Conduct a Maryland Background Check

The Criminal Justice Information System, which is a division of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in Maryland, is responsible for maintaining and updating details of the individual criminal history records that are reported to this department by the various criminal justice and law enforcement agencies operating throughout the state of Maryland.

In accordance with the state laws in Maryland State, an individual Maryland background check can be provided for the following purposes:

• State (Maryland) background check for the purpose of individual reviews, visa requirements, or for obtaining ‘gold seal’ letters
• For the purpose of employment
• Adoptions
• Request for a Commercial Driver’s License for transporting hazardous materials

Maryland State Background Check

When an individual requests a state background check for the purpose of visa requirements, individual reviews or for obtaining a clearance letter, there are two criteria you must meet: the first concerns those individuals that reside within the state of Maryland and the second criteria is meant for individuals that reside outside of Maryland State.

If you reside within the State of Maryland, you need to visit the local law enforcement agency in your area so that you can be fingerprinted. This involves Form 011, which is the state fingerprint card for Maryland State. Once the individual has been fingerprinted by a local law enforcement unit, the individual must send the fingerprint identification card to the Criminal Justice Information System of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in Maryland at the following address: CJIS -Central Repository, 6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 102, Baltimore Maryland 21215. You can also choose to send it via mail to:  CJIS-CR, P.O. Box 32708, Pikesville, Maryland, 21282-2708.

When you send in your request be sure to enclose the appropriate fee.

The individuals living outside of the state of Maryland can use one of the following options to send in their request:  the individual can write to the central repository of Maryland at: Criminal Justice Information System-Central Repository P.O. Box 32708, Pikesville, Maryland 21282-2708, requesting an appointment to be fingerprinted or requesting the fingerprint identification card. The individual can also call the repository facility in the city of Baltimore at the following telephone number: 410-764-4501, or use the toll free telephone number  1-888-795-001.

After filling the fingerprint card, the individual can then mail it along with the processing fee to the CJIS at: CJIS-Central Repository P.O. Box 32708 Pikesville Maryland 21282-2708 or 6776 Reisterstown Road, Suite 102, Baltimore Maryland 21215.

It usually takes the department 10 to 15 days to respond to such a request.

Maryland Background Check for Employment Purposes

To use the Maryland background check for the purpose of employment, the employer may request the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in Maryland to conduct a state background check. If an individual wants to conduct a background check, then he or she needs to have the fingerprint cards supplied by the employer, or alternately have the authorization number of his/her employer in hand.

Adoptions

In the case of adoption, individuals residing in the state of Maryland can finalize the process of adoption through a state agency. All that is required is to follow the directions of the state agency that will conduct a home study and check for childcare records by conducting a Maryland background check.

If the individual is a resident of Maryland and adopts a child from outside of the United States, then that individual needs to aquire a gold seal letter in addition to his/her childcare records.  The state adoption agency that you choose can help you with the details.

Requesting a Commercial Driver’s License for Transporting Hazardous Materials

In accordance to the rules and regulations of the administration for the transportation security in the state of Maryland, commercial drivers that work in the transportation of hazardous materials must undergo a Maryland background check for the purpose of security screening. 

When the commercial drivers request an endorsement for transporting hazardous materials, the Department of Motor Vehicle Administration in Maryland along with the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services ensure that these drivers can receive their security screening at the time of their endorsement.

Details about the process of application or renewal for the endorsement for transporting hazardous materials can be found at the website of the Maryland Department of Motor Vehicle Administration at http://www.mva.maryland.gov/.

Obtaining Authorization Numbers for Conducting a Maryland Background Check:

In order to be able to receive information on an individual’s background check report in Maryland, the agency or the individual must be an authorized agency under Maryland state law. To speed up the processing of a request to become an authorized agency, the person or organization needs to provide a written description of the nature of services provided by it and their customers.

Send these details along with the ‘private party petition’ package (in case your company is a private institution) to: Criminal Justice Information System-Central Repository P.O. Box 32708, Pikesville, Maryland 21282-2708, or fax at: 410-653-5690.

To learn more about the application process for conducting a Maryland Background check, the various forms required, and the processing fee for each type, individuals can visit the official website of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services at: http://www.dpscs.state.md.us/publicservs/bgchecks.shtml.