10-Year Background Check States: What to Know

Cindy Ellis - February 15, 2025

State-level background checks can be confusing at first, but these background checks are often an important part of the hiring and screening process. Many employers choose to use state-level background checks to ensure employees are qualified for certain jobs. 

Every state has different rules about how far back a background check can look into your history, and states are generally recognized as seven-year or ten-year background check states. 

Our article tells you what you need to know about 10-year background check states and other important state background check information.

What Is a State Background Check?

A state background check is a background check that looks at your specific personal history, most notably criminal history records, within one state. 

When conducting an official state background check, your employer or other individual reviewing the report will be able to see your personal history. This might include information like your previous and current addresses, employment history, and educational history. 

Your criminal and civil records within the state will also be included in this report, and many states will also show arrest records, even if the arrest did not result in a conviction.

State background checks are generally conducted as part of the hiring process, and they may be more or less in-depth depending on the career field or job that you are applying for. You do have rights when it comes to consenting to background checks, and it’s important to understand what your background check rights are in your state as you begin this process.

Are State Background Checks Limited to One State?

State background checks are generally limited to one state, the state that the employer and the person who is submitting a background check report reside in. 

If an employer wants to search out-of-state for information about a candidate, they will need to conduct background checks in all of the states that the person has resided in. This is done to get a complete picture of information about them.

In order to look at other states, the person requesting the background check will need a Social Security number for the applicant. The background check report process will typically take longer as all state records are searched through.

Are State Background Checks the Same as Federal Background Checks?

State background checks are different from federal background checks, as state-level background checks typically only look at criminal history and personal history within one state. Federal background checks, on the other hand, will look through federal records and other federal court information to find any records that may be applicable. 

Most of the time, state background checks are conducted alongside federal background checks to give an employer a complete picture of a person’s history and criminal records.

How Far Back Does a State Background Check Look?

How far back a state background check looks at your history, specifically your criminal history, depends on certain state laws and restrictions. In the U.S., each state generally has a seven-year look-back period, though this look-back period could be up to ten years or more.

Seven-year background check states include:

• California
• Kansas
• Maryland
• New York
• Massachusetts
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico
• Washington

Many of these states also have certain laws and disclosure restrictions surrounding the background check process. These laws aim to reduce discrimination during the hiring process and require employers to overlook certain offenses, such as juvenile offenses and arrests without convictions.

Check your specific state laws directly for more details on our background check rights and how far back a background check in your state will look.

10-Year Background Check States

10-year background check states are states that allow at least ten years of background history to be looked at. They may be able to look at even more than ten years of history depending on the type of background check and certain state laws.

10-year background check states include:

• Alabama
• Kentucky
• Oregon
• Alaska
• Louisiana
• Pennsylvania
• Arizona
• Maine
• Rhode Island
• Arkansas
• Michigan
• North Carolina 
• South Carolina
• Colorado
• Minnesota
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Connecticut
• Mississippi
• Tennessee
• Delaware
• Missouri
• Texas
• Florida
• Nebraska
• Utah
• Georgia
• Nevada
• Vermont
• Hawaii
• New Jersey
• Virginia
• Idaho
• Washington DC
• Illinois
• West Virginia
• Indiana
• Ohio
• Wisconsin
• Iowa
• Oklahoma
• Wyoming

Even though these states do allow longer look-back periods, every state still has to follow proper background check procedures and other federal laws, according to the Federal Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

How Is a State Background Check Conducted?

State background checks are conducted following a certain set of rules and procedures. These procedures make sure an individual understands their rights, and that the employer conducting the background check follows all regulations.

Before a state background check can be conducted, the employer or person requesting the background check must obtain consent from the applicant. They may need to wait until a conditional job offer has been given before starting the background check process, depending on state laws.

Once the applicant has been informed of their background check rights and has agreed to this process, the process begins. First, the person conducting the background check will submit the applicant’s information to an internal background checking service or a contracted third-party background checking service.

After a waiting period, the results of the background check will be given to the employer; the employer is required by state law to give a copy of the report to the applicant. Employers must notify the applicant with a notice of “pre-adverse action” if anything on the background check report is going to cause a job offer to be rescinded.

If an applicant receives a pre-adverse action notice, they are allowed to contest the findings of the background check report and provide clarifications to the employer before a final decision is made.

How Long Does a State Background Check Take?

A state background check can take a few business days, up to a week or two to complete. The length of time it takes for your state background check to be returned depends on how in-depth this report is. If your state background check is being conducted alongside a federal background check or other state background checks, you can expect it to take longer.

If you have only lived in one state throughout your life and you do not have any kind of criminal record, your state background check will generally have a shorter turnaround time.

How Do You Fail a State Background Check?

Failing a state background check can be subjective, as what one employer or company might deem as a disqualification would be just fine with a different company or employer. That being said, violent offenses, federal crimes, and terroristic acts on a background check report are generally causes for failing.

It’s important to understand what an employer is looking for when they screen your background check. You should take the time to prepare yourself for a background check report by reviewing your own report ahead of time.

Taking the time to look through your background check report can help you identify any errors on your report and red flags that an employer might raise questions about. You can prepare yourself for a state background check better by requesting that certain errors be removed from your report and by preparing explanations for items that might be seen as red flags.

Can I Hide Any of My Information From a State Background Check?

It is not possible to hide your personal information from a state background check report, as select items of your personal history and your criminal or civil records are part of the public record in your state. This means that any member of the public can access them; this is for safety reasons and also allows the public to keep an eye on law enforcement and the workings of the court system.

There are two main ways you could potentially have certain items hidden from the public record. One involves an order of protection in your state, which could make your information difficult to find on the public record in order to protect your safety. However, this may not hide the information from an official background check.

The other way to get certain parts of your criminal record removed from public record and a state background check is to go through the sealing or expungement process. A legal professional will help you with this, and they can tell you if you are qualified to have records sealed or expunged. 

If you are qualified for expungement, those particular criminal records will be removed from your official background check report. However, certain law enforcement professionals and court officials may still be able to see them.

Understanding 10-Year Background Check States

10-year background check states are states that allow an employer or another individual requesting an official background check to look back at least 10 years into your personal and criminal history. 

If you have any concerns or questions about how far back a background check report will be looking in your state, take the time to read about state laws. From there, you can see if your state is a seven-year or a 10-year background check state. Understanding this can help you better prepare for your next background check report.