Conduct a Minnesota Background Check

The Minnesota statutes requires that criminal records from the state be accessible to the public. This service was started on August 1, 2005. The state repository of all criminal records is maintained by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety along with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

A Minnesota background check may be conducted from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The Computerized Criminal History System gives you access to these criminal records. All you need to do is go to https://cch.state.mn.us/pcchOffenderSearch.aspx and complete the required fields in order to conduct a background check. You need to provide the full name and the date of birth of the subject in order to conduct a Minnesota background check.

Information Available in a Minnesota Background Check

The Minnesota statute Section 13.87, subdivision 3(f), requires that the individual on whom the background check is being conducted needs to be aware of it. The Minnesota online background check is capable of revealing details about the offense, date of conviction, court of conviction, place of confinement and information about the sentence, including the probation and parole details.

You would not be able to access information about the arrests, federal criminal records, other state criminal records, juvenile criminal records, and any other data deemed confidential or private. You would also not be given access to the conviction data in cases where 15 years have passed since the completion of the sentence.

Minnesota law enforcement agencies as well as judicial offices are responsible for providing the criminal record data to the central repository maintained by the bureau. The updating of the repository is done on the basis of fingerprints taken after the arrest of an individual.

Under usual circumstances, you do not need a fingerprint card to conduct a background check in Minnesota. However, in certain special cases the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension may ask for a completed fingerprint card in order to process a background check request.

Conducting a Minnesota Background Check on Someone Else

You could also obtain Minnesota background check results on another person via U.S. Mail. All you need to do is send your request and the information required for conducting the check along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope and the processing fee to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. You should mail your background check request to the following address:

Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Criminal Justice Information Systems – CHA, 1430 Maryland Ave. E., St. Paul, MN 55106

The processing fee for a Minnesota background check is $4.00. You can pay the amount via money order or cashier’s check, personal check or certified or business check. These need to be addressed to the bureau.

Procedure for a Minnesota Background Check

You can request all of your own criminal history records from the department as well. A Minnesota background check conducted on your own records would provide you with all details, including private information.

To process the request you need to provide the department with your full name, married or maiden name and date of birth. You also need to send a stamped, self-addressed envelope that would be used to mail back the records.

The processing fee for obtaining your own criminal history records is $8.00. The accepted modes of payment are personal check, cashier’s check, money order or business or certified check payable to Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota. The processing time is about 2 weeks.

Apart from the individual subject, private records are available to a number of entities in Minnesota. They are as follows:

• Agencies working in the field of criminal justice
• Individuals who have a notarized consent form from the subject of the background check
• Individuals and organizations that have the authority to conduct compulsory background checks

Informed Consent Procedure

The Informed Consent Procedure gives you the right to obtain private records of another individual. To complete this, you need to download and print the sample Informed Consent Form available at http://www.dps.state.mn.us/bca/forms/documents/cjis-infmdcon.pdf. You can also obtain this form from the bureau in person or via mail or fax.

To conduct a complete background check you need to fill out the form and have a notarized signature from the subject. This form needs to be submitted to the bureau in person or mailed to the following address:

Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Criminal Justice Information Section,
ATTN: Record Checks, 1430 Maryland Ave. E., St. Paul, MN 55106

You also need to submit a stamped, self-addressed envelope so that the results of the background check can be mailed to you. The processing fee for the Informed Consent Procedure is $15.00 for each request.

Non-profit organizations can enjoy reduced background check fees. To request these, you need to submit the IRS issued form to the BCA, Attn: CJIS/Non-profit account. This deems your organization as a 501(c) 3 organization, thus making it eligible for a reduction in the charges. An account number is assigned to such organizations from the bureau which need to used along with the phrase ‘Nonprofit Organization’ in order to obtain a discount on the background check processing fee.

You could also visit any of the following locations and have a look at the public records and conduct a background check in person:

BCA Headquarters – St. Paul, 1430 Maryland Avenue East, St. Paul, Minnesota 55106-2802

BCA Regional Office – Bemidji, 3700 North Norris Court NW, Bemidji, Minnesota 56601

The hours of operation of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are from Monday to Friday, between 8.15 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. You need to submit a proof of identity, like your passport or driver’s license, in order to access the records. Viewing these records is free of charge. You need to pay $4.00 for a printed copy of another person’s record and $8.00 for a printed copy of your own records.