Missouri background check: MACHS, open records and care jobs

The two MACHS portals

MACHS is the state's central site for criminal background checks, run by the Highway Patrol's CJIS Division, which keeps Missouri's criminal history files. It has two parts.

Any person can request a Missouri fingerprint search. FBI searches are limited to organizations that qualify under the law for that kind of request.

Open and closed records in a Missouri criminal background check

Missouri splits its criminal history into open and closed records. Open records, such as convictions, can be released on a name search. Closed records, a category that covers cases that ended without a conviction and other matters the law shields, do not show on a name search. Some employers that are allowed by law to see more, for example in child care, schools or care for older adults, use a fingerprint search that can reach closed records.

That is why the same person can get a clean MACHS name result and still see an entry on a fingerprint based check for a regulated job. Our arrests page explains why non conviction records are treated differently.

Family Care Safety Registry background check

The Family Care Safety Registry is run by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. State law requires child care providers and certain other caregivers to register, generally within 15 days of starting work. Registration lets an employer request a screening that draws on several state sources, including Highway Patrol criminal records. Results go to both the employer and the person screened, and registry information can be disclosed for employment purposes only.

If you disagree with a registry result, Missouri law gives you a right to appeal in writing. For more on care settings, read our health care and care job checks.

Missouri pre employment background check: what employers order

Most private employers do not run MACHS themselves. They hire a background screening company that may combine a MACHS name search with county court searches, past employer calls and a drug test. Federal law then gives you the right to a stand alone disclosure, to consent in writing, and to see the report before the employer turns you down; the FTC explanation of applicant rights covers it. A few Missouri cities also have their own fair chance rules about when employers may ask, so check your city.

Free background check in Missouri

The Highway Patrol charges for name and fingerprint searches, with a separate option for a notarized letter. Family Care Safety Registry screening is provided at no cost to the employer or family. For a regular job, the employer that requests a MACHS or screening company report usually pays. Our cost breakdown explains why fingerprints and extra counties add expense.

Missouri background check online: speed and accuracy

MACHS name search results appear online once the search is paid, which makes it fast. Speed has a price in accuracy: the Patrol says only fingerprints make a name result certain. If your name is common, expect possible matches that belong to someone else, and ask for a fingerprint search to clear it up. Fingerprint results take longer because prints must be taken and processed. Use our timing estimator for typical ranges.

Fixing a Missouri record

When MACHS lists a case belonging to someone else, a fingerprint search is the cleanest way to prove it. If an entry is yours but wrong, start with the court clerk for the case outcome or the arresting agency for arrest details, and ask the Highway Patrol's CJIS Division how to update its file with certified papers. For a screening firm's report, write a dispute with those papers enclosed; see our dispute guide. The EEOC's guidance for workers explains how records should be weighed.

Procedures in Missouri change over time. Check the Highway Patrol and health department sites before you act. Advice tailored to you should come from a Missouri lawyer or a nonprofit legal services group.