Arizona Background Check: Criminal Records and Sex Offender Registry
If you need to run a background check on someone from Arizona or are looking for information about Arizona criminal records, you can use resources provided by the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Criminal Records
The Arizona Department of Public Safety serves as the Central State Repository for criminal records in Arizona under Arizona Revised Statutes § 41-1750. Arizona criminal justice agencies are required to report arrest and disposition information to the Central State Repository.
However, Arizona does not make its state criminal-history records available to the general public in the same way that some states do. Copies of Arizona criminal records are restricted to authorized individuals and agencies. The Arizona DPS specifically states that the Central State Repository cannot perform criminal-history checks for private citizens or private employers for employment purposes unless the applicable legal requirements for access are satisfied.
Arizona Department of Public Safety Criminal History Records
Authorized employers and agencies may be able to obtain fingerprint-based state and federal criminal-history information through the Arizona DPS Noncriminal Justice Compliance program when authorized by state law or another qualifying authority.
Individuals who want to review their own Arizona criminal record can request a Record Review Packet from the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The purpose of this process is to allow the subject of the record to review the accuracy and completeness of their own criminal-history information.
Arizona also provides a Fingerprint Clearance Card for certain occupations and professional activities. Arizona law requires many professions to have an active fingerprint clearance card before or as a condition of employment, licensing, or certification.
If you have been told by an employer or licensing agency that you need a fingerprint clearance card, you can obtain information through the Arizona DPS Clearance Card Section.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety Public Service Center is located at:
2222 W. Encanto Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85009
United States
For questions concerning Arizona criminal-history records, the Arizona DPS lists +1 (602) 223-2222 for the Criminal History Records Section.
Sex Offender Search
Arizona provides a public sex offender search through the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The department uses OffenderWatch to manage and monitor registered sex offenders in Arizona and directs members of the public to the service for offender searches.
You can access the Arizona sex offender search through the official Arizona government website:
The Arizona DPS Sex Offender Compliance page also provides information about county registration locations and contacts throughout the state.
When using an Arizona sex offender registry, it is important to distinguish the public offender registry from a general criminal-history search. A sex offender registry contains information concerning individuals who are subject to sex offender registration requirements; it is not a complete record of every arrest or criminal conviction in Arizona.