Maryland Police Background Check

Start with CJIS and the requesting program

A Maryland criminal-history background check is processed through the DPSCS Criminal Justice Information System Central Repository, usually called CJIS. A local police office or private provider may collect fingerprints, but taking prints alone does not establish the correct report, authority or recipient. Decide whether you need individual review, a visa/Gold Seal service, or an employer/licensing-agency request before booking.

CJIS criminal-history information is not a public name-search database. Maryland’s FAQ says checks on another person require proper authorization. For employment or licensing, the employer or licensing agency must request the check and provide its authorization information; do not borrow another organization’s number or treat a personal check as authorization to obtain someone else’s history.

Arrange the right fingerprint submission

Maryland residents seeking individual review, visas or Gold Seal letters can use an authorized fingerprinting location. In-state employment/licensing submissions normally must use approved electronic live scan; DPSCS describes a bona-fide medical exception for hard cards. Obtain the employer’s CJIS 015 form or authorization number first. For a CJIS applicant-fingerprinting appointment, call 410-764-4501 or 888-795-0011; private providers set their own appointments and service fees.

Before the appointment, compare your name and birth date with your identification and check the request purpose, agency number and recipient. Ask the provider to itemize the state, federal and fingerprint-service charges. Keep the transaction or reference number when fingerprints are submitted, because it is the useful identifier for a later status inquiry.

If you are outside Maryland, request Maryland’s card

For the individual-background-check route, obtain the Maryland fingerprint card from CJIS by calling its customer-service numbers or writing to P.O. Box 32708, Pikesville, MD 21282-2708. The instructions reject other states’ cards and FBI cards. Return the completed Maryland card and required fee to that P.O. Box; the published overnight destination is 6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 217, Baltimore, MD 21215-2346.

A personal FBI history request goes directly to the FBI. It is a separate fingerprint-based personal-review product, not the same submission as Maryland employment screening. Do not mix an FBI personal-summary card or fee with the state’s out-of-state packet simply because both requests concern criminal history.

Account for the October 2026 federal fee notice

The current fingerprint-service table lists Maryland-only checks at $18 by mail or $38 in person, and Maryland with Gold Seal at $19 by mail or $39 in person. The in-person figures include the CJIS $20 fingerprint service fee. A private provider may charge a different additional service fee, so its total need not equal the CJIS storefront price.

DPSCS also posts an October 1, 2026 notice to add $3 for transactions including the federal check. Its displayed authorized full-check table still shows $33 mail-in and $53 in person; applying that notice gives planning totals of $36 and $56 before any different provider charge. Confirm the amount collected for your request type. The FAQ’s older federal totals should not override the current dated notice.

Current CJIS instructions accept specified credit cards or checks and say cash and money orders are not accepted. An older FAQ answer still mentions a money order for individual review. Follow the current submission instructions and ask CJIS before paying; for mailed cards, the background-check page names CJIS Central Repository as the check payee.

Track the application without treating estimates as guarantees

For mailed fingerprint cards, the background-check page gives an expected response in 10–15 days after receipt. The FAQ separately says most state-check results are mailed in fewer than ten working days after an approved application arrives. These statements use different starting points and units, so neither is an assured appointment-to-delivery date. Incomplete information or poor prints can delay processing.

Call CJIS customer service at 410-764-4501 or 888-795-0011, weekdays 8 a.m.–5 p.m., with the reference number. Only the subject or an authorized requester may inquire. Customer service can check progress and explain request types, but it cannot disclose criminal history over that status channel. Use a verified official channel if additional identity verification is required.

Respond to rejected prints or an incorrect identity

A D5 rejection means fingerprint quality was too low; Maryland’s FAQ instructs the applicant to submit another set. Highlighted fields identify missing or incorrect application information. If someone else has used your name, contact CJIS and explain the circumstances so it can direct the appropriate correction process. Keep the rejection letter or disputed report rather than starting unrelated duplicate applications.

Get a court disposition when that is the document needed

CJIS is the repository route; the court that heard the case supplies the underlying disposition. Use Maryland Judiciary Case Search or the hearing court to recover a case number, then request the specific final order and ask whether certification is needed. For inaccurate FBI information, use the FBI’s free challenge procedure with supporting records. A corrected repository response and a certified court document are distinct products.