Alaska Background Check Records

An Alaska background check pulls from the Alaska Public Safety Information Network, which is the state's main criminal history repository. You can request a name-based or fingerprint-based Alaska background check through the Alaska Department of Public Safety, search open court cases on CourtView, or look up inmates and sex offenders through state databases. Any member of the public may request a criminal history record in Alaska, and most court files are open to search. This page walks through the main ways to find and request an Alaska background check across the state.

How to Request an Alaska Background Check

The Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) runs the state's official Alaska background check program. DPS keeps the Alaska Public Safety Information Network, which holds adult arrest and conviction data for the state. The report covers misdemeanor and felony offenses. It leaves out most juvenile cases, traffic infractions, and simple violations. You can ask for your own record, or the record of another person, under Alaska Statute AS 12.62.160.

The Criminal Records and Identification Bureau sits at 5700 E Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99507. The phone line is 907-269-5767, and the email is dps.criminal.records@alaska.gov. Three methods exist for a name-based Alaska background check. You can walk in with two forms of ID. You can mail the form with a check or money order. You can start an online request at the DPS self-service portal and get a secure link by email.

To see the state page on how the program works, open the DPS Background Check Home Page. The Alaska background check portal at backgroundcheck.dps.alaska.gov walks you through the online form step by step.

The DPS self-service portal is where most people start their own Alaska background check. After you submit your email, the system sends a secure link to the form. You fill in your Social Security number and your Alaska driver's license number so the state can match you to your record.

To begin a name-based Alaska background check online, you need:

• A valid email address
• Your Social Security number
• An Alaska driver's license or state ID number
• Payment for the $20 fee

Note: The DPS portal can see delays during scheduled maintenance, so give the request extra time if you need the record by a set date.

Fingerprint Alaska Background Check

A fingerprint-based Alaska background check runs $35 and gives the most complete record. DPS uses the FD-258 FBI fingerprint card for this check. The state keeps a list of approved fingerprinting locations across Alaska so you can find a place near you. The main office sits on East Tudor Road in Anchorage, with fingerprint help in Homer at 40891 Morningstar Rd and in Fairbanks at 1979 Peger Road.

Prints must be clean and legible. Cards with smudges, wrong ink, or bad form entries get kicked back and must be redone. If you live far from an urban post, local police and Village Public Safety Officers can often roll prints for you. You mail the signed card, the form, and a check for $35 made out to the State of Alaska. The bureau ships the record back by mail.

DPS also sends prints to the FBI for a national criminal history search when the law calls for one. Under AS 12.62.160 and federal rules, this step adds FBI data to the state-level Alaska background check result. That matters when a person has lived in more than one state.

Alaska Court Records and Background Checks

Court records form another key part of any Alaska background check. The Alaska Court System runs CourtView, a free statewide index of trial court cases. It shows case number, party names, and case type for open files. Most court files in Alaska are public, and anyone can ask the clerk for copies. The state court search is the first stop for anyone who wants to check criminal or civil case history.

The Alaska Court System case search page hosts the public CourtView portal. The site warns that a court case search is not a full criminal history check of a person. Some cases never make it to CourtView, and some records drop off after a set time. Files tied to sealed, confidential, juvenile, or dismissed matters get pulled under Administrative Rule 37.6. Always confirm a date of birth before you take action on a CourtView hit, since common names can match many people.

Two state statutes cap what the court site will show. Under AS 22.35.030, the court system cannot publish a criminal record after 60 days have passed since an acquittal or a full dismissal that was not part of a plea deal. Under AS 04.21.078, some charges for minor alcohol offenses and small marijuana cases also stay off the public site.

For paper copies of a case, use the Alaska Trial Courts page to find the right clerk. A certified copy costs $10 for the first and $3 for each one after in the same order. Research by court staff is $30 per hour. Audio recordings cost $20 per CD. The Valdez court has noted a 4 to 6 week wait on records requests, so plan ahead.

The CourtView information page spells out the types of cases you will and will not see in the online index. Confidential types include delinquency, CINA (Child in Need of Aid), adoption, mental commitment, and minor settlement cases. For any sealed file, you must go to the court where the case was filed and ask staff in person.

Sex Offender Registry and Inmate Lookups

A full Alaska background check should include the sex offender registry and the prison inmate lookup. Both are public and free. Each one fills a gap that a plain court search may miss.

The Alaska Sex Offender/Child Kidnapper Registry is one of the most open such lists in the country. Under AS 18.65.087, the database lets you search by name, location, or offense. Entries show full name, photo, physical details, home and work address, the crime of conviction, and the status of the record. Under AS 12.63.020, people with non-aggravated offenses must register for 15 years. Those with aggravated offenses or more than one qualifying offense must register for life. The Alaska Supreme Court upheld this public disclosure rule in Doe v. State, 189 P.3d 999 (Alaska 2008).

The Alaska Department of Corrections runs inmate records for state prisons. You can use VINElink at (800) 247-9763 to find an inmate's current location and status. DOC facilities include the Yukon-Kuskokwim Correctional Center in Bethel, the Fairbanks Correctional Center, Wildwood Correctional Complex near Kenai, Anvil Mountain near Nome, and the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility in Palmer. Inmate data may list name, booking date, charges, and facility, which helps round out an Alaska background check.

The Alaska State Troopers also post a Most Wanted list with photos and charges for people with open warrants across the state.

Alaska Public Records Act and Access Rights

The Alaska Public Records Act, at AS 40.25.110 to 40.25.125, sets the rules for public access to state files. The Alaska Department of Law oversees how agencies apply the act. State and local offices must reply to a public records request within 10 business days. The Department can be reached at (907) 269-5100 for questions on the law. Fee waivers may be available for nonprofits and journalists.

Under the act, criminal history, sex offender status, court filings, arrest records, and some vital statistics can be part of an Alaska background check. Birth records within 100 years and marriage or divorce records within 50 years stay confidential to the general public. For police reports, most requesters file with the local department or with the Alaska State Troopers Records and Identification Bureau under AS 40.25.110.

The Alaska Legislature has also set strict rules around data sharing. Under AS 12.62, misuse of criminal history data can lead to a criminal inquiry. Under AS 12.62.180, a person can ask to seal an arrest record if they were acquitted, had the case dismissed, or were released with no formal charge. If a conviction followed the arrest, sealing is almost never allowed, save for rare juvenile matters. Alaska has no general expungement law, so a sealed record is not the same as a record wiped from the books.

Alaska Background Check for Care Roles

Under AS 47.05.310 and 7 AAC 10.900, the Alaska Department of Health runs a separate background check path for people who work directly with kids or vulnerable adults. This covers foster parents, adoptive parents, and staff or volunteers with children. The check screens names against the certified nurse aide registry, the sex offender registry, the federal LEIE list, and other databases. It also pulls court files and the national FBI record.

The Alaska background check guide from iProspectCheck gives a plain-English view of how the state process fits together. Under AS 47.05.330, the Health Department reviews the results and decides if a barrier crime exists. People can ask for a variance under 7 AAC 10.930 or ask for redetermination under 7 AAC 10.927. A provider must get provisional clearance before a license, a volunteer shift, or a stay in the facility.

This care-focused path is separate from the DPS self-service portal. Both, though, draw from the same Alaska Public Safety Information Network.

Are Alaska Background Check Records Public

Most parts of an Alaska background check are open to the public. Court records, arrest records, and the sex offender registry are all public under the Alaska Public Records Act and related statutes. You do not need a reason to ask for them. Some files have limits. Juvenile cases, sealed records, records that would hurt an open case, and records that would name a victim or witness stay off public view. The Bethel court, the Anchorage courts, and the other trial courts all follow the same state rules on sealed files.

For a full Alaska background check, use the DPS portal plus the CourtView case search plus the sex offender registry. Each one holds a different slice of the record. No one database has it all.

Browse Alaska Background Check by Borough

Alaska uses boroughs and census areas in place of counties. Pick a borough or area below for local police contacts, court links, and background check help.

View All Alaska Boroughs

Alaska Background Check in Major Cities

Each city police department handles its own records requests. Pick a city below to find the local office, court, and background check contact info.

View Major Alaska Cities