Indiana does not issue a document called a “Certificate of Clearance.” To get a Certificate of Clearance in Indiana, what you actually request is a Limited Criminal History report from the Indiana State Police, which is the state-level background check employers, licensing boards, and agencies expect. It costs $16.32 online or $7 by mail. If you’re applying for your first professional license, you’ll need a fingerprint-based state and FBI check instead.
Requesting the Report Online
The fastest way is the ISP’s online Limited Criminal History search portal. You enter the subject’s name and date of birth, pay by credit card, and the results come back almost immediately. The total is $16.32: a $7.00 state fee plus a $9.32 online processing fee.1Indiana State Police. Fees
Every search is charged whether or not a record is found. A “no record” result is itself the clearance most employers and agencies are looking for.
Requesting the Report by Mail
You can also print the ISP’s Limited Criminal History Request Form and mail it to Criminal History Services.2Indiana State Police. Get Limited Criminal History The mail-in fee is $7.00. Payment must be a money order or certified check made payable to the State of Indiana; personal checks and cash are not accepted.1Indiana State Police. Fees
Mail processing takes longer than the online search, so if you have a job start date or license deadline, the online option is safer. Sending the wrong form of payment is one of the most common reasons a mail-in request gets returned unprocessed.
What the Report Actually Covers
A Limited Criminal History report shows only felony and Class A misdemeanor arrests within Indiana.3Indiana State Police. Indiana State Police – Limited Criminal History Search It does not include lower-level misdemeanors, out-of-state records, federal offenses, or traffic violations. If someone needs a broader search, they’ll ask for a fingerprint-based check through the ISP or a separate FBI check.
Indiana law only allows release of a limited criminal history to noncriminal justice organizations and individuals in specific situations: employment applications, professional license applications and renewals, candidacy for public office, volunteer roles involving contact with children, and certain child welfare or family-services investigations.4Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 10-13-3-27 You can always request your own record to check it for accuracy.
The ISP does not decide whether your record disqualifies you. It provides the report; the employer or licensing board reads it and decides.
Who Qualifies for a Fee Exemption
Several kinds of organizations can run the online search without paying the fee:
- Nonprofits in existence for at least ten years whose primary purpose is providing adult volunteer mentors to children, along with licensed home health agencies, hospice programs, and community mental health centers.
- Public school corporations, special education cooperatives, and nonpublic schools checking prospective employees or adult volunteers.
- State agencies making requests through the state’s computer gateway.
- The Department of Child Services when investigating applicants for child-care or foster-care licensing.
- Churches and religious organizations exempt under Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code, when checking employees or volunteers in nonprofit programs or child-care ministries.
- Public or private postsecondary schools of education checking students before or after field placements.
Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits that work with children but don’t meet the ten-year requirement may qualify for a partial fee exemption.5Indiana State Police. Exemptions Information
Fingerprint-Based Checks for a Professional License
If you’re applying for your first professional license in Indiana, a name-based Limited Criminal History report will not satisfy the requirement. State law requires initial-license applicants in dozens of professions to submit to both a state and national criminal history background check using fingerprints, at the applicant’s own expense.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 25, Article 1, Chapter 1.1, Section 25-1-1.1-4 Your prints are sent to the ISP and to the FBI for a national records check.
The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency does not run the check itself. You schedule a fingerprinting appointment through the ISP’s approved electronic fingerprinting vendor and have your prints submitted directly.7Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. Criminal Background Checks Professions covered include registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, advanced practice nurses, appraisers, chiropractors, massage therapists, dental professionals, and behavioral health providers, among others.8Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. Criminal Background Check Required
You’ll pay the electronic fingerprinting vendor a separate fee on top of the state processing fee. Check the ISP fees page for the current fingerprint-based report cost before your appointment.1Indiana State Police. Fees Unreadable prints have to be redone, which is worth knowing if you’re on a tight timeline.
When You Need an FBI Check Instead
An Indiana Limited Criminal History covers only Indiana records. For immigration, a federal job, or a professional license that calls for a national check outside the fingerprint-licensing pathway, you’ll need an FBI Identity History Summary. That’s a separate process handled entirely by the FBI, not the ISP.
The FBI check costs $18 and requires fingerprint submission. You can submit electronically at a participating U.S. Post Office or through an FBI-approved channeler, or mail a completed fingerprint card directly to the FBI. Personal checks, business checks, and cash are not accepted. If you can’t afford the fee, you can contact the FBI at (304) 625-5590 or identity@fbi.gov to request a fee waiver before submitting. Each additional sealed copy costs another $18.9Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions
If Your Record Might Be a Problem
If you know a felony or Class A misdemeanor arrest will show up, it’s worth doing something about the record before applying, not after the report lands on an employer’s desk. Indiana law gives you two tools.
Expungement Under the Second Chance Law
Indiana’s expungement statute lets people with certain criminal records petition a court to seal or restrict access to those records. The law doesn’t destroy records. It seals some arrests and convictions and restricts how others can be used. Court records are not deleted and law enforcement agencies keep their internal records.10Indiana Judicial Branch. Detailed Information on Criminal Case Expungement
Waiting periods depend on the offense:
- Arrests without conviction: one year after the arrest, or after a vacated conviction becomes final.
- Misdemeanors (including Class D or Level 6 felonies reduced to misdemeanors): five years after conviction, unless the prosecutor consents in writing to an earlier petition.
- Class D or Level 6 felonies: eight years after conviction, unless the prosecutor consents earlier.
- More serious felonies not eligible under the Class D/Level 6 category: eight years after conviction or three years after completing the sentence, whichever is later.
- The most serious felony convictions: ten years after conviction or five years after completing the sentence, whichever is later.
People with two or more unrelated felony convictions involving the unlawful use of a deadly weapon are not eligible.11Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-38-9 – Sealing and Expunging Conviction Records
Once granted, sealed records cannot be placed in or retained in any state criminal history repository or other law enforcement database, though internal law enforcement records, public defender disciplinary records, and diversion-program records are unaffected.11Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-38-9 – Sealing and Expunging Conviction Records Successfully expunged records should no longer appear on a Limited Criminal History report, which is the strongest reason to pursue expungement before applying.
Limiting Access After 15 Years
Separate from expungement, if more than 15 years have passed since you were discharged from probation, imprisonment, or parole for your most recent conviction, you can petition the ISP to restrict access to your Limited Criminal History. Once approved, the ISP releases the record only to criminal justice agencies and stops sharing it with employers, licensing boards, and other noncriminal justice organizations.12Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 35, Article 38, Chapter 5, Section 35-38-5-5 – Petition to Limit Access to Limited Criminal History It’s simpler than full expungement and doesn’t require a court hearing.
Fixing Errors on Your Report
Order your own copy before an employer does, especially if you’ve had cases dismissed or reduced. If the report shows charges that belong to someone else, dismissed cases that still read as open, or wrong dispositions, contact the ISP’s Criminal History Services division to request a correction. Gather supporting documents first: certified court records showing the dismissal or disposition, proof of identity, and anything else that establishes the correct outcome. The ISP reviews the evidence and updates the record if the error is confirmed.
Pending charges can slow processing on the other end. If a case is open against you, expect some employers and licensing boards to hold their decision until it resolves rather than issue a denial. Being upfront about a pending matter tends to work better than letting the report speak first.