How Background Checks Work in Washington

Washington is an open-check state: anyone can run a name-based search of Washington records through Washington State Patrol (WSP) — the WATCH, for a fee, without the subject's consent.

  • Your own record: every state, Washington included, lets you obtain your own criminal history from Washington State Patrol (WSP) — usually by fingerprints — to review or correct it before an employer sees it.
  • Checking someone else: use the public name-search — it returns Washington convictions to any requester for a fee.
  • Employment screening: a hiring background check is a consumer report under the federal FCRA — it requires the applicant's written consent, uses a consumer reporting agency (not this state lookup), and gives the applicant dispute rights. Official state checks and FCRA reports are different tools.
  • Federal layer: the FBI's Identity History Summary covers records reported nationwide — fingerprint-based, for your own record only. Federal court cases live separately on PACER.

Washington's WATCH lets anyone run a name-based conviction check online for a fee. Content reviewed July 29, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.

Official Channels

Washington State Patrol (WSP) — WATCH
Official
The state's public name-search: anyone can check Washington conviction records for a fee.
🌐 watch.wsp.wa.gov
FBI — Identity History Summary Check
Official
Your own nationwide record, fingerprint-based, direct from the FBI or an approved channeler. The only check that crosses every state line.
🌐 fbi.gov
PACER — Federal Court Records
Official
Federal criminal cases never appear in state checks. PACER covers every US District Court; small per-page fees, waived under $30 a quarter.
🌐 pacer.uscourts.gov

Which Washington Check Do You Actually Need?

1
Employment, housing, lending — FCRA territory
Anything that affects hiring, housing, credit, or insurance legally requires an FCRA consumer report from a consumer reporting agency — with the subject's written consent. Washington State Patrol (WSP) results and court records are public-record tools; using them for those decisions violates federal law no matter how you obtained them.
2
Personal research — the public-records route
For personal reasons — a date, a contractor, a new tenant's story checking out — Washington makes it simple: the Washington State Patrol (WSP) name search is open to anyone, and the county tabs on this site add the local detail.
3
Licensing and mandated checks — fingerprints
Licensing boards, schools, healthcare, and firearms checks run on fingerprints, not names — submitted through Washington State Patrol (WSP) and the FBI channel, initiated by the requiring agency. A name-based printout will not satisfy them.
4
Your own record — self-check first
Checking yourself is always allowed: every state, Washington included, lets you review your own record and challenge errors — worth doing before a job search, since you see exactly what an employer's screener will.

The Two-Source Rule

One search is a lead, two agreeing sources are a fact. Cross-check any Washington statewide hit against the originating county's docket, and treat a clean statewide result as provisional until the counties of residence come back clean too. The Washington criminal records page carries the county-by-county coverage map.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run a background check on someone else in Washington?
Yes — the state's name-search is open to any requester for a fee. For employment decisions, though, federal law requires an FCRA process with the person's written consent.
What shows up — arrests or convictions?
Depends on the channel. Public-facing checks lean toward convictions and pending cases; non-conviction arrests are increasingly restricted, and the FCRA bars them from employment reports after seven years.
How far back do checks go?
Convictions generally stay on the record unless sealed or expunged. What a given Washington check *shows* can be narrower than what exists — sealed and expunged records are removed from public results.
Are the free 'instant background check' websites accurate?
They're data brokers reselling scraped records — often stale, often mismatched on common names, and unlawful to use for hiring. Official sources on this page are the record.

Related Washington Records

The Washington criminal records page lists every official database behind these checks, the Washington inmate search covers who's in custody now, and Washington court records hold the case files themselves.