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Ohio Criminal Records

Ohio criminal records are maintained by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) under the Attorney General. BCI provides accurate criminal records for background checks for employment, licensing, and public safety. The Attorney General office provides a sex offender search tool (eSORN). Ohio court records are accessible through individual county clerk of court online systems.

Ohio Statewide Criminal Search Resources

Ohio County Sheriff Reports & Criminal Records

Did You Know? Ohio Does Not Offer Public Name-Based Statewide Criminal History Searches

Ohio’s statewide criminal history repository is not open to general public name-based searches. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) only processes fingerprint-based background checks through the WebCheck system, and those are limited to authorized purposes like employment and licensing.

To search Ohio criminal records without fingerprints, you have to go county by county. Each of Ohio’s 88 county Common Pleas Courts maintains its own case records, and many offer online search tools — but there is no single statewide court portal covering all counties at once.

The sex offender registry and the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction offender search are publicly accessible, but the BCI criminal history database itself is not. This distinction is important and often misunderstood.

About Ohio Criminal Records: Criminal history record information is maintained by the state central repository. Court records may provide additional case-level detail. For official background checks, contact the state criminal history agency listed above. Sex offender registries are updated by local law enforcement and maintained at the state level.
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Last reviewed: Apr 15, 2026 Updated: Apr 15, 2026