How Long Does a Criminal Background Check Take? What Employers Should Expect

Summary: Criminal background checks typically take one to five business days, but some may take longer. Background check turnaround time depends on which counties and states are being searched, how courts provide access to records, and whether verification steps are involved. Here’s what drives those timelines and how to tell when a delay is normal versus a provider problem.

How Long Does a Criminal Background Check Take, on Average?

Most criminal background checks come back within one to three business days. For a typical pre-employment background check with a single jurisdiction and no verification components, a reasonable expectation is one to three days. In fact, many come back in under one day; criminal records with no results can return almost immediately. Others stretch to five, seven, or ten days depending on the jurisdictions involved.

How long does a criminal background check take when multiple counties or states are included?

Longer, almost always. Each jurisdiction adds its own access timeline to the overall result. A search covering three counties in three different states runs as three separate processes simultaneously, each waiting on its own court system to respond.

The background check process doesn’t have a universal clock. What it has is a set of factors that predictably slow things down or speed them up, and understanding those factors makes the variation less frustrating to manage.

The Main Factors Behind Criminal Background Check Timelines

A few specific variables account for most background check turnaround time variation employers encounter.

County Court Access

Criminal records in the United States aren’t stored in a single searchable database. Most criminal background checks pull records directly from county courts, and those courts vary significantly in how they provide access. Some county courts maintain digital records that can be searched remotely through electronic systems. Others require a court runner, a person who physically visits the courthouse, pulls records by hand, and reports back.

Court access limitations affect background check turnaround times more than almost any other single variable in the screening process. How long depends on courthouse hours, staff availability, and how backed up the docket is. The court system runs on its own timeline, and no provider can override it.

Jurisdictional Differences

Criminal background check timelines are directly tied to jurisdiction. A search in one county might return results the same day, while a search in another county two states over might take a week. Neither outcome is unusual.

Jurisdiction is one of the first things a good screening company will flag when you ask about expected timelines, because it’s often the biggest variable they can name upfront. Each jurisdiction sets its own rules for record access. High-volume courts tend to run behind, rural courts have limited hours, and some jurisdictions restrict access to certain record types entirely. No background check service gets a faster lane through any of it. A good background check company can provide anticipated turnaround times by jurisdiction.

The Type of Background Check Matters

Background check turnaround time is tied directly to what a background check covers. A basic single-county search focused on criminal history runs faster than a multi-jurisdictional one. Searches that include motor vehicle records, professional license verification, or federal court history might take longer to complete.

The type of background check an employer orders determines which sources need to be searched, how many jurisdictions are involved, and how long each component takes to return. Employment background checks that bundle multiple search types run as sequential and parallel processes, each moving at its own pace. How long does a criminal background check take in that scenario? It depends on which component takes the longest to clear. If you are worried about turnaround time, ask if your background check provider can return results as each component completes; the best ones can!

Social security number traces and address history lookups also factor into the timeline. They run early in the process to determine which jurisdictions need to be searched. If that trace returns a complex address history, an employer may decide to add more jurisdictions to the order, expanding the search scope and the potentially overall turnaround time. 

Verification Processes Add Time

Employment and education verifications work differently from criminal searches and typically take longer. Here’s something that comes up regularly in InfoMart sales conversations: an employer can sometimes call a previous employer and get verbal confirmation in five minutes. A screening company can’t always do the same.

Many verification sources, large employers, and universities, especially, route those requests through third-party systems that add their own processing time. That’s a variable no screening company controls. 

Why Do Background Checks Take So Long Sometimes?

Some background check delays originate in the court system itself, well before your provider can do anything about them. Court systems are underfunded, understaffed, and not running on anyone’s hiring timeline. When a search hits a jurisdiction with a backlog or limited electronic access, it waits in line with everyone else. That’s why background checks take so long in certain regions, and it’s true regardless of which provider you’re using.

Candidate-provided inaccurate information is another common culprit. A misspelled name, incorrect date of birth, or wrong address history sends a search into jurisdictions that may return nothing, adding time before the correct records are located.

Other delays are provider-driven: slow order processing, workflow bottlenecks, and poor candidate communication. None of that has anything to do with court access. A long timeline with no communication from your provider could be a sign of a customer service problem. A good screening partner volunteers the update before you think to ask for it.

Normal Background Check Turnaround Times vs. Red Flags

How long does a background check take, exactly? The answer depends on the search, but knowing the benchmarks helps you make better hiring decisions and ask better questions when evaluating providers.

• One to three business days for most county or state-level searches with electronic court access
• Five to seven business days for counties requiring court runners
• Seven to ten business days for complex searches across multiple states or hard-to-access jurisdictions

Worth a closer look:

• No status updates after five or more business days
• Vague responses when you ask what’s causing the delay
• Consistent slow turnaround on routine searches that don’t involve complex jurisdictions
• Recent news that your provider has merged or been acquired

If your provider can’t tell you where a search stands, find one who can. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Criminal Background Check Timelines

• How long does a background check take for employment?

Most pre-employment background checks take one to five business days to complete. Criminal searches are often the fastest component. Background checks that include verification steps, like employment history or education, can extend to five to seven days or longer, depending on where your hiring process stands and how quickly third parties respond.

• Why is my background check taking so long?

The most common causes are jurisdictional. A criminal background check that runs through a county court with manual access, or covers a candidate with an address history spanning multiple states, takes longer by design.  Verification requests that are held up by a slow-responding third party add time too. If you’re not getting updates from your provider, that’s a reasonable thing to escalate.

• Does a criminal background check include a credit check?

A criminal background check pulls from court records and criminal history databases. Financial history is a separate component with its own FCRA disclosure requirements. If you need both, confirm they’re included in your screening package before you start.

• How long does a pre-employment background check take?

It depends on what’s included. A search covering criminal history in a single jurisdiction can finish in one to two business days. Add employment verification, education verification, or multi-state searches, and the timeline often extends to five to seven days. However, many results return much faster. Your provider should be able to tell you upfront how long a criminal background check takes for your specific package. Ask before you start.

• Can a background check take two weeks?

Yes, in some cases. Though most results return quickly, any search that requires additional court access or verification follow-up can take more than ten business days. Some delays fall entirely outside a provider’s control. What’s in their control is being straight with you about what’s happening.

Background Check Delays Happen. Silence Shouldn’t.

At InfoMart, every client has a dedicated account rep. When a criminal background check runs longer than expected, the person who answers already knows your account and can tell you what’s happening.

InfoMart’s team is U.S.-based with no offshored support and extended business hours that cover hiring workflows across time zones. That doesn’t change how long a county court takes to process a request. It does change how long you spend wondering about it.

Your screening package has its own timeline. An InfoMart rep can tell you exactly what to expect before your next hire.

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Not ready to talk yet? Our Background Check RFP Guide walks you through what to ask before you commit to a provider.

About Tammy Cohen

Tammy Cohen, an industry pioneer and expert in identity and employment screening, founded InfoMart 30 years ago. Deemed the “Queen of Screen,” she’s been a force behind industry-leading innovations. She was most recently the first-to-market with a fully compliant sanctions search, as well as a suite of identity services that modernizes talent onboarding. Tammy revolutionized the screening industry when she stepped into the field, developing the first client-facing application and a due diligence criminal search that has since become standard for all background screening companies. Cohen has received national awards and honors for her business and civic involvement, including Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Top 25 Women-Owned Firms in Atlanta, Enterprising Women Magazine’s Enterprising Women of the Year award, the YWCA of Northwest Georgia’s Kathryn Woods Racial Justice Award, and a commendation in the 152nd Congressional Record.

About InfoMart

InfoMart has been revolutionizing the global background and identity screening industry for 30 years, providing businesses the information they need to make informed hiring decisions. They develop innovative technology that modernizes talent onboarding, including a first-to-market biometric identity authentication application and a verified sanctions search. The WBENC-certified company is a founding member of the Professional Background Screening Association, and they have achieved PBSA accreditation in recognition of their consistent business practices and commitment to compliance with the FCRA. The company is dedicated to customer service, speed, and accuracy, and it has been recognized for its success, workplace culture, and corporate citizenship with over 45 industry awards. To Get the Whole Story on InfoMart, please visit www.InfoMart-USA.com, follow @InfoMartUSA, or call (770) 984-2727.