A disposition letter is an official court document, issued and certified by the clerk of court, that states how a criminal case ended — whether through conviction, acquittal, dismissal, a guilty plea, or a prosecutor’s decision not to pursue charges. You get one by requesting a certified copy from the clerk’s office in the county or district where the case was handled. Employers, licensing boards, landlords, lenders, and immigration officers commonly ask for this document when an arrest shows up on a background check and they want proof of how the matter was resolved.
What a Disposition Letter Shows
The letter identifies the defendant by full legal name, lists the case or docket number, describes the original charges, and states the final outcome along with the date of judgment. If there was a conviction, it also records the sentence imposed.
What makes it a disposition letter rather than a printout is the certification. A certified copy carries the court’s seal or the clerk’s signature, and third parties — government agencies, licensing boards, immigration officers — generally accept nothing less. When you call the clerk’s office, specifically ask for a certified copy, not a photocopy.
A step beyond certification is an exemplified copy, where a judge also verifies the clerk’s signature and the seal is stamped through all pages. You only need that if you are submitting court records to a court in another state or country, and it costs more and takes longer.
When Someone Will Ask You for One
The common thread across these situations is that an arrest showed up somewhere, and the party reviewing your file wants proof of what happened next.
- Employment background checks: If a screening report flags an arrest without a clear outcome, an employer may ask you to document that the charges were dropped, dismissed, or resolved in your favor.
- Professional licensing: Boards overseeing healthcare, law, finance, and education routinely require a disposition letter for any arrest on your record before processing a license application.
- Housing applications: Landlords and property managers may request one to verify a prior arrest did not result in a conviction.
- Lending and financial applications: Some lenders ask for dispositions when a criminal history flag appears during underwriting.
- Immigration filings: USCIS has its own detailed rules, covered below.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act is part of the reason employers ask. Consumer reporting agencies cannot include arrests older than seven years that did not result in conviction, but arrests within that window can appear on a report even without a conviction.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c – Requirements Relating to Information Contained in Consumer Reports A certified disposition is the fastest way to show the employer what the arrest actually produced. If a report contains inaccurate information, you can dispute it with the reporting agency and use the disposition letter as supporting evidence.2Federal Register. Fair Credit Reporting – Background Screening
USCIS Rules for Court Dispositions
Immigration applicants face the strictest documentation standards. If you are applying for adjustment of status or naturalization and have any prior arrests, you must submit original or court-certified copies of the official arrest report along with court records showing the disposition of every arrest, detention, or conviction, regardless of where in the world it occurred.3USCIS. Chapter 4 – Documentation The one exception covers minor traffic violations that were not drug- or alcohol-related, did not result in an arrest, and carried only a fine under $500.
For naturalization specifically, USCIS requires a certified court disposition for arrests involving criminal acts committed during the statutory period, any arrest that may qualify as an aggravated felony, arrests for murder, and arrests for offenses that could make you removable from the United States.4USCIS. Chapter 3 – Evidence and the Record
If the court destroyed the record or the case occurred in a country whose records are unavailable, USCIS will accept an original written statement from the appropriate government authority confirming the record does not exist, along with an explanation of why.3USCIS. Chapter 4 – Documentation
How to Request a Disposition Letter
You go to the clerk of court’s office in the county or district where the case was resolved. Most courts offer three channels.
In Person
The courthouse window is the fastest route. Bring photo ID and your case details, and many courts can hand you a certified disposition the same day. You also get to check the document for errors before you leave.
Online
Many jurisdictions now run records portals where you submit the request and pay the fee electronically. Some generate the document digitally within a few days; others mail a certified hard copy, which can take one to two weeks.
By Mail
Mail your request with a copy of your photo ID and the fee. Some courts require a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return, and a few require a notarized signature on the request form. Check the court’s website for its records request form and any specific requirements.
Fees for certified copies generally run from a few dollars to around $25, depending on the jurisdiction and whether per-page charges apply. Exemplified copies cost more. If you need the letter quickly, ask whether the court offers expedited processing for an added fee. Standard mail processing typically takes one to three weeks.
What to Have Ready Before You Call
The more identifiers you give the clerk, the faster they can pull the file.
- Case or docket number: The single most useful identifier, found on prior court paperwork, bail documents, notices to appear, or attorney correspondence.
- Full legal name and date of birth: If you don’t have the case number, the clerk will search on these. Include any aliases used during the proceedings.
- Arrest or court appearance date: An approximate date narrows the search, especially in high-volume jurisdictions.
- Government-issued photo ID: Required to verify your identity and your authority to access the record.
- Social Security Number: Not required everywhere, but some court systems use it as a tracking identifier, so have it available.
If the Record Is Sealed or Expunged
If your case was sealed or expunged, a standard disposition letter generally will not be issued, because the records have been removed from public access and in some jurisdictions physically destroyed. That is the point of expungement.
Some states will issue a certificate confirming the expungement was granted, and procedures vary by state, so ask the clerk of court where the case was handled. For USCIS purposes, a certified letter from the court confirming that the record no longer exists may satisfy the agency’s documentation requirement as secondary evidence.3USCIS. Chapter 4 – Documentation
If the Letter Has an Error
Mistakes happen — a wrong charge, a wrong outcome, a misspelled name. Under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 36, a court may correct clerical errors in judgments, orders, or other parts of the record at any time, after giving whatever notice it considers appropriate.5Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Rule 36 – Clerical Error State courts have parallel rules for clerical corrections.
Start with the clerk’s office. For a typo, a transposed digit, or a plainly wrong date, the clerk may be able to correct the record administratively. For a substantive error, such as a letter showing a conviction when the case was dismissed, you or your attorney will likely need to file a motion asking the judge to amend the record. Once the court issues a corrected record, request a new certified disposition reflecting the accurate information.
When You Need the Full Picture: The FBI Identity History Summary
If you need a nationwide record of every arrest and disposition on file with the federal government rather than a certified outcome for one case, you can request an FBI Identity History Summary, sometimes called a rap sheet. It compiles information reported to the FBI by federal, state, and local law enforcement.
You submit a current set of fingerprints with an $18 processing fee. The request can be filed electronically with fingerprinting at a participating U.S. Post Office, or you can mail a completed fingerprint card (Form FD-1164) directly to the FBI. A fee waiver is available if you cannot pay; contact the FBI’s identity services division before submitting your request.6Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions
The summary is not a substitute for a court-issued disposition. USCIS, for example, still requires certified court dispositions directly from the court. What the FBI summary can do is surface old arrests you may have forgotten, so you know which courts to contact for the individual disposition letters themselves.