A civil search looks for civil court cases, such as lawsuits and civil judgments, where the applicant is named as a party. Civil cases are separate from criminal cases and aren't part of a criminal search. BackgroundChecks.com offers two civil searches: Federal Civil and County Civil (upper and lower courts).

A Federal Civil search looks for civil cases filed in U.S. federal district courts, for an additional view of an applicant's civil court history. Federal courts hear civil cases that involve federal law, such as some employment or civil rights claims, along with certain larger disputes between parties from different states.

Federal Civil is a separate search from County Civil. It searches civil cases in all 94 U.S. federal district courts. It reports federal civil records from the last 7 years only. Apart from that 7-year limit, we apply the same reporting standards we use for our Federal Criminal Search. It does not include bankruptcy cases.

Federal court rules generally limit filings to a person's year of birth rather than a full date of birth, so federal civil records often carry fewer identifiers than county records.

A County Civil search looks for civil records at the county court level, including matters such as contract disputes and other civil litigation. Most civil cases are filed in state courts, not in federal court.

County Civil results cover lawsuits and judgments filed in civil court. Depending on the county, results may also include liens or small claims when the court files them as civil cases, where state law allows them to be reported. All results follow the same 7-year limit.

County courts are often split into two levels:

Each state sets its own court names and dollar limits for each level, and some states handle both levels in a single court. You can order County Upper, County Lower and Federal Civil in any combination. Upper and lower court are separate options, and their court fees are charged separately.

The counties searched come from the jurisdictions in the applicant's 7-year address history, based on the address trace we conduct. If a county civil search is not available in one of those counties, we show that county as not available at checkout and on the report, and you are not charged for it.

Employers often add a civil search for roles where a history of contract disputes or other civil litigation may relate to the job, such as positions that handle money, sign contracts, or manage property or client assets. You decide whether a civil search fits the position, and how you use the results under federal, state and local law.

Federal law limits how long civil suits and civil judgments can be reported in an employment background check, and some states add their own limits. Our civil searches report civil records from the last 7 years only, measured from the earliest available date on the record, such as the filing date or the date of entry.

Civil searches are add-ons to your background check. They are not included in the Basic, Complete or Professional packages, and you add them the same way as any other add-on.

Before you order a civil search, your applicant must receive a clear and conspicuous written disclosure, in a document by itself, that a background check may be obtained for employment purposes, and must give you written authorization. Before you can place any order, including one with a civil search, you certify that you have a permissible purpose and have given the required disclosure and obtained authorization.

Turnaround depends on the court. Some courts take longer, for example when a clerk has to pull records by hand. Most are under 24 hours or next business day if the consumer application is filled out on a weekend or holiday.

Each civil search has a base price. County Upper and County Lower can also have a county or state court fee:

County court fees are charged separately for Upper and Lower. At checkout, the Civil Court Reports description has a See civil surcharges link to the civil surcharge list in this article.

BackgroundChecks.com does not mark up a county or state court surcharge we incur. These are passthrough fees we do not control. Fees are shown separately from the base price.

County and state court fees can't be calculated before you order. The jurisdictions searched come from the address trace we conduct, which runs after you place the order. That is why we list civil surcharges by state and jurisdiction below.

Under our Terms of Service (Section 8b), BackgroundChecks.com will not refund passthrough surcharges from federal, state, and county courts, employers, educational institutions, or state Departments of Motor Vehicles to the extent that BackgroundChecks.com has already been billed for the surcharge. For any refund question, contact Customer Support at [email protected] or 1-800-942-1366.

The county and state court fees below are what you pay; we charge them at cost. If a state or county is not listed below, there is no civil court fee for it.

Some fees are charged per page, per name, per year or per case, as shown in the Notes column. The court fee shown is the typical amount; the note gives how it is billed. Fees billed per page, name, year, or case can vary by order. The listed fee applies to each court level you order.

There is no surcharge for Federal Civil.