BACKGROUND CHECK: There are two ways to obtain the information necessary to
complete the "Get Started" page.
1. Final Disposition of your Case
In order to know whether or not you are eligible to have your record
sealed
or expunged it is critical to know how your case was resolved. The surest
way is to get a copy of your case's final disposition. This is the
court's order stating what happened in your case. You can get a copy of
this by going to or mailing the Clerk of Court in the courthouse where your case
was heard and asking for a copy of your case's final disposition.
This document will answer (1) date of sentencing, (2)
whether adjudicated guilty or withheld, (3) final charge to be sealed or
expunged, and (4) county of arrest.
If you are seeking to seal or expunge your record then have the Clerk of
Court certify the copy - a certified copy of your case's final
disposition will be needed in order to accomplish your goal. This will
cost about $3 paid to the Clerk of Court.
2. (Florida) FDLE online background check
Another way of possibly determining your case's final disposition is to have
FDLE send you a copy of your criminal history, otherwise known as a background
check. These are not always complete and accurate. You can do this by going to the following website:
http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/CriminalHistory/
This document will answer (1) date of arrest, (2) agency
that arrested you, (3) for what you were arrested, and (4) the county of arrest.
It may also answer (5) date of disposition, (6) final charge, and (7) whether
adjudication of guilt was withheld or not.
Once you receive this information you can either fax it to our Office or
email it to us. This costs $23 paid to FDLE. (If you have arrests in
different states then proceed with a national background check. It is more
expensive but necessary in order to determine if you are eligible if you are not
sure about the specifics of those cases.)
Optional: (National) FBI background check
If you want to review your federal record you must submit the FBI's written
request, completed fingerprint card, and certified check or money order made
payable to the Treasury of the United States in the amount of $18.00
directly to the FBI at the following address:
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Criminal Justice Information Services Division
Attn: SCU MOD D2
1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, West Virginia 26306
Please go to the FBI website for updated information. FBI website: http://www.fbi.gov
Checking on
your Expungement or Sealing
results
after a judge has ordered your arrest history
expunged or sealed.
Once the process is completed many people
want to ensure that their arrest is no longer showing up on FDLE's public
background check. It usually takes FDLE 4-5 weeks to process the Order
after they have received it. Remember that to "complete" the process the
court costs must be paid before an Order will be processed by the Clerk of Court
and sent to FDLE. This office handles many petitions to seal and expunge.
Once we have received the documents indicating that the Clerk of Court has
processed the Court Order we cannot assist in making sure every affected agency
has done what they have been ordered to do. Therefore, we are providing
the following contact information to assist you in finding out these issues:
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement:
Email:
seal-expunge@fdle.state.fl.us
Website:
http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/contacts/
Telephone: 1+(850) 410-7870
Law Enforcement Agencies Addresses:
www.usacops.com
Do a search on Yahoo or Google using the agencies'
names.
www.google.com
www.yahoo.com
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