Michigan ICHAT Criminal History Check: How to Search Your Record

What ICHAT Is

ICHAT — the Internet Criminal History Access Tool — is the Michigan State Police's public online portal for searching criminal records. It runs a name-based query against the MSP central database and returns any public convictions associated with that name and date of birth.

Each search costs $10. There is no free option. The fee is non-waivable and cannot be reduced through Form MC 20 or any other court process.

How to Run a Search

Access the ICHAT portal through the Michigan State Police website (michigan.gov/ichat). The search does not require an account — guest access is available.

Enter the subject's full legal name and date of birth. The system searches the MSP criminal history database and returns results. If convictions exist in the public record, they appear with the case number, court, offense, and disposition. A no-result means no public record matched that search; it does not establish whether a person has a Michigan criminal history or why a record is absent.

Save the results as a PDF. This serves as documentation of your public record status at a specific point in time — useful for employers, landlords, or as a baseline before filing a set-aside petition.

What ICHAT Shows and What It Misses

ICHAT searches only the public portion of the MSP central database. Convictions that have been set aside — either automatically through Clean Slate or by court order — move to a nonpublic archive and should not appear.

ICHAT does not show:

• Records that have been successfully set aside (the primary way to verify automatic sealing)
• Civil infractions and minor traffic tickets
• Juvenile adjudications
• Federal convictions
• Out-of-state convictions

ICHAT does show:

• Active public criminal convictions in Michigan
• Some pending criminal cases may appear; a no-result is not a complete check for pending charges
• Convictions that are eligible for but have not yet been automatically sealed

A clean ICHAT result does not mean the record is gone. A nonpublic record remains, with access limited by MCL 780.623 to listed entities and statutory purposes, including courts, judicial-branch agencies, law enforcement, prosecutors, the Attorney General, the Governor, and the Department of Corrections.

The Fingerprint-Based Alternative

For a complete picture — including records that have been moved to nonpublic status — order a Personal Records Check through the Michigan State Police. This is a fingerprint-based search that costs $30 and requires submitting an official fingerprint card (Form RI-008) at a local sheriff's office, police department, or MSP post.

The fingerprint search returns both public and nonpublic records. It is the most reliable way to confirm whether a conviction has been automatically sealed under Clean Slate.

Use the fingerprint check when:

• You need to verify that automatic sealing actually occurred
• You are preparing a set-aside petition and need your complete criminal history
• You have convictions in multiple jurisdictions and need to count lifetime totals for eligibility purposes

ICHAT vs. Local Court Websites

Local county court websites and public docket searches are separate from ICHAT. MCL 780.621g(13) makes the MSP's electronic set-aside record accessible to courts for updating locally maintained court records, but a public docket may not reflect a set-aside at the same time.

A conviction can appear on a county court portal while being absent from ICHAT — meaning the MSP has sealed it but the local court system has not updated. The reverse also happens. ICHAT shows the public MSP record, while county portals show local court records. Check both to identify mismatches that may affect what a background check reports.

Private background check companies may use court records, commercial data aggregators, or other sources. A record that is clear on ICHAT may still appear on a Checkr or Sterling screening report. If a report contains inaccurate or outdated information, it can be disputed under the FCRA.

The Michigan Expungement & Record Sealing Guide walks through the record verification process — ICHAT search, fingerprint check, and the post-clearance dispute steps for commercial screening databases.

See more Michigan guides →