County & Federal Civil Background Checks: What Criminal Checks Miss

What is a civil background check?

A civil background check is a search of county and federal civil court records for non-criminal cases such as lawsuits, judgments, liens, restraining orders and bankruptcies. Civil cases are disputes over money, property or obligations rather than criminal charges brought by the state, so they sit in a separate court system with separate records. Authenticate searches the civil courts in every county where a person has lived, across all 50 states, plus federal civil courts. Results come back by API or in your dashboard.

Will a civil lawsuit show up on a background check?

A civil lawsuit shows up on a background check only if that check includes a civil records search; a standard criminal background check will not show it. Criminal checks cover criminal court and incarceration records only. A civil records search looks in the county or federal civil court where the case was filed and returns the case type, filing date, parties and current status or judgment. Authenticate's County & Federal Civil Check covers civil courts in every county where the person has lived, plus federal civil courts.

Do civil cases show up on a criminal background check?

No, civil cases do not show up on a criminal background check, because civil cases are filed in a separate court system from criminal cases. A criminal check pulls from criminal court dockets, incarceration records and offender registries, so lawsuits, judgments, liens and bankruptcy filings stay out of it. Run a criminal check on someone with a history of contract disputes, vendor lawsuits or court judgments, and it comes back clean. Authenticate's County & Federal Civil Check searches county and federal civil courts to close that gap.

What is the difference between county and federal civil records?

County civil records come from state trial courts, while federal civil records come from US district and bankruptcy courts. County cases include contract disputes, personal injury claims, liens, evictions, restraining orders and money judgments. Federal cases include bankruptcies, interstate disputes and claims under federal law. Authenticate's county search runs at both the upper and lower court level in every county where a person has lived, so claims above and below $25,000 both appear. The exact threshold varies by state. The federal search returns all publicly available federal civil records.

How long does a civil background check take, and what does it cost?

A county civil check typically takes 2 to 3 days, a federal civil check returns within 24 hours in most cases, and pricing starts at $5 per search. In unusual cases a federal search takes 2 to 3 days. You pay per search, plus the court fee where a county charges one. No contracts, no monthly minimums. County timing depends on each court's own process, so results arrive as courts release them, by API or in the dashboard.