Connecticut Arrest Records: Lookup, SPBI Reports, and Clean Slate

Connecticut arrest records are available two main ways: a free online court case lookup through the Judicial Branch, or a formal criminal history report from the State Police Bureau of Identification (SPBI) for $75.¹ Which one you need depends on whether you want a quick case check or a complete background report. Connecticut also has some of the broadest record-clearing laws in the country, so many older or non-conviction records no longer appear at all.

Free Online Case Lookup

Start with the Connecticut Judicial Branch’s online case lookup if you just need to check whether someone has a court case. It’s free, searchable by name or docket number, and offers three views: convictions from roughly the past ten years, pending cases currently moving through the courts, and the daily docket for a specific courthouse.²

The free lookup has real limits. It won’t show erased records, juvenile matters, youthful offender cases, infractions, or convictions older than about ten years. It also doesn’t include arrest-level details like the arresting agency or physical descriptors. For any of that, you need a formal criminal history report.

Requesting a Criminal History Report From the SPBI

The State Police Bureau of Identification maintains Connecticut’s central criminal history repository, pulling data from police departments statewide into one profile per person.³ You can request a report online or by mail. Both return the same Connecticut-only data.

Online

The Connecticut Criminal History Request System processes name-and-date-of-birth searches through a web portal. You enter the subject’s information, pay the fee electronically, and get results back faster than mail.⁴

By Mail

Download Form DPS-0846-C from the DESPP website, fill in the subject’s full legal name, any aliases, and date of birth, and send it with payment to the State Police Bureau of Identification at 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT 06457.⁵ If you include an email address, results come back electronically instead of by postal mail. Mail requests take several weeks depending on the bureau’s current volume. Certified mail gives you a tracking number.

Fees

Under Connecticut General Statutes 29-11, a criminal history record information search costs $75. A fingerprint-based search is also $75, and a basic name search runs $36. Pay by check or money order made out to the Treasurer, State of Connecticut.¹

Getting an Arrest or Incident Report From Local Police

Local police departments keep their own arrest reports and incident files, separate from the statewide SPBI database. Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act, under General Statutes 1-210, lets anyone inspect and copy public records during regular business hours, and adult arrest records fall under that right.⁶ Juvenile arrest records and certain investigative files are exempt.

Contact the department that handled the case. Fees, turnaround times, and procedures vary. Some departments handle requests at the front desk; others want a written FOIA request. If a department denies your request, you can appeal to the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission.

Fingerprint-Based Checks

Some jobs and licenses require a fingerprint check rather than a name-and-date search. A federal FBI check is only available when a specific state or federal statute authorizes it, so you can’t request one on your own for personal reasons.³

Fingerprinting at the SPBI office in Middletown is by appointment only. Pre-enroll online, then bring your confirmation page and a valid government photo ID to the appointment. The fingerprinting fee is $15, the state check is $75, and the federal check adds $13.25. Pay each fee separately by check, money order, or exact cash.

Records That Get Erased Automatically

Connecticut erases arrest records automatically when a case doesn’t end in conviction. Under Connecticut General Statutes 54-142a, erasure is mandatory in three situations:⁷

A not-guilty verdict, once the appeal period expires or any appeal is resolved.
Dismissal of the charges.
Nolle prosequi, with erasure thirteen months after the prosecutor enters the nolle.

Once erased, the law treats the arrest as if it never happened. Court staff, police, and prosecutors cannot disclose anything about the erased case. Under Connecticut General Statutes 54-142c, anyone holding erased records can only reveal them to the subject of the record.⁸ You can legally swear under oath that the arrest never occurred.

Clean Slate: Older Convictions Erased Automatically

Connecticut’s Clean Slate Act, effective January 1, 2023, goes further by erasing certain convictions after a waiting period. It applies to convictions entered on or after January 1, 2000, and the waiting period runs from your most recent conviction of any kind.

Most misdemeanors are erased seven years after the most recent conviction date.
Most Class D and E felonies, along with unclassified felonies carrying five years or less, are erased ten years after the most recent conviction date.

Family violence offenses and sex offenses that require registration are permanently excluded.⁷ Any new conviction during the waiting period restarts the clock. Once erasure happens, the record carries the same legal status as any other erased case.

Pardons When Clean Slate Doesn’t Apply

If your conviction falls outside Clean Slate, the Board of Pardons and Paroles offers two routes:⁹

An absolute pardon, which fully erases your criminal record if granted. You can apply three years after the disposition of your most recent misdemeanor conviction, or five years after your most recent felony. The board reviews your entire history, not a selected offense.
A Certificate of Employability, which doesn’t erase the record but makes it illegal for an employer to deny you a job solely because of a conviction, and opens eligibility for certain professional licenses.

You can’t apply for any pardon while on supervision, with pending charges, or with an open case in any jurisdiction. If a charge was nolled, wait until the thirteen-month nolle period clears before applying.⁹

What Employers Can and Can’t Ask

Connecticut law protects you when erased records are involved. Under Connecticut General Statutes 31-51i, employers cannot ask you to disclose erased criminal history on a job application, and they cannot fire or refuse to hire you solely because an erased record exists.¹⁰

Any application that does ask about criminal history must include a clear notice telling you three things: that you don’t have to disclose erased records, what counts as erased, and that you may swear under oath you were never arrested with respect to erased proceedings. An application that asks about criminal history without that notice is already out of compliance.

Separately, Connecticut employers cannot ask about criminal history at all on an initial employment application, unless the position involves a security bond or a specific state or federal law requires the question.¹⁰

Fixing Errors in Your Record

A charge may be attributed to the wrong person, a disposition may be missing, or an erasure may not have been processed. If your criminal history report contains inaccurate information, contact the State Police Bureau of Identification directly at the Middletown office. DESPP recognizes that records change through erasures, corrections, and pardons, but there is no single standardized dispute form.⁵ If the error traces back to court records rather than the police database, work with the clerk’s office at the court where the case was handled. Requesting your own record first is the best way to catch errors before an employer or licensing board sees them.

1
FindLaw. Connecticut Code 29-11 – State Police Bureau of Identification Fees
2
Connecticut Judicial Branch. Criminal / Motor Vehicle Case Look-up
3
Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. State Police Bureau of Identification
4
Connecticut Criminal History Request System. Connecticut Criminal History Request System
5
Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Criminal History Record Request Form
6
FindLaw. Connecticut Code 1-210 – Access to Public Records
7
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 54-142a – Erasure of Criminal Records
8
Connecticut General Assembly. Chapter 961a – Criminal Records
9
State of Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles. Eligibility
10
Justia Law. Connecticut Code 31-51i – Employer Inquiries Re Criminal Records