DC Criminal Records Check

Choose the clearance that the recipient actually needs

A DC criminal-record check can mean an MPD police clearance or a search of a particular court case. Ask the employer, licensing office or overseas authority which document it accepts before paying. MPD uses PD Form 70. Its ordinary Option B reports adult convictions whose sentences ended within the preceding ten years and court collateral forfeitures within that period; it is not a list of every arrest.

Option A is the fuller adult-arrest history for determining eligibility for sealing or expungement, or filing that motion. It includes adult arrests regardless of date or outcome. Both options cost $7. An arrest entry, dismissal and conviction describe different events; preserve the disposition shown rather than interpreting all entries as convictions.

Plan the visit around the current office and instructions

The Arrest and Criminal History Section is at 441 4th Street NW, Room 550 South, Washington, DC 20001; call 202-727-4245. Applicants must be at least 18. Bring a driver’s license or non-driver ID, or the original birth certificate together with a Social Security card. Counter payment is cash or credit card, not a money order or personal check.

There is conflicting appointment wording: the clearance page advertises weekday walk-ins, but it and the scheduler also say in-person records requests require an appointment. Use the scheduler’s Criminal History option or call before traveling. The clearance page now advertises 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, while a lower block still gives 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on all weekdays. Confirm an evening visit first.

If another person will request the report

A police clearance is not an unrestricted background search of a stranger. MPD’s Option B permits the subject to authorize someone else, while its FOIA guidance requires PD-70 accompanied by the subject’s notarized letter. Arrange that authorization with the Criminal History Section; a general public-records email does not replace it. Do not send identity documents to a private search site assuming it is MPD.

Prepare a complete mailed request

If you live outside DC or cannot attend, send MPD a notarized request letter and an ID copy. Its mail checklist asks for full name, date of birth, Social Security number, telephone number, email address and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Include a $7 money order payable to DC Treasurer; checks are not accepted. Mail to Metropolitan Police Department, Criminal History Section, 441 4th Street NW, Room 550 South, Washington, DC 20001.

MPD asks mailed applicants to allow six weeks. The page also mentions roughly 24 hours for many counter requests but lists up to ten business days for both report options. These are different published estimates, not a same-day promise. If a deadline matters, ask staff which timeline applies to your submission and record the answer.

Use drop-off only with the stated return arrangements

MPD separately advertises personal drop-off without an appointment, with processing around two weeks. At drop-off, choose return pickup or mailing. Bring identification, email and callback details, and a stamped self-addressed envelope if the report will be mailed. Because the drop-off checklist lists identity documents without clearly separating its alternatives, confirm the documents and payment arrangement at 202-727-4429 before arriving.

Check the result and obtain the court document when needed

Read the clearance before leaving and keep the serving clerk’s name, as MPD recommends. For a wrong identifier or missing outcome, contact the Criminal History Section with the report reference and supporting court paperwork. Request the actual judgment or disposition from DC Superior Court when the receiving organization needs documentary proof rather than the police summary. The Criminal Information Office can help identify a case at 202-879-1373.

Superior Court Rule 55 separately sets a $10 search fee, with exceptions including a person searching their own record; that is not the $7 MPD clearance fee. Sealed or expunged cases are excluded from public court access. The court FAQ still displays an older MPD location, so use MPD’s own current 441 4th Street address for the clearance. A DC-only response cannot establish a nationwide history.