Massachusetts Background Checks: CORI, Driving Records, and Sealing

A Massachusetts background check usually starts with Criminal Offender Record Information, known as CORI, which you can request on yourself online in minutes through the state’s iCORI system for $25. What “background check” means beyond that depends on who’s asking and why: employers and landlords may also pull credit reports and tenant screening reports, drivers can request their own RMV history, and certain jobs require fingerprint-based checks that reach the FBI’s national database. The rules, costs, and turnaround times differ for each.

The Types of Checks Used in Massachusetts

Four record types cover almost every request:

CORI is a name-based search of Massachusetts court arraignment records maintained by the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS). It covers Massachusetts courts only, so federal convictions, out-of-state offenses, and juvenile records will not appear.¹
Driving records come from the Registry of Motor Vehicles and show traffic violations, at-fault accident claims, and license suspensions.²
Credit reports are governed by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and pulled through Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion.³
Fingerprint-based checks run through the FBI’s national database and are required for certain professions in developmental services, education, and healthcare. Applicants provide digital fingerprints at an IdentoGO enrollment center, the Commonwealth’s designated vendor, and typically pay $35 to $75.⁴

Employers and licensing agencies sometimes add verification of education credentials, professional licenses, and eviction history on top of these.

How to Pull Your Own CORI

You can request your own CORI online or by mail. Both cost $25 unless you qualify for a fee waiver based on income or receipt of public assistance.⁵

Online Through iCORI

The fastest option is iCORI, which requires a valid Massachusetts driver’s license or state ID to register.⁶ You’ll enter your name, date of birth, and Social Security number to create an account. Results usually come back quickly. If your household income is below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines or you receive public assistance, you can claim indigency during the process and skip the fee.

By Mail

If you don’t have a Massachusetts ID, submit a notarized Personal Request Form with a $25 money order payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Personal checks are not accepted. An Affidavit of Indigency can substitute for payment if you qualify. Mail requests take up to 10 business days.⁵

Pulling your own report before applying for jobs or housing lets you see exactly what employers see, catch errors, and check whether you’re eligible to seal older records.

What CORI Shows and for How Long

When an employer, landlord, or licensing agency pulls your CORI, the law limits how far back the report reaches. Felony convictions appear for 10 years after the case ends, including any time served. Misdemeanor convictions appear for 5 years. Pending charges always show, including cases continued without a finding until the case is dismissed.⁷ An older conviction still within the lookback window extends the visibility of your prior records.

Some serious offenses never fall off. Convictions for murder, voluntary or involuntary manslaughter, and sex offenses punishable by state prison time remain available to all authorized requestors unless sealed.⁷ Sealed records stay hidden from employers and landlords, but criminal justice agencies and firearms licensing authorities can still access them.

How to Request Your Driving Record

Massachusetts driving records come in two versions:

An unattested record costs $8, is available online only, and can be viewed immediately after the transaction. It’s fine for personal review but carries no official stamp.⁸
A true and attested record costs $20, carries the Registrar’s signature, and is used for court proceedings and other official purposes. The RMV mails it to the address on file, and you should allow about two weeks.⁸

Both versions include criminal and civil driving offenses where you were found guilty or responsible, along with license suspensions. You’ll need your license or permit number, full name, date of birth, and Social Security number.⁹

When Someone Else Runs a Check on You

Employers, landlords, and licensing agencies operate under state and federal rules that limit what they can ask, when they can ask it, and what they can do with the results.

Consent Comes First

Before pulling your CORI, the requestor must have you sign an acknowledgment form, verify your identity with a government-issued ID, and keep the signed form on file for at least one year.⁷ For credit reports and other consumer reports, the FCRA separately requires a clear, standalone written disclosure and your written authorization before the report is ordered.¹⁰

Limits on Criminal History Questions

Employers cannot ask about misdemeanor convictions more than three years old unless you have a more recent conviction within that three-year window. They also cannot ask about sealed or expunged records.¹¹ Under the state’s “Ban the Box” rule, employers cannot ask about criminal history on the initial written job application.

Once an employer has your criminal history from any source, they must share it with you before asking you about it. If they then decide against you based on the record, they must give you a copy of what they relied on.⁷ That gives you a chance to correct mistakes or explain context before the decision is final.

The Adverse Action Process

If an employer uses a consumer report (a credit check or a third-party background screening) and decides not to hire you because of it, federal law requires two steps. First, a pre-adverse action notice with a copy of the report and a written summary of your FCRA rights.¹⁰ After a reasonable waiting period, a final adverse action notice, which must identify the reporting agency and tell you that the agency didn’t make the decision and can’t explain it.¹² You then have 60 days to request a free copy of the report from the agency that furnished it.

Fixing Errors on Your Records

Background check errors are common enough to check for before an application, not after.

CORI Errors

Dispute inaccurate or incomplete CORI entries with DCJIS or the court where the charge was originally arraigned. DCJIS provides an Incorrect Criminal Offender Information Complaint form for this purpose.¹ Frequent errors include cases showing as open when they were dismissed, and convictions that should have aged off under the lookback limits.

Driving Record Errors

Direct RMV errors to the Merit Rating Board, the unit that maintains individual driving records. Corrections often require the Clerk-Magistrate’s Office at the relevant court to send updated case information to the Board, which then adjusts your record.² Older cases can take longer because court records are harder to locate.

Credit Report and Tenant Screening Errors

The FCRA lets you dispute directly with the consumer reporting agency. The agency has 30 days from your notice to investigate and resolve the dispute, with a possible 15-day extension if you provide additional information during that window. If the disputed information can’t be verified, the agency must delete it.¹³ Dispute with the company that originally furnished the incorrect data too; they have their own obligation to investigate. If the agency doesn’t fix a verified error, you can escalate with a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Sealing Older Records

If your CORI shows records you’d rather employers and landlords not see, sealing is the usual path. You can petition by mail through the Commissioner of Probation (free) or in person at the court that handled the case. The waiting periods run from when the case ends, including any incarceration:¹⁴

Misdemeanor conviction: 3 years
Felony conviction: 7 years
Sex offenses: 15 years after all supervision and incarceration ends, and only if you were never classified as a Level 2 or Level 3 sex offender

A new conviction during the waiting period resets the clock. Firearms licensing violations and public corruption charges are never eligible for sealing.¹⁴

Cases that were dismissed, ended in a not-guilty finding, or were dropped by the prosecutor often don’t need to wait. A 2023 court decision requires the Commissioner of Probation to automatically seal these unless you request otherwise. For dropped or dismissed cases, you can also ask a judge to seal under a “good cause” standard, which typically means showing the record is causing you real harm in employment or housing.

Expungement is a separate remedy that permanently destroys the record rather than hiding it, but eligibility is narrow (limited to certain time-based situations and specific circumstances like identity fraud or decriminalized offenses), so most people who want a clean record end up sealing instead.¹⁵

1
Mass.gov. Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information
2
Mass.gov. Merit Rating Board
3
Federal Trade Commission. Fair Credit Reporting Act
4
Mass.gov. DDS Fingerprint Background Checks
5
Mass.gov. Request CORI As An Individual
6
Mass.gov. iCORI Registration Requirements
7
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 6 Section 172
8
Mass.gov. Request a Driving Record
9
Mass.gov. Registry of Motor Vehicles Records Requests
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681b – Permissible Purposes of Consumer Reports
11
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 151B Section 4
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681m – Requirements on Users of Consumer Reports
13
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681i – Procedure in Case of Disputed Accuracy
14
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 276 Section 100A
15
Mass.gov. Expunge Your Criminal Record