How a Background Check Works in Connecticut

Connecticut runs its criminal history checks through the State Police Bureau of Identification, SPBI, part of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. The bureau is a mail order operation for records: every request for a criminal history goes by U.S. mail to Middletown, it accepts no emailed or faxed requests and, at the time of reading, no drop off or pick up, and only fingerprinting itself is done in person, by appointment.

Two forms do the work. The criminal history record request, DPS-0846-C, is for Connecticut purposes: $36 for a name and date of birth search that only says whether a record exists, $75 for the conviction record itself by name or by fingerprint. The Letter of Good Conduct, DPS-181-C, is the form required when entering the United States or a foreign country, for visas, immigration and foreign adoption, also $75 and always with fingerprints. A federal check is added only where a state statute or federal act authorizes it; the bureau's page prices it at $13.25 and its rate notice effective October 1, 2026 at $15, or $13 for volunteers.

  • Request by mail: to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, State Police Bureau of Identification, 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT 06457, with each fee paid separately in exact amount by check, money order or cash.
  • Fees: $36 for a name search that answers yes or no, $75 for the full Connecticut conviction record, the Letter of Good Conduct or a fingerprint supported search, $15 for fingerprinting by the department, and a federal check where allowed at $13.25 on the bureau's page or $15 under its October 1, 2026 rate notice, checks payable to Treasurer, State of CT.
  • Fingerprints: by appointment only at the State Police Fingerprint Identification Unit, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., after online pre enrollment, or at a local police department; prints for a record check must be taken by a law enforcement agency.
  • Clean Slate: eligible convictions are erased under Connecticut General Statutes 54-142a, with the list of eligible offenses and a hearing request form on the bureau's page.

Written by SearchSystems.net from Connecticut's own systems: the DESPP State Police Bureau of Identification page, the DESPP forms and resources page, the DESPP home page, each read on October 16, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.

Two forms: the record check and the Letter of Good Conduct

The bureau's page separates the two requests. A Connecticut criminal history record is requested on form DPS-0846-C, which the bureau marks as not to be used for visas, foreign adoption or immigration. For those, the Letter of Good Conduct on form DPS-181-C is required when entering the United States or a foreign country. Both forms carry their own instructions, both go by U.S. mail only, and the page repeats in capitals: do not email or fax requests.

Rate changes took effect December 1, 2017, and the page links a further rate change notice effective October 1, 2026: the FBI's federal search rate for authorized purposes rises from $12 to $15 and for volunteers from $10 to $13, while the state fees under Connecticut General Statutes 29-11 stay as they were; fees that do not match the notice are returned, and the fees that registered agencies pay through the Connecticut Criminal History Request System portal adjust on their own.

The Letter of Good Conduct instruction sheet rests on General Statutes 54-142p: a criminal justice agency may give a person their own record, or a no record letter, only in conjunction with an application to enter the United States or a foreign nation, when the person certifies that need and proves they are the subject. The request takes a full set of fingerprints for positive identification and $75 for each original letter, every letter is notarized, and the bureau certifies the information as accurate as of ninety days before release; someone whose instructions also call for an apostille gets the letter first and then goes to the Secretary of the State's authentication unit.

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What it costs

The fee list on the bureau's page reads $15 for fingerprinting, $75 for a state criminal history check and $13.25 for a federal criminal history check, with the note that not every fee applies to every service and that a federal check is available only in accordance with an applicable state statute or federal act. Form DPS-0846-C and the rate notice break the state fee into three searches: a Connecticut only search by name and date of birth for $36, which reports only whether a record exists, a conviction history record search by name and date of birth for $75, which returns a copy when a record exists, and a search by fingerprint for $75, with a full fingerprint card enclosed; a yes from the $36 search needs a second request at $75 to get the record.

The form takes one check for the total when several names are requested, a separate form for each search, and sends results solely by email when an email address is given; the record is Connecticut criminal conviction history only and, the form warns, may change daily through erasures, corrections and pardons. Every fee must be paid separately by check or money order payable to Treasurer, State of CT, or in cash in the exact amount, since no change is made at the window; anyone unsure of the total calls the bureau at 860-685-8480, and the fingerprint unit answers at 860-685-8270.

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Fingerprinting by appointment

Fingerprinting at the State Police Fingerprint Identification Unit is by appointment only, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding state holidays, and the bureau asks anyone with Covid symptoms to wait 14 symptom free days before booking. Non Department of Public Health appointments are scheduled online, and the applicant first completes a public fingerprint pre enrollment that produces a tracking number and barcode.

The appointment requires the booking confirmation page, the pre enrollment confirmation page and a valid government photo ID from the bureau's list: a state driver's license or learner's permit, a U.S. passport or passport card, a federal personal identity verification card, a military or Department of Defense card, a foreign passport, a USCIS permanent resident or employment authorization card, a federal, state or local agency photo ID, a Coast Guard merchant mariner card or a Canadian driver's license.

Fingerprinting is also available through local police departments, whose hours vary, and the bureau notes that fingerprinting for a criminal record check must be done by a law enforcement agency, with the department's own prints subject to the $15 fee.

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The Criminal Records Unit's mail rule

The State Police Criminal Records Unit states its rule twice on the page: at this time only fingerprint services are honored by appointment, every other service that needs a criminal history record check is sent in by mail, and no drop off or pick up service is accepted. All requests for criminal history go to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, State Police Bureau of Identification, 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT 06457, telephone (860) 685-8480.

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Clean Slate erasure

Connecticut's Clean Slate law erases eligible convictions under Connecticut General Statutes 54-142a. The bureau publishes the full list of offenses eligible for Clean Slate erasure and a form to request a hearing on an erasure, and warns that some offenses on the list may still be ineligible, giving the example of an assault conviction designated a family violence crime. The department's home page frames the law as a fresh start and links the state's Clean Slate site for the rest.

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Where the record check fits

The bureau's page is also where the department sends people for State Police incident reports, which are a separate request, and the forms and resources page groups the record check with fingerprint scheduling under one heading: book an appointment, bring the required documents, request the criminal record, and read the Clean Slate details. The State Police forms section carries the criminal history reports alongside special licensing and firearms forms.

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Reading a Connecticut check

A Connecticut criminal history record check is a Connecticut conviction record from the State Police bureau, searched by name and date of birth or by fingerprint and returned by mail or email, at $36 for a yes or no answer and $75 for the record; the federal check is available only where a statute authorizes it, and a visa or foreign adoption needs the $75 Letter of Good Conduct, with fingerprints, rather than the record check. Convictions erased under Clean Slate are removed from the record, which is why the bureau publishes the eligible offense list next to its request forms.

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Questions about background checks in Connecticut

How do I request a Connecticut criminal history record?
By U.S. mail only, on form DPS-0846-C, to the State Police Bureau of Identification, 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT 06457, with each fee paid separately. The bureau does not accept emailed or faxed requests, drop offs or pick ups.
How much does a Connecticut background check cost?
$36 for a name and date of birth search that only says whether a record exists, $75 for the conviction record by name or by fingerprint, $75 for a Letter of Good Conduct and $15 for fingerprinting by the department, each paid separately in the exact amount to Treasurer, State of CT. A federal check, where a statute allows it, is $13.25 on the bureau's page and $15, or $13 for volunteers, in its rate notice effective October 1, 2026.
What form do I need for a visa or foreign adoption?
The Letter of Good Conduct, form DPS-181-C, which the bureau says is required when entering the United States or a foreign country: $75 per original letter, a full set of fingerprints, notarized by the bureau. The record check form DPS-0846-C is not to be used for those purposes.
Where can I get fingerprinted in Connecticut?
At the State Police Fingerprint Identification Unit by appointment, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., after online pre enrollment and with a government photo ID, or at a local police department. Prints for a criminal record check must be taken by a law enforcement agency.
Can I get a federal criminal history through the Connecticut State Police?
Only in accordance with an applicable state statute or federal act; it is not available for a personal request. The bureau's page lists it at $13.25 and its October 1, 2026 rate notice at $15, or $13 for volunteers.
What is Clean Slate?
Connecticut's erasure law under General Statutes 54-142a. The bureau posts the list of eligible offenses and a hearing request form, and notes that some listed offenses, such as an assault designated a family violence crime, may remain ineligible.

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The State Police record is one of the Connecticut records this site covers: the Connecticut court records guide explains the Judicial Branch's own case look up, the arrest records guide covers what an arrest makes public, the sex offender registry guide covers the registry the department keeps, and the Connecticut county pages list the judicial districts and police departments.