Many states charge a fee to get your criminal record. If you are unable to pay the fee, you may be able to request a fee waiver. Often, applications for fee waivers require you to disclose your employment status or if you receive public assistance.
To find out about fee waivers, select the state where your criminal record is located using the drop-down menu below:
The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection's (DESPP) State Police Bureau of Identification (SPBI) charges a $36.00 fee for a Name and Date of Birth Search and a $75 fee for a Conviction History Record Search by Name and Date of Birth or a Criminal Conviction History Record Search by Fingerprint. Acceptable forms of payment include a certified check or money order made payable to the “Treasurer-State of CT."
The Connecticut State Police charges a $15 fingerprinting fee.
Massachusetts charges a $25.00 fee to get your criminal history record online or by mail from the Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) database. To pay the fee online, you will need a credit card. To pay the fee by mail, you will need a certified check or money order made payable to "Commonwealth of Massachusetts." If you cannot pay the $25.00 fee, submit an Affidavit of Indigency fee waiver. To access the fee waiver, visit the DCJIS website here: Affidavit of Indigency.
You are entitled to a free self-audit of your CORI every 90 days. Additional self-audit requests within the 90-day period are $25.00. You must pay the audit fee with a money order made payable to the "Commonwealth of Massachusetts."
To get your criminal record from the New Jersey State Police (NJSP), you will pay a $42.80 fee when you make an appointment for fingerprinting. You must pay the fee electronically, by credit card, prepaid debit card, or electronic debit from a checking account. This amount will be deducted from your account immediately. The $42.80 includes $12 for the fingerprint vendor and New Jersey sales tax. If you do not go to your fingerprinting appointment, cancel without enough notice, or do not bring your completed Universal Fingerprint form to the appointment, you will be charged $12.80.
If you cannot pay the $62.00 fee required by the DCJS to get your RAP sheet, you can request a fee waiver by emailing the DCJS at RecordReview@dcjs.ny.gov and request that they send you a fee-waiver application. In the email, include your full mailing address because the fee-waiver applications will not be sent through email.
You can also send a letter to DCJS at:
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
Record Review Unit
Alfred E. Smith Office Building
80 South Swan Street
Albany, NY 12210
To view a sample DCJS RAP Sheet Fee Waiver, click here:
Sample DCJS RAP Sheet Fee Waiver
Fees vary depending on if you want a statewide record or county record.
The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) fee for a criminal record requested by mail is $20. If you need your record notarized, the total fee is $25. You must pay the fee by certified check or money order made to the "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" and submit it with your record request. PSP does not accept cash or personal checks.
The PSP Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History (PATCH) service used to request records online is $22. This fee is made payable only by credit card.
There is no fee for records from a county court. You can find county records online for free. You will probably pay a small fee if you ask the court clerk for printed copies.