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Maine Background Check
Maine SBI name-based checks require careful identity matching. An occupational or agency-directed screening request may call for a different process.
Start with SBI for Maine criminal history
Maine State Police’s State Bureau of Identification (SBI) maintains the state criminal-history repository. Its public online request uses the subject’s full name and birth date. Start from the official Criminal History Record and Juvenile Crime Information Request service, then decide whether an ordinary report, notarized response or a recipient-directed fingerprint check meets your purpose. A public state report is one part of a background check, not automatic verification of employment, education or driving history.
For occupational licensing or a job with a prescribed check, obtain the requesting organization’s instructions first. Maine’s public name search does not deliver other states’ or federal criminal-history records. The FBI personal-review service is also a separate product and is not a substitute for an employment or licensing submission.
Prepare the names and choose the right fee
Have the full name, accurate date of birth and a credit card or InforME subscription ready. The service lists $31 for nonsubscribers and out-of-state subscribers, and $21 for Maine InforME subscribers. The fee pays for the search regardless of whether a record is found. Follow the permitted prior-name fields where applicable rather than treating one spelling as conclusive.
A notarized report can be ordered online for an additional nonrefundable $10, making an ordinary nonsubscriber notarized request $41. Confirm that notarization is what your recipient wants; it does not enlarge the search to the FBI or other states. Before ordering, check whether the recipient needs a different authorized fingerprint product or additional authentication.
Understand the public categories and the pending-case nuance
SBI’s overview describes public release of adult convictions and qualifying juvenile felony adjudications. The current transaction page adds pending cases less than one year old. These descriptions differ in detail: use the service’s specific disclosure notice when interpreting the returned report, and ask SBI about an individual pending entry rather than assuming that every item is a conviction. Public access does not mean the complete record available to criminal-justice agencies.
The juvenile-information rules differ from adult coverage. The FAQ generally describes offenses equivalent to murder or Class A, B or C crimes for qualifying juvenile information. Do not interpret the inclusion of some juvenile adjudications as unrestricted access to every juvenile case. A no-match response also cannot certify that no proceeding exists outside the public product’s permitted scope.
Watch the email and track a delayed request
Most online results are sent by email within two hours. If nothing arrives within twelve hours, the service says manual intervention may be required; those searches can take up to two weeks. Check spam, junk and bulk folders for the results link from [email protected], and keep the transaction ID so you can use the service’s tracking field. These are published service estimates, not a guaranteed deadline.
If the request has not arrived within three weeks, contact SBI at 207-624-7240. Save the returned report and the exact search inputs. A delayed request needs follow-through; paying for a duplicate immediately may not resolve the original manual-review issue.
Use fingerprints when the name match is uncertain
Maine warns that a record returned for a similar name and birth date may belong to someone else, and that a name search can also miss the right person. The FAQ identifies fingerprint comparison as the way to establish a positive identity match. Compare the identifiers and underlying court information before attributing a record, especially when the result affects employment or another important decision.
Fingerprint-based checks require direct submission of fingerprints to SBI and the response is returned through U.S. mail. The FAQ lists the same record-search fee for name and fingerprint checks; fingerprint collection may be a separate service. Contact SBI for the correct submission instructions and purpose before mailing prints, since access depends on the type of request.
Ask SBI to correct an incomplete or inaccurate history
Identify the particular record, explain the requested correction and why it is justified, and contact SBI in person, by phone or by mail. Its mailing address is State Bureau of Identification, State House Station #42, Augusta, ME 04333-0042. Include supporting court documents where they establish the correct disposition. The FAQ says SBI will provide written findings and corrections within fifteen business days after receiving a review request.
If SBI finds an error, it corrects the record and notifies relevant requesters from the past year. If you disagree with the initial challenge result, SBI describes review by its Director and then an appeal to Superior Court. For an employer’s separate consumer report, dispute that report with its reporting company too; correcting the state record and correcting a delivered private report are different tasks.
Add other record categories only when needed
Maine’s subscriber One Stop Background Check can combine selected public criminal-history, driver, vehicle-crash and sex-offender-registry searches. Each selected record carries its normal fee, plus a nonrefundable $6 premium fee per transaction, including for otherwise non-billable accounts. It requires an InforME subscription and is not the same as the standalone $31 criminal-history search.
The combined report is delivered electronically when results are available, and a criminal-history component needing manual review may delay it up to two weeks. Select only the categories the task requires and verify a significant result at the issuing record owner; a registry name hit or crash record should not be relabeled as a criminal conviction.
Related Record Guides
Sources
Authoritative next stops
Official source
Repository role, public limits, notarization and corrections. Reviewed October 2, 2026.
Official source
Name/DOB, fees, pending-case coverage and emailed delivery. Reviewed October 2, 2026.
Official source
Permission, advance report, adverse-action notice and disputes. Reviewed October 2, 2026.
Official source
Identity limits, fingerprint alternative, fees and challenge process. Reviewed October 2, 2026.
Official source
Personal-review product, fingerprints, fees, timing and challenge route. Reviewed October 2, 2026.
Official source
Subscriber combined-report option and $6 premium fee. Reviewed October 2, 2026.