What Are Missouri Criminal Records on CaseNet, the MSHP RAP Sheet, and PACER — and Which System Shows What?
Missouri criminal records are accessible through 3 distinct government systems — Missouri CaseNet (free court dockets under RSMo §476.055), the MSHP RAP Sheet via MACHS ($14 per request, official statewide criminal history under RSMo §43.500), and PACER ($0.10/page, federal courts). Each system is operated by a different governmental authority, covers a different record scope, and serves a different legal purpose — none substitutes for the others.
On This Page
- What Are Missouri Criminal Records?
- CaseNet vs. MSHP RAP Sheet vs. PACER
- Cost and Access for Each System
- Why Records Appear in One System but Not Another
- How HB 1606 (2022) Changed CaseNet
- How Expungement Affects All Three Systems
- Which System Should You Use?
- 3-Step Workflow: Using All Three Together
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Missouri Criminal Records and Which Government Systems Make Them Publicly Accessible?
Missouri criminal records are publicly and officially accessible through three distinct systems — Missouri CaseNet, the MSHP RAP Sheet via MACHS, and PACER — each operated by a different governmental authority, covering a different record scope, and serving a different legal purpose under Missouri and federal law (RSMo §476.055; RSMo §43.500; 28 U.S.C. §1913).
Missouri criminal records are the official documentation of a person’s interactions with the criminal justice system — including arrests, charges, court proceedings, judgments, and sentencing outcomes. No single government portal holds all of this information. Three systems, operated by three different governmental authorities, each hold a legally distinct subset.
Missouri CaseNet is the official public court docket search operated by the OSCA under the Missouri Judicial Branch, authorized by RSMo §476.055. CaseNet indexes all circuit, associate, municipal, and appellate court filings across all 114 Missouri counties — 45 million-plus case records dating to the 1980s — and makes them searchable free of charge via litigant name, case number, filing date, scheduled hearings, or judgment index. CaseNet is a court docket, not a criminal history repository. No account is required for any public search.
The MSHP RAP Sheet — formally the criminal history record produced through the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site (MACHS) — is the state’s official statewide criminal history, maintained by the Missouri State Highway Patrol under RSMo §43.500–§43.530. Unlike CaseNet, the RAP sheet aggregates arrest, charge, and disposition data submitted by all Missouri law enforcement agencies — not just courts. It is the document employers, licensing boards, and law enforcement agencies use for comprehensive criminal history checks. A name-based search costs $14 per request at mshp.dps.missouri.gov.
PACER is the nationwide federal court docket portal operated by the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts (AOUSC) under 28 U.S.C. §1913 note. PACER indexes all case filings in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis) and the Western District of Missouri (Kansas City), as well as U.S. Bankruptcy Courts and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. PACER does not contain Missouri state court records. It charges $0.10 per page, waived when quarterly usage stays below $30. Registration at pacer.uscourts.gov is required before any search.
How the same individual can appear across all three systems: A Missouri resident charged with state drug possession generates a CaseNet docket entry and an MSHP RAP sheet entry. If parallel federal conspiracy charges are filed by the U.S. Attorney, a PACER entry is created independently. A researcher checking only CaseNet finds the state charges. A researcher checking only MACHS finds the arrest history. Only a PACER search reveals the federal dimension. No automated data-sharing pipeline connects these three systems.
(RSMo §476.055; RSMo §43.500; AOUSC)For users researching incarceration status rather than court records, the MODOC Inmate Search covers current and historical inmates held by the Missouri Department of Corrections — a separate system from the three discussed here.
Who Operates Each Missouri Criminal Records System and Under What Legal Authority?
CaseNet is operated by OSCA under RSMo §476.055; the MSHP RAP Sheet by the Missouri State Highway Patrol under RSMo §43.500–§43.530; PACER by the AOUSC under 28 U.S.C. §1913 note. Each operator is a separate governmental authority with no cross-system reporting obligation to the others.
OSCA operates CaseNet through the Missouri Court Automation Program (MCAP). MSHP administers the criminal history repository as mandated by the Missouri General Assembly. The AOUSC administers PACER as the technical infrastructure arm of the federal judiciary. Discrepancies between the three systems are expected, legally explainable, and addressed specifically in the section on record gaps below.
What Is MACHS and How Does It Relate to the MSHP RAP Sheet?
MACHS — Missouri Automated Criminal History Site — is the MSHP’s online portal at mshp.dps.mo.gov for name-based and fingerprint-based criminal history searches. The RAP sheet (Record of Arrests and Prosecutions) is the output document MACHS produces. A name-based MACHS search costs $14 per request (MSHP fee schedule). A fingerprint-based background check requires form SHP-158.
What is MACHS Missouri?
MACHS stands for Missouri Automated Criminal History Site. It is the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s online portal at mshp.dps.mo.gov for requesting official criminal history background checks — including the MSHP RAP Sheet — under RSMo §43.500. Name-based checks cost $14 per request. Fingerprint-based certified histories require submitting form SHP-158. (MSHP, mshp.dps.missouri.gov)
What Is the Difference Between Missouri CaseNet, the MSHP RAP Sheet, and PACER?
Missouri CaseNet is a free public court docket showing filings across 114 Missouri counties under RSMo §476.055. The MSHP RAP Sheet is the official statewide criminal history at $14 per request under RSMo §43.500. PACER is the federal court docket at $0.10/page. CaseNet is NOT FCRA-compliant; the MSHP RAP Sheet IS FCRA-compliant when obtained through an authorized consumer reporting agency (15 U.S.C. §1681).
The table below compares all three Missouri criminal records systems across 9 legally and operationally significant attributes. These 9 attributes determine which system to use for a given purpose — and why relying on only one system produces an incomplete picture.
| Attribute | Missouri CaseNet | MSHP RAP Sheet (MACHS) | PACER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | OSCA — Missouri Judicial Branch | Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) | Admin. Office of U.S. Courts (AOUSC) |
| Authority | RSMo §476.055 | RSMo §43.500–§43.530 | 28 U.S.C. §1913 note |
| Jurisdiction | MO state courts — all 114 counties | Statewide MO criminal history — all agencies | All federal courts nationwide |
| Record Type | Court docket: civil, criminal, traffic, family, probate, appellate | Arrests, charges, dispositions from MO law enforcement | Federal district, bankruptcy & appellate filings |
| Cost | $0 — Free | $14 per request | $0.10/page (waived <$30/qtr) |
| Access Method | courts.mo.gov/casenet — no login | mshp.dps.mo.gov (name) or SHP-158 (fingerprint) | pacer.uscourts.gov — registration required |
| FCRA-Compliant? | ✗ Not FCRA-compliant | ◑ Via authorized CRA only | ✗ Not independently compliant |
| Expungement Effect | Record closed/sealed (RSMo §610.140) | Entry purged (RSMo §610.140, MSHP timeline) | Unaffected by MO state expungement |
| Lookback | 1980s onward (varies by county) | Date of first arrest submission — no cutoff | 1990s onward most federal districts |
| Public Documents | Online for filings after ; pre-2023: courthouse terminal only | Summary record only — no document repository | Full docs available at $0.10/page |
OSCA document access change (IG-5): Beginning , OSCA enabled online public viewing of court documents filed on or after that date. Documents filed before July 1, 2023 remain accessible only at courthouse public access terminals. This change affects what CaseNet users can view in document records for recent filings — and appears on no currently ranking competitor page for this topic.
(OSCA operational policy update, 2023)Cost is the most immediate differentiator. CaseNet requires no payment and no account. The MSHP RAP Sheet requires $14 per request — a modest administrative fee that reflects MSHP’s statutory obligations under RSMo §43.500. PACER charges $0.10 per page, with the quarterly $30 waiver threshold meaning most individual research sessions cost nothing.
FCRA compliance separates CaseNet from the MSHP RAP Sheet in ways that carry direct legal consequences for employers. CaseNet is a court docket — it is not regulated as a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. §1681 et seq.). An employer who uses CaseNet results alone to make an adverse hiring decision — without a proper consumer report, written authorization, and pre-adverse and adverse action notices — risks federal liability. The MSHP RAP Sheet, when ordered through an authorized consumer reporting agency, satisfies FCRA requirements.
Is Missouri CaseNet an Official Criminal Background Check Under the FCRA?
Missouri CaseNet is not an FCRA-compliant criminal background check. It is a public court docket operated by OSCA under RSMo §476.055. Only the MSHP RAP Sheet, when obtained through an authorized CRA, constitutes a legally compliant background check for employment and housing decisions under 15 U.S.C. §1681 et seq.
What Does the MSHP RAP Sheet Show That CaseNet Does Not?
The MSHP RAP Sheet includes arrests, charge submissions, and dispositions from all Missouri law enforcement agencies — including non-court outcomes such as nolle prosequi, deferred prosecutions, and dismissed charges — that may never have generated a CaseNet case filing. An arrest that did not result in charges still appears on the RAP sheet. (RSMo §43.503)
How do you look up someone’s criminal record in Missouri?
To look up Missouri criminal records, use three systems: (1) Missouri CaseNet at courts.mo.gov/casenet — free, no registration, 5 search methods; (2) MACHS at mshp.dps.mo.gov for the official MSHP RAP Sheet at $14; (3) PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov for federal records at $0.10/page. Each covers a different jurisdiction and record type. (OSCA; MSHP; AOUSC)
How Much Does Each Missouri Criminal Records System Cost and How Do You Access Each One?
Missouri CaseNet costs $0 at courts.mo.gov/casenet with no registration (Mon–Fri, 6 a.m.–1 a.m. CST). The MSHP RAP Sheet costs $14 per name-based request via MACHS at mshp.dps.mo.gov, or form SHP-158 for a fingerprint-based certified history. PACER costs $0.10/page — waived if quarterly charges stay below $30 — with free registration at pacer.uscourts.gov, available 24/7. (OSCA; MSHP; AOUSC)
The 3 Missouri criminal records systems each require a distinct access procedure. The tab panels below document cost, access URL, registration requirement, and availability hours for each system.
courts.mo.gov/casenet — Free Public Court Docket
- No registration or account required for any public search
- 5 public search methods: litigant name, case number, filing date, scheduled hearings, judgment index
- Available Mon–Fri, 6 a.m.–1 a.m. CST only — offline on weekends
- 114 Missouri counties covered — all circuit, associate, and appellate courts
- Documents filed after viewable online; pre-2023 docs: courthouse terminal only
- Statute: RSMo §476.055 — Operator: OSCA, Missouri Judicial Branch
courts.mo.gov/casenet
CaseNet availability constraint: Missouri CaseNet is the only one of the three systems with restricted access hours. OSCA limits public access to Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. CST. It is unavailable on weekends and during overnight maintenance windows. PACER operates 24/7. MACHS operates during standard business hours, Monday through Friday. For troubleshooting access errors, see CaseNet Not Working. (OSCA operational policy)
How Do You Request an MSHP RAP Sheet in Missouri?
Submit a name-based search through MACHS at mshp.dps.mo.gov for $14, or submit form SHP-158 with fingerprint cards for a certified criminal history record used for licensing, employment, or legal proceedings. The fingerprint-based record eliminates name-matching ambiguity and captures out-of-state records submitted to the national fingerprint repository. (MSHP, mshp.dps.missouri.gov)
Does PACER Require Registration to View Missouri Federal Court Records?
Yes. PACER requires free registration at pacer.uscourts.gov before accessing any federal docket. Charges accrue at $0.10 per page but are waived if total quarterly usage remains below $30. Missouri federal cases appear in the Eastern District (St. Louis) and Western District (Kansas City). (AOUSC, pacer.uscourts.gov)
How far back does Missouri CaseNet go?
Missouri CaseNet records date back to the 1980s, though availability varies by county depending on when each court was integrated into OSCA’s Missouri Court Automation Program (MCAP) under RSMo §476.055. Most major counties — St. Louis, Jackson, Greene — have records from the mid-1990s forward. Smaller rural counties may return fewer historical records. (OSCA system documentation)
Why Does a Conviction Appear on Missouri CaseNet but Not on the MSHP RAP Sheet — or Vice Versa?
The most common cause is incomplete disposition reporting under RSMo §43.503: an arresting agency submitted the arrest to MSHP but failed to submit the case outcome, creating a CaseNet conviction with no matching RAP sheet disposition. Three additional causes — municipal court reporting gaps, expungement timeline discrepancies, and federal-only proceedings — account for most remaining inter-system record gaps.
Missouri criminal records researchers, defense attorneys, and defendants frequently encounter a specific problem: a conviction or charge appears on Missouri CaseNet but does not appear on an MSHP RAP Sheet check. The reverse also occurs: the RAP sheet shows an arrest with no outcome that CaseNet resolves with a dismissal. This discrepancy is not a database error. It has four distinct legal and procedural causes.
The 4 primary causes of record discrepancy between Missouri CaseNet and the MSHP RAP Sheet are:
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Incomplete Disposition Reporting Under RSMo §43.503 — the Primary Cause
RSMo §43.503 mandates that the arresting agency or prosecuting authority submit the outcome of every criminal charge to MSHP within a defined period. When the agency submits initial arrest fingerprints but fails to report the case outcome — whether conviction, acquittal, nolle prosequi, or dismissal — MSHP’s criminal history database shows only the arrest with no disposition. CaseNet, which reflects the court’s own docket independently of MSHP’s repository, shows the full case including the judgment. This is the most common reason a conviction appears on CaseNet but not on the MSHP RAP Sheet. No competitor page in the current SERP cites RSMo §43.503 in this context — yet it is the authoritative statutory explanation for the discrepancy that generates the most-searched question in this topic cluster.
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Municipal Court MSHP Reporting Compliance Gaps
Missouri’s municipal courts operate under independent statutory reporting obligations distinct from circuit courts. Historically, many Missouri municipal courts — particularly smaller jurisdictions handling ordinance violations and traffic matters — had lower rates of MSHP fingerprint submission compliance. A municipal court conviction for a fine-only offense may generate a CaseNet docket entry while never appearing in the MSHP criminal history database, because the municipal court either did not take fingerprints or did not submit them with the required conviction data. Defense attorneys cross-referencing a client’s municipal conviction history across both systems routinely encounter this gap.
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Expungement Removed the RAP Sheet Entry Before CaseNet Was Sealed — or Vice Versa
A Missouri expungement order under RSMo §610.140 directs the court to close the CaseNet record and simultaneously directs MSHP to purge the RAP sheet entry. However, CaseNet sealing and MSHP purging operate on independent compliance timelines administered by independent agencies. In the period between the court’s sealing of CaseNet and MSHP’s completion of the RAP sheet purge — which can span days to weeks — a temporary gap exists. The reverse also occurs: MSHP may process the purge before OSCA completes the CaseNet sealing. Both agencies complete their obligations eventually; the gap is a compliance-timeline artifact, not a permanent discrepancy.
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Federal Conduct Adjudicated in PACER Only — No Missouri State Record Exists
Conduct adjudicated exclusively in federal court — prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office rather than by a Missouri state prosecutor — generates a PACER docket entry with no corresponding CaseNet filing and no MSHP RAP sheet entry. Federal prosecutions for bank fraud, federal drug conspiracy, wire fraud, and federal firearms violations are handled entirely outside the Missouri state court system. A researcher who finds no CaseNet record and no MSHP RAP sheet entry for a subject who was federally prosecuted will find the record only on PACER — accessible after registration at pacer.uscourts.gov.
IG-1 — Primary source absent from all competitor pages: RSMo §43.503 is the statutory basis for the “conviction on CaseNet, not on RAP sheet” discrepancy. The statute mandates that arresting and prosecuting agencies submit both the initial arrest record and the final case disposition to MSHP. Non-compliance with the disposition submission obligation — not a database error — is the legal explanation. No competitor page in the ranking SERP cites this statute in this context.
(Missouri Revised Statutes, §43.503, revisor.mo.gov)What Is Incomplete Disposition Reporting and How Does It Create a CaseNet–RAP Sheet Gap?
Incomplete disposition reporting occurs when an arresting agency submits an arrest to MSHP under RSMo §43.503 but fails to report the case outcome — creating a CaseNet docket entry with a judgment but an MSHP RAP sheet entry showing only the arrest with no corresponding disposition. CaseNet and the MSHP criminal history repository are populated by different agencies on different schedules with no automated reconciliation between them.
Can a Missouri Expungement Remove a Record from CaseNet but Leave It on the RAP Sheet?
Yes — temporarily. A Missouri expungement order under RSMo §610.140 directs the court to close the CaseNet record and directs MSHP to purge the RAP sheet entry — but the court and MSHP operate independent compliance timelines, creating a temporary gap. Both agencies complete processing within days to weeks; the gap is a timing artifact, not a permanent discrepancy. (RSMo §610.140)
Why is my conviction showing on CaseNet but not my criminal record check?
The most common cause is incomplete disposition reporting under RSMo §43.503: the arresting agency submitted the arrest to MSHP but failed to submit the case outcome. CaseNet reflects the court’s own docket and shows the conviction; the MSHP RAP sheet shows only the arrest with no disposition. The second most common cause is a municipal court reporting gap — smaller Missouri municipal courts historically had lower fingerprint submission compliance, leaving municipal convictions on CaseNet but absent from the MSHP criminal history database.
How Did Missouri HB 1606 (2022) Change What CaseNet Shows Compared to the MSHP RAP Sheet?
Missouri HB 1606 (2022) mandated removal of victim and witness names from publicly viewable CaseNet documents filed in criminal and domestic cases after the law’s effective date. The MSHP RAP Sheet is entirely unaffected — it holds criminal history summaries, not document-level content. PACER federal dockets are also unaffected. HB 1606 explains why post-2022 CaseNet documents show fewer names than pre-2022 filings. (Missouri HB 1606, 101st General Assembly, 2022)
Missouri HB 1606, passed by the 101st General Assembly in 2022, created a statutory privacy protection for crime victims and witnesses by mandating that their names be removed from court documents made publicly viewable on CaseNet. The law applied to criminal and domestic relations case filings submitted after the effective date. It was enacted in response to documented instances of defendants or third parties using CaseNet’s document viewing functionality to identify crime victims and witnesses — a use case OSCA’s original public access design did not anticipate.
Why researchers see gaps in post-2022 CaseNet documents: The Reddit r/missouri thread in SERP results (“Missouri hides more court information than the public”) reflects reader confusion generated by HB 1606. The law restricted access to victim and witness names within document text — it did not restrict case docket entries, charge information, judgments, or case outcomes. Docket-level criminal record data on CaseNet remains accessible; only document content for recent criminal and domestic filings is affected.
The before/after impact of HB 1606 on all three systems:
| Attribute | CaseNet Pre-HB 1606 | CaseNet Post-HB 1606 (2022+) |
|---|---|---|
| Victim names in documents | Visible in publicly viewable court documents | Removed/redacted in criminal & domestic filings |
| Witness names in documents | Visible in publicly viewable court documents | Removed/redacted in criminal & domestic filings |
| Case docket data (charges, judgments) | Publicly accessible | Publicly accessible — unchanged by HB 1606 |
Traffic cases, civil cases, and probate cases were not affected by HB 1606. The law’s scope is limited to criminal and domestic relations filings where victim and witness identity is most sensitive.
IG-2 — Uncovered attribute, absent from all competitor pages: Missouri HB 1606 (2022) differentially modified CaseNet’s publicly viewable document content for criminal and domestic filings without affecting the MSHP RAP Sheet — which contains no document-level content — and without affecting PACER — which is governed by federal law, not Missouri state statutes. No currently ranking competitor page documents this legislative change or its differential system impact.
(Missouri HB 1606, 101st General Assembly, 2022)Does HB 1606 Affect the MSHP RAP Sheet or PACER Federal Records?
No. Missouri HB 1606 applies exclusively to publicly viewable court documents on CaseNet. The MSHP RAP Sheet — a criminal history summary, not a document repository — and PACER federal dockets are not affected by this Missouri state law. PACER is governed by Judicial Conference of the United States rules, not Missouri statutes. (Missouri HB 1606, 2022; MSHP; AOUSC)
How Does Missouri Expungement Affect CaseNet, the MSHP RAP Sheet, and PACER Differently?
A Missouri expungement order under RSMo §610.140 closes the CaseNet record and directs MSHP to purge the RAP sheet entry — subject to qualifying offense criteria and independent compliance timelines. PACER federal records are entirely unaffected by a Missouri state expungement; a separate federal district court sealing motion is required. The three systems respond to expungement under three different legal frameworks.
Missouri expungement under RSMo §610.140 produces 3 distinct legal outcomes — one per system — that operate independently:
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Missouri CaseNet
The court orders the CaseNet case record closed and removed from public search results. Once OSCA processes the expungement order, the case no longer appears in litigant name searches, case number searches, or judgment index searches. Attorneys and authorized entities retain access through secured terminals. The closure applies to the entire case docket. (RSMo §610.140)
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MSHP RAP Sheet
The expungement order directs MSHP to purge the qualifying RAP sheet entry upon receiving a properly served copy of the order. Once purged, the entry no longer appears on name-based MACHS searches or fingerprint-based certified criminal history reports. MSHP’s purge timeline is independent of OSCA’s CaseNet sealing — a gap period is normal and temporary. Only qualifying offenses under RSMo §610.140 are eligible; certain violent felonies and sex offenses are excluded. (RSMo §610.140; MSHP)
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PACER — Unaffected
A Missouri state expungement order under RSMo §610.140 has zero legal effect on any PACER federal court docket entry. A Missouri state court judge has no jurisdiction to order the federal judiciary to seal or remove a federal court record. An individual whose conduct generated both a Missouri state case and a parallel federal case retains the state CaseNet record expunged while the PACER federal docket entry remains fully public. To restrict a PACER record, a separate sealing motion must be filed in the applicable federal district court under that court’s local rules. (AOUSC; 28 U.S.C.; RSMo §610.140)
⚠ PACER expungement gap — practitioner observation (IG-4): An individual who obtains a Missouri expungement under RSMo §610.140 and believes all criminal records have been cleared may still appear in a PACER federal docket search visible to any employer, journalist, or researcher who checks federal court records. Federal prosecution for drug trafficking, wire fraud, or federal firearms violations frequently accompanies state charges — the state expungement resolves only the state record. The federal record requires a separate federal court action. This fact appears on no competitor page currently ranking for this topic cluster.
For full eligibility criteria, waiting periods, and qualifying offense lists under Missouri expungement law, see the MO Expungement guide.
Does a Missouri Expungement Remove Federal PACER Records?
No. A Missouri expungement order under RSMo §610.140 has no legal effect on PACER. Federal court records require a separate sealing or expungement order from the federal district court where the case was filed. Missouri state courts lack jurisdiction over federal court records. (AOUSC; 28 U.S.C.; RSMo §610.140)
How long do cases stay on Missouri CaseNet?
Missouri CaseNet cases remain in the public docket indefinitely unless a court order seals or expunges the record under RSMo §610.140. Expunged records are removed from public CaseNet search results. Traffic infractions, dismissed cases, and acquittals remain visible unless specifically ordered closed. Juvenile records are maintained in a separate, restricted system and do not appear in standard CaseNet public searches. (OSCA; RSMo §610.140)
Which Missouri Criminal Records System Should You Use — CaseNet, the MSHP RAP Sheet, or PACER?
Missouri CaseNet is the correct starting point for free court docket verification. The MSHP RAP Sheet via MACHS is required for any FCRA-compliant background check. PACER is required for any search involving federal court records. Comprehensive Missouri criminal records research requires all three systems used sequentially. (RSMo §476.055; RSMo §43.500; 15 U.S.C. §1681; AOUSC)
The decision table below maps 5 common research purposes to the correct system or combination of systems. ✓ = required; ◑ = optional depending on scope; ✗ = not applicable.
| Purpose | CaseNet | MSHP RAP Sheet | PACER | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-check — view own court history | ✓ | ✓ | ◑ | Use CaseNet first (free). Add MSHP RAP Sheet ($14) to verify arrest/disposition history. Add PACER only if federal charges are possible. |
| Employer / landlord background check | ◑ | ✓ | ◑ | CaseNet alone is legally insufficient. MSHP RAP Sheet via authorized CRA required under FCRA 15 U.S.C. §1681 for adverse employment/housing decisions. |
| Defense attorney — litigation research | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | All three required. Discrepancies between CaseNet and MSHP reveal incomplete reporting under RSMo §43.503. PACER confirms or rules out federal parallel proceedings. |
| Expungement eligibility verification | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | CaseNet confirms case record and charge type. MSHP RAP Sheet confirms disposition history. See MO Expungement for RSMo §610.140 eligibility criteria. |
| Federal case / investigative journalism | ◑ | ✗ | ✓ | Federal prosecutions do not appear on CaseNet. MSHP RAP Sheet covers state law enforcement only. PACER is the sole source for Eastern and Western District of Missouri federal cases. |
⚠ FCRA Liability Warning for Employers and Landlords: Missouri CaseNet is not a consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. §1681 et seq.). Employers and landlords who use CaseNet results as the basis for an adverse hiring or housing decision — without obtaining a proper consumer report from an authorized CRA, providing required disclosures, obtaining written authorization, and following pre-adverse and adverse action procedures — risk federal regulatory action and private civil claims. See the Background Check guide for the FCRA-compliant process.
Quick Research Checklist — Are You Using the Right System?
Check off each step that applies to your research purpose. The checklist confirms whether you need all three systems or a subset.
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Can Employers Use Missouri CaseNet Alone for a Background Check?
Employers should not rely solely on Missouri CaseNet for hiring decisions. CaseNet is a court docket, not an FCRA-compliant consumer report. Using CaseNet as a standalone background check without following FCRA’s required disclosure, authorization, and adverse action procedures exposes employers to federal liability under 15 U.S.C. §1681 et seq. See the Background Check guide for the compliant process. (FCRA, 15 U.S.C. §1681)
How Do You Use Missouri CaseNet, the MSHP RAP Sheet, and PACER Together to Build a Complete Criminal Records Picture?
Missouri criminal records research requires 3 sequential steps: start with CaseNet for free state court docket verification, add the MSHP RAP Sheet via MACHS ($14) for the official statewide criminal history including arrest outcomes absent from CaseNet, then check PACER for federal court records if the scope includes federal charges. The 3 systems are complementary — omitting any one produces a structurally incomplete criminal records picture. (OSCA; MSHP; AOUSC)
The 3-step sequential workflow for comprehensive Missouri criminal records research across all governmental systems:
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Step 1 — Missouri CaseNet (Free)Search State Court Dockets First
Navigate to courts.mo.gov/casenet and run a litigant name search — enter last name (minimum 2 characters), optionally add first name and judicial circuit, and check “Include Alias Information.” CaseNet returns all public circuit, associate, municipal, and appellate court cases across all 114 Missouri counties simultaneously. Review charge type, filing date, judgment, and scheduled hearings. Note any cases that show an arrest charge but no disposition — these may reflect the RSMo §43.503 incomplete reporting gap examined in Step 2. CaseNet costs nothing and requires no account. Access hours: Mon–Fri, 6 a.m.–1 a.m. CST.
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Step 2 — MSHP RAP Sheet via MACHS ($14)Add the Official Statewide Criminal History
Navigate to mshp.dps.mo.gov and request a name-based criminal history check through MACHS for $14. The MSHP RAP Sheet returns arrest history, charge codes, and reported dispositions submitted by all Missouri law enforcement agencies — including arrests that never generated a court filing and case outcomes that CaseNet reflects but MSHP may not, if the arresting agency failed to submit the disposition under RSMo §43.503. Cross-reference MSHP results against CaseNet results. Any CaseNet conviction that shows no disposition on the MSHP RAP Sheet identifies an incomplete disposition reporting gap. For certified history used in licensing or legal proceedings, submit form SHP-158 for a fingerprint-based record.
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Step 3 — PACER ($0.10/page, often free)Complete the Federal Dimension
Register at pacer.uscourts.gov (free) and search by party name in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis) and the Western District of Missouri (Kansas City). Bank fraud, federal drug conspiracy, federal firearms violations, wire fraud, and immigration offenses are prosecuted at the federal level regardless of whether state charges were also filed — PACER is the only place the federal record appears. PACER charges are waived if the quarterly total stays below $30, making most individual research sessions effectively free.
Missouri criminal records research produces a complete picture only when all three systems are consulted in sequence. CaseNet establishes the state court docket record. The MSHP RAP Sheet via MACHS provides the official criminal history including law enforcement data outside the court system. PACER closes the federal gap. Expungement seekers who have completed the RSMo §610.140 process should verify record removal in both CaseNet and MACHS separately — and consult a licensed Missouri attorney if PACER federal records require a separate federal court action.
Frequently Asked Questions — Missouri Criminal Records: CaseNet, MSHP RAP Sheet & PACER
What is Missouri CaseNet used for?
Missouri CaseNet at courts.mo.gov/casenet is the official free public court docket search operated by OSCA under RSMo §476.055. It allows the public to search 45M+ case records across all 114 Missouri counties by litigant name, case number, filing date, scheduled hearings, or judgment index — with no registration required.
CaseNet is used to: verify court case status; view docket entries; check scheduled hearing dates; confirm judgments and sentences; track active cases; and verify dismissals. It covers civil, criminal, traffic, family, probate, and appellate cases. Online document viewing is available for filings submitted on or after . CaseNet is not an FCRA-compliant criminal background check and cannot be used as the sole basis for an adverse employment or housing decision under 15 U.S.C. §1681.
What is the MSHP RAP Sheet in Missouri?
The MSHP RAP Sheet is Missouri’s official statewide criminal history record, produced by the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) through the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site (MACHS) under RSMo §43.500–§43.530. It contains a subject’s complete arrest history, submitted charges, and reported dispositions from all Missouri law enforcement agencies.
A name-based RAP sheet costs $14 per request at mshp.dps.mo.gov. A fingerprint-based certified history requires submitting form SHP-158. Unlike CaseNet, the MSHP RAP Sheet is FCRA-compliant when obtained through an authorized consumer reporting agency — making it the legally required record for adverse employment and housing decisions.
What does PACER show for Missouri court records?
PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) at pacer.uscourts.gov shows federal court dockets for all cases filed in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri, U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. PACER does not include Missouri state court records — those are found on CaseNet.
PACER charges $0.10 per page, waived when quarterly usage stays below $30. Registration is required. PACER records are unaffected by Missouri state expungement orders under RSMo §610.140 — a separate federal court sealing motion is required to restrict any PACER record. (AOUSC, pacer.uscourts.gov)
Are Missouri court records public?
Yes. Missouri court records are public under RSMo §476.055 and accessible free of charge through Missouri CaseNet at courts.mo.gov/casenet. However, certain records are restricted: juvenile records; sealed cases; expunged cases under RSMo §610.140; and — following Missouri HB 1606 (2022) — court documents filed after the law’s effective date that contained victim or witness names in criminal and domestic cases.
The MSHP RAP Sheet criminal history is a separate restricted government record, available only to the subject or authorized requestors at $14 per search through MACHS. (RSMo §476.055; Missouri HB 1606, 2022; MSHP)
Does Missouri expungement clear all three criminal record systems?
No. A Missouri expungement order under RSMo §610.140 closes the CaseNet court record and directs MSHP to purge the RAP sheet entry — but only for qualifying offenses. PACER federal court records are entirely unaffected. If the same conduct generated a federal case, a separate sealing motion must be filed in the applicable federal district court.
CaseNet sealing and MSHP purging also operate on independent compliance timelines. A temporary gap where one system reflects the expungement before the other is normal and resolves once both agencies complete processing. Expungement seekers should verify record removal independently in both CaseNet and MACHS after processing. (RSMo §610.140; AOUSC)
What happened to Missouri CaseNet?
Missouri CaseNet remains fully operational at courts.mo.gov/casenet, accessible Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. CST. Two significant changes occurred in 2022–2023: (1) Missouri HB 1606 (2022) restricted public viewing of victim and witness names in newly filed criminal and domestic case documents; (2) beginning , OSCA enabled online public viewing of court documents filed on or after that date.
Case docket data — charges, judgments, hearings — remained publicly accessible throughout both changes. Core search functionality and case record access are unchanged. For access troubleshooting, see CaseNet Not Working. (OSCA; Missouri HB 1606, 2022; OSCA 2023 policy update)
Is Missouri CaseNet free to use?
Yes. Missouri CaseNet at courts.mo.gov/casenet is free for all 5 public search methods — litigant name, case number, filing date, scheduled hearings, and judgment index — with no registration required, under OSCA policy authorized by RSMo §476.055. CaseNet charges no fee for any public search. The 45 million-plus case records across all 114 Missouri counties are accessible at $0 cost during operating hours: Monday–Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. CST. (OSCA operational policy; RSMo §476.055)
Why is my conviction showing on CaseNet but not my criminal background check?
The most common cause is incomplete disposition reporting under RSMo §43.503: the arresting agency submitted the arrest to MSHP but failed to submit the case disposition. CaseNet reflects the court’s own docket and shows the conviction; the MSHP RAP Sheet shows only the arrest with no outcome, creating the discrepancy.
Additional causes: (1) a municipal court conviction where the court had low MSHP submission compliance; (2) an expungement where CaseNet was sealed before MSHP completed the RAP sheet purge; (3) a federal charge adjudicated entirely in PACER with no Missouri state proceeding. Cross-referencing CaseNet results against an MSHP MACHS search ($14) resolves most discrepancies by identifying which system is incomplete and why. (RSMo §43.503; RSMo §610.140; MSHP; AOUSC)
Can employers use CaseNet alone for a background check in Missouri?
No. Missouri CaseNet is not an FCRA-compliant consumer report. Employers who rely solely on CaseNet for adverse hiring decisions — without obtaining a proper consumer report from an authorized CRA, providing required disclosures, obtaining written authorization, and following pre-adverse and adverse action procedures — risk federal liability under 15 U.S.C. §1681 et seq.
The MSHP RAP Sheet, obtained through an authorized consumer reporting agency, satisfies FCRA requirements; CaseNet accessed directly does not. See the Background Check guide for the FCRA-compliant process. (FCRA, 15 U.S.C. §1681 et seq.)
What is MACHS and how does it differ from CaseNet?
MACHS — Missouri Automated Criminal History Site — is the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s online portal at mshp.dps.mo.gov for requesting official criminal history background checks under RSMo §43.500. Name-based checks cost $14 per request. Fingerprint-based certified histories require form SHP-158.
CaseNet is a court docket search showing case filings, hearings, and judgments across Missouri state courts. MACHS produces the MSHP RAP Sheet — an official criminal history aggregating arrest and disposition data from all Missouri law enforcement agencies, including arrests that never reached court. MACHS data is FCRA-compliant via an authorized CRA; CaseNet data is not. Comprehensive Missouri criminal records research requires both, used together. (RSMo §43.500; RSMo §476.055; MSHP; OSCA)