Indiana Background Checks

The IC 16-37-1-10 section of Indiana law states that access to birth and death certificates must be requested on the grounds of a “direct interest.” This may be a family or legal interest in obtaining death and birth documents for Indiana background checks. Birth and death certificates are available from the Indiana State Department of Health, Vital Records.

At the time of this writing, the fee for a birth certificate is $10, with additional copies priced at $4. A death certificate can be ordered for $8 with additional copies priced at $4. Form 49606 must accompany a death certificate request, while form 49607 must be sent with a birth certificate request. Checks should be made payable to the Indiana Department of Health. The processing time is usually about 3-4 weeks after the document request is received.

Marriage licenses and divorce decrees are not maintained by the Indiana State Department of Health, Vital Records. These documents that may be used in Indiana background checks, must be obtained from the Clerk of County in the county in which the event occurred. If you’re unsure of the exact Indiana county, you can contact the Indiana State Library at (317) 232-3689.

Indiana State Department of Health
Vital Records
PO Box 7125
Indianapolis IN 46206-7125

The Indiana State Police offers Limited Criminal History Checks according to law. Class A Misdemeanor arrest records are limited to county participation and are only state-wide in scope. A request form for criminal records for Indiana background checks must include your reason for the search such as for individual checks.

The first and last name of the person you want a criminal history check on must also accompany your request. The fee at the time of this writing is $7 payable by a certified check or money order only for mail requests. If the Indiana State Police has no disclosable records on the searched for name, a “No Records Found” report will be issued. This result that you may receive on your Indiana criminal background checks is considered to be an official report and the fee for the search applies.

Indiana background checks for criminal history records may have the fee waived for authorized government agencies and non-profit organizations. For landlords doing Indiana background checks, evictions may not show up in a criminal check since being evicted in itself isn’t considered a crime. Credit checks are more likely to spotlight evictions.

Court and jail records may be used in Indiana background checks as part of a criminal history search. Jails typically have court booking dates as well as arrest records. Court records can be obtained from Indiana district and state courthouse records.

Violent offender and convicted sex offender records searches can be requested from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI).

Indiana Criminal Justice Institute
101 West Washington St.
Suite 1170, East Tower
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Phone: (317) 232-1233
Fax: (317) 232-4979

Indiana State Police
Criminal History Limited Check
PO Box 6188
Indianapolis, IN 46206-6188