How to Get Your Connecticut Criminal History Record (Form DPS-0846-C)
Why You Need Your Official Record
The Connecticut Judicial Branch's public case lookup only shows cases from the past ten years. Older cases drop off the public portal entirely — but they may still exist in the state's master criminal history database. To see your complete Connecticut adult criminal-history record, including older matters, request your official criminal history from the State Police Bureau of Identification (SPBI). Private background companies may use additional sources, so this report is a state-record baseline rather than a guarantee of what any one company will report.
This step matters most when you're about to sign a background check consent form for a job offer, apartment application, or professional license. Ordering your own record first lets you compare the state record with any later screening report — and see whether anything that should have been erased is still showing up.
How to Request Your Record Using Form DPS-0846-C
The process runs through the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), specifically the SPBI unit.
What you need:
- Form DPS-0846-C — the official Criminal History Record Request form, available from the DESPP website at portal.ct.gov/despp
- $75 fee — the current statutory rate for a state criminal history check, payable by money order or certified check to "Commissioner of DESPP". DESPP lists a rate change effective October 1, 2026, so confirm the current amount before mailing.
- Fingerprinting (recommended) — currently costs an additional $15 and requires scheduling an appointment at an authorized fingerprinting location; confirm the current rate before mailing because DESPP lists a change effective October 1, 2026
Where to submit: Mail the completed form and payment to the State Police Bureau of Identification, 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT 06457. You can also call 860-685-8480 for questions about processing times.
Name-Based vs. Fingerprint-Based Searches
You have two options. A name-based search is faster and cheaper — just the $75 fee and the form. But name-based searches can produce false matches (if someone with a similar name has a record) or miss records filed under a different name variant.
A fingerprint-based search adds $15 and can reduce data-matching errors or false matches. If you're requesting your record because you're about to undergo a background check for employment or licensing, the fingerprint check is worth the extra cost when you need to distinguish your record from someone with a similar name.
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Fee Waivers Under Senate Bill 343
Connecticut recognized that the $75 fee creates a barrier for people trying to clear their records. Under Senate Bill 343, the criminal history record fee must be waived for individuals requesting their record as part of a pardon application through the Board of Pardons and Paroles.
If you're pursuing an absolute pardon, note this on your DPS-0846-C submission and include documentation of your pending pardon application. The required criminal-history and fingerprinting fees are waived for a pardon application under Senate Bill 343.
Free record checks are also sometimes available through legal aid clinics and expungement fairs hosted by organizations like Statewide Legal Services and Connecticut Legal Services.
What Your Record Will Show
Your official SPBI criminal history report — your "RAP sheet" — lists every adult arrest in Connecticut, the charges filed, and the disposition of each case. This includes convictions, dismissals, nolled cases, and acquittals. If the Clean Slate system has already erased eligible records, those entries will no longer appear.
Pay close attention to any records that should have been erased but still show up. If an eligible misdemeanor or felony meets the applicable seven- or ten-year rule measured from the applicable judgment date or release from custody, whichever is later, all sentence components are complete, and no exclusion, pending charge, or disqualifying later conviction applies, its continued appearance is a signal to file Form DESPP-0847-C for a Clean Slate administrative audit.
Also note any "arrests without dispositions" — cases where the record shows an arrest but no final outcome. These ambiguous entries block automated Clean Slate processing and may require the court archive to be traced and the disposition clarified before erasure can occur.
Timing Matters
Processing times for SPBI record requests vary. If you're facing an imminent background check deadline, start this process immediately — don't wait until the employer asks for consent.
The Connecticut Expungement & Record Sealing Guide includes a step-by-step record acquisition workflow, a checklist for reviewing your RAP sheet, and templates for disputing any entries that should have been erased. It's designed for people who need to verify their record status before a deadline hits.
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Download the Connecticut — Expungement Eligibility Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.