background check arkansas

For a background check, Arkansas provides a number of resources that can be used, especially for individuals who want to do their own Arkansas background check before a potential employer does.

By using local, state, or federal resources, anyone can analyze their employment history, education background, criminal record, credit history, and much more. In fact, many of the aspects involved in a background check can be searched for free, and the results are instantaneous.

The following guide provides all the steps to conduct an Arkansas background check on yourself, and it also outlines how long a background check takes and what shows up on a background check in Arkansas

How Far Back Does a Background Check Go In Arkansas?

How far does an Arkansas background check go? The FCRA has a 7-year look back period for the state of Arkansas. However, Arkansas does NOT have a law limiting how far back a background check can go in the state.

This means that employers can request 10 or more years of criminal and personal public records, if desired.

Although most will not look farther back than 7-10 years, some positions, such as a federal background check for a government job, will likely examine a person’s entire history.

If the specific job position the individual is applying for contains a yearly salary of less than $75,000, the look back period will likely be closer to 10 years as well.

Using the Online Criminal Background Check System: Arkansas Info and Public Records

There are different ways in which individuals can see what may show up on an Arkansas background check, whether the search is for criminal records, or personal public records.

For example, with online criminal background checks, users can find a variety of records, including:

But by understanding the process of how to use the online criminal background check system, anyone can figure out the fastest and most cost-effective way to garner criminal background information on themselves or another person.

Arkansas Background Check Form

The Arkansas background check form is an online criminal background check system run by the Arkansas State Police. ¹ Individual can obtain information about a specific person with the signed written consent of the person in question.

In addition, FBI fingerprint-based checks are available for those who have prior access or limited authorization to the National record checks in accordance with the Arkansas law or federal regulations.

Individuals can use this system by first understanding which category they fall, either under entities that are allowed to perform the search with written consent or entities that are allowed to conduct a fingerprint-based record check. ² Both of these categories involve the person signing up via the ‘Subscribe’ button on the Arkansas State Police website.

For those who require written consent for a search, they can follow these steps:

1. Sign up and subscribe on the Arkansas state police website
2. Click on the ‘Search’ tab
3. Complete the ‘Subject Information’
4. Click on ‘Step 2’

Enter basic information like the subject’s first name, last name, date of birth, sex, race, social security number, address, purpose, and search options

5. Confirm the information entered was correct
6. Click on ‘Submit Search’
7. The results will either state No Arkansas Criminal History was found for this subject” or “A Criminal History was found for this subject”
8. Click on ‘Print’ to view the records

The method is also provided for people who want to perform a search on themselves.

Choose either option here. To complete the Arkansas background check for criminal records, detailed steps are provided below.

Find Arkansas Public Records Through County Clerks

Users can also find a host of public records, using the state’s individual county clerks’ offices and sheriff’s offices. These include:

Fortunately for individuals, the clerk’s court records are easy to find via the county’s online system that offers individual contact information for the county.

Circuit Courts usually contain the cases of individuals that have claimed over $100, criminal convictions, and arrests. The most common cases handled by Circuit Courts involve felonies and misdemeanors. Circuit Courts typically share jurisdiction with state claims up to $25,000. ⁴

The county clerk’s website for each county contains contact information, public records, and the circuit clerk’s information, making it easy for individuals to find what they are looking for.

Arkansas County Public Records Search	Arkansas Clerk Court Records Search	Sheriff’s Office Contact Information
Arkansas County Public Records	Sarah Merchant – Arkansas County Circuit Clerk	Arkansas County Sheriff – Dean Mannis
Ashley County Public records	Circuit Clerk Ashley County	Sheriff – Ashley County Tommy Sturgeon
Baxter County Public Records	County Clerk	Baxter County Sheriff’s Office
Benton County Public Records	Circuit Clerk – Benton County	Benton County Sheriff’s Office
Boone County Public Records	Circuit Clerk	Boone County Sheriff AR
Bradley County Public Records	Bradley County Arkansas – Circuit Clerk & Recorder	Bradley County Sheriff
Calhoun County Public Records	Calhoun County Clerk	Sheriff Services – Calhoun County, Arkansas
Carroll County Public Records	Carroll County Circuit Clerk	Carroll County Sheriff Jim Ross
Chicot County Public Records	Circuit Clerk – Chicot Country, Arkansas	Officials – Chicot County, Arkansas
Clark County Public Records	Clark County Circuit Clerk	Clark County Sheriff’s Email
Clay County Public Records	Clay County Circuit Clerk	Clay County Sheriff’s Office
Cleburne County Public Records	Cleburne County Arkansas – Circuit Clerk and Recorder	Cleburne County Sheriff AR
Cleveland County Public Records	Cleveland County Departments	Sheriff Jack H. Rodgers II
Columbia County Public Records	Circuit Clerk – Columbia County	Columbia County Sheriff AR
Conway County Public Records	Circuit Clerk – Conway County	Conway County Sheriff Mike Smith
Craighead County Public Records	Craighead County, Arkansas	Craighead County Arkansas Sheriff’s Office
Crawford County Public Records	Circuit Clerk & Ex-Officio Recorder	Crawford County Sheriff’s Department
Crittenden County Public Records	Court Services – Crittenden County, Arkansas	Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office
Cross County Public Records	Circuit Clerk – Cross County AR Government	Cross County Sheriff AR
Dallas County Public Records	Dallas County	Dallas County Sheriff’s Office
Desha County Public Records	County Officials	Desha County Sheriff’s Office
Drew County Public Records	Circuit Clerk	Drew County Sheriff’s Office
Faulkner County Public Records	Circuit Clerk	Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office
Franklin County Public Records	Franklin County Circuit Clerk	Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
Fulton County Public Records	County & Circuit Clerk	Sheriff Fulton County AR Government
Garland County Public Records	Garland County Clerk	Sheriff’s Office Garland County, AR
Greene County Public Records	Circuit Clerk Greene County Courthouse	Greene County AR Sheriff’s Office
Hempstead County Public Records	County Clerk Hempstead County Arkansas	Hempstead County Sheriff’s Office
Hot Spring County Public Records	Circuit Clerk Hot Spring County Arkansas	Hot Spring County Sheriff’s Office
Howard County Public Records	Howard County	Howard County Sheriff’s Office
Independence County Public Records	Independence County Arkansas Circuit Clerk and Recorder	Independence County Sheriff’s Department
Izard County Public Records	Circuit/County Clerk	Izard County Sheriff AR
Jackson County Public Records	Circuit Clerk – Jackson County AR	Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
Jefferson County Public Records	County Clerk	Jefferson County Sheriff AR
Johnson County Public Records	Circuit Clerk – Monica King	Johnson County Sheriff AR
Lafayette County Public Records	Lafayette County, Arkansas	Lafayette County, Arkansas
Lee County Public Records	Officials – Lee County, Arkansas	Sheriff Services – Lee County, Arkansas
Lincoln County Public Records	Circuit Clerk – Lincoln County	Sheriff – Lincoln County, Arkansas
Little River County Public Records	Little River County – Local Government Portal	Little River County Sheriff Bobby Walraven
Logan County Public Records	Kim Rudolph – Arkansas Judiciary	Logan County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas
Lonoke County Public Records	Lonoke County Circuit Clerk Office	Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office
Madison County Public Records	Madison Circuit Clerk and Recorder	Madison County Sheriff’s Office
Marion County Public Records	County & Circuit Clerk	Inmate Roster Marion County Sheriff’s Office
Miller County Public Records	Circuit Clerk Miller County	Miller County Sheriff’s Office
Mississippi County Public Records	Circuit Clerk – Mississippi County, AR	Mississippi County AR Sheriff
Monroe County Public Records	Circuit Clerk – Monroe County, Arkansas	Monroe County, Arkansas
Montgomery County Public Records	County Clerk	Montgomery County AR Sheriff: Disclaimer
Nevada County Public Records	Circuit Clerk Rita Reyenga	Nevada County Sheriff AR
Newton County Public Records	Newton County	Newton County Sheriff AR
Ouachita County Public Records	Ouachita County Courthouse Contacts	Ouachita County Sheriff’s Office
Perry County Public Records	Perry – Association of Arkansas Counties	Perry County Sheriff’s Office
Phillips County Public Records	Circuit Clerk – Lynn Stillwell	Phillips County, Arkansas Sheriff’s Office
Pike County Public Records	Pike County	Pike County AR Sheriff
Poinsett County Public Records	Circuit & Chancery Clerk	Poinsett County Sheriff AR
Polk County Public Records	Polk County	Polk County Sheriff Scott Sawyer
Pope County Public Records	Circuit Clerk	Sheriff Pope County Arkansas
Prairie County Public Records	Circuit and County Clerk	Prairie County Sheriff AR
Pulaski County Public Records	Pulaski Circuit / County Clerk	Pulaski County Law Enforcement
Randolph County Public Records	Debbie Wise Arkansas Judiciary	Randolph County Sheriff AR
St. Francis County Public Records	Circuit Clerk St. Francis County AR Government	St. Francis County Sheriff AR
Saline County Public Records	Circuit Clerk	Saline County Sheriff’s Office
Scott County Public Records	Circuit Clerk	Sheriff – Scott County, Arkansas
Searcy County Public Records	Searcy County	Searcy County AR Sheriff
Sebastian County Public Records	Sebastian County Government	Sebastian County Government
Sevier County Public Records	Sevier County Circuit Clerk	Sevier County Sheriff, AR
Sharp County Public Records	County/Circuit Clerk	Sharp County Sheriff’s Office
Stone County Public Records	Stone County Arkansas Circuit Clerk & Recorder	Stone County Sheriff AR
Union County Public Records	Circuit Clerk	Union County Sheriff’s Office
Van Buren County Public Records	Van Buren County	Van Buren County Sheriff AR
Washington County Public Records	Circuit Clerk	Sheriff Washington County, AR
White County Public Records	Circuit Clerk Tami King	Sheriff White County Arkansas
Woodruff County Public Records	Departments – Woodruff County, Arkansas	Sheriff Woodruff County, Arkansas
Yell County Public Records	Circuit & County Clerk	Yell County Sheriff’s Department

Find Arkansas Court Records with Court Connect

The state court system also allows users to search public criminal records. Individuals can use CourtConnect to find case information for the local courts. Any public individual can find cases by searching for the person’s name or case number. ³ CourtConnect contains basic information regarding events, filings, case information, and statistical information.

Accessing CourtConnect is possible by doing the following steps:

1. Visit the Administrative Office of the Courts Public CourtConnect Website
2. Click on ‘Search by person name, business name, or case type’
   1. Individuals can also search based on case or docket filings by date search
3. Enter the search criteria

Furthermore, individuals can access public court records via the online federal system, known as PACER. This online database, called the Public Access to Court Electronic Records, provides numerous public cases that make it easy for individuals to find a person through their case number or first and last name.

1. Register for a PACER account
2. Use the PACER Case Locator to find where the court case was filed
3. Input the search criteria
4. Pay the $3.00 fee per document

Other less common state and federal ways to find Arkansas public court records involve accessing paper case files where the case was filed, calling for access to court records, and researching older historical court records through the National Archives and Records Administration.

Criminal Records Search: Arkansas State Police Background Check

A state-level Arkansas background check requires using the state police site, whereas the county level requires contacting the local sheriff’s office.

The steps are outlined below:

Step 1: Visit The Arkansas Department of Public Safety Website

Step 2: Click On ‘Law Enforcement’

Step 3: Click On ‘State Police’

Step 4: Click On ‘Divisions & Directory’

Step 5: Click On ‘Criminal Investigations’ And Contact One Of The Criminal Investigation Workers.

The other option after step 4 is to do the following…

Step 5a: Click Criminal Background Checks at the Bottom of the Page

Step 7a: Click On ‘Go To Criminal Background Checks’ If The Search Is Mandated By Law, Or Click On ‘Go To Open Criminal History’ If It Is For a Personal Search

To perform ARCH criminal background checks, use this link.

To perform an ARCH background check on yourself, use this link.

Step 8: Enter Search Criteria (Last Name, First Name, Date Of Birth, Sex)

Step 10: Pay for the search.

Individuals may also use the county sheriff’s contact information to analyze court records, perform inmate lookups, or speak to an employee or probation officer regarding the records in need.

Arkansas Pre Employment Background Check Types

In addition to learning what may show on Arkansas court public records, it can be helpful to understand that some occupations require pre-employment background checks to ensure a person is qualified for a specific job sector. For example, healthcare workers often have to undergo pre-employment checks since they work with elderly or ill people and church background checks can help protect non profits from liabilities.

Background Check Arkansas Educators And Teachers

Arkansas State requires background checks for all those doing an internship, first-time educator licensure, licensure renewals, change of employment within a public or charter school, or education service cooperative. ⁴

The online background check system is operated by the Arkansas Department of Education. This system utilizes Arkansas and federal criminal records for background checks on teachers, educators, and employment within the Arkansas school system. ⁶

Healthcare Background Check AK: Background Check System

Specific healthcare professionals require Arkansas background checks: home health agencies, private care agencies, and hospice services. Requests for criminal records can be sent to Health Facility Services in Little Rock, Arkansas, to obtain a background check on a specific person applying for a job in this sector.

The purpose of these background checks is to ensure the staff and employees working in home health, private agencies, and hospice sectors pass all criminal record checks. Businesses can submit a criminal record check by doing one of the following:

• Contact Health Facility Services at 501-661-2201
• Go to the Arkansas State Police website and click on the link for those ‘mandated’ to perform checks
  • Select ‘subscribe online’ and follow the prompts
• Print the Health Facility Services Background Check Application for the applicant to fill in

Level 2 background checks for healthcare workers are essential to ensure applicants’ information is correct, they received the claimed licensures, and they contain the proper education and training credentials. ⁷

Arkansas Child Care Background Check

Another sector in which an individual may need to obtain a pre-employment background check is in the child care and early childhood educational setting. The state of Arkansas has created portal access within the Information Network of Arkansas for child care workers to submit their background checks.

Get Arkansas Dot Record

Individuals in specific professions, such as truck drivers or transportation services, may need to submit their Arkansas driving records before employment. However, before applying for an occupation, it can be helpful to know which type of driving record you need — insurance driving record, commercial driving record, or history driving record ⁸.

Fortunately, there are a few ways to obtain one or multiple of these driving records, either through the local Department of Motor Vehicles, Arkansas Driver Services website, or third-party service.

Arkansas Inmate Lookup and Sex Offender Registry Screening

Individuals should also learn how to use the state sex offender registry search to determine if a person in question has a blip on their background check.

Step 1: Visit The Arkansas Department Of Public Safety Website

Step 2: Click On Arkansas Crime Information Center

Step 3: Click On Sex Offender Information

Step 4: Click On Sex Offender Search

Step 5: Search For The Person In Question

Alternatively, to step 4, individuals can do the following…

Step 5a: Click On Sex Offender Registry Download To See The Entire List Of Names

Background Check for Gun Purchase in Arkansas

Before anyone can buy a firearm in the state of Arkansas, understanding the background check procedures in the state for purchasing and owning a gun is essential to follow the rules and regulations.

Federal law requires licensed firearms dealers to conduct a background check on the individual purchasing a gun prior to the sale of the weapon. Furthermore, states can also use their own background checks with local and state records and databases.

However, Arkansas chooses not to use this “point of contact” system for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System database. Instead, firearms dealers in the state must conduct a background check through the Federal Bureau of Investigation. ¹

In addition, federal law does not require a background check for firearms dealers if the person buying the firearm contains a permit to possess firearms. Lastly, Arkansas does not require private sellers to do a background check if they are transferring ownership of a gun to another person.

Arkansas Background Check Laws

Although there are free federal statutes regarding background checks, each state has its individual laws regarding the process of what is needed for a background check. For example, pre employment background checks must abide by the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the local state employer laws.

Fair Credit Reporting Act

This regulation states that specific procedures have to be followed when using screening purposes for employment. The employer must tell the candidate in question why they are conducting the background screening, what it includes, and how they will use the information in their decision-making process. ¹⁰

State Laws

The state of Arkansas does not allow the use of records of old arrests that did not result in a felony conviction in courts or records that have been sealed or expunged by the court. Furthermore, Arkansas requires background checks for specific professions (ex: education and healthcare). ¹¹
Lastly, employers must be aware of a few rules and regulations regarding their conduct when it comes to social media background checks: ¹²

• Employers cannot use an applicant’s social media profiles during the screening
• Employers cannot ask any potential employees for social media log-in information
• Employers must not require that current or future employees change their social media privacy settings

How Long Does Arkansas Background Check Take?

So, how long does an Arkansas background check take normally? The request will usually take between 7-and 10 days, excluding the mail in time for the background check.

How Much Does an Arkansas Background Check Cost?

There are different Arkansas background checks that have different prices based on their scale.

 

Knowing how to use the ARCH system to conduct an Arkansas background check can help both organizations and individuals comply with laws for a background check, in Arkansas.