Missouri Criminal Records Search: Cases & Public Records

Missouri makes several kinds of criminal public records available online. The correct government source depends on whether you need a court case, an official background check, a current custody record or registered-offender information.

Missouri’s Case.net is the main public case-search service operated by the state judiciary. Its search options include Litigant Name Search, Case Number Search, Filing Date Search and Scheduled Hearings & Trials Search.

1. Open Case.net. Go to courts.mo.gov/cnet/welcome.do. Read the disclaimer before using the results.
2. Choose “Litigant Name Search.” Use this option if you have someone’s name but not a case number. Missouri courts commonly use “litigant” to describe a party to a case, including a criminal defendant.
3. Select the court location. Choose the appropriate judicial circuit or available statewide option. If you know the county, selecting its circuit helps reduce unrelated matches.
4. Enter the last and first name. Follow the displayed fields. Use additional identifying fields such as date of birth when they are available and lawfully appropriate.
5. Run the search and compare results. Review the case number, case description, location, filing date and party details. Common names may return several unrelated people.
6. Open the matching case. Select the case number to view the case information. Review the case header, parties, docket entries, hearings and other public tabs.
7. Read the most recent docket events. Look for a plea, dismissal, sentencing entry, judgment, order or other final disposition. Do not rely on the original charge alone.
8. Check available documents or contact the clerk. If the record is public but the document you need is unavailable remotely, contact the court clerk for inspection or a certified copy.

Searching by hearing date or filing date

Case.net also offers filing-date and scheduled-hearing searches. These may help when you know the court and approximate date but not the defendant’s exact name or case number.

Track changes to a Missouri criminal case

Case.net provides a Track This Case feature for eligible public cases. It can send notifications about case activity. These alerts are a convenience service and do not replace the court’s official notices or orders.

Missouri Courts — Case.net, case tracking and appellate records

The first result may show a charge or case classification, but the important information is often farther down the docket. Check the last relevant court action and any accompanying judgment.

Why SIS and SES matter in Missouri

Missouri’s suspended imposition of sentence (SIS) and suspended execution of sentence (SES) are not interchangeable. Successful completion of an SIS can mean no judgment of conviction is entered, although some records may remain available under applicable law. With an SES, the court has imposed a sentence, and the defendant generally has a conviction.

For a job, professional license, immigration issue or another consequential purpose, read the actual judgment and consult a qualified attorney when the legal treatment of an SIS or SES matters.

Missouri’s trial court structure differs from states that maintain separate county felony courts and statewide misdemeanor databases. Missouri circuit courts handle trial-level cases and include associate circuit and municipal divisions.

Use the Missouri Courts judicial system overview to understand the court structure, or the official Missouri Judiciary website to find a court by county, location or circuit.

A statewide Case.net search is helpful, but selecting the correct court location produces better results, especially when searching common names or local ordinance citations.

St. Louis City Municipal Court: An important recent change

St. Louis City moved its Municipal Court records to Case.net. The city announced that beginning January 2, 2025, all St. Louis City Municipal Court cases were searchable through Case.net, replacing its previous MuniCourt.net search.

To find a St. Louis City municipal case, select City of St. Louis — 22nd Judicial Circuit, enter the citation or defendant name, and narrow the search to the municipal court location and Traffic/Municipal case type when appropriate.

For cases filed before January 2, 2024 that do not appear online, the City of St. Louis instructs users to contact the Municipal Court customer-service office. Its published phone number is (314) 622-3231.

Missouri expanded remote public access to qualifying electronic court documents in 2023. This means some public Case.net docket entries now include documents you can open remotely, but access depends on the case, document and date.

Documents filed before and after July 1, 2023

Missouri’s expanded remote-access program generally applies to eligible public case documents filed on or after July 1, 2023, following the judiciary’s rollout. Older public case documents may need to be viewed at the courthouse’s public-access terminals or requested from the clerk.

1. Locate the case in Case.net. Record the full case number and filing court.
2. Review the docket entries. Find the judgment, sentence, dismissal or order relevant to your request.
3. Open available public documents. Use the document link where remote access is permitted.
4. Contact the clerk for unavailable records. Ask whether the record can be inspected at a public-access terminal or obtained as a copy.
5. Request certification if necessary. Explain precisely which court-issued document the receiving organization needs.

Missouri Courts — File Viewer Help

The Missouri Automated Criminal History Site (MACHS) is operated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division, which maintains the central repository for Missouri criminal history records.

MACHS has two main options: a name-based criminal-history search and a fingerprint-based background check. These searches are different from the free Case.net court docket lookup.

MACHS Name Search: Who can use it?

The name-based MACHS search is available to members of the public. It uses the individual’s name together with a date of birth or Social Security number, as provided in the portal’s requirements.

The search generally returns Missouri open criminal-history records, including convictions, arrests less than 30 days old, pending prosecutor-filed charges and certain suspended-imposition-of-sentence records during probation.

How to request a name-based MACHS search

1. Open the MACHS Name Search Portal. Visit the official Missouri MACHS website.
2. Create an account or sign in. Follow the registration and account-verification instructions.
3. Enter the required identifiers. Provide the person’s name and date of birth or Social Security number as permitted by the portal. Do not guess sensitive identifiers.
4. Review the submission. MACHS warns that incorrect submissions are not refundable once processed.
5. Pay the search charge. The current published charge is $16 per person plus a payment-processing fee.
6. Open the response in your account. Most checks return quickly, but some require additional research. The MACHS FAQ advises allowing five to seven business days in certain cases.
7. Save the response securely. Results remain viewable in the MACHS account for a limited period; the FAQ specifies 90 days.

Fingerprint-based checks

MACHS also supports fingerprint appointment registration through the state’s authorized fingerprint vendor, IDEMIA/IdentoGO. State-only processing has a published $20 fee, with separate vendor service charges. An FBI component is available only when the requester and purpose are authorized.

Fingerprint-based requests can access information unavailable in a standard public name check when the requester is authorized for those records. They should not be described as an unrestricted public search of all confidential criminal histories.

MACHS assistance: Missouri State Highway Patrol CJIS Division, (573) 526-6312. Current general CJIS contact information and request methods are available through Missouri State Highway Patrol’s CJIS guidance.

The Missouri Department of Corrections maintains an Offender Web Search for active offenders under its supervision, including qualifying probationers and parolees.

The search supports first-name and last-name queries, including aliases. The site also uses an image verification step to limit automated searches.

DOC offender information is not a substitute for the criminal court’s final judgment. For a conviction, dismissal, probation ruling or sentence, verify the related Case.net docket and official court documents.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol operates a publicly searchable Sex Offender Registry. The official site provides searches using an offender’s name, date of birth or location information, as well as geographic searches near an address.

1. Open the official registry. Visit the Missouri State Highway Patrol public sex-offender search.
2. Choose name or location search. Use the available first name, last name, county, ZIP code or address-radius tools.
3. Review registration details. Compare identity information, registered address and registration status.
4. Read registry disclaimers. Registration information is not a complete criminal history or individualized risk assessment.

A missing record on Case.net may be confidential, expunged, unavailable electronically or outside the selected court’s coverage. Missouri law provides procedures for the expungement of eligible criminal records and recently added a separate automatic-expungement mechanism for certain offenses.

Petition-based expungement under RSMo 610.140

Under Missouri Revised Statutes section 610.140, qualifying offenses may be expunged through a petition to the appropriate court. The currently applicable law generally uses a one-year period for eligible misdemeanors and three years for eligible felonies after completion of the authorized disposition, along with other requirements.

The statute excludes various offenses and sets limits on the number of expungements available. It also addresses outstanding charges, fines, restitution, later offenses and public-safety considerations.

The courts publish an official Petition for Expungement — RSMo 610.140 form. Applicants must identify the relevant records and affected agencies rather than assuming a single court order automatically corrects every unrelated database.

New automatic expungement law: RSMo 610.141

A significant change occurred in 2026. Missouri enacted RSMo 610.141 to establish automatic expungement for certain eligible convictions involving drug possession or paraphernalia offenses.

The statute specifically identifies qualifying offenses under certain versions of sections 195.202, 195.233, 579.015 and 579.074. It imposes eligibility conditions concerning final disposition, the absence of new convictions during specified periods, pending charges and other statutory restrictions.

The law also allows eligible people to pursue petition-based relief under other applicable provisions. An expungement can restrict public disclosure without necessarily eliminating every form of authorized law-enforcement access.

Missouri has two federal judicial districts: the Eastern District of Missouri and the Western District of Missouri. Federal criminal cases are maintained separately from state circuit court cases.

Use the federal judiciary’s PACER system to search available federal criminal dockets and documents. PACER account registration is generally free, but search and document fees may apply under the federal system’s billing rules.

Criminal records can affect employment, housing, licensing, legal proceedings and reputation. Public court information must be interpreted with appropriate care.

• An arrest is not proof of conviction.
• A pending charge does not establish guilt.
• Missouri SIS and SES outcomes have different legal effects.
• A matching name does not positively establish someone’s identity.
• A criminal court case search is not equivalent to an authorized nationwide background check.
• Expunged, juvenile, confidential and sealed records may have legal protections against disclosure.

Federal Trade Commission — Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know

The following government and court websites provide the original search tools, procedures, statutes and record-access guidance covered in this article.

• Missouri Courts — Case.net
• Missouri Judiciary — Public Case Search and Case Tracking
• Missouri Judiciary — Court System Overview
• Missouri Judiciary — Electronic File Viewer Guidance
• City of St. Louis — Municipal Case.net Search Instructions
• Missouri State Highway Patrol — MACHS Name Search
• Missouri State Highway Patrol — MACHS Fingerprint Portal
• MACHS Official Frequently Asked Questions
• Missouri State Highway Patrol — Criminal History FAQs
• Missouri Department of Corrections — Offender Web Search
• Missouri State Highway Patrol — Sex Offender Registry Search
• Missouri Revised Statutes — Section 610.140, Expungement Petitions
• Missouri Revised Statutes — Section 610.141, Automatic Expungement
• Missouri Courts — Official Petition for Expungement
• PACER — Federal Criminal Court Records