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State of California Department of Justice
Rob Bonta
Attorney General
Attorney General
California law authorizes certain governmental and private organizations to conduct criminal offender record information background checks to help determine the suitability of a person applying for employment, a professional license, or any position serving children, the elderly, or individuals with disabilities. Law enforcement agencies, public and private schools, non-profit organizations, and in-home supportive care agencies are some of the organizations authorized to conduct these fingerprint-based background checks.
Before any of your potential applicants can be fingerprinted for a background check, you must apply to become an authorized applicant agency. DOJ will only approve an organization that is authorized by statute to require applicants to undergo fingerprint-based criminal history background checks. The authorizing statute will specify the level of service you are authorized to receive (California criminal history information ONLY or California and Federal criminal history information).
Agencies must use the Agency Authorization Portal (AAP) to submit applications to be authorized to conduct criminal offender record information background checks. This portal provides step-by-step application guidance to ensure submission of the proper documentation. Agencies may also use this portal to check the status of their application and receive notifications if any additional documentation or clarification is needed. A DOJ analyst will contact you through AAP and advise you of the next steps.
If you have any questions or issues with AAP, please contact the DOJ Authorization & Certification Program at AuthorizationQuestions@doj.ca.gov.
Once your agency has been approved through the Agency Authorization Portal (AAP), you may begin fingerprinting your applicants.
All applicants must have a completed Request for Live Scan Service (BCIA 8016) form to present to the Live Scan operator or they cannot be fingerprinted. Ensure all of your agency’s information (e.g., Agency ORI, Mailing Address, Mail Code, etc.) is accurately entered onto the form that you provide the applicant. Any erroneous information submitted may cause delays or result in the applicant having to be fingerprinted again and fees paid a second time. A Live Scan operator will not take fingerprints if the applicant does not present one of the following forms:
Click on the following link for the instructions on completing these forms:
Instructions for Completing Live Scan Request Forms
Fingerprinting services are available at most local police departments, sheriff's offices or any public applicant Live Scan site. To find the sites nearest your agency and a listing of their rolling fees, see Public Live Scan Sites.
NOTE: The applicant must present valid photo identification to the Live Scan provider. Expired identification will not be accepted.
Applicants fingerprinting outside the State of California cannot use Live Scan. Out-of-state applicants must complete a Fingerprint Hard Card (FD-258). Contact a local law enforcement agency or private fingerprinting vendor in your applicant’s state for fingerprinting services and to request the FD-258.
Once the applicant is fingerprinted, the FD-258 must be returned to the authorized agency for review. The authorized agency must review the FD-258 and verify the agency information, billing number, applicant type, and fees. If your agency elects to pre-pay, please complete and submit the Transmittal Form - Prepaid (Cash) (JUS203), pdf. If your agency has a billing account, please complete the Transmittal Form (Billed) (JUS 204), pdf to be invoiced.
The authorized agency will then mail the FD-258, appropriate transmittal form, and any associated fees to:
California and federal background checks are processed for a fee. For a complete listing of the processing fees associated with criminal background checks, please see: Applicant Fingerprint Processing Fees.
Some agencies pay the processing fees and others require the applicant to pay these fees at the time they are fingerprinted. If your agency pays these processing fees, you have the option of (1) paying the fees directly to the Live Scan operator or (2) establishing a billing account at the time of your authorization, in which case DOJ will invoice your agency for the processing fees.
NOTE: The processing fees do not include the fingerprint rolling fee charged by the Live Scan operator; the fingerprint rolling fee must be paid directly to the Live Scan operator.
If the applicant was fingerprinted by Fingerprint Hard Card (FD-258), the authorized agency must mail the FD-258, appropriate transmittal form, and any associated fees to DOJ.
If you have established a billing account with DOJ, you will receive a billing invoice on a monthly basis via U.S. mail. To request an electronic copy of your invoice or to make a payment, contact creditcardpmts@doj.ca.gov or call 916-210-7055. If you would like to pay your billing invoice by credit card, please Fax the Credit Card Transaction Form (JUS 8799) to (916) 731-2150.
You will also receive a monthly Billing Detail Report via email listing the applicants and associated charges for invoice reconciliation purposes. To request a copy of your Billing Detail Report, contact DOJ.AppBill@doj.ca.gov.
If you find a discrepancy on your Billing Detail Report, you may request a credit by emailing a completed Live Scan Credit Request Form (CJIS 9010) to DOJ.AppBill@doj.ca.gov. DOJ will research your request and notify you whether or not your credit was approved.
IMPORTANT: Regardless of any potential discrepancy, you must pay your monthly invoice in full upon receipt.
Once the applicant submission is received and processed, DOJ will respond to the applicant agency either electronically via the Applicant Agency Justice Connection (AAJC) portal or via U.S. mail.
Agencies that receive results by U.S. mail should allow a minimum of seven days before making a status inquiry.
Most results are released to the applicant agency within three business days. However, delays may occur for a number of reasons: poor fingerprint quality, incomplete information in the applicant’s record, the existence of a manual fingerprint card (whether criminal or applicant) in the applicant’s file, and incorrect data on the submission. When manual review of a fingerprint transaction is required, DOJ will send a delay notification. A delay notification does not necessarily indicate an applicant has criminal information on their record.
If a requesting agency has not yet received results and digital Live Scan fingerprints were submitted, the agency can use the Applicant Background Check Status tool to check the status of the transaction. The 10-digit ATI number provided by the Live Scan operator and the applicant’s date of birth are required to conduct a search.
Only authorized agencies may email AppAgencyQuestions@doj.ca.gov if they require further assistance with:
DO NOT use this email address to request copies or duplicates of background check responses. Duplicates or copies of responses are not provided.
When corresponding with DOJ, please provide the following information:
DO NOT include any personal identifying information in your email message. To protect the privacy rights of the applicant, DOJ cannot respond to email messages that contain personally identifying information (e.g., applicant’s date of birth, social security number, etc.).
Questions or status inquiries originating from the applicant should be directed to the agency that made the background check request, not to DOJ. DOJ cannot respond to these requests as DOJ is not the determining agency.