To get a background check in Florida, you have two main routes. For a quick look at your own Florida criminal history, use the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s online search at CCHInet, which costs $25 and returns results on screen immediately.1Florida Department of Law Enforcement. FDLE Criminal History Search Overview For anything an employer, licensing board, or state agency requires, you’ll need a fingerprint-based Level 2 screening submitted through a LiveScan vendor, which runs $24 to $36 in government fees plus a separate vendor charge. The right path depends on who is asking and why.
Which Type of Check You Need
Florida background checks come in two levels. A Level 1 check is name-based. It runs your name, date of birth, and other identifiers against the FDLE’s state criminal history database only.2Florida Department of Law Enforcement. VECHS Definitions It’s faster and cheaper, but limited. An arrest in another state won’t show up.
A Level 2 check is fingerprint-based and searches both the FDLE’s state records and the FBI’s national database.3The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 435.04 – Level 2 Screening Standards Florida law requires Level 2 screening for people in positions of trust: health care workers, school employees, foster care providers, insurance agents, and others covered by Chapter 435. The screening also flags disqualifying offenses. Convictions for sexual battery, kidnapping, murder, child abuse, and any offense requiring registration as a sexual predator or offender permanently bar someone from Chapter 435 roles, and no pardon or restoration of civil rights lifts that bar.4Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 435.07 – Exemptions from Disqualification
A third option exists for lower-stakes situations. A local sheriff’s office or police department can pull a county-level check for a landlord, small employer, or community group. Those results only cover arrests within that jurisdiction, so they miss everything from other counties and other states.
How to Check Your Own Record Online
The FDLE runs an online system called CCHInet for personal name-based searches. Enter a name and date of birth, pay $25 (which includes a $1 credit card processing fee), and results come back on screen right away.1Florida Department of Law Enforcement. FDLE Criminal History Search Overview You can print them or have them emailed. The search covers Florida records only.
Those instant results are not certified. If you need an official copy for a specific purpose, pick the Certified Search option on the same portal. An FDLE staff member will run the search and mail notarized results, which takes several business days.
Florida law also gives you a separate right to request a full personal review of your criminal history record at no charge beyond any federally required fees. This review is fingerprint-based, so the FDLE can confirm your identity before releasing the record.5The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 943.056 – Criminal History Records Access, Review, and Challenge It’s the same route you’d use if you plan to challenge anything on your record.
How to Get a Fingerprint-Based Check for a Job or License
Level 2 screenings go through the LiveScan system, and the sequence matters. Skip a step and your results won’t reach the right place.
Get the ORI Number First
Before you book a fingerprinting appointment, get the Originating Agency Identification (ORI) number from whichever board, agency, or employer is requesting the check. Every profession and agency has its own ORI. Give the vendor the wrong one, or none at all, and the FDLE has nowhere to send the results.6FL HealthSource. Background Screening FAQs Health care license applications through the Department of Health usually have the ORI prepopulated. Otherwise, check your application materials or ask the requesting entity. You can verify an ORI on the FDLE’s LiveScan submitter page.7Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Current Registered LiveScan Submitters
Book a LiveScan Appointment
Find a registered LiveScan provider from the FDLE’s searchable list.7Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Current Registered LiveScan Submitters At the appointment, the vendor scans your fingerprints on a glass plate, takes a photo, and transmits everything electronically to the FDLE along with your ORI.6FL HealthSource. Background Screening FAQs No ink, no cards.
Bring two forms of ID. One has to include both your photo and signature: a driver’s license, state ID, or passport works.8FL HealthSource. What Must I Provide to the LiveScan Service Provider I Choose Without proper identification, the provider will turn you away.
Fees and How Long It Takes
Two charges apply. The government fee is $24 for a state-only check or $36 when the FBI check is included, which is the case for most Level 2 screenings.9Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Criminal History Record Check Fee Schedule Effective January 2025 The vendor adds a service fee for capturing and submitting your prints, typically $20 to $50 depending on the location.
Results usually come back within 24 to 72 hours, though some agencies say it can take up to five business days.10FL HealthSource. What Is the Processing Time for LiveScan Fingerprints The vendor gives you a Transaction Control Number (TCN) that you can use to check status on the FDLE’s site. Results go to the requesting agency, not to you.
If You Live Outside Florida
Out-of-state applicants can submit physical fingerprint cards by mail. Register with the FDLE’s designated vendor and choose the CardScan Service option during registration.11MyFloridaCFO. Fingerprinting Information The vendor mails you a packet with two fingerprint cards and instructions. Have your prints taken by a law enforcement agency or other approved entity, then mail both completed cards back. The second card is a backup in case the first set comes back illegible.
Local Sheriff or Police Checks
For a landlord, a local employer, or a community group that doesn’t require state-level results, your local sheriff’s office or police department can usually run a county background check. Show up during business hours with your name, date of birth, and a small fee, generally between $5 and $10. Many agencies hand you a printed result the same day. Some also accept mail-in requests with a money order and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Just remember these checks only see records from that county or municipality.
What to Do If the Report Has Errors
Criminal history records aren’t always accurate. A dismissed charge can still show as pending. An arrest for someone with a similar name can end up on your file. These mistakes can cost you a job or a license if you don’t catch them.
To challenge your Florida record, submit a Personal Review application to the FDLE. Complete the official form, include a fingerprint card taken by a law enforcement or criminal justice agency, and mail everything to the FDLE’s Criminal History Record Maintenance Section in Tallahassee.12Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Personal Review – FDLE There’s no fee for reviewing your own record beyond charges required by federal regulations.5The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 943.056 – Criminal History Records Access, Review, and Challenge
Once you have the record in hand, identify the inaccuracies and formally challenge them. The FDLE will coordinate with the originating agency to correct anything wrong. If the dispute doesn’t resolve informally and the agency falls under Florida’s Administrative Procedures Act, you can pursue an administrative hearing.13Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Florida Administrative Code 11C-8.001 – Review Procedures
Errors on your FBI record go through a separate FBI process. Submit a written request identifying the specific inaccurate information with supporting documentation, and the FBI will coordinate with the agency that originally submitted the data.14Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions
Sealing or Expunging What Shows Up
If the check reveals records you thought were behind you, Florida offers two ways to limit their visibility. Sealing hides the record from most public searches but keeps it accessible to certain government agencies. Expungement goes further: the record is physically destroyed except for a notation the FDLE retains. Both are governed by Sections 943.059 and 943.0585 of the Florida Statutes, and you’re generally limited to one court-ordered sealing or expungement in your lifetime.15Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Seal and Expunge Process
The first step for either is a Certificate of Eligibility from the FDLE. You cannot file a petition with a court without one. The application requires the completed form (notarized), a certified disposition for each charge from the clerk of court, a fingerprint card, and a nonrefundable $75 processing fee to the FDLE.16Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Applying for a Certificate of Eligibility for Court-Ordered Sealing or Expungement Expungement applications also require a certified statement from the appropriate state attorney or statewide prosecutor.
To qualify for sealing, you generally can’t have been found guilty of any criminal offense (adjudication must have been withheld), and each petition covers only one arrest.17Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 943.059 – Court-Ordered Sealing of Criminal History Records Sexual battery, kidnapping, robbery, arson, and any offense requiring sexual predator or offender registration are permanently ineligible. To qualify for expungement, the record either has to have been sealed for at least 10 years, or all charges must have been dismissed or resulted in an acquittal.18The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 943.0585 – Court-Ordered Expunction of Criminal History Records
Florida also seals some records automatically when a clerk of court submits a qualifying disposition electronically to the FDLE.15Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Seal and Expunge Process Automatic sealing only touches the state-level FDLE record, not local records held by the court or arresting agency.
Your Rights When an Employer Runs the Check
When a private employer uses a third-party background screening company (rather than requesting results directly from FDLE), the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act adds protections. The employer must give you a written disclosure that they plan to obtain a background report and get your signed authorization before running it.19Federal Trade Commission. Background Checks on Prospective Employees – Keep Required Disclosures Simple That disclosure has to be a standalone document in clear language. It can’t be buried in the job application or bundled with liability waivers.
If the employer decides not to hire you, or to fire you, based on the report, they owe you a two-step notice. Before the adverse action, they must give you a copy of the report and a summary of your FCRA rights so you can review and explain anything negative. After the decision is final, they must tell you in writing that the report was the basis and provide the name and contact information for the reporting company.20Federal Trade Commission and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Background Checks – What Employers Need to Know You then have 60 days to dispute inaccurate information and get a free copy of the report from the company that compiled it. Employers skip these steps constantly, and when they do, you have grounds to pursue it.