What shows up on a Illinois background check
Last updated: May 2026
Illinois criminal-history records are maintained by Illinois State Police (ISP) Bureau of Identification. Whether you are about to apply for a job, an apartment, or a professional license, the most useful thing you can do is understand exactly what an employer or landlord will see — and what changes if you successfully clear your record.
FCRA notice
The background-check services we link to are not consumer reporting agencies as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Reports generated by these services may not be used in whole or in part to make decisions about employment, tenant screening, insurance, credit, or any other purpose that requires FCRA compliance.
ExpungeReady earns a commission on some links on this page. We only recommend services we believe are useful for personal-records research. Always verify your own records directly with the state repository or the FBI before relying on any third-party report.
What Illinois employers actually see
On a standard private background check ordered through a consumer-reporting agency, a Illinois employer typically sees:
- Felony and misdemeanor convictions not yet sealed or expunged
- Pending charges
- Arrests not leading to conviction within the 7-year FCRA window unless already expunged
- Cannabis convictions awaiting their automatic-expungement date (pre-2000 records were due to clear by Jan 1, 2025)
Ban-the-box notice: Illinois restricts when private employers can ask about criminal history. Most employers cannot ask on the initial application or run a background check until after determining the applicant is otherwise qualified.
Illinois follows the federal FCRA 7-year limit on non-conviction information. Cannabis convictions are subject to specific auto-expungement timelines under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (410 ILCS 705).
How to see your own Illinois record
Official source: Illinois State Police (ISP) Bureau of Identification
Cost: $16 (name-based) or $20 (fingerprint, more reliable)
Turnaround: 2–4 weeks
Where to start: https://isp.illinois.gov/CriminalHistory
The official Illinois record only covers in-state arrests and convictions. If you have lived in multiple states, or want to see what private aggregators have collected about you, run a personal records check first — it shows the same data an out-of-state employer's consumer-reporting agency would pull.
What changes after expungement in Illinois
Illinois has two distinct remedies under 20 ILCS 2630/5.2: expungement destroys the record (limited eligibility — generally non-conviction outcomes and certain qualifying misdemeanors); sealing hides the record from most public access while preserving it for limited official use. Once sealed or expunged, the applicant may lawfully respond that the matter did not occur on most employment and housing applications. Healthcare and education employers may still see certain records under separate state and federal rules.
Frequently asked questions
Is my old cannabis conviction expunged automatically in Illinois?
Many minor cannabis offenses (possession of 30 grams or less, qualifying arrests) are subject to automatic expungement under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. The state worked through tiered deadlines — arrests on or after Jan 1, 2013 should have been cleared by Jan 1, 2021; arrests from 2000–2012 by Jan 1, 2023; and pre-2000 arrests by Jan 1, 2025. The Illinois State Police can verify whether a specific arrest has been cleared, and a petition can be filed to vacate and expunge convictions outside the automatic categories.
How do I check my own Illinois criminal record?
Illinois maintains its criminal-history records through Illinois State Police (ISP) Bureau of Identification. You can request your own record for $16 (name-based) or $20 (fingerprint, more reliable); results typically arrive in 2–4 weeks. Pulling your own record before applying for a job is the single most useful step you can take.
Do private background checks show Illinois sealed or expunged records?
Private consumer-reporting agencies are required to remove sealed or expunged records once notified, but they often retain old copies and may continue to report them by mistake. After your order is granted, request a free annual personal-records report from each major reporting agency and dispute any entries that still show the old data.