To get a background check in Ohio, you get fingerprinted at a WebCheck location, and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) — a division of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office — processes the request. Which check you order depends on who is asking for it: an Ohio-only BCI check, a national FBI check, or both. The rest is logistics.
Decide Which Check You Need
Do not guess on this. Your employer, licensing board, or volunteer coordinator will tell you which check to order, and ordering the wrong one means paying and going through the process a second time.
A BCI check searches Ohio’s criminal fingerprint database. It returns Ohio arrests, convictions, case dispositions, and the sentence or probation imposed. Ohio courts send weekly case summaries to BCI covering felonies, certain misdemeanors, and juvenile adjudications for acts that would be felonies or offenses of violence if committed by an adult.1Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 109.57 – Duties of Superintendent This is what most Ohio employers, volunteer programs, and state licensing boards ask for.
An FBI check searches the national database maintained by the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division and produces an Identity History Summary covering records from all 50 states and federal jurisdictions.2Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions It’s typically required when a job involves federal oversight, out-of-state license reciprocity, or work with vulnerable populations. Many Ohio licensing boards want both a BCI and an FBI check for initial licensure.
One thing worth knowing about what appears on either report: records sealed by court order are generally removed from standard results, and under Ohio law a sealed proceeding is legally deemed not to have occurred.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 2953.33 – Sealing or Expungement of Record Sealed records remain visible to law enforcement, prosecutors, BCI itself, and certain other entities running checks under ORC 109.572, so a sealed conviction can still surface on a check for something like a child care position.4Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 2953.34 – Sealed Records
What to Bring
You’ll need your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and current address. Previous addresses help if the forms ask. Your fingerprints are the primary identifier BCI and the FBI use to run the search.
You also need a reason code, which ties the check to a specific section of the Ohio Revised Code. The requesting entity supplies this code. If you’re running a check on yourself for personal review, a separate reason code exists for that. Get the code wrong and your results can be delayed or routed to the wrong agency, so confirm it before your appointment.
Where to Go: WebCheck or Mail
The fast route is electronic live scan through a WebCheck provider. These authorized locations digitize your fingerprints and transmit them, along with your personal data, directly to BCI. The Ohio Attorney General’s website has a searchable directory by county or ZIP code.5Ohio Attorney General. Webcheck Community Listing Providers include sheriff’s offices, police departments, libraries, and private fingerprinting companies. Call ahead. Confirm the location’s equipment is current with FBI standards and book an appointment rather than walking in.
If electronic isn’t an option, or if a specific agency requires ink cards, you can submit by mail. Download the fingerprint card from the Ohio Attorney General’s website, have your prints rolled by a local law enforcement agency or fingerprinting service, and mail the completed card with the required forms and payment to: BCI, Civilian Unit, PO Box 365, London, Ohio 43140.6Ohio Attorney General. Request for Copy of Ohio Background Check Mail-in adds meaningful time on both ends, so plan accordingly if you’re working against a deadline.
What It Costs
Fees vary because WebCheck locations set their own service charges on top of the base processing fee. Across Ohio providers, a BCI-only check generally runs $30 to $40, an FBI-only check runs $30 to $40, and a combined BCI and FBI check runs $60 to $70. Some private fingerprinting companies add convenience fees. Payment options vary by location and commonly include credit and debit cards, money orders, and personal checks. Most locations do not accept cash.
How Long It Takes and Who Gets the Results
Electronic submissions with no criminal history hits usually come back in one to five business days. Results that produce a match take longer because they require additional review before release. Mail-in submissions add postal time on both ends plus manual intake, which can push total turnaround to several weeks.
Here’s the part that surprises people: results usually go directly to the requesting entity, not to you. If your employer or licensing board initiated the check, they receive the report. You don’t automatically get a copy. For certain reason codes, including personal review requests, you can access results directly, but that depends on how the check was submitted.
Fixing Errors on Your Report
Read your results carefully if you get them. These databases are only as accurate as the courts and law enforcement agencies that feed them. Common errors include dismissed charges still appearing as open, convictions attributed to the wrong person, and sealed records that weren’t properly updated.
For a BCI report, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office has a formal challenge process. You submit a Request for Challenge and Review of Criminal History Records, which triggers BCI to investigate and correct verified errors.7Ohio Attorney General. Background Check FAQs Don’t sit on it. If you’re mid-application, an unchallenged error can cost you the job or license while you wait for someone else to catch it.
FBI report errors are handled separately. You contact the FBI’s CJIS Division directly, because the Ohio Attorney General cannot correct records held in the federal database.
Getting a Copy of a Check You Already Had Done
If a BCI check was completed for you recently, you can request a copy as long as the original fingerprint submission is less than 11 months old. Requests within 30 days of the original check are free. After 30 days, the copy costs $8. Submit the request by mail to the BCI Civilian Unit in London, Ohio, by email to Civilianident@OhioAGO.gov, or by fax.6Ohio Attorney General. Request for Copy of Ohio Background Check FBI results cannot be re-sent to individuals through this process.
Your Rights When an Employer Runs the Check
If an employer is ordering your background check, federal law under the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you protections that apply regardless of what Ohio law says about the check itself.
Before ordering the check, the employer must give you a standalone written disclosure that a check will be conducted. This disclosure cannot be buried in your job application or combined with other paperwork. You must also give written consent. Skipping either step violates federal law.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 Section 1681b – Permissible Purposes of Consumer Reports
If the employer decides not to hire you based on the results, they can’t simply reject you. Federal law requires a two-step notice. First, a pre-adverse action notice that includes a copy of your background report and a summary of your FCRA rights, giving you a chance to review and dispute anything inaccurate before the final decision. Second, after a reasonable waiting period, a final adverse action notice that identifies the reporting agency, states that the agency did not make the hiring decision, and tells you about your right to a free copy of the report and to dispute its accuracy.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 Section 1681m – Requirements on Users of Consumer Reports
Employers who skip any part of this expose themselves to FCRA lawsuits, and applicants can recover statutory damages without proving financial harm. If you were rejected and never received a copy of your report first, that’s worth investigating.