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Montana Background Check
Use Montana CHOPRS or a mailed criminal-history request, compare name and fingerprint routes, and understand the limits of a public result.
Choose the Montana background-check method by what the recipient requires
Montana Department of Justice Criminal Records and Identification Services provides the statewide criminal-history product. The published routes are not interchangeable with police reports, court transcripts, warrant records or probation/parole files, which the agency directs requesters to obtain from the appropriate local agency or court.
| Method | What to submit | Published fee |
|---|---|---|
| Online CHOPRS name search | Complete name and date of birth; SSN optional; up to four aliases may be included | $20 per search |
| Mail name-based check | Name, DOB and, if possible, aliases/nicknames/maiden names and SSN; self-addressed stamped envelope | $15 per person |
| State-only fingerprint check | Current fingerprint card and the state’s required identifying information | $10 per person |
Use the in-person route for staff help, fingerprints or record review
Montana DOJ says Criminal Records & Identification Services accepts in-person background-check requests at 2225 11th Avenue in Helena, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Walk-in services include name-based checks, fingerprint-based checks, fingerprinting services, criminal-record review or challenges, and record-removal or expungement requests.
If a recipient requires fingerprints, or you need to review or challenge your own Montana criminal record, confirm the required product before you go rather than assuming the online name search is sufficient.
Record the identity information used in a name search
A name-based result is only as specific as the identifiers submitted. Save the exact name, DOB, aliases and any optional SSN information used, along with the search date and receipt. That makes a hit—or a no-result—interpretable later when same-name people or alternate names are possible.
Know what the public result can and cannot show
Montana DOJ says public release is limited by state privacy law. It also states that criminal records that were deferred and later dismissed cannot be released to the general public. A public no-result therefore should not be described as proof that no event ever occurred.
If you need the arrest report, filed court order, transcript or another underlying record, go to the agency or court that created that record rather than repeating the statewide background check.
Use review, challenge or expungement routes for a record problem
Montana Criminal Records and Identification Services provides criminal-record review/challenge services, while the DOJ background-check page also points to separate non-conviction removal/sealing and conviction-expungement processes. Before disputing an entry, obtain the underlying court or agency document that shows the correct disposition or identity.
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