The Connecticut criminal case lookup is a free online portal run by the state Judicial Branch that lets you search Superior Court criminal and motor vehicle cases by defendant name, date of birth, or docket number. It shows convictions from the past ten years, pending cases, and scheduled hearings, but it is not an official criminal history. For an official record, you have to go through the Connecticut State Police.
Searching the Judicial Branch Case Lookup
The portal lives at jud.ct.gov under “Criminal / Motor Vehicle Case Look-up.” You can search several ways: conviction searches by defendant or docket number, arrest warrants, daily court dockets by location or defendant name, sentence review dockets, and motions to seal or close records.1CT Judicial Branch. Criminal / Motor Vehicle Case Look-up
Convictions stay visible for up to ten years after sentencing. The portal includes unvacated bail forfeitures in motor vehicle cases, but not bail forfeitures in other cases, and it excludes youthful offender cases, juvenile matters, infractions, and violations.1CT Judicial Branch. Criminal / Motor Vehicle Case Look-up
One caveat worth taking seriously: the Judicial Branch warns that information can change daily because of erasures, corrections, and pardons, and it does not guarantee accuracy beyond the date of your search. Treat the portal as a starting point, not a certified record.
When to Go to the Courthouse
If you need something older than ten years, a document the website doesn’t post, or the full case file instead of a summary, visit the Superior Court where the case was heard. Courthouses have public access terminals that sometimes show more than the website does, and the Clerk’s Office can pull physical files for review.
A physical file usually contains the original charging documents, plea agreements, sentencing transcripts, motions, and any orders the judge entered. When you need a specific document rather than a general picture of what happened, an in-person visit is the only reliable option. Court staff will not interpret records for you, but they will walk you through requesting and viewing them.
For official uses like employment verification, licensing, or immigration, a printout from the portal won’t be enough. You’ll need a certified copy, which the Clerk of the Court attests is a true reproduction of the original. Standard copies cost $1 per page, certification under seal costs $2, and exemplified copies cost $20, payable by check or money order to the “Clerk of the Superior Court.”2CT Judicial Branch. Court Fees
Getting an Official Criminal History From the State Police
The Judicial Branch portal summarizes court activity. The Connecticut State Police, through the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, maintains the actual criminal history database and processes formal record checks.3CT.gov. Criminal Records For employment, licensing, immigration, or any other official purpose, this is the version you need.
Paper request forms are no longer accepted. All requests go through an online portal.4CT.gov. Criminal History Request Process The State Police offers three tiers:
- A name and date-of-birth search for $36 that only confirms whether a record exists.
- A conviction history by name and date of birth for $75, which includes a copy of the record if one exists.
- A conviction history by fingerprint for $75, which matches identity biometrically rather than by name. Fingerprinting at a State Police location adds $15.
Fingerprinting is worth the extra step when accuracy matters. Name-based searches can miss records filed under aliases or misspellings and can return results for someone with a similar name. If a federal-level check is also needed, a separate federal fee of $11.25 to $13.25 applies on top of the $75 state fee, and the state search has to be completed before the federal one runs.5CT.gov. State Police Guide to Processing Fees
Why a Case Might Not Show Up
If your search returns nothing for someone you expected to find, Connecticut law may have removed or restricted the record.
Automatic Erasure for Non-Convictions
When a case ends without a conviction, the records are erased automatically. That covers dismissals, acquittals, and nolles. A nolle doesn’t erase right away; a 13-month waiting period runs from the date it is entered, and the record is erased after that period passes.6CT.gov. Links to Pardon Applications Once erased, the records are removed from public databases, and the state cannot share them with anyone, including law enforcement.
Clean Slate Erasure for Older Convictions
Connecticut’s Clean Slate law, signed in 2021, automatically erases certain older convictions. Eligible misdemeanors are erased after seven years, eligible felonies after ten.7Connecticut Public. CT Explores How to Notify People Convictions Were Erased Under Clean Slate Law Sex offenses, family violence crimes, and firearms charges are excluded.8Clean Slate Connecticut. Clean Slate Connecticut Convictions in those categories stay on the record no matter how much time has passed, unless the person pursues a pardon.
Sealed and Juvenile Records
A court can also order a record sealed, which restricts access without destroying the file. Sealed records won’t appear in a public search but may still be available to certain criminal justice officials. Juvenile records are confidential by statute and are never available through the public case lookup; access requires a Superior Court order, with narrow exceptions for the child’s attorney, parents, and specific state agencies.9Justia Law. Connecticut General Statutes 46b-124 – Confidentiality of Records of Juvenile Matters
Clearing a Record or Working Around It
If a conviction does not qualify for automatic erasure, the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles offers two options.
An absolute pardon fully erases your Connecticut adult criminal record. You can apply three years after the disposition of your most recent misdemeanor conviction, or five years after your most recent felony conviction. You cannot have any pending charges, open cases in any jurisdiction, or be on any form of supervision, and if a nolle was entered, the 13-month nolle period must have cleared. The Board considers your entire criminal history at once; you cannot ask it to erase some offenses and keep others.6CT.gov. Links to Pardon Applications
A certificate of employability, sometimes called a provisional pardon, does not erase anything. It is a state document certifying that your criminal history alone should not keep you from getting a job or professional license, and it makes it illegal for an employer to deny you employment based solely on the covered convictions.10CT.gov. Pardon FAQs For many people this is the faster path, since it avoids the longer waiting periods and the all-or-nothing structure of an absolute pardon.
Rules Employers Should Know
If you’re running a search for hiring, federal law adds requirements on top of state access rules. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, background screening companies cannot report arrests that did not lead to a conviction after seven years from the date of arrest. Convictions can be reported indefinitely.11U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act also applies. The EEOC’s guidance treats blanket exclusions of anyone with a criminal record as potentially illegal discrimination when they disproportionately screen out applicants by race or national origin. Employers are expected to weigh the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that has passed, and the specific requirements of the job. An arrest alone, without a conviction, is not sufficient evidence of criminal conduct, and excluding someone on that basis will not hold up as job-related and consistent with business necessity.11U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act