that explains the error. Attach any proof you have. DPS will look into it. They will update the file if they agree. There is no fee for this process.
For court record errors in Arizona, you need to go to the court where the case was filed. Ask the Clerk of Court how to request a correction. Is it just a clerical mistake like a wrong date or a typo in a name? The clerk may be able to fix it with a simple form. Is it a bigger issue like a charge that should not be on your record at all? You may need to file a motion with the court and have a hearing. Some people hire a lawyer to help with this. The court has the final say on what gets changed.
If the FBI has wrong info in your national file, contact the FBI CJIS Division. Write to them at 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, WV 26306. Or call (304) 625-5590. Follow their process to dispute any errors. Sometimes the error comes from a state report. When that happens, the FBI will send your dispute back to Arizona to fix it first. This can take some time. But it is the only way to correct FBI records.
Note: Correcting criminal history records can take time, so start the process as soon as you find an error.
Fingerprinting for Background Checks
Need to submit prints for a DPS background check or a clearance card in Arizona? You have a few choices. Fieldprint is the main vendor that DPS uses for electronic prints. Go to fieldprintarizona.com to book an appointment. Fieldprint has many locations around Arizona.
You can also get prints done at a local police station in Arizona. Many will do it for free. Some charge a small fee of about 10 to 20 bucks. Call ahead to ask if they do it and what hours they offer the service. Some only do prints on certain days. You need a valid photo ID. Self prints are not accepted by DPS. The prints must be done by a law enforcement officer or a certified print tech.
Other vendors include IdentoGO centers and Certifix Live Scan locations across Arizona. Some private companies offer full packages. These include the prints and the background check filing for one price. These can cost over 100 bucks. Make sure you know what you are paying for. Make sure the service is sending the prints to the right place for your purpose. Always ask if the vendor is approved by DPS before you pay.
Browse Arizona Criminal Records by County
Each county in Arizona has a Superior Court and a Sheriff office that keep criminal records. Pick a county below to find local contact info and online tools for that area.
Criminal Records in Major Arizona Cities
Large cities in Arizona have their own police departments and municipal courts. Pick a city below to learn about local criminal records in that area.