Maine Background Checks

It's hard to find many reasons not to perform Maine background checks if you're curious about someone you know. In the past there were many different reasons this was not possible, including:

  • You had to ask the person's permission.
  • Locating the documents was exceedingly difficult.
  • It was not possible to get the data in a timely manner.

    • Now, however, the process has been made much easier. Instead of having to ask permission or take time to access the person's public records, many companies have decided to make Maine background checks much easier on you, by electing to create public records databases.

    What Makes These Easier

    Public records law allows people to access public records whenever they want for any reason. That means that companies can access loads of public records and enter it all as public record data. Once the data is entered, it can be associated with various people and used like a search engine, keeping all of the records in one place.

    So rather than ask permission from someone to view these records, you can simply perform Maine background checks whenever you like, using these people search engines. That makes it much faster and more convenient. You can also search for anyone you want at any time, since there is no limit to how the information can be found or used. Finally, no one will know you are curious, so you can make these searches knowing they're anonymous. The ability to find out details on other people can be extremely valuable, and these public records background checks make that much simpler.

    Maine Criminal Records

    Maine is not considered a closed state, and therefore, any private citizen, government agency, or business desiring access to an individual’s Maine criminal record can work with the State Bureau of Identification, operated by the Maine State Police. You can also request identity verification via a fingerprint match, which is the only way to guarantee a person’s identity. Juvenile Maine criminal records are also available on request.

    Although Maine criminal records are available to the public, the State Bureau of Identification will only give you records that include convictions for adults or juvenile adjudications, since the request will be considered as non-criminal justice. Only agencies who make the request for criminal justice purposes, such as prosecution, arrest, detection, pre- or post-trial release or adjudication, will receive a complete Maine criminal record, which includes, in addition to any convictions, any arrests or interaction with law enforcement within the state of Maine.

    In order to verify identification, the State Bureau of Identification needs to conduct a fingerprint comparison because the information they receive regarding Maine criminal records do not contain identifiers like gender and social security numbers. Any identifiers other than fingerprints are considered unreliable because they can be entered incorrectly in the system, or more often, falsely given by the criminal offender. You could also get a false positive, where the individual in question does possess a Maine criminal record, but because it’s under an alias, your request would come back clean. To utilize a fingerprint check, you must submit the fingerprints directly with your request.

    You may request your own Maine criminal record to verify its contents. If the information is incorrect, contact the State Bureau of Identification by mail or in person to request a correction. To do this, you must clearly state which criminal record is in question, what information you want corrected, as well as evidence to justify the correction. Once your request is received, it will be investigated. You will be notified in writing within 15 days whether your information was corrected or not. You also can appeal the decision, if necessary.

    Maine criminal records are obtained mostly online, although any requests can be made over the phone. To obtain Maine criminal records, whether a name check or a fingerprint check, the cost is $31 unless you are an inforME subscriber, in which case the cost is $21.

    To request criminal records online do the following:

    For additional information on obtaining criminal records in Maine, please contact the office at the address or phone number below:

    State Bureau of Identification
    State House Station #42
    Augusta, ME 04333-0042
    (207) 624-7240

    Resource Links
    Maine Criminal History Records

    Maine Court Records

    Historical Maine court records are maintained at the Maine State Archives and include dockets, records and case files from all 16 Maine counties dating back to 1636. Case files archived from the Circuit Court of Common Pleas will give you a glimpse of daily life, including occupations, salaries, economic circumstances and business practices from different eras.

    More current Maine court records an also be researched and include non-criminal court proceedings and birth, death, marriage and divorce records. A certified copy of a document including research costs $15, while a plain copy costs $7. If you perform research yourself, you only need to pay $.50 per copy, while staff-performed research costs between $10 and $20 depending on the amount of time spent, plus $.25 per copy.

    For additional information on obtaining Maine court records, please contact the office at the address or phone number below:

    Maine State Archives
    84 State House Station
    Augusta, Maine 04333
    (207) 287-5790

    Resource Links
    Maine Judicial Records Information

    Maine Jail Records

    Maine Department of Corrections holds Maine jail records for convicted criminal offenders who have already been tried and sentenced to more than nine months in jail. The fastest way to obtain Maine jail records is to include the following information in writing (by mail or email): inmate’s full name, date of birth, DOC number, your full name and address plus your reason for accessing this information. The Maine Department of Corrections is working on developing an online system, but it is not currently available.

    To search for jail records online do the following:

    For additional information on locating adult or juvenile Maine jail records, please contact the office at the address or phone numbers below, or send your request to the following email: Corrections.Webdesk@maine.gov.

    Adult Community Corrections
    111 State House Station
    Augusta, ME. 04333
    (207) 287-4340

    Division of Juvenile Services
    111 State House Station
    August, ME 04333
    (207) 287-4362

    Resource Links
    Maine Inmate Information

    Maine Driving Records

    Maine driving records are available online or via mail, depending on your preference. You can only obtain your own Maine driving record, which includes your driving history only, such as speeding tickets, moving violations and whether you have any accident convictions. If you need a copy of an accident report, conviction or suspension listed on your Maine driving record, you must request this separately. Simply provide your name as it appears on your driver license, current address and date of birth. The cost for a 3-year Maine driving record history is $5, while a 10 year history costs $10. Additionally, if you require specific accident or suspension records, the fee is $5.

    For additional information on obtaining Maine driving records, please contact the office at the address or phone number below:

    Bureau of Motor Vehicles
    Driver License Services Division
    29 State House Station
    Augusta, Maine 04333
    (207) 624-9000

    Resource Links
    Maine Driving Record Information
    Request Form

    Additional Resources

    Maine Sexual Offender Registry
    Maine Attorney General