Bail Questions • Charges and Penalties • Arizona
What Shows Up on a Criminal Background Check?
A criminal background check shows felony and misdemeanor convictions, pending charges and active warrants that appear in court records, and sometimes arrests without a conviction.
Quick answer
A criminal background check shows felony and misdemeanor convictions, pending charges and active warrants that appear in court records, and sometimes arrests without a conviction. In Arizona most employment checks pull county court records and the state repository, and a fingerprint clearance card review sees the full state and FBI history.
What most employment checks include
A standard employment background check pulls county court records, usually for every county where the person has lived, and the state criminal history repository. From those it reports felony and misdemeanor convictions, pending criminal cases, and active warrants where the court record shows them. Civil traffic infractions generally do not appear because they are not crimes.
Arrests without a conviction are the gray area. Some checks report them, some do not. The Fair Credit Reporting Act limits reporting of non-conviction records to 7 years in many situations, while convictions can be reported indefinitely. Employers in Arizona vary in how they treat an arrest alone. Bail and bond records are part of the court file, so a case that involved a bond shows the bond posting and exoneration in the docket, not on a separate report.
Fingerprint checks and warrants
A fingerprint-based check is broader. The Arizona Department of Public Safety fingerprint clearance card, required for many jobs in schools, health care and child care, reviews the full state and FBI record, including arrests and dispositions that a name-based check might miss. Federal cases and out-of-state records can show up there too.
An active warrant appears on most checks because it is a public court record. A bench warrant for a missed court date can surface during a job application years after the person forgot about the case, and employers may decline to hire until it is resolved. The fastest fix is clearing the warrant: a defense attorney can file a motion to quash, or a licensed agent can arrange a walk-through bond so the person turns in with the bond already arranged. Our page on checking for warrants in Arizona covers the court portals.
How set-aside and sealing change what shows
Arizona offers two ways to limit what a check reports. A set-aside under A.R.S. 13-905 leaves the conviction on the record but marks it as set aside, which many employers treat as a completed matter. Sealing under A.R.S. 13-911 removes eligible records from public view after a waiting period, and many misdemeanor convictions, dismissed cases and uncharged arrests qualify. A sealed record does not appear on a standard employment check, though some agencies can still see it.
Both require a petition to the court and are the work of a defense attorney. On the bail side, nothing about a bond affects the background check beyond the case itself; posting bond, appearing at every date and resolving the case is what keeps the record from growing. See what to do after release on bond.
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Related Questions
How far back does a criminal background check go in Arizona?
Convictions can be reported indefinitely. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, non-conviction records such as arrests and dismissed cases are limited to 7 years for many purposes, though some positions are exempt. Fingerprint clearance card reviews look at the entire record without a time limit.
Do dismissed charges show up on a background check?
They can. The court record shows the case was filed and dismissed, and some reports include it within the 7-year window. Arizona allows eligible dismissed cases and uncharged arrests to be sealed by petition under A.R.S. 13-911, which removes them from standard checks.
Does a bail bond show up on a background check?
Not as a separate item. The bond is part of the court file for the criminal case, so anyone reading the docket can see that a bond was posted and later exonerated. Cosigning a bond is not reported to credit bureaus unless a forfeiture becomes a judgment.
Will a pending charge show up on a background check?
Yes. A pending criminal case is a public court record and appears on most checks as an open case with the charge listed. Employers often ask about the outcome. Resolving the case, and sealing it if it is dismissed, is what removes it.
Can you get a job with a bench warrant?
Many employers will not finalize a hire while an active warrant shows on the check. Clear it first: an attorney can move to quash, or a walk-through bond lets the person turn in and bond out within hours. Call One Stop Bail Bonds any hour and an agent will walk you through it.