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Criminal Background Check NY Online
Use New York OCA Direct Access for a criminal history search, check exact-name requirements, and understand exclusions and certified disposition records.
Start with OCA Direct Access for a public court-history search
New York OCA Direct Access sells a statewide Criminal History Record Search (CHRS). It is a name-and-birth-date search, rather than a fingerprint request. Before paying, confirm whether the recipient wants this public report, your DCJS rap sheet, or a Certificate of Disposition for a particular case.
Choose an account before preparing payment
Public account
Online card payment is required. A request can contain up to five searches. The listed search charge is $95, plus a separate convenience fee.
Corporate account
OCA requires previous CHRS use. This option accepts a checking-account ACH payment or a debit/credit card. It is not the payment menu available to every first-time public user.
Payment and account rules checked September 29, 2026 against OCA’s account instructions.
Track one request through its actual status
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01
Validate every name and birth date
OCA uses an exact match. A spelling variant or different birth date is another search, not an automatic expansion of the first search. Correct an input error before submitting.
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02
Distinguish immediate output from review
A no-result response can return immediately. If any name yields a record, OCA holds the entire request for review during business days; an online service available around the clock does not mean every result is immediate.
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03
Reopen the order before purchasing again
Direct Access provides current-request status and two years of past requests. Use that history to find the existing submission and its output.
Read an empty report against these limits
| Limit in OCA coverage | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Exact name and birth date | An input mismatch may omit the person’s result. |
| Sealed records and excluded dispositions | Public non-disclosure is not a statement that no proceeding occurred. |
| Federal, civil and Family Court cases | Use the relevant record system if that is the evidence required. |
| Town/village disposition history | May 1991–2002 is unavailable; 2002–2007 is limited. Ask the originating court about a known older case. |
See OCA’s complete exclusions before treating a search as comprehensive. The report is neither a national search nor an FBI check.
Use the output that answers the recipient’s question
Court history, rap sheet and disposition serve different purposes
New York’s criminal-record guide distinguishes the fingerprint-based DCJS rap sheet from public CHRS. The CHRS result is uncertified. For official proof of a particular case’s outcome, request a Certificate of Disposition from the court that handled it. Give that court the case reference rather than ordering another statewide search.
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