| National database | County court search | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Aggregated third-party records | The court of record itself |
| Speed | Minutes | 1–3 business days |
| Coverage | Broad but with real gaps | Complete for that county |
| Freshness | Can lag by weeks or months | Current as of the search |
| Reportable alone | No — hits must be confirmed | Yes |
How they work together
The national search casts a wide net and surfaces jurisdictions the candidate's address history would not have revealed. The county search then confirms or clears each pointer at the source. Running both is the standard for a defensible program.
- Address history drives which counties are searched by default.
- Database hits add counties outside that history.
- Only source-confirmed records are reported to the employer.
Frequently asked
Is there a true nationwide criminal database?
No. The FBI database is not available for most private employment screening, so commercial national searches are aggregations with gaps.