Are Mugshots Public Record? What You Need to Know

Evelyn Sanderson - June 29, 2025

Mugshots are identifying photographs of a suspect or criminal’s face for police records. Most jurisdictions in the United States require mugshots to be taken during an arrest. These serve as visual records that can be accessed later for future investigations when law enforcement agencies need to identify suspects.

In jurisdictions that take mugshots, they typically become public records. However, public records include a wide range of information. If you’re wondering if mugshots are public records, our article is here to answer. Read on to learn if someone’s mugshot is a public record and how you can access it if they include mugshots.

What’s Included in the Public Records?

Public records are government databases that include non-confidential information. As the name suggests, public records are open to the public. Anyone can access a wide range of information included in public records. Here’s an overview of what information is public records and if you can find mugshots.

Birth Records

Birth records are public, but they aren’t as openly available to everyone as other information you can find in public records. Generally, you can only see the individual’s name when you search for birth records.

Other than this basic information, you can’t see every detail about someone’s birth records, such as date of birth, place of birth, and birth certificate number. Therefore, not every birth record is a public record.

Bankruptcy Filings

Bankruptcy filings are a part of public records. Unlike birth records, which include a wide range of confidential information, most details about a bankruptcy filing are public records. Still, confidential information, such as the Social Security Number of the individual and the Employer Identification Number of the business, is redacted for privacy.

Bankruptcy records include the case number, type of bankruptcy filed, debtor and creditor information, financial information, attached court documents, and bankruptcy outcome. Since these records remain public and are a strong indicator of someone’s financial responsibility, they are one of the first things creditors look for before approving a loan or mortgage.

Marriage Records

Marriage records are public records. Generally, anyone can access public records and see whether an individual is married, along with spouse information, date of marriage, and the location where they got married.

While you can access basic details through marriage records, only those whose names are mentioned in the marriage records can get certified copies of marriage from public records. However, anyone should be able to get an informal copy, though they aren’t valid for legal use.

Property Records

Property records are public records. They include a wide range of information about any given property, from the current owner to the legal description of the property. By searching property records, you can learn who owns a property, as well as the previous owners. This can help you know who to contact when interested in buying a property. 

Other information you can find in property records are transaction details that include sale price and date, tax information, parcel number, zoning classification, and public deed records.

Arrest Records (Mugshots)

Arrest records are accessible to the public and often include mugshots. While this answers your question of whether mugshots are public records, arrest records detail more than just mugshots. 

Arrest records include personal information about the suspect and the arrest details, such as the suspect’s name and physical description and the date, time, and location of the arrest. If the mugshot of the suspect was taken during the arrest, it will be included in the arrest records.

Other Types of Public Records

Beyond mugshots and the others we’ve covered, public records include much more. For example, you can find licensing status for professionals like doctors and lawyers, business records, traffic records, permits, government records, and civil cases.

With public records including so many details, knowing where to start finding mugshots can be confusing. Simply searching through arrest records on your state or local government’s website doesn’t always yield the desired results. Below, you’ll discover how to find mugshots from public records.

How to Find Mugshots From Public Records?

There are several ways to find mugshots from public records. Here are two of the easiest methods that don’t include going to your local courthouse or other government offices.

State Department of Corrections Website

To find mugshots from public records, go to your state’s Department of Corrections website. There should be an option for inmate search, where you can enter details like name or DC number. 

However, check if you’re entering these details on the right search. While some state Department of Corrections websites search for all corrections offender databases, others limit their search. If there’s an option to search all corrections databases, make sure to select that before making your search.

Your state’s Department of Corrections website will then list records that match your search, where you can find the mugshots of the individual if included in the arrest records.

Our Criminal Records Check

Another way to find mugshots through public records is through our criminal records check search. This is the easiest way to find out if someone was arrested in the past, and if so, see their mugshot from their arrest records.

Simply head over to our criminal records check and enter the details of the individual you want to search. All you need to do is their name, city, and state. Our criminal records check tool will then search public records and web pages to find a match. If the person you’ve searched for has a criminal record, it will detail everything related to it.

Beyond mugshots and arrest records, you’ll also be able to see their court records. Since you typically need to go to the courthouse to obtain this information, our criminal records check search makes it convenient to find the information you need about someone’s criminal history.

Public Records: Mugshots and More

Public records contain a wide range of information, whether about marriage, someone’s criminal past, or documents related to property. If you suspect someone might have had a criminal record and are looking for their mugshot, our criminal records check can help you verify.

Simply enter the individual’s name, city, and state to run a criminal records check and get all the details about their criminal background. You will discover more than their mugshots and get access to any document related to their arrest and conviction if it resulted in a conviction.

In addition to mugshots and arrest records, you can run a comprehensive public records check on someone that includes everything we’ve listed above, from birth records to property records. Additionally, you can lookup your criminal record to see what would appear when applying for a job or professional license.