Ohio Background Check Guide · 2025
Whether you're applying for a healthcare role at the Cleveland Clinic, a finance position in Cincinnati, a teaching license in Columbus, or a manufacturing job at Honda's Marysville plant, the employer is pulling your record through one system: Ohio BCI WebCheck, run by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation under the Attorney General's office. It's the official statewide criminal history check, and you can request it on yourself.
This guide explains how Ohio's record system works, what shows up on a BCI report, and how the 2023 SB 288 sealing reforms, one of the largest expansions of Ohio expungement law in decades, can clear eligible records from your file.
Ohio runs more WebCheck background checks than almost any other state, the system is built into the licensing process for everything from nursing and teaching to real estate and security. With so many fingerprint-based checks happening, the BCI database is unusually well-maintained, but errors and stale dispositions still slip through. A self-check is the cheapest way to confirm what employers will actually see.
BCI WebCheck pulls in disposition data from 88 counties and hundreds of municipal courts. Common errors: cases listed as "open" long after dismissal, charges amended but not updated, and identity mismatches from common names. Catching these on your own WebCheck is easier than disputing during a hiring or licensing review.
Under SB 288, Ohio now distinguishes between "sealing" (record exists but is hidden from most parties) and "expungement" (record is destroyed). Either way, the court order has to make its way from the sentencing court to the BCI. Running a self-check 60–90 days after the order confirms the record was actually cleared statewide.
Ohio's nursing, medical, teaching, real estate, security, and dozens of other licensing boards all require BCI WebCheck, typically combined with an FBI national check. Each has its own list of disqualifying offenses. Knowing what's on your record beforehand lets you address concerns proactively.
Ohio's tight rental markets, particularly in Columbus, where job growth has outpaced housing, depend heavily on commercial screening reports. The underlying data is sourced from BCI and court records. Fixing errors at the source produces cleaner reports going forward.
Felony convictions and most misdemeanor convictions processed in Ohio common pleas, municipal, and county courts appear on the BCI record unless sealed or expunged. The report shows offense, court, conviction date, and sentence.
Arrest records, including arrests not leading to conviction, appear on the BCI record. Under ORC 2953.32, non-conviction records (dismissals, no-bills, acquittals) are eligible for immediate sealing.
Open and pending charges appear on the BCI record. If a case was dismissed and the disposition wasn't transmitted to the BCI, the record may still show "pending" until corrected.
Sealed records remain in the BCI database but are hidden from private employers and most public access. Expunged records are physically destroyed. The 2023 SB 288 created this two-tier framework. Neither sealed nor expunged records should appear on a standard employer background check.
Federal court records, out-of-state convictions, juvenile records (sealed in Ohio by default), most traffic offenses (excluding OVI/DUI), and civil cases fall outside the BCI system. A complete personal check usually combines BCI WebCheck with federal and multi-state sources.
Find an authorized WebCheck vendor through the Ohio Attorney General's community listing at ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Business/Services-for-Business/WebCheck/Webcheck-Community-Listing. The BCI portion is $35; vendors add their own fees (typically $5–$25). You select "self" as the requesting party. Results are mailed within 5–10 business days.
Most licensed-profession applications require both BCI and FBI checks. The combined cost is $72 plus the vendor's fingerprinting fee. Useful for getting the same record an employer or licensing board would see.
Ohio's courts maintain their own online record systems. The Ohio Supreme Court does not run a unified search, but many common pleas and municipal courts offer free online searches (e.g., Franklin County, Cuyahoga County, Hamilton County). This catches case histories that may not yet be in the BCI database.
For a single report combining Ohio BCI data with federal courts, multi-state records, and sex offender registries, a professional service is the simplest route. Background-Check.com consolidates all of this in one report.
If you only need the federal/national portion, you can request an FBI Identity History Summary directly without going through WebCheck. Useful if you've lived in multiple states.
Effective April 4, 2023, SB 288 was the most significant expansion of Ohio record-clearing law in decades. Key features:
Excluded offenses include violent crimes, sex offenses, offenses requiring sex offender registration, and certain offenses against children. Sealing and expungement are petition-based, file in the court of conviction.
The primary sealing statute. Applies waiting periods after final discharge:
Signed by Gov. Kasich in December 2015 and effective in 2016, HB 56 (codified at Ohio R.C. § 9.73) prohibits state agencies from asking about criminal history on initial job applications. The question can be asked later in the hiring process. Cincinnati (2010), Columbus (2014), Cleveland (2017), Dayton, and other Ohio cities have local ordinances extending similar protections to private employers within city limits.
Third-party background checks in Ohio are governed by the FCRA: written consent required, pre-adverse-action notice required, right to dispute errors, and 7-year cap on non-conviction reporting.
The Ohio Civil Rights Commission follows EEOC individualized-assessment guidance for employer use of conviction records, particularly for any policy that may have disparate impact on protected classes.
If you're applying for a licensed profession in Ohio, the answer is yes, particularly because licensure typically requires BCI + FBI WebCheck and any disposition mismatch can delay the application by months. The combined $72 (plus vendor fee) is the same check the licensing board will run, and getting it first means no surprises. If you have older convictions that might now be sealable or expungable under SB 288, this is also the cheapest way to confirm what records remain visible.
For a comprehensive personal report combining Ohio BCI data with federal records, sex offender registries, and out-of-state convictions, run a multi-source check through Background-Check.com.
The official route is Ohio BCI WebCheck through an authorized vendor. State-only WebCheck is $35; BCI + FBI combined is $72. Vendor fees add $5–$25. Ohio does not offer a name-based statewide check, WebCheck is fingerprint-based only.
Ohio has no state cap on conviction reporting. The federal FCRA caps non-conviction records (arrests not leading to conviction) at 7 years on third-party employment reports. Sealed and expunged records are removed from public-facing reports.
Records sealed under ORC 2953.32 should not appear on FCRA-compliant employer background reports. Expunged records (under SB 288) are physically destroyed and should not appear anywhere. Both remain accessible to law enforcement under specific statutory authority.
BCI WebCheck state only: $35 + vendor fee. BCI + FBI combined: $72 + vendor fee. FBI Identity History Summary (direct): $18. Professional comprehensive multi-state checks: $20 to $80.
Yes, when they use a third-party background check company, the federal FCRA requires written authorization. State agencies covered by HB 56, and private employers in Ban-the-Box cities (Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton), cannot ask about criminal history on the initial application. You always have the right to see any report used in a hiring decision and dispute inaccuracies.